With Alex Van Halen and David Lee Roth reuniting publicly for the first time since 2015 at a TEDxFargo event on 30 July, tongues were always going to be a-wagging. Will they or won’t they record together again? Roth and Van Halen’s conversation, moderated by artist Robert Vargas, will soon be released on YouTube, but in the meantime, I decided to take a look at the 20 greatest songs from David Lee Roth’s solo career.
With a catalogue of almost 70 songs spanning over 40 years, ranking the Top 20 was a surprisingly difficult task given that Roth’s solo career exploded like a musical hand grenade between 1985 and 1991, and then subsequently seemed to collapse like burst soufflè.
This, of course, does not mean that he was not producing excellent music. However, his popularity did take a tumble, with chart positions following the release of his fourth solo album, Your Filthy Little Mouth, taking a downward trajectory. But you can’t keep a great entertainer down, and David Lee Roth is the ultimate entertainer.
So without further ado, here goes and may the lord have mercy upon my poor, wretched soul.
20. Tobacco Road – Eat ‘Em And Smile
This is the first track on the list from the Eat ‘Em and Smile album, released on 8 July 1986, and it is an absolute stonker of a cover.
Originally recorded by John D Loudermilk in 1959 and released in 1960, Roth’s interpretation of this track is faster and grittier. It has a really energetic feel to it. As for the combination of Vai and Sheehan on guitar and bass? Well, we will come to that later.
19. A Little Ain’t Enough – A Little Ain’t Enough
This track, which was released as a single from the album of the same name, faced some controversy. A heavily censored video and criticism of Bob Rock’s production overshadowed Jason Becker’s brilliant guitar work and seemed to stymie the track somewhat. It is, however, a great number.
It has to be said, it was nothing short of a miracle that Jason Becker was even able to take part in the recording of the album that spawned this track. The guitarist put in one hell of a performance given that he had been diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis shortly after teaming up with David Lee Roth.
18. Stand Up – Skyscraper
Ahhh, the Skyscraper album. 1988. I remember it well, listening to that album while belting up to High Beach, Epping Forest, in my 1981 Mark V Cortina, with my girlfriend at the time, hoping to hop on the good foot and do the bad thing. She bloody hated that album.
For me, however, Stand Up was a real high point on that album. A punchy, bass synth-driven song that has some fabulous lyrics (as you would expect from DLR) but really leaned away from the hard rock genre. It is a quirky anomaly of a track, and a lot of fun to listen to.
Incidentally, the album and the car lasted longer than my girlfriend did.
17. That’s Life – Eat ‘Em and Smile
Ok, I am going to say it. David Lee Roth managed to “out-Sinatra” Frank on this one. Now everybody knows that Ole’ Blue-Eyes sang flatter than a pancake from My Old Dutch (I recommend the Banana and Chocolate pancake), but everybody’s favourite crooner chose to do that to convey emotions such as defeat or disillusionment in his songs.
That’s Life was one of those tracks that oozes capitulation on an epic scale. Then along comes David Lee Roth, who is not singing flat, and turns this into a rather jolly, upbeat ditty. GENIUS.
After listening to the way that DLR belts out this track, it becomes pretty clear that he could turn Frederic Chopin’s Death March into Knees Up Mother Brown if he wanted to.
16. Somewhere Over The Rainbow Bar And Grill
When Edward Van Halen tragically passed away on 6 October 2020, a gaping hole was left behind within the music industry. What can you do when the greatest guitarist on the planet leaves us for another realm? David Lee Roth knew the answer.
Somewhere Over The Rainbow Bar And Grill is a poignant trip down memory lane, with DLR at his lyrical best, creating a portmanteau, bridging the iconic Sunset Strip hangout, Rainbow Bar and Grill, with the song, Somewhere Over the Rainbow.
Featuring some stunning acoustic guitar and bass work by John 5 and backed by Gregg Bissonette on drums, this track really is a thing of beauty. It is a truly wonderful homage to Van Halen and the early days of the band themselves. This one really is a compelling listen.
15. She’s My Machine – Your Filthy Little Mouth
This particular track is the high-point from what was regarded as a pretty average album. Lyrically, Your Filthy Little Mouth was superb. However, critics felt that it lacked “punch”.
There is, however, an argument to be put that the album is rather underrated and a lot better than it is given credit for. She’s My Machine exemplifies that belief, with its radio-friendly hard rock edge. It hit a creditable No. 12 in the Billboard charts.
14. Sensible Shoes – A Little Ain’t Enough
With its gritty, bluesy tones, this number is a deviation from Roth’s usual fayre. With some rather splendid harmonica playing and the sumptuous fretwork from Jason Becker, this is probably the best track off of A Little Ain’t Enough.
13. Just Like Paradise – Skyscraper
Good God, this song is so annoying, I love it. This is bubblegum rock at its absolute finest. Everything about it evokes images of hot summer nights, cruising down the road in a soft-top alongside the beach. Basically everything that you do not see in Cleethorpes.
Taken from the Skyscraper album, this number was the first single. Produced by Roth and Stevie Vai, it peaked at No. 6 in the US but was a bit of a damp squib in the UK, creeping into the Top 30 at No. 27.
Still, it’s a great, fun song that deserves its position at No. 13 on our list.
12 I’m Easy – Eat ‘Em And Smile
Well, you cannot say that Diamond Dave’s repertoire is not eclectic. Lurching from rock god to lounge-lizard quicker than a dog eating a Scooby-Snack, I’m Easy is a cracking slice of pastiche. What he was thinking when he decided to record this track, I know not. What I do know is that there is a lot of fun to be had in a short space of time with this track.
Eat ‘Em and Smile could have been recorded by Van Halen, in another life, and this song would have stood out in the same way that Ice Cream Man or Big Bad Bill did on VH1 and Diver Down.
Originally written and recorded by Australian combo Bilky Field and Tom Price, this song sounds positively ancient. But it is not. It was actually written in 1981. DLR’s stamp on this is camp, colourful and an absolute blast. You could envisage Sammy Davis Jr and Dean Martin singing this, while imbibing in a bottle of very expensive Scotch.
11. Ladies Night In Buffalo – Eat ‘Em and Smile
Another scorcher from the house of Eat ‘Em and Smile, and this one is grubby, dirty, sleazy. It is just downright filth. Everything about it has an edgy feel, from the way Vai, Sheehan and Bissonette construct and play this number, laconic and world-weary, to DLR’s almost spoken narration on the track.
And let us not ignore a great Stevie Vai solo either, within this wonderfully constructed number. Definitely one of DLR’s best offerings.
10. Perfect Timing – Skyscraper
Another awesome track from the Skyscraper album. From the moment Stevie Vai opens with the E5, D5, D power chords, you know this is going to be an absolute barnstormer of a track. It is not particularly fast and that is the beauty of the number.
You can hear every note played by Vai and Sheehan, every beat of Bissonette’s drum, every single word of DLR’s lyrical genius. The harmonies are superb. There is just nothing bad about this song.
It could be argued that there was a prescient sign within the lyrics where DLR sang “is that light at the end of the tunnel, the front of an oncoming train.” Billy Sheehan left David Lee Roth’s band directly after recording the album, and from that point sales started to drop. One for the reader to decide, methinks.
9. California Girls – Crazy From The Heat
Ok. So first and foremost, were the Beach Boys happy with Roth’s cover of arguably their most famous and beloved track? You bet your sweet patootie they were. In fact, far from being upset about it, they actively took part in the production of the number, with Carl Wilson performing the backing vocals. The ultimate seal of approval, eh?
Ted Templeman reached out to Carl Wilson to sing background harmonies on the track, which appears on the Crazy From The Heat EP, alongside singer Christopher Cross. Brian Wilson, who co-wrote the original in 1965, loved it and became a rather outspoken fan of Roth’s rendition.
Look, we all know the track and the supporting video. It is loud, bombastic, colourful and fun. Everything that you would expect from DLR.
8. Elephant Gun – Eat ‘Em And Smile
This song could have numerous meanings, and all of them would be correct as far as David Lee Roth is concerned. What is in no doubt is the absolute breakneck drumming and fretwork from Bissonette and Vai. Even Roadrunner would struggle to keep up with a track THAT fast.
The song is a raucous descent into musical madness. It takes you places that you do not expect to go and is a real testament to DLR and his band’s musical genius.
One of the strange quirks about the Eat ‘Em And Smile album and this song itself, is that a completely parallel, Spanish-language version of the album called Sonrisa Salvaje was recorded at the same time, with this song recorded and titled Arma De Caza Mayor.
Translated, this means “Big Game Hunting Weapon”. Who knows which “weapon” DLR was singing about? Either way, a great song.
7. Knucklebones – Skyscraper
With its gritty opening riff and pounding bassline, Knucklebones is a monster-truck of a track. Again, as with many of DLR’s songs, lyrically it could mean anything. As an arch sesquipedalian, Roth takes his lead from gothic Americana and classic blues. The result is a dangerous, sultry and rebellious vibe.
This gets compounded by the phrase “dirty work, down by the crossroads”. This may well be a reference to blues legend Robert Johnson allegedly signing a deal with the devil. Or it could just be complete guff and as decipherable as the Beatles I Am The Walrus. We will probably never know.
With Stevie Vai drivin’ and not dreamin’, performing a masterclass of a solo, this is another track showing David and the boys’ prowess at writing and performing an epic track.
6. Goin’ Crazy – Eat ‘Em and Smile
Goin’ Crazy really is the Eat ‘Em And Smile equivalent of Knucklebones. They are very similar in how they are written. That said, the bass is far more adventurous on this track, and the dynamic interplay between Sheehan and Vai is exquisite. A perfect song from a perfect album.
5. Just A Gigolo/I Ain’t Got Nobody – Crazy From The Heat
Good grief, this is a curveball and a bloody good one at that. Nobody does pastiche quite like David Lee Roth. He is the master of it. This song exemplifies that with aplomb.
Just a Gigolo and I Ain’t Got Nobody are, in fact, separate songs. They are, however, frequently performed together. This leads to many believing that they are a single piece of work. So here’s the tale of the tape.
Just A Gigolo began as a post-World War I Austrian song about a war hero who becomes a gigolo (the clue’s in the title). The American version moved the story to a Parisian café. The original version was written by Leonello Casucci, who composed the music and Julius Brammer, who wrote the original lyrics, in 1929.
I Ain’t Got Nobody predates Just A Gigolo by over a decade. This number was written in 1915 by Spencer Williams and Roger Graham. Cleverclogs jazz and swing musician Louis Prima then fused the two songs together in 1956, which then leads us to Roth’s version of the song.
Apart from being a fantastic cover, the video is not too shabby either, parodying the pop culture of the time, with segments involving lookalikes of Michael Jackson, Cyndi Lauper, Billy Idol, and Boy George as well as a guitarist with his arm alight. The video itself was a barrel of laughs on its own, without having a great cover of a fantastic song attached to it.
4. Damn Good – Skyscraper
There is an incredibly nostalgic feel to this wonderful piece of work. In an era when Mr Big brought out To Be With You and Extreme pulled More Than Words out of the hat, a couple of years earlier, Steve Vai and David Lee Roth produced Damn Good, and it was damn good, too.
With its lyrical roots dating back to around 1974, Roth and Vai welded those lyrics to an acoustic piece written by the axeman when he was a teenager.
Vai layered a standard 6-string acoustic guitar, a 12-string acoustic guitar and an exotic Coral electric sitar and voila, pure genius. This number is a stunning acoustic piece which Roth squeals and yells over, but still manages to sound awesome.
3. Shyboy – Eat ‘Em And Smile
This particular piece is not really a David Lee Roth piece. It is the work of a mad scientist, doubling up as one of the world’s greatest bass players. Former Talas virtuoso Billy Sheehan wrote the track in the late ’70s, which the band then recorded in 1982 for their second studio album, Sink Your Teeth Into That.
After Roth had recruited Sheehan and guitarist Steve Vai for his solo band, Sheehan brought his old song to the table. Roth loved it. The subsequent re-recording saw a significant tempo shift as well as changes to the bass and guitar solo interplay. Lyrically, the song is a fairly straightforward tale of a musician who is confident and dynamic on-stage, but turns into a completely tongue-tied, anxious “shy boy” when trying to talk to a girl in real life.
With his squeals, tics and general vocal mayhem, Roth turns this track into one of his own. That said, this is a Billy Sheehan bass lesson that no self-respecting bass player can ignore.
Marvellous.
2. Hot Dog And A Shake – Skyscraper
A bit of a surprise here at No. 2, but yet another stonking track from the Skyscraper album. It is fast, thundering at breakneck speed, and absolutely nobody misses a beat, a note or a single word. From the moment you hear that gliss from Stevie Vai’s guitar to the crazy-arsed lyrics, it is a moment of madness stretched into a three-minute and twenty-two-second song.
I nearly forgot, the harmonisation. “I’m dying, French frying, by the seat of my pants.” Who the hell says that? And who the hell harmonises that and makes it work? David Lee Roth, that is who.
As for the guitar work, it is a masterclass with everything that you could possibly want, a veritable cornucopia of notational goodness, all wrapped up in Stevie Vai’s fiery fingers. A worthy No. 2.
1. Yankee Rose – Eat ‘Em And Smile
Oh come on, what were you expecting? Stevie Vai made the guitar bloody talk for crying out loud. That in itself should be enough to get it to the top of the pile.
This number is a fabulous slice of rock, American style. The guitar work is off the scale, and Billy Sheehan does things with his bass that no man should ever be able to do. What about the drums, you say? Oh, we’ve got drums on this track. Some top-quality Gregg Bissonette tub-thumping going on there too.
Look, what does David bring to the table here? He brings charisma, more sass than you can shake a stick at, a lexicon that defies logic, an entertainment ethic second to none and a very good set of pipes.
This song epitomises what David Lee Roth is. Yankee Rose is, by any other name, a Van Halen song, and were DLR still in Van Halen, this track (in fact almost all of the Eat ‘Em And Smile album) would have been a Van Halen vehicle.
But he left. He went his own way and produced a classic album with classic tracks, and this one is top of the tree. All hail the Yankee Rose.
