Bill Burr on David Lee Roth

[@23ograin53]

He is so spot on with this. I will say though, I saw Dave in concert with Vai, Sheehan, and Greg Bissonette, about 3 years after he left VH, and it was incredible. He was a total pro, and made the audience feel like we were his only concert on that tour. I always loved the guy for that experience.

[@iainmacdonald8099]

He is the ToastMaster general

[@dancarter482]

Saw him in London 2004 solo show - BEST gig ever. All VH and his own rocking stuff. Costume changes, audience patter - owned the stage, kicked like Van Damme and sang in tune and even remembered the words!

[@WellFedProductions]

I saw them on the Skyscraper tour and they were amazing. It was the first big rock concert I ever went to and my Mum took me

[@mhoff7722]

One of the best shows I ever saw! 🤘🤘🤘

[@hugh-johnfleming289]

Roth is so "BIG," that character on stage, that he makes a big room small. I've seen the Stones 6-7 times and Jagger can do it. Bowie and Peter Gabriel as well.

[@patrickdevlin3552]

NAILED IT!!!

[@edwardmclaughlin719]

Yeah, such a brain teaser

[@christinberg]

Bill, you are truly a Van Halen fan. You so eloquently said exactly what happened and what we all felt. With only 6 albums, they are considered to this very day. One of the greatest, I would have love to have heard 3 more albums and what they could have done.

[@philc2870]

EDDIE WROTE THE MUSIC THE SINGER WROTE THE LYRICS SO THE SONGS WOULD HAVE BEEN DIFFERENT AN I LOVE TO HEAR WHAT DAVE WOULD DO WITH THOSE 4 ALBUM'S WHIT HIS LYRICS WHISH DAVE WOULD TRY IT . AN DON'T FORGET THERE LAST ALBUM A DIFFERENT KINDA TRUTH WITH DAVE LEE ROTH IN 2012 WITH EDDIE ALEX AN WOLFIE..😮

[@stevenfunderburg1623]

Bills assessment has got to be just about the best I have encountered, articles, books, liner notes, musician interviews and countless documentaries have tackled this peculiar rock history sub topic, but none have achieved the concise description and humorous humanity of true fandom as what I just experienced from Burr. Wow. Bill should absolutely do an actual rock doc or series of articles for Classic Rock magazine where he just expresses and explores his rock fandom 🤘

[@chriskarley384]

Seven if you want to include A Different kind of Truth. In my opinion that album kicks!!!🍻

[@stevenfunderburg1623]

@@chriskarley384 Your opinion has the considerable advantage of also being objectively true 🤘

[@michelelaraia7358]

That's life cover

[@anthonysmith778]

Just like paradise is one of my favorites

[@FrancisSawyer]

That song is garbage

[@waldocastillo-u9o]

​@@FrancisSawyerwhy the hate, he's saying it's his favourite 🤷... May I ask you how old you are?

[@FrancisSawyer]

@waldocastillo-u9o No hate. My opinion. I think it sucks. Billy Sheean feels the same way as does Steve Vai.

[@garyporcello]

​. Song blew chunks.

[@garyporcello]

​. They just went with the hot Hand. .twisted sister..another one. ((( leaser of the pack!!!))) The shangralla"s Big hit remake.. or kiss. 1983"s. The ((( the Elder!!!))) ..

[@consciousshift2590]

That's the most polite way I've ever heard Dave's solo career put.

[@MusicByDamienA]

Eat ‘em and smile and skyscraper were awesome at least 😂

[@rudygracia5573]

​@@MusicByDamienAI never get tired of DLR Eat em and smile!Billy Sheehan changed the way I play the bass guitar!!Billy is G.O.A T Rock bassist!

[@adrianlee3497]

He was always fighting to stay relevant after Eat 'Em and Smile and Skyscraper

[@shacktime]

It’s 100% spot on. Perfectly articulated.

[@jaymzb.1713]

Precisely

[@ENigma-um8zw]

*David Lee Roth is the man*

[@ginabee848]

David Lee copied the band Black oak Arkansas early 70s! Actually, it's better than Roth!

[@ronaldnock9666]

True!

[@MyVideos-fm7ug]

I get the impression that Dave is an extremely closeted raging homosexual, and is living in this constant state of war with himself not wanting to accept it… It could explain how he seeks and loves being the center of attention… but also being extremely private. It’s such a strange combination with him

[@franksinatra9906]

Yes, the GAY man…

[@MyVideos-fm7ug]

@@franksinatra9906 I was always under the impression that Dave was a closeted homosexual, and closeted to the point to where he would go to great lengths to keep that from becoming known To me, this would explain his strange dynamic of wanting to constantly be the center of attention, but while also being very private. The two dynamics just do not add up, as they seem more like he’s hiding something

[@freddiesoverbite6162]

That little bit of lounge act mixed with the juggernaut that was Mikey, Ed and Alex was absolutely beautiful. It gave Van Halen the edge of being completely original whilst blowing the doors off modern rock and roll.

[@crescentfreshbret]

David Lee Roth has said that Louis Prima is his biggest influence, and that totally makes sense.

[@astonishingaa-ron2529]

ThAts an album I buy ina heartbeat diamond dave & prima jr with his trumpet hell yeah!!! Ultimate lounge act

[@donluego9448]

Jim Dandy had huge influence on him. The way Roth did acrobatics and hair style were all influenced by Jim Dandy.

[@-dugair]

Those references should get people googling. Google to the rescue.

[@jimmorrison4163]

I liked Skyscraper.

[@5roundsrapid263]

@@-dugairI grew up near New Orleans, so I know who Louis Prima was.

[@theunknown4570]

Dave's DNA was early skat type jazz swing lounge singers and 50 /60s soul groups. He said it many times. So he brought a touch of that to VH. And when he went solo. He pushed that sound mor e because he was free to do so.😂

[@smb7647]

The Cult has the same vibe, Billy is all rocknroll and Ian is very mystical, together they are magic

[@playdiscgolf1546]

Yeah, that and their (Alex and Eddie)s dad was a jazz musician and clarinet player

[@austinking2k]

@@smb7647Ian & Billy were amazing, a different style DLR & EVH partnership

[@Trace7173]

This is spot on, and obviously he knows the band well!

[@randywissler9923]

Not counting the covers album, Crazy from the heat, his first 3 true solo albums were HUGE!!! I mean you absolutely cant go wrong with Eat em and smile!!! Dave, Steve Vai, Billy Sheehan and Greg Bissonette, now that was a super group!!!

[@jaymzb.1713]

Yes and DLR fits quite nicely in any super group.

[@SmashingEGOS]

David sucks! And that is now getting shown by the way he is disrespecting Wolfgang! He is and always has been a dick face!

[@rticle15]

And it seems that Vai and Bisonette are super nice guys. No knock on Sheehan. I just havent seen many interviews with him.

[@randywissler9923]

@rticle15 same goes with Sheehan. Him a Vai still do alot of stuff together, and never heard a bad thing about him in any interviews.

[@pulsarlights2825]

The 3rd solo album was huge? Really? Was Vai on that one?

[@Saybleu]

Skyscraper by David Lee Roth is a brilliant album

[@anthonypowell6234]

And the swing jazz elements the DLR helped extract from Ed and Alex all but vanished when he left as well.

[@RoelCyborg]

Well Ed & Alex their Dad ,Jan Van Halen was a lifelong professional Jazz musician the three of them even played gigs together(Dave used to talk a lot with their dad when riding on tour busses Their father died in 1986 at the time Sammy started their first album tour

[@mindeloman]

They got that from their dad. Dave was just able to tap into it. DLR said that every van halen album has one swing song on it. Hot For Teacher is the most glaring. Might as well be a Benny Goodman song with the guitar lead being clarinet.

[@RootzRockBand]

One of the elements that made Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, and the Jimi Hendrix Experience, was the jazz and heavy blues elements to each of the musicians playing. There are not to many known bands playing this way, however there are great bands that do play this way, but it’s harder to make a living than ever before.

[@edwardmunoz7853]

​@@mindeloman now you got me thinking 🤔 🤣 but you are right 👍

[@chiptovey6015]

And good riddance as far as I’m concerned. Roth was trash. Sammy was the true golden age of VH. Imagine a vocalist that could sing anything in a band with the best guitarist to ever walk the earth and you have Van Halen, Sammy era.

[@DarraghQuinn-d8o]

Skyscraper was an awesome album. DLR is a showman.

[@ktcolo1]

When Dave did the Crazy from the Heat EP he was still in Van Halen and was looking to do a quick solo project while the band was on break. It was intentionally not like Van Halen - it was meant to be a departure. The first solo album he did after he left Van Halen - Eat 'Em and Smile - was back to heavy rock. But I do agree his showbiz schtick was much better when it was balanced with Van Halen. What they had worked and neither side was anywhere near as good without the other.

[@johnnymata3159]

Don't Forget His "Eat Em and Smile" Era. A Great Album And A Great Tour From 1986. It Was Held At The Los Angeles Fourm, Ca.

[@clipperbob960]

You mean 28 years ago? What in the last 30 years have you actually purchased of his? The only thing he has to talk about is sh! t talking the VH family. He is 69 years old attacking the 33 year old Wolfgang who has nothing to do with what happened. DLR quit the band in 1986. VH continued on selling #1 albums and DLR…. Nothing since 1998. I think the last album ranked 172 when released. That is 171 below #1. He should shut his mouth, be grateful and cash his royalty check.

[@CouncilEstateRach]

​@@clipperbob960and so should you, all the abuse he took for things Eddie did and he DID keep his mouth shut bit now eddie is gone, people are all coming out of the woodwork and talking about this and that and the other, so it turns out that actually dave could have said a whole lot more about Eddie but he didn't. So you, have some respect as dave could have said a whole lot more bit chose not to.

[@adamphillips6747]

The best moment of my life. My band played a Christmas gig in Arcadia, CA and Mr Roth showed up. He shook my hand and told me Merry Fuckin Christmas. I’ll never forget it - ever.

[@InsideSimRacing]

Damn..I like Bill even more now. He's a hard-core fan

[@bobravenscraft5376]

I Hear ya

[@Emmanuelwithus]

Diamond Dave is an original and he was a major influence among many front men into developing my musicianship and making me a man of culture even at the young age of 8 when I first heard the 1984 album. The first time I heard and saw the Hot For Teacher video, Dave driving the bus; "Si-down Waldo", Eddie playing on the stage with the bikini clad babes and all that bad ass attitude, it formed the personal and musical side of me. I've been smiling ever since and think about those "Damn Good Times"! Thanks Dave and the rest of VH as well, including Sammy the Red Rocker for keeping the VH torch lit and touring!

[@tobiasfunke9473]

Succinctly put!! Excellent way to extract the actuality of the moment. Incredibly well put Bill 👏👏👏

[@LordHolley]

Both guys were amazing on their own, but when they played together........ legendary.

[@SquirrelTheater]

Bill Burr knows what he’s talking about. 👍🏻😎

[@brucebynum2467]

First 2 albums rocked big time.

[@stevezisk3415]

Never would have Happened Without Dave

[@abellopez.]

Really? Eddie fkn Van Halen would've put away the guitar and become a CPA? 🤔

[@stevezisk3415]

@@abellopez. No, What That Quote Means,Which was Written Bye VH Longtime Producer Ted Templeman is That Without David's lyrics Which he Wrote all of on the 1st Six, Those Songs Would have been different with a Different Writer. That's not a Knock at Ed Al and Mike. It's just a Fact. David was Real Ambitious and Creative. Even Sammy said David ran That Band the Same as He Did When he Joined Them

[@MrSoulauctioneer]

@@abellopez. no, but the same could be said about Brian May and Roger Taylor. and Led Zeppelin.

[@JJLewis-so1iq]

No kidding. His theatrics and gymnastic abilities made the show

[@JJLewis-so1iq]

David Spade said it best van Halen not van hagar

[@usaturnuranus]

Diamond Dave, gotta love that agility, sense of humor, and stage presence. I mean he would damn well bring his A-game if you threw him a mic and tossed an arena under his feet. Two of the greatest rock performers ever in the same group, and Eddie and Alex coming straight outta...Amsterdam by way of Pasadena? Like WTF are the odds on that one?

[@huwguyver4208]

Turns out that on top of top-tier comedian and dispenser of wisdom, Bill Burr is also a really articulate music critic. What a legend!

[@rwcrsarrc]

VH bounced back immediately with Sammy and 5150 , Dave released Eat and Smile two of the best albums from the 80's... killer material on both albums

[@jeffadams9168]

Exactly...well said. Dave was ridiculously badass with VH.

[@lt.loomis8176]

This is an amazing take on DLR. Bill Burr always has the big eye openers

[@johngomes4278]

His solo albums rocked though 🎉

[@topJimmyP1984]

Eat em and Smile is more like original VH music than his later albums or Van Hagar albums are.

[@johnpoertner1361]

I'd love to see Dave Roth sing Summer Nights ❤🎉🎉 Reminds me of Going Crazy from Eat 'Em. Plus Steve Vai don't play like Going Crazy so makes me wonder how much was interchanged from ideas mentally stored and jammed..?

[@juandelhombre]

Best post VH album. Little ain’t enough was great too

[@rockinrob2004]

@@juandelhombre I think Skyscraper was the 2nd best, IMO

[@deebo1103]

Eat em and Smile is what 5150 would have sounded like if he didn't leave VH. Not a bad album, has some cool songs. But considering 5150 went No 1 and sold basically 3 times as many albums, I think Eddie was on to something.

[@johnsievers6472]

I agree a bit , but David Lee Roth has a couple of great albums with a few musicians around him. He was one of the greatest front men singers ever that made a band ever. Van Halen is in many opinions one of the best of all time and the first six albums were the greatest that brought them into their attention then Sammy Hager continued that band constantly how great they were with music after, 5150, balance,

[@ronaldnock9666]

Diamond Dave is amazing!

[@rejuvenator8966]

This is actually incredibly good insight. You wont get this kind of good analysis from any "professional music critic". Good one Billy, and I totally agree! Van Halen forever!

[@makrocker1000]

DLR's solo albums are still metal rock milestones. Covers of Luis Prima or beach Boys, were performed In a sublime way, proving that he can sing anything. He was a true entertainer in every genre he did.

[@chrislawson7983]

Crazy from the heat was great. Awesome dude. Love ya Dave😊David Lee Roth's first solo record debuted at #43 on the Billboard charts and stayed on the charts for 33 weeks, reaching #15 on the U.S. charts and #91 on the U.K. charts. It has sold over one million copies in the U.S.

[@youtoo2233]

Roth later said Eddie was doing side stuff so he decided to do something too and their mgr suggested he do a covers album of old songs, Roth was also one foot out the VH door so after this he went solo

[@kennethnoisewater8170]

Dennis DeYoung in Styx was also moving his band towards a musical theater vibe.

[@illegalaryan8400]

Whose side did you take in the Van Halen/ David Lee Roth split? Bill: Van Halen. He’s a cop.

[@TheTapesArchive]

HAHA That clip is in EP5 coming out next week.

[@nathanwanner..44]

Dave is brilliant you have to really listen and watch what he is doing to get it.

[@m00ndawg]

Dave re-introduced Just A Giggolo to an entire generation. Audiences worldwide sing along to that song so im surprised to hear Bill ask "Why would he do that?"

[@ryanmay7930]

Coconut Grove is the perfect song.

[@karlepaul6632]

First, Bill is spot on. Second, is nobody else gonna say anything about the whole Bill being superimposed over David Lee Roth in the background? 🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@mikewatson5281]

A lounge act? Yankee rose going crazy. Fantastic songs with great musicians he made some good music.

[@lou_sassoul]

It’s probably bill talking, but it almost sounds like an AI generated voice of bill

[@TheTapesArchive]

It's pure Bill.

[@pedrolucass.8969]

I thought about that too, I think it's because the audio is accelerated

[@Humblemumble7]

It's sped up

[@NickNicometi]

Probably the editing of clips.

[@EyeExposeThem]

No one can ever touch or beat David Lee Roth. He was one of a kind and still is. Thank you for the memories Dave.

[@lanemeyer9350]

Dave was the FUN in Van Halen. He created all the party-vibe lyrics and those great MTV videos. The brothers would never have come up with those on their own.

[@kevinmcc3147]

Exactly

[@JokersWild70]

The problem with Roth is that he believed his own hype. That he was bigger than Van Halen. He wasn't. Each member brought something unique to that band

[@almatsas351]

SO TRUE!!!!!!

[@brando7266]

​@@JokersWild70the best van Halen was with roth, not hagar

[@Buddycoop1]

Kudos for summing up VH perfectly! He was the fun no doubt. His lyrics were top notch too.

[@BooSpencer]

Eat ‘Em and Smile rocks. Elephant Gun, Big Trouble and Ladies ‘Nite in Buffalo. With Vai, Sheehan and Bissonette playing their a@@s off - it makes it a one-of-a-kind album.

[@dplunk13]

It's funny how different both Eddie and Dave got when they split up. I guess you can blame some of it on getting older and having money and success. Certainly that edge of the first few VH albums was never there again. But they definitely complimented each other perfectly when together.

[@dancarter482]

Page & Plant, Bon and Angus .. .. .

[@aliendroneservices6621]

@@dancarter482 John and Paul...

[@AsswipeGarage]

Well, ya feel different, think different, write different, and play different when you're 20, hungry, full of piss and vinegar and testosterone, than you do at 35 with fame, money, comfort, intoxicants, and everyone kissing your ass.

[@patrickromanowilliams4878]

Skyscraper was EPIC! 🤘🏽🤘🏽

[@markrago7217]

Skyscraper is pretty bad ass

[@ashleyburns6752]

Dave's first three solo albums are awesome, Bill is thinking about the Crazy From the Heat EP.

[@VanBaylen]

Incredibly well articulated.

[@CWBush73]

Just like paradise, knucklebones, great tunes

[@Novaheart1998]

Ya I noticed the same thing ages ago. All Dave all night.🎉

[@JoeyFerrisMusic]

Exactly. It was a magical combo

[@DirtySouthConnection803]

Very well put, Bill! I absolutely love Van Halen in any form, but especially with Diamond Dave!👍

[@dapper189]

DLR is my all time fave. I listen to Fair Warning at least 3x a week.

[@walterevans2118]

Dave did his own thing …Because he had grown up around Uncle Manny and the Cafe Wha Dave had musical influences which went beyond just rock music . When he saw the opportunity to go into movies in 1985 with the Crazy From the Heat thing he kind of started to expand his horizons which left the rock audiences going ‘WTF’ ??😳 But everything is ok. Dave was entitled to do whatever he wanted.

[@teachingbeats]

Exactly.

[@Confidentk9sCa]

💯

[@peterfrknpan6674]

Entitled? Umm no

[@walterevans2118]

@@peterfrknpan6674 well, on subsequent reflection, not entitled to do ANYTHING he wanted…Indeed.

[@asanseil5553]

Skyscraper rules. I played that with Metroid for years at the time, so they go together in my brain.

[@carloschaulk]

Dave is a Genius!

[@peterfrknpan6674]

How much if a genius? He tried that on his own. Tell me. How did his doló career ho compared to Van Halen??

[@badjuju2612]

if anyone doesn't think so, just ask him...

[@Ryno-fp7pm]

This is a good take. Glad to hear Bill knows "I'm the One" off the top of his head.

[@tpocain]

That swing feel that it has was perfect for Dave's style AND for the rest of the band...Put ba-ba-da, shoobie-doo-wa's on a record and it'll sell millions!

[@ACCH-cm9ou]

i think it all made sense ....he was theatrical and he stripped down the rock sound,to let this part come out and show his roots ...then ,he surprised everyone with his first full length lp

[@r8ersfan]

Bill summed it up perfectly! Man when I bought “1984” and heard “Jump” I thought “WTF are they doing?”..the airbrushed individual photos?!? I mean the photos of VH1 showed us a Rock &Roll Band! 1984 showed us a band almost looking like f***in Duran Duran!!However it is a classic album. I know I ain’t the only one who thought Dave’s solo albums “Eat ‘Em & Smile” & “Skyscraper” had VH elements to it. All while Sammy was writing love songs much to the chagrin of Valerie, who hated Dave & the feeling was mutual.

[@aliendroneservices6621]

I remember the moment I heard Jump. Same reaction. And remember Pyromania? Same thing. Airbrushed 80s image with pastel clothing didn't match the music.

[@drew8570]

The real VH fans were there WAY before 1984.

[@badactor3440]

Valerie ended up hating Eddie also. Typical woman.

[@paulletchworth2036]

Sammy took Van Halen to another level , David was a showman but Sammy had the pipes man !!!!!!!

[@ronstewart6362]

That was the Magic of VH!! Without Dave theyre a great Rock band But with Dave They were Iconic!! Arguably the grratest Rock band Ever!

[@knightfall9394]

and without them dave was nothing and had a solo career that was pretty shortlived

[@drew8570]

​@@knightfall9394 I bet it was longer than yours.

[@wildbillfirehands]

You are partially right. Roth solo still had some of the hardest rock, with great lyrics, as well as "roll". Amazing.

[@zepptar]

A perfect explanation of David Lee Roth

[@PFSRecovery]

If anyone doubts Dave’s talent just listen to A lil ain’t enough. Its very very good.

[@Fla_Law_Dog]

Dave's early solo stuff (Eat Em' & Smile and Skyscraper) rivals anything out there. Like DLR era Van Halen, it was innovative and raw. There was nothing else quite like it. I can picture the members of Van Hagar in their limo pulling out Eat Em & Smile, putting it in the CD player, and someone snickering, "Let's see what kind of disaster ol' Dave has come up with." Then I can imagine the smiles dissolving and them looking at each other as Yankee Rose starts jamming. U just know they listened to it to see what they were up against. Lol.

[@HardRockMaster7577]

I like "Just a Gigolo". Always have. I liked VH from the get go, from first listening to their debut LP in Feb. of 1978. But what I don't like, is "The Dave Show" that he brought to VH, which he did from the get go. It got more pronounced as the years wore on. All the butt wiggling and pelvic thrusting, etc. Then later, with the VH tours after 1984, Dave's chosen singing style became a complete joke. The point is, what got me into VH and kept me into VH, was what they recorded and released on their CVH albums. That studio "magic." But "The Dave Show" was never a big draw to me. Just sing the fucking songs like you recorded tham on the album. And if you want add theatrics to that fine!! But if your theatrics take away from singing the songs, like you recorded them for the albums, then HELL NO !!!!

[@rolandedrummer9723]

I'll take his first two solo albums over anyting van Hagar did. I like all of Sammy's solo stuff though

[@tommytucker3010]

Very respectful and respectable, Mr. Bill. Smart fellow!

[@curious2624]

Van Halen was hugely influenced by Queen. David Lee Roth once said that Queen was like an encyclopedia for them. Those early records with songs like Ice Cream Man and Happy Trails etc… were them trying to emulate how Queen brought so many different musical styles to their records.

[@colbyclayton8052]

Lol, give us a reference for that comment 😂😂😂

[@DRourk]

Huh... I've said for a long time the Freddie and Dave were the best rock front men ever.

[@gmoney9068]

Very well said, Bill Burr. I had never thought of anything like that but you are spot on!

[@warriorv9359]

He was in my opinion still badass solo or not i like that lounge vibe he had

[@dancarter482]

Wasn't _ALL_ "lounge" either; _Experience_ is awesome, _Little_ _ain't_ _Enough_ etc.

[@adamrivera2499]

Eat'em and smile was a great album

[@Sweeptheleg83]

VH was never the same after DLR left. They went from the good time party band with the best Guitarist on the planet (and an elite drummer) to doing a bunch of sappy ballads with Sammy Hager. The og VH lineup is my all time favorite band.

[@sameold5050]

DLR was a great frontman but Sammy was a much better singer & musician.

[@davidstonef3062]

I saw VH 3 times. once with DLR and twice with Sammy. loved both bands. Both singers were great but Eddie made VH. You can get another singer but there is only one Eddie.

[@drew8570]

​​​@@sameold5050 So was Barbara Streisand. Van Halen's real fans don't care who had the better voice. Dave could sing better than most, and the band made better records. Go back to watching American Idol and The Voice.

[@sameold5050]

@@drew8570 Barbara Streisand wasn't a lead singer with Van Halen....irrelevant.

[@drew8570]

@@sameold5050 Not irrelevant. If Barbara Streisand became lead singer of VH, you'd be here cheering for her because she's "a better singer". 😂

[@Richard-cq4kv]

We're all raised on ShowTunes, don't disavow your Roots.

[@JoseGarcia-eadgbe]

Yankee 🥀

[@Buddycoop1]

Dave and Eddie together were a force.

[@vincentburroughs7451]

That goes bothways, van Halen sucked after hw left

[@iainmacdonald8099]

That’s really insightful. You can tell Bill Burr is a huge music fan.

[@franciscolopez3229]

It's called moving on and inovation artistically. No one stays a child forever.

[@knightfall9394]

moving on into obscurity because thats pretty much where his career went after skyscraper, DLR was done by a lil aint enough

[@MichaelMaxwell747]

And Van Hagar still had that fourteen year old boy mentality. Naming the album fuck. What were they really then? pushing 40 or more!

[@stanphillips7277]

I like Diamond Dave with Steve Vai, I saw them live. Dave came out from the back, above the crowd , on a surfboard for California Girls and surfed to the stage! I like him with VH or without. I like VH with Sammy too. Saw them w/ A monster's of rock tour! Killer

[@jhonnycultura4455]

Why didn't record it

[@stanphillips7277]

@@jhonnycultura4455 This was back in the late 80s so nobody had cell phones. Only hobbyists had cameras and those were the VHS cassette tape ones . Camcorders I think they called em' and they were too big to smuggle in even if you could afford one. That's why you don't see a lot of recordings of older bands like Zeppelin and Van Halen. Even the audio bootleg tapes of older bands are few and far between because the recording devices of the 60s, 70, and 80, and even the very early 90s were so big. Their are some out there but, cell phones (which are supercomputers really that happen to make phone calls 🤣) came along and now everyone has a pocket sized camera in their pocket so you see a lot more recordings of shows , high school basketball games, etc. Would have been cool though huh Johnny? Later brother ✌️

[@timrussell1559]

Unfortunately, daves ego wrote checks that his talent could not cash. He honestly believed that he was the sole reason for Van Halens success, rather than just one cog in a machine that needed to mesh together to be great

[@Aesop87]

True in the real hero of the day was obviously Michael Anthony, who was criminally underrated especially vocally and not only complimented but helped cover up Dave's occasional lapses in the vocal delivery department

[@jamesragsdale8202]

Edward fired Dave and Ted Templeman.

[@tonyv5202]

​@@Aesop87gotta be joking, can't even hear the bass in VH. You could have hung a bass on a manikin and no one would have noticed. Dude got a Ferrari collection just for hanging around. Eddie said the guy had no opinions and no ideas. Eddie sang harmonies too, probably him you can hear on the albums.

[@tonyv5202]

​@@jamesragsdale8202Dave left to pursue his solo career. Templeman deserved to get fired Those albums sound like shit with the guitars panned to one side. The guy didn't even understand stereo.

[@jamesragsdale8202]

@@tonyv5202 nonsense. Nonsense. A band is made up of band chemistry. No Michael Anthony no van halen. Edward didn't want anyone else's ideas. His signature musicality could only be developed by him. Edwards background vocals sucked. All the signature backing vocal glory came from Michael. Anthony's pipes.

[@twistoffate4791]

Eat 'em and Smile was awesome.

[@stiffrichard2816]

It was for MTV and showing his comedic side. It was just three videos and they were funny.

[@SavageListener]

I got all the Van Halen albums with DLR. They were certainly on the decline with Dave's lounge act, but man, what a way to end it with 1984. That was a masterpiece and amazing farewell to Diamond Dave.

[@devolve42]

Say what you want about Dave, but "Eat Em and Smile" is one of the best albums from that era.

[@sp3ck4]

Hard to go wrong when your band consists of Steve Vai, Billy Sheehan, and Gregg Bissonette.

[@leaferlite]

You, sir, speak the truth. This is absolutely on point. 💯

[@JCLADOG]

Couldn't have said it better myself. Bill's description is 100% spot on.

[@andrewbroughton65]

I loved Dave's solo trip & gigolo was always playing at my mates party's..He did plenty of Rock too ..Damn Good Times.

[@agapechannel]

Disagree with Burr’s analysis. Diamond Dave’s solo career musically was very diverse. He had songs with blues reggae and rock infusions. He had very few lounge songs. His catalog after he left was way more versatile than the Hagar VH albums and when he left VH became a hair band that wasn’t fun anymore.

[@krisscanlon4051]

I'm The One...Bill B good assessment and succinct

[@CouncilEstateRach]

He was and is amazing. Go listenbto that whole eat em and smile album on headphones....its incredible. That band were one of the best to ever perform. They were magic.

[@aaronbrungardt2917]

He did have a few killer songs before he went airport lounge act. Just Like Paradise, A Little Ain't Enough, and Yankee Rose were all great songs.

[@DavidBozek92109]

Props to Bill for being so conversant in early VH, and some deep album cuts as well.

[@jerrybrown9857]

Wow, nicely worded and all true. You my friend are a wordsmith. Love DLR, Sammy and the rest of the VAN HALEN FAMILY.

[@Bandito071]

Skyscraper was a great album

[@jonathanadams3944]

Totally on point. David is a great front man.

[@comedyforlife7]

David Lee Roth on his own is great. It will grow on you. Watch the Yankee Rose video. Hes a genius artist. He has alot of layers

[@montyrayza7220]

David Lee Roth Eat em and Smile was better than any Van Halen Album. Incredible. Bur is tone Def