David Lee Roth Solo Work. Thoughts?

I remember being 16 when Eat 'Em & Smile and 5150 both came out in 1986. And honestly, I was rooting for Dave at the time. Van Halen really started to go pop and I wasn't really a Hagar fan.

Anyway, Dave was wise and decided to make a rock album that was closer in spirit to 1984 than 5150. He also cobbled together a band that techinically had no peer for that brand of hard rock. Bassist Billy Sheehan... who reportedly was in consideration by Eddie to replace Michael Anthony in 1981...surely Dave knew this. And a further poke to Eddie was getting Steve Vai as his new guitarist and songwriting partner. Vai was no ordinary shredder. Not only was he influenced by EVH, but he also played with Frank Zappa.

Armed with his new band and VH producer Ted Templeman, Dave recorded EE&S. I thought it was a pretty good album...although the title is horrible, I expected something more clever from Dave...but I think it is clear that just because you higher the "best" people doesn't necessarily make for a great band. These guys are all great technicians, but some of the organic band feeling is missing, as is the songwriting chops of Edward Van Halen. Still, I would rank it as Dave's best solo album and several tracks are better than some of the weaker moments on 5150 IMO.

Dave kept the same band together for Skyscraper, but the album wasn't as cohesive as EE&S and the '80's keyboard sheen (largely missing from the previous album) really dates the album in places. For A Little Ain't Enough Dave hired producer Bob Rock and a slew of new musicians. It's another mixed bag although stronger than SS IMO. But Dave started to decline commercially and was becoming a shadow of his former self sadly. The hair loss didn't help especially when he was trying to keep up the same image. He did change a bit for the next album Your Filthy Lttle Mouth with producer Nile Rodgers and a makeover. The album covers a number of styles. Some work and some don't, but the album tanked.

But just when Dave was being written off, Van Halen came calling back in 1996. Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately in hindsight), it wasn't an actual reunion, just hype for a Best Of album. VH moved on and Dave was left hanging. But he sought his revenge in his own small way with the DLR Band made independently for the faithful. It even spawned a Top 10 radio hit with "Slam Dunk". It might be his strongest album overall, or at least his best since EE&S. Recorded quickly with a faux VH type of band, it certainly smokes VHIII. Diamond Dave was his last solo album and is mostly a disapponting set of covers.

I must admit the only DLR album I bought new was EE&S, the rest were really easy to get used at dirt cheap prices. I would really only recommend EE&S & DLR Band as complete albums. I think they both certainly rival some of the post-Dave VH albums. All the other stuff there are some decent tunes to cherry pick, but disappointing on the whole. And none of his solo work rival the 7 albums he recorded with Van Halen.

Thoughts?

 

I love EEAS. Skyscraper is also pretty good, but has a little less bite. Never cared for anything after.

 

Eh. Eat 'Em and Smile is O.K. "Yankee Rose" hasn't held up well for me. Now 5150 is a great album.

 

IMO:

Best = Eat 'em & Smile, Skyscraper

Worst = DLR Band, Your Filthy Little Mouth

Admittedly Diamond Dave is an acquired taste.

 

Eat 'Em & Smile is a cool, fun album. I enjoy the covers too, but I hate that Shy Boy crap.

Skyscraper is a cool album, not as much fun as it's predecessor, but Vai was on fire and the pin-up boy of guitar players at the time, though his playing here is tasteful and he is held on a short rein. Gotta love Knucklebones, Perfect Timing, Damn Good and Hina.

A Little Ain't Enough is not cool and not fun. There doesn't seem to be anything particularly bad about it, just that there isn't anything particularly good either.

Your Filthy Little Mouth..meh. I stopped bothering when this came out.

 

Big fan of Eat 'em and Smile and Skyscraper. I saw the videos of the singles for the next two albums and that was enough for me, really. Never bothered to hear the albums.

If you like EEAS but "hate that Shy Boy crap" it might be worth seeking out Sonrisa Salvaje, the Spanish version of EEAS. Assuming you don't speak Spanish, of course.

Skyscraper is worth it just for Vai's delay-riff on 'Hina.'

 

Eat 'Em and Smile is a flat out great rock album. I've heard people call it a guilty pleasure, but no guilt attached for me. Great songs, great playing, great band.

I saw them in Sydney on this tour and it was a great show. Vai was on fire.

You just have to take it for what it is. Fun, heavy rock with tongue firmly planted in cheek and those guys can play!!

Lost interest quickly after this though.

 

I felt Eat 'em and Smile was clearly better than 5150 at the time. Frankly, I found 5150 a huge disappointment and I was a Hagar fan back then. Diminishing returns for Diamond Dave after that. The last album I heard was A Little Ain't Enough which was more than enough.

 

Eat Em & Smile is a classic.

The rest, I couldn't name more than one or two songs off any album, although I always thought the title track of "A Little Ain't Enough" was a decent tune.

 

A Little Ain't Enough is one I've always liked. Lots of good songs and nice guitar work from Jason Becker.

 

I remember liking Smile a lot when it was released. I revisited it recently after I picked up a cheap used copy and was left wondering what I liked about it.

 

"Shy Boy" was an old Talas cover was it not? It was more for showing off Sheehan's bass playing and Vai's guitar work than anything else. It's not a great tune, though. Agreed.

I've always liked Eat Em' and Smile quite a bit. "Ladies Night in Buffalo" is a tune I always go back to. I enjoy that song very much.

 

I've always considered 1984 and 5150 sister albums. Their pop direction really started with Diver Down, my guess is because the much darker, heavier and better Fair Warning didn't sell that well for their standards.

That said, I like 5150 better than Eat 'Em and Smile.

I'd rank the DLR albums like this:

Eat 'Em and Smile
A Little Ain't Enough - pity he couldn't do more with Jason Becker
Skyscraper
DLR Band - heart was in the right place even if the vocals weren't
Diamond Dave - I actually don't mind this
Your Filthy Little Mouth - Horrid and the introduction of high voice Dave (Note the "yeah yeahs" on She's My Machine or Me Wise Magic two years later)

 

I prefer "Shy Boy" in English. "Timido" sounds stupid.

The songs that sound best in Spanish are "Loco Del Calor" ("Goin' Crazy"), "Noche De Ronda En La Ciudad" ("Ladies' Night In Buffalo"), "Arma De Caza Mayor" ("Elephant Gun"), and "En Busca De Pleito" ("Big Trouble").

Also, "En Busca De Pleito" does not fade out like "Big Trouble" does. It just ends.

One of these days, I need to create a playlist that mixes the two versions.

 

Loved EE&S when it came out, it crushed 5150 as far as I'm concerned. Liked Skyscraper, but after that nothing else interested me.

 

This. And the sound quality of my Sterling LP copy of EE&S stomps all over my horrible, horrible sounding 5150 LP .....

 

I vaguely remember a DLR comp - is that a decent overview of his solo stuff?

 

At the time, I preferred 5150 to Eat 'Em And Smile. Now, I'd rate them as about equal. For me, they are two sides of the same coin. EEAS has better production, though. (Mick Jones? What were you guys thinking?)

Skyscraper is has its moments, but it wasn't quite as strong.

IMO, Rhino's The Best did a good job at compiling the high points from Dave's solo work, even if there were some questionable inclusions/exclusions. I think it shows that Dave had some great songs, but they weren't carrying through the entire albums. I don't know why this CD is deleted.

 

"Damn Good" off of Skyscraper is great!

 

That was the most questionable exclusion from The Best. They could have left off "Hot Dog And A Shake" or "Easy Street" in order to include it.

 

I like EEAS , but there seems to be a big drop with Skyscraper

 

Becker didn't contribute as much as a lot of people think. Steve Hunter did a lot of the guitar work, including many of the solos.

 

+1 These two got loads of airplay...and I lot my friends prefered it to Van Hagar. Sammy's vocals really grate on me...

 

Really? I always thought 5150 killed on vinyl. Much, much better than the crappy 80's CD version (which I think is the only mastering of it)

 

I think this is significant. I was already a Hagar fan and had copies of Rematch, Standing Hampton, Through The Fire, and VOA. His joining VH was just gravy for me.

I honestly didn't want to like Dave's solo material, but I had to give it up to him. When I found out that he hired Vai and Sheehan, I thought that it was just brilliant. EEAS isn't as good as a VH album, but he had the vibe down. I bought the "Yankee Rose" 45 immediately (which I still have). When I found out that he recorded EEAS in Spanish, I purposely sought that version out just because I was impressed that he went through the trouble of doing it.

One of the reasons that I don't choose sides now is because I regretted doing so then. Dave had some really great stuff on those first three post-VH albums, but he often had to fight through a bias that many of us had that he was just a circus act.