David Lee Roth

yocky · October 2020

It's been all Van Halen all the time round here since you know when. Just wallowing in the first 6 albums. Which led me to Eat 'em and Smile, an album I'd kind of forgotten about and.......it's really good.

I remember Yankee Rose from back in the day but Ladies Night... and Big Trouble are other standouts. The playing is top notch obvs. The whole package really stands up.

It's come as a bit of a surprise but frankly I'd rather have this one album than all of the post 1984 VH catalogue. And it's not even close.

viz · October 2020

One of the best rock albums ever.

Moe_Zambeek · October 2020

I don’t like Van Halen (the band) much and can’t really make it all the way through even their ‘best’ albums - recognising Eddie’s genius of course - it’s just the tunes I don’t like, and too many synths.

Strangely though I’d rate Eat ‘em and smile as one of my favourite albums of all time.

Then Skyscraper came along and was probably one of my biggest disappointments!

adampeter · October 2020

Was what the next Van Halen album after 1984 should have been, a fantastic album

Danny1969 · October 2020

Eat' em and smile is one of my faves too ... For me that is Vai's best playing ever, so much humour as well as skill. I saw the tour too, Wembly London.

vasselmeyer · October 2020

adampeter said:

Was what the next Van Halen album after 1984 should have been, a fantastic album

I never really liked Diamond Dave...he might be a showman but he's also a complete prick, and I find it quite difficult to get over him on early VH. Post 1984 I love the first Van Hager record, 5150, it's one of my favourite albums from the 80s.

DrCornelius · October 2020

Danny1969 said:

Eat' em and smile is one of my faves too ... For me that is Vai's best playing ever, so much humour as well as skill. I saw the tour too, Wembly London.

I went to that , is that the one he flew across the crowd on a suspended surfboard ?

Agree re the post DLR VH albums being inferior other than maybe 5150. The 15 year old me wanted to be DLR and even now I can’t listen to his stuff without a smile on my face.

I actually quite liked Skyscraper too and Crazy from the Heat

adampeter · October 2020

vasselmeyer said:

adampeter said:

Was what the next Van Halen album after 1984 should have been, a fantastic album

I never really liked Diamond Dave...he might be a showman but he's also a complete prick, and I find it quite difficult to get over him on early VH. Post 1984 I love the first Van Hager record, 5150, it's one of my favourite albums from the 80s.

Hey don't get me wrong, DD is a huge prick, but for me he is the sound of VH along with the brothers.
I loved 5150 as well as the other SH+VH albums, but for me not a patch on the original VH albums or EEAS

Danny1969 · October 2020

DLR can be a complete knob but he is a complex character who's done some amazing things. Some of the martial arts skills he's got took many years to accomplish and training and working as a New York Paramedic was not your average rock star move. Musically I prefer his darker lyrics to Sammy's but certainly Sammy is the better vocalist. In his prime though I would put DLR in the top 5 front men of all time.

yocky · October 2020

I do have every sympathy for the other 3 having to spend that much time in DLR's company. DLR is clearly the funniest guy DLR has ever met. Must be exhausting. "Complete prick" is definitely not too wide of the mark

He is a bit of an enigma though and I can't help conclude that he probably did contribute more to VH than just good lungs and fabulous hair.

vasselmeyer · October 2020

adampeter said:

vasselmeyer said:

adampeter said:

Was what the next Van Halen album after 1984 should have been, a fantastic album

I never really liked Diamond Dave...he might be a showman but he's also a complete prick, and I find it quite difficult to get over him on early VH. Post 1984 I love the first Van Hager record, 5150, it's one of my favourite albums from the 80s.

Hey don't get me wrong, DD is a huge prick, but for me he is the sound of VH along with the brothers.
I loved 5150 as well as the other SH+VH albums, but for me not a patch on the original VH albums or EEAS

You mentioned the brothers there, but Mike Anthony's backing vocals were one of the intrinsic sounds of VH. To me, VH sounded like VH whether DLR or Sammy Hagar was the vocalis because they were both singing over the VH brothers and Mike Anthoy's backing vocals. He was probably the best singer in VH!

adampeter · October 2020

vasselmeyer said:

adampeter said:

vasselmeyer said:

adampeter said:

Was what the next Van Halen album after 1984 should have been, a fantastic album

I never really liked Diamond Dave...he might be a showman but he's also a complete prick, and I find it quite difficult to get over him on early VH. Post 1984 I love the first Van Hager record, 5150, it's one of my favourite albums from the 80s.

Hey don't get me wrong, DD is a huge prick, but for me he is the sound of VH along with the brothers.
I loved 5150 as well as the other SH+VH albums, but for me not a patch on the original VH albums or EEAS

You mentioned the brothers there, but Mike Anthony's backing vocals were one of the intrinsic sounds of VH. To me, VH sounded like VH whether DLR or Sammy Hagar was the vocalis because they were both singing over the VH brothers and Mike Anthoy's backing vocals. He was probably the best singer in VH!

Got to agree there, the harmonies VH had with DLR where almost beach boyish at times, i was probably thinking in terms of music only when i left MA out, he wasn't exactly the most exciting bass player

axisus · October 2020

Eat em and smile - That record blew my mind when it came out! It seemed like the best band/album ever for guitar/bass interplay. Sadly, by Skyscraper the bass was way down in the mix and the magic was gone for me.

I had this video on VHS and wore it out! Four really cool song videos.

hollywoodrox · October 2020

Wow Skyscraper is my Fave album ever absolutely love it ,and all the Diamond Dave van halen albums.

love the early club days and high school stuff when they cover sweet emotion by aerosmith

Skyscraper album cover on my wall

west · October 2020

" ah breath mint , our lips are so close " Ewww not if you were the last immigrant groccer on earth ...

DiscoStu · October 2020

Was never a fan of DLR but I loved Damn Good when I first heard it, so much so that I had to learn it.

hollywoodrox · October 2020

DiscoStu said:

Was never a fan of DLR but I loved Damn Good when I first heard it, so much so that I had to learn it.

I’ve got that single on vinyl. I love Hina as well

west · October 2020

I saw the skyscraper tour in 88 at the hammersmith odeon ( had to look it up lol ) vai had that heartshaped guitar ...

stratman3142 · October 2020

Eat 'Em and Smile is my favourite rock album. Steve Vai's playing is spectacular and the solo to Big Trouble is one of the greatest ever.

Kebabkid · October 2020

west said:

I saw the skyscraper tour in 88 at the hammersmith odeon ( had to look it up lol ) vai had that heartshaped guitar ...

I was at that one and the Wembley gig.
Great musicianship and shows with a good dose of humour.

I seem to remember DLR playing acoustic rather well on 'Ice Cream Man' and even doing some tapping whilst standing behind Steve Vai and his guitar

Danny1969 · October 2020

Kebabkid said:

west said:

I saw the skyscraper tour in 88 at the hammersmith odeon ( had to look it up lol ) vai had that heartshaped guitar ...

I was at that one and the Wembley gig.
Great musicianship and shows with a good dose of humour.

I seem to remember DLR playing acoustic rather well on 'Ice Cream Man' and even doing some tapping whilst standing behind Steve Vai and his guitar

He still takes guitar lessons .... It's a long time ago but I'm sure he did the intro for Hot for teacher when I saw him at Wembly in 86 ish. I definitely remember him doing Panama in a boxing ring and Californian girls on a giant surfboard

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David Lee Roth

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