Eat 'Em and Smile
| Eat 'Em and Smile | ||||
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| Studio album by David Lee Roth | ||||
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Publication |
5th September 1986 |
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| Label (s) | Warner bros. | |||
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Format (s) |
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Title (number) |
10 |
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running time |
30:39 |
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| occupation | ||||
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Eat 'Em and Smile is the first album recorded by David Lee Roth after his split from Van Halen .
History of origin
After Roth had recorded an EP with covers of well-known songs in 1985 , which was quite successful (the single California Girls reached number 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 ), he left Van Halen shortly afterwards. Since differences between the band members had led to the separation, Roth tried to gather high-class musicians around himself in order to be able to hold a candle to his old band. He was able to win over guitarist Steve Vai , bassist Billy Sheehan and drummer Gregg Bissonette , and together they began to record.
David Lee Roth
Greg Bissonette
Billy Sheehan
Steve Vai
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As with the EP Crazy From The Heat , Van Halen producer Ted Templeman , who last recorded the album with Van Halen in 1984 , acted as producer ; Sound engineer was Jeff Hendrickson . The recordings took place in the recording studios The Power Station in New York City and the Fantasy Studios in Berkeley ( California ), additional recordings were made at Can-Am Recorders in Tarzana (California).
The album contains ten tracks, three of which are cover versions. The title Yankee Rose was released as a single , in whose intro Steve Vai lets his guitar lead a "dialogue" with David Lee Roth. From the way Vai phrased the notes, Roth's "answers" allow you to understand with a little imagination what the guitar "says" in dialogue.
Eat 'Em and Smile was the first of two albums in which the exceptional instrumentalists Vai and Sheehan were involved. Again and again they bring their instruments together in terms of sound, repeatedly synchronize bass and guitar melodies and shine with their skills.
Charts and Achievements
| Professional reviews | |
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| source | rating |
| Allmusic |
 
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| Ultimate Classic |
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| Sputnik Music |
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The album was released on September 5, 1986 and rose to number 4 on the Billboard 200 in the US ; it stayed on the charts for 60 weeks. Yankee Rose reached # 16 on the Billboard Hot 100 , followed by Goin Crazy (# 66) and That's Life (# 85).
Sales
| country | Certification | Sales |
|---|---|---|
 United States ( RIAA )
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2 × platinum | +2,000,000 |
 United Kingdom (BPI)
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gold | +100,000 |
Sonrisa Salvaje
In order to satisfy the then strong Mexican market, the album was also released in a Spanish version with the title Sonrisa Salvaje (Wild Smile). Roth made use of a Spanish tutor and sang all the titles in Spanish again that had otherwise not been changed. The only exception was the title Big Trouble, which is not faded out on the Spanish version, but ends abruptly.
Track list
- Yankee Rose ( David Lee Roth , Steve Vai ) - 3:47
- Shy Boy ( Billy Sheehan , arr.Roth) - 3:23
- I'm Easy (Field, Price) - 2:11
- Ladies' Nite in Buffalo? (Roth, Vai) - 4:08
- Goin 'crazy! (Roth, Vai) - 3:11
- Tobacco Road ( John D. Loudermilk ) - 2:27
- Elephant Gun (Roth, Vai) - 2:23
- Big Trouble (Roth, Vai) - 3:56
- Bump and Grind (Roth, Vai) - 2:32
- That's Life (Dean Kay, Kelly Gordon) - 2:29
Participating musicians
- David Lee Roth - vocals
- Steve Vai - guitars
- Billy Sheehan - bass
- Gregg Bissonette - drums
- Jeff Bova - keyboard
- Jesse Harms - keyboard
- Sammy Figueroa - percussion
- The Waters Family - background vocals
- The Sidney Sharp Stings - strings