One of the most entertaining heavy-metal soap operas of the 1980s was the one about David Lee Roth parting ways with VAN HALEN. The band was at the height of their commercial success and then, out of the blue, their charismatic frontman quit and released a solo endeavor that could not have been further from the typical heavy-metal conduct of the era. Later on, both sides dissed one another across the music media and threw punches at their album titles; David Lee Roth released “Eat ‘Em and Smile” in 1986, prompting the VAN HALEN camp to name their 1988 album “OU812.” Curiously enough, several months before announcing his departure, Roth already released his debut solo EP “Crazy From the Heat,” on January 28th, 1985, via Warner Bros. The catch was that the EP consisted of cover versions of songs originally released by EDGAR WINTER GROUP, THE LOVIN’ SPOONFUL, and the Las Vegas lounge-jazz veteran, Louis Prima – not exactly the kind of material you would think of releasing if you were conspiring to challenge VAN HALEN for the heavy-metal crown, eh?
At only 14 minutes long, the EP sounds pretty tight. Edgar Winter almost steals the show with his spirited sax solo on his own song “Easy Street” but, otherwise, the EP is all about Roth‘s showmanship. At the time of its release, it sure was a weird detour, considering the style of VAN HALEN, but to give credit where it’s due, Roth pulled this odd stunt off rather marvelously. This lounge-music endeavor produced two hit singles and it still sounds fun as hell, some 40 years later! To Generation X, the cover of THE BEACH BOYS classic, “California Girls,” is probably what the original was to the Baby Boomers. Then, the cabaret-jazz medley, “Just a Gigolo / I Ain’t Got Nobody,” from 1956, gets such an invigorating makeover in the hands of Roth that you can’t help but sing along when the chorus kicks in. The scat-vocal part was especially hilarious for us heavy-metal kids at the time.
Perhaps, THE LOVIN’ SPOONFUL cover from 1966, closing the EP, does not pack so much punch; at least, it would be extremely difficult to drop those signature David Lee Roth karate kicks to it. In retrospect, it sounds pretty decent and fits seamlessly in the musical flow of the EP. On his next solo album, Roth returned to his heavy-metal roots with one hell of a line-up but, even then, he injected a cover rendition of an oldie – “That’s Life,” originally released by Dean Kay and Kelly Gordon in the 1960s. So, despite his peculiar taste for covers – or, perhaps, exactly because of it – Roth launched his solo career with a bang. This 4-track offering is truly a timeless classic in its own, weird way.
Written by Jani Lehtinen
Tracklist
- Easy Street
- Medley: Just a Gigolo / I Ain’t Got Nobody
- California Girls
- Coconut Grove
Lineup
David Lee Roth – vocals
Dean Parks – guitar on “Coconut Grove”
Eddie Martinez – guitars
Sid McGinnis – guitars
Willie Weeks – bass
John Robinson – drums
Sammy Figueroa – percussion
James Newton Howard – synths on “Coconut Grove”
Edgar Winter – keyboards, synth, sax, backing vocals on tracks 1, 2, and 3
Brian Mann – synths
Carl Wilson – backing vocals on “California Girls”
Christopher Cross – backing vocals on “California Girls”
Label
Warner Bros.
