David Lee Roth Eat 'Em And Smile CD

Personnel: David Lee Roth (vocals); Steve Vai (guitar); The Sidney Sharp Strings (strings); Jesse Harms (electric piano, keyboards); Jeff Bova (synthesizer); Billy Sheehan (bass, background vocals); Greg Bissonette (drums, background vocals); Sammy Figueroa (percussion); Waters Family (background vocals).
Engineers: Jeff Hendrickson, Lee Herschberg.
Recorded at The Power Station, New York, New York, Can-Am Recorders, Tarzana, California and Fantasy Studios, Berkeley, California.
Few would argue that David Lee Roth's first solo EP was a complete comedy send-up, albeit a very successful one that gained him enough favor with the MTV peanut gallery to solidify his potential as a solo artist. When threat became fact, however, Roth was smart enough to know that show tunes set to flashy videos weren't going to cut it and wisely proceeded to surround himself with musicians of impeccable pedigree. Thus armed, the "diamond" one set out to out-Van Halen Van Halen with his band's first effort, Eat 'Em and Smile, a more than adequate substitute for the overtly commercial tendencies of the "new and improved" original. Why mess with a winning recipe, indeed. Guitarist Steve Vai, bassist Billy Sheehan, and drummer Gregg Bissonette sound perfectly at home aping their boss' old cronies on such sizzling party anthems as "Shyboy" and "Elephant Gun." A fun-loving cover of "Tobacco Road" kicks off a very solid side two featuring the remarkably Fair Warning-esque "Big Trouble," and it doesn't get any better than first single, "Yankee Rose," where the squealing call and response between Roth and Vai reaches unparalleled comical heights. The glossy pump of "Goin' Crazy!" (originally conceived as the title track for Roth's botched movie project) hints at the pop excesses to come, and although two lounge pieces are knocked out for good measure, these are easily offset by the cool strut of "Ladies Nite in Buffalo?," arguably Roth's most legitimate piece of art ever. ~ Eduardo Rivadavia
After David Lee Roth's shocking split from Van Halen at the height of the group's popularity, all parties involved resorted to a media-fueled circus of mudslinging. Roth's first post-V.H. project was to be a motion picture (CRAZY FROM THE HEAT) which never got off the ground. But Roth had already assembled a killer solo band, including ex-Frank Zappa guitarist Steve Vai, ex-Talas bassist Billy Sheehan, and ex-Maynard Ferguson drummer Gregg Bissonette, to record songs for the movie's soundtrack. Instead of scrapping the tracks, he incorporated them into his first solo album, 1986's EAT 'EM AND SMILE.
SMILE remains Roth's best solo work. His hard-rocking band sounds as if it's out for blood throughout. Highlights abound, such as the popular singles/videos "Yankee Rose" and "Goin' Crazy," and shredders like "Shy Boy," "Elephant Gun," "Bump and Grind," "Big Trouble," and a cover of "Tobacco Road." To make things even more interesting, Van Halen issued its first post-Roth album, 5150 (with Sammy Hagar taking Roth's vocal spot), just as Roth was releasing EAT 'EM AND SMILE. The two camps' press squabbles spilled over into the charts. Roth and Van Halen slugged it out, and both albums proved to be big sellers.