David Lee Roth - Album by Album

 

One of, if not the all time greatest frontmen in rock 'n' roll, David Lee Roth remains one of those glorious characters who only come along once a generation if that in rock 'n' roll. Making his mark with Van Halen as the '70s turned into the '80s, Roth's gigantic personality combined with Eddie Van Halen's almost supernatural skill on the guitar and the rock solid rhythm section of Michael Anthony and Alex Van Halen, would turn the band into world-beaters and international superstars and see the band put out a great run of six albums that would stand toe-to-toe with most other rock bands you could name.

However, there was tension between Roth and Eddie right from the word go and in 1984-5 it finally spilled over and led to Roth leaving the band. While his former bandmates would hook up with ex-Montrose singer Sammy Hagar and move on to more smoothed-out MOR rock territory, Roth would assemble an all-star band comprising of Steve Vai on guitar, Billy Sheehan on bass and Greg Bissonette on drums and put out, initially at least, the superior quality material with 1986's classic Eat 'Em And Smile. However, the group would start to fracture around the time of the follow-up Skyscraper and although Roth would put out another four solo albums with some gems scattered among them, he would never quite reach the same commercial heights as he had at the beginning of his solo career.

The 21st century would see Roth and the Van Halen brothers patch up their differences (albeit with Eddie’s son Wolfgang replacing Anthony on bass) and return with a new album, A Different Kind Of Truth, in 2012 which far exceeded expectations and proved to be a good addition to the band's discography. Unfortunately it would turn out to be their last as a combination of disagreements within the band and Eddie Van Halen's failing health which saw him tragically pass away last year, curtailed their future activity.

Where Diamond Dave will go next is open to conjecture - there's been talk of a reunion of the original DLR band for quite some time and a lot of fans would love to see it happen. Wherever he goes though, you can guarantee one thing - it certainly won't be boring. Here's a look back at his albums both solo and with Van Halen from worst to best...

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13. Diamond Dave (2003)

The only DLR record you could really call a miss, Diamond Dave sees him turning in a set of bluesy covers including the Doors’ Soul Kitchen, the Beatles’ Tomorrow Never Knows and a reworking of Ice Cream Man, originally covered by Van Halen on their debut album. Unfortunately while Roth does at least try and put his own stamp on the material, there’s a definite whiff of him phoning things in here giving the whole thing a way less than essential feel. This really is for DLR completists only.

12. Your Filthy Little Mouth (1994)

To be fair to Diamond Dave, while several of his Sunset Strip contemporaries were trying to roll with the times in the grunge era and putting out dischordant and ill-fitting attempts to jump on the grunge bandwagon, he simply shrugged his shoulders and continued doing what he'd always done thus far. Unfortunately the final result was pretty much the same commercially with the album bombing and costing Roth his record deal. Similar to Skyscraper a few years before, Your Filthy Little Mouth sees DLR experimenting with a number of different styles and while there’s a few clunkers on here such as the dire reggaefied No Big Ting and the country duet with Travis Tritt Cheatin’ Heart Cafe, there’s also a few hidden gems - Big Train and She’s My Machine are serviceable rockers and the slinky Sunburn is a definite highlight. Hit and miss then but credit to Roth for sticking to his guns when so many around him were abandoning theirs.

11. A Little Ain't Enough (1991)

With the original DLR band being no more at this point following the departures of Steve Vai and Billy Sheehan to Whitesnake and Mr Big respectively, Dave was forced to put a new line-up together for A Little Ain’t Enough including teen guitar prodigy Jason Becker. Touted as a return to his rock roots following the more experimental Skyscraper, unfortunately A Little Ain’t Enough feels a bit Roth-by-numbers a lot of the time although the frenetic It’s Showtime! and the bluesy Sensible Shoes proved that the old magic was still there in places. Unfortunately poor sales and tour attendances followed by Becker being struck down with the crippling Lou Gehrig’s disease saw this line-up dissolve quickly and Roth having to start from square one again.

10. 1984 (1984)

Van Halen's final album with Roth is also the original band’s weakest. Incorporating a more synth driven sound with Jump giving the band a worldwide smash hit, it also featured a classic VH fist-in-the-air anthem in Panama and an Eddie guitar masterclass on Hot For Teacher. Unfortunately there's also quite a bit of filler here with Top Jimmy, Drop Dead Legs and I’ll Wait (which sounds worryingly close to Phil Collins era Genesis) being eminently forgettable. The good bits are still well worth seeking out but you can safely switch this one off after the start of side two without really missing anything...

9. Skyscraper (1988)

Skyscraper is a frustratingly inconsistent beast. Following the success of Eat ‘Em And Smile, the DLR band decided on an almost 180 change of direction for their second effort. Much more studio-oriented as opposed to the one take nature of its predecessor it received a much more muted critical and commercial reception. Yet scratch beneath the surface and there’s some good tunes on here - Just Like Paradise is a pop-rock classic that gave Roth a Top 20 hit on both sides of the Atlantic and the reflective Hina and Damn Good showed a more nuanced side to his songwriting - the latter, a quite lovely thank you to the fans for sticking with him, might just be one of his best solo songs. Elsewhere, the atmospheric title track and the showman supreme sign off of Two Fools A Minute showed Roth still had plenty of fire in the tank even if there was the odd misfire such as the dull Stand Up and the DLR-by-numbers Hot Dog And A Shake. A mixed bag but overall Skyscraper hits more than it misses.

8. DLR Band (1998)

An unexpected return to form from Diamond Dave emerging four years after Your Filthy Little Mouth and an aborted Van Halen reunion which produced two worthy songs (Me Wize Magic and Can't Get This Stuff No More) for their Greatest Hits album. Very much veering towards the rockier end of Roth's output, his teaming up with whizzkid guitarist John Lowery (who would later become John 5 in Marilyn Manson's band) paid dividends with the whiplash riff of Slam Dunk! announcing his return in style while Lose The Dress (Keep The Shoes) and Weekend With The Babysitter had Roth's enjoyable trademark bawdiness in abundance. However, at the other end of the scale, the slide guitar led mid-paced Going Places and the dreamy closer Blacksand showed that Roth could still take his foot off the pedal to good effect too. There is a little bit of filler on here but overall DLR Band was a much better effort than it really had any right to be.

7. Diver Down (1982)

Diver Down feels more like the sound of a band goofing about in the studio than taking things seriously with no less than five of the twelve tracks being covers (the band's enjoyable take on Roy Orbison's Pretty Woman being the pick), a further two being one-minute Eddie instrumentals and a running time of just half an hour. Yet there's still plenty to enjoy here -  Hang 'em High and The Full Bug see Roth's showmanship and Eddie's riffs working together as well as ever while the more reflective Secrets is one of the great hidden gems of the Roth era Van Halen catalogue and arguably the best thing on here. Maybe more of a curio, Diver Down is nevertheless well worth a listen.

 

6. A Different Kind Of Truth (2012)

Similar to DLR Band, A Different Kind Of Truth, Roth's first album with Van Halen in nearly three decades, was such a triumph because nobody really expected it. Given the fractious history between DLR and Eddie Van Halen, it really could have gone horribly wrong but they really did manage to dial up the old magic to excellent effect on the frenetic Bullethead, the anthemic She's The Woman and Big River and the acoustic-led Stay Frosty which brought back memories of the group's cover of Ice Cream Man on their debut. Not just a worthy addition to the band's catalogue but also a good send-off for Eddie as it would sadly represent his final recordings before he passed away last year.

5. Women And Children First (1980)

Van Halen's third albnm sees them starting to expand their horizons beyond the standard rock format although the high school dropout ode And The Cradle Will Rock and the epic Everybody Wants Some! show that they could still trade licks with the best of them and the frenetic Loss Of Control showed them stepping up the tempo to good effect. However, the bluesy Take Your Whiskey Home and the more refined Could This Be Magic? and In A Simple Rhyme showed that the band could do restrained just as well. Another slam dunk from the band who were looking nigh-unstoppable at this point.

4. Fair Warning (1981)

Arguably Van Halen's heaviest album, Fair Warning sees them consciously taking a step away from the sunny upbeat rock of their first three efforts into darker waters as evidenced by the brooding album opener Mean Street. Although Unchained and the almost swing style So This Is Love? deliver on the pop front, the likes of Dirty Movies, Push Comes To Shove and the sinister instrumental Sunday Afternoon In The Park mark this as a bit of an oddity among the Roth-era VH output and one well worth exploring.

3. Van Halen II (1979)

The second Van Halen album is pretty much a straight continuation of the debut and packs the thrills in almost equal measure. Dance The Night Away gave the band the pop crossover hit they'd been looking for and remains a classic in their back catalogue while elsewhere Somebody Get Me A Doctor and Light Up The Sky saw the band amp the tempo up with Eddie barely breaking a sweat throughout and Beautiful Girls saw Roth at his supreme showman best. A great album.

2. Eat 'Em And Smile (1986)

Roth's first album after leaving Van Halen saw him really pull out all the stops to come up with a proper all-killer no-filler collection of songs which ranks among the best of his career. Yankee Rose and Goin' Crazy gave him the requisite hits but elsewhere the content ranged from the full on guitar assaults of Elephant Gun and Bump 'n' Grind through the more sinister Big Trouble and Ladies' Nite In Buffalo (both of which had an almost film noir feel to them) to ace covers of That's Life and Tobacco Road. With a supremely talented band (Steve Vai, Billy Sheehan and Greg Bissonette, all of whom get a chance to properly shine here) fully locked in, Eat 'Em And Smile rips through in a little over half an hour but packs so much in in that time that you're left gasping for breath and ready to cue it up again straight afterwards. Quite honestly, essential listening. And the videos from this era nearly always cheer me up if I've had a bit of a tough day.

1. Van Halen (1978)

Van Halen's debut album was a proper game-changer. Mixing the pure riff power of the likes of Black Sabbath (who they promptly blasted offstage night after night on their first UK tour) with the glam flash of Aerosmith or Kiss, this was a new refined take on the glam rock formula that would go on to pretty much define '80s hair metal for better or worse. Eruption showed off Eddie Van Halen's guitar skill and left nearly every other six stringer with their jaw on the floor while the group's high-octane blast through You Really Got Me showcased Roth's ability as a frontman. With high quality originals such as Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love, Runnin' With The Devil, Atomic Punk and Little Dreamer in there to show off the band's songwriting chops as well, this was the album which announced Van Halen's arrival on the scene in style and still remains the best thing all four of them put their names to.