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Eat 'Em and Smile

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Eat 'Em and Smile
Studio album by
David Lee Roth
ReleasedJuly 7, 1986
Studio
Genre
Length31:04
LabelWarner Bros.
ProducerTed Templeman
David Lee Roth chronology
Crazy from the Heat
(1985) 		Eat 'Em and Smile
(1986) 		Skyscraper
(1988)
Singles from Eat 'Em and Smile
  1. "Yankee Rose"
    Released: June 18, 1986
  2. "Goin' Crazy!"
    Released: September 3, 1986[3]
  3. "That's Life"
    Released: November 1986[4]
  4. "I'm Easy"
    Released: March 10, 1987 (Japan)[5]
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[6]
Robert ChristgauB+[7]
Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal7/10[8]
Kerrang![9]
Rolling Stone(favorable)[10]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[11]

Eat 'Em and Smile is the debut studio album by former Van Halen singer David Lee Roth, released on July 7, 1986, after his unpredicted successful debut EP Crazy from the Heat (1985).

History

[edit]

After releasing Crazy from the Heat, an EP of lounge standards that became a surprise hit during early 1985, and subsequently parting ways with Van Halen while the band was at its commercial zenith, Roth assembled a new backing band: bassist Billy Sheehan (later of Mr. Big); drummer Gregg Bissonette (later of Ringo Starr's All-Star Band); and virtuoso guitarist Steve Vai, who had played with Frank Zappa, PiL, and Alcatrazz.[10]

Roth later said that the songs written for the album were originally intended to form the soundtrack to a film, Crazy from the Heat, which was never made.[12]

Release

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Both a critical and commercial success, Eat 'Em and Smile was praised by Rolling Stone: "No song on the album was as slick as any of the singles from Van Halen's '5150' album" (which featured Roth's replacement, Sammy Hagar) and also opined that Eat 'Em and Smile was much more "trashy fun".[10] Indeed, many of the reviews of Eat 'Em and Smile compared it directly with Van Halen's synth-heavy 5150, often favorably.[13]

The extensive North American Eat 'Em and Smile Tour ran from mid-1986 through early 1987.

The phrase 'Eat ‘Em and Smile' was part of a trademark registered in 1928 by the now-defunct Ward-Owsley Co candy company in Aberdeen, South Dakota.[14]

In 2015, a live concert for the 30th anniversary reunion was planned featuring Vai, Sheehan, Bissonette, and keyboardist Brett Tuggle. Initially Michael Starr was going to sing, but at the last minute David Lee Roth arrived at the venue. Due to safety measures and the overwhelmed capacity of the venue, the fire marshals shut down the show.[15][16][17][18]

Production

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Two of the album's original songs became its biggest hits. "Yankee Rose," a tongue-in-cheek tribute to the Statue of Liberty, became an MTV and radio hit, rising into the Billboard Top 20.[19] The would-be theme to Roth's then-planned movie, "Goin' Crazy!", also became an MTV staple[20] that reached #66 on Billboard's Hot 100 in October 1986.[21]

Similar to his preceding EP, Roth included two lounge song covers on Eat 'Em and Smile: "That's Life," which was a minor hit at the end of 1986, with a video featuring clips of previous Roth & Van Halen videos being in heavy rotation on MTV,[22] and "I'm Easy." A third cover was John D. Loudermilk's folk-blues song "Tobacco Road," and Billy Sheehan brought in "Shy Boy", a composition from his previous band Talas. The remainder of the songs were written by Roth and Vai.

A version of "Kids in Action," originally by Kim Mitchell (of Max Webster), was also recorded for the album. Billy Sheehan was briefly a member of Max Webster, and according to Kim Mitchell: "It didn’t work out. There were no hard feelings and he went on and did really well. I got a call from him one day and he goes, 'Hey, man, I'm in the studio with David Lee Roth, Ted Templeman and Steve Vai and we're covering your tune 'Kids in Action' and we need the words to the second verse.' I was shaking on the phone. This was right after Roth left Van Halen. Then at the last minute it got bumped off the record for 'Tobacco Road.'" There is no known studio version of Roth's cover available to the public.

This was the first of two Roth albums to feature the duo of Steve Vai and Billy Sheehan on guitar and bass respectively. Throughout the album the two would often sync complicated basslines and lead guitar parts, as on tracks such as "Shyboy" and "Elephant Gun." The album brought Steve Vai into the public eye as a contender with Eddie Van Halen, the previous guitarist who worked with Roth. This album features some of Steve Vai's most renowned guitar work.[21]

Sonrisa Salvaje

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Sonrisa Salvaje (literally "Wild Smile") is the Spanish-language version of Eat 'Em and Smile. According to the Van Halen Encyclopedia, the idea to re-record the album in Spanish was the idea of bassist Billy Sheehan, who had read an article in a magazine which reported that over half the Mexican population was between the ages of 18 and 27, a prime record buying market.[23] Roth re-cut all his vocals with the help of a Spanish tutor in the studio. He edited some of the risqué lyrics, so as not to offend the more conservative Spanish-speaking population. With the exception of the vocals, the basic music tracks are the same as the Eat 'Em and Smile version, with the only exception being "Big Trouble", which ends abruptly as opposed to fading out on the English version.

According to Sheehan, the album was not well received, with many people considering it "gringo Spanish". Any future Spanish-version ideas were dropped. Sonrisa Salvaje was originally released on vinyl and cassette, but deleted almost immediately; a CD version did not appear until 2007. All of the liner notes on the original release were written in Spanish, except for the copyright notice and the Dolby noise reduction information on the cassette version.

Critical reception

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Daniel Brogan of the Chicago Tribune found the album to be a "manic spree" where Steve Vai's "stinging guitar work" is the most appealing component.[24] Terry Atkinson of the Los Angeles Times wrote, "And the Ted Templeman-produced "Eat 'Em," which stands up well alongside the best Van Halen albums, features the Roth you know: rock's answer to those pop-eyed libidinous wolves of the old Tex Avery cartoons."[25] Eat 'Em and Smile was named "album of the year" by Kerrang! for 1986.[26]

Bryan Rolli of Ultimate Classic Rock described “Ladies’ Nite in Buffalo?” as “the best and boldest song to come from any Van Halen alum since 1984."[27]

Track listing

[edit]

Instead of the typical "A Side" and "B Side", the vinyl artwork showed the track listing on one side of the disc, as the A Side had a photograph of Roth in-costume.[28]

"Other Side"
No.TitleWriter(s)Sonrisa Salvaje TitleLength
1."Yankee Rose"David Lee Roth, Steve Vai"Yankee Rose"3:55
2."Shyboy"Billy Sheehan"Tímido"3:24
3."I'm Easy"Billy Field, Tom Price"Soy Fácil"2:11
4."Ladies' Nite in Buffalo?"Roth, Vai"Noche de Ronda en la Ciudad"4:08
5."Goin' Crazy!"Roth, Vai"¡Loco del calor!"3:10
"This Side"
No.TitleWriter(s)Sonrisa Salvaje TitleLength
6."Tobacco Road"John D. Loudermilk"La Calle del Tabaco"2:29
7."Elephant Gun"Roth, Vai"Arma de Caza Mayor"2:26
8."Big Trouble"Roth, Vai"En busca de pleito"3:59
9."Bump and Grind"Roth, Vai"Cuánto Frenesí"2:32
10."That's Life"Dean Kay, Kelly Gordon"Así es la Vida"2:45

Personnel

[edit]

Additional personnel

[edit]

Charts

[edit]

Certifications

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[42] Gold 100,000^
United States (RIAA)[43] Platinum 1,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

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  1. ^ "David Lee Roth: Eat 'Em and Smile".
  2. ^ Westhoff, Ben (December 6, 2011). "Chuck Klosterman's Favorite Hair Metal Albums". LA Weekly. Retrieved March 4, 2021.
  3. ^ "FMQB" (PDF). p. 37.
  4. ^ Hung, Steffen. "David Lee Roth - That's Life". hitparade.ch.
  5. ^ Hung, Steffen. "David Lee Roth - I'm Easy". hitparade.ch.
  6. ^ Rivadavia, Eduardo. "Eat 'Em and Smile – David Lee Roth review". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved September 7, 2011.
  7. ^ Christgau, Robert. "CG: David Lee Roth". Robert Christgau. Retrieved September 7, 2011.
  8. ^ Popoff, Martin (November 1, 2005). The Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal: Volume 2: The Eighties. Burlington, Ontario, Canada: Collector's Guide Publishing. p. 295. ISBN 978-1-894959-31-5.
  9. ^ Dickson, Dave (July 10, 1986). "It's the Meal Thing". Kerrang!. No. 124. London, UK: United Magazines ltd. pp. 10–11.
  10. ^ a b c Farber, Jim (September 11, 1986). "David Lee Roth: Eat 'Em and Smile : Music Reviews". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on September 30, 2007. Retrieved September 7, 2011.
  11. ^ Brackett, Nathan; Christian Hoard (2004). The Rolling Stone Album Guide. New York City, New York: Simon and Schuster. p. 704. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8. rolling stone david lee roth album guide.
  12. ^ TheRothShow: Episode 5: Cafe Wha?/EEAS:Origins/Goin' Crazy!/DLR Art Gallery [David Lee Roth], November 26, 2012, retrieved March 24, 2023
  13. ^ "Van Halen's '5150' Vs. David Lee Roth's 'Eat 'Em and Smile' – Great Rock Debates". Ultimate Classic Rock. October 23, 2013. Retrieved March 8, 2015.
  14. ^ Baker, Eric; Blik, Tyler (1985). Trademarks of the 20's and 30's. Chronicle Books. p. 125. ISBN 9780877013600. Retrieved January 14, 2019.
  15. ^ Blabbermouth (November 23, 2015). "VAI, SHEEHAN, BISSONETTE To Team Up With STEEL PANTHER Frontman To Recreate DAVID LEE ROTH Classics". BLABBERMOUTH.NET. Archived from the original on August 15, 2021. Retrieved August 15, 2021.
  16. ^ Blabbermouth (October 26, 2016). "STEVE VAI Says Reunion Of DAVID LEE ROTH's 'Eat 'Em And Smile' Lineup Is 'On The Radar'". BLABBERMOUTH.NET. Retrieved August 15, 2021.
  17. ^ hennemusic. "Fire Marshall shuts down David Lee Roth Eat 'Em And Smile reunion show". Retrieved August 15, 2021.
  18. ^ Steve Vai's interview at Tom Morello’s Maximum Firepower Podcast
  19. ^ "Robert Christgau: Album: David Lee Roth: Eat 'Em and Smile". Retrieved March 8, 2015.
  20. ^ MTV Programming, Billboard November 15, 1986
  21. ^ a b "Steve Vai Discusses His Albums with David Lee Roth & Van Halen's 'A Different Kind Of Truth'". Van Halen News Desk. August 21, 2012. Retrieved March 8, 2015.
  22. ^ MTV Programming, Billboard December 27, 1986
  23. ^ "When David Lee Roth Went Spanish With 'Sonrisa Salvaje'". Ultimate Classic Rock. July 7, 2016. Retrieved October 25, 2021.
  24. ^ Brogan, Daniel (July 25, 1986). "Guitar Work Almost Makes Roth's "Eat 'em" Appetizing". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved October 13, 2015.
  25. ^ "Archives". Los Angeles Times. July 6, 1986.
  26. ^ "Rocklist.net...Kerrang! Lists Page 1..." www.rocklistmusic.co.uk.
  27. ^ Rolli, Bryan (November 24, 2023). "Top 30 Glam Metal Albums". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved December 3, 2023.
  28. ^ "Roots Vinyl Guide". www.rootsvinylguide.com.
  29. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 259. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  30. ^ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 0718". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved August 26, 2021.
  31. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – David Lee Roth – Eat 'Em And Smile" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved August 26, 2021.
  32. ^ Pennanen, Timo (2006). Sisältää hitin – levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. p. 166. ISBN 978-951-1-21053-5.
  33. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – David Lee Roth – Eat 'Em And Smile" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved August 26, 2021.
  34. ^ Oricon Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970–2005 (in Japanese). Roppongi, Tokyo: Oricon Entertainment. 2006. ISBN 4-87131-077-9.
  35. ^ "Charts.nz – David Lee Roth – Eat 'Em And Smile". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 26, 2021.
  36. ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – David Lee Roth – Eat 'Em And Smile". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 26, 2021.
  37. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – David Lee Roth – Eat 'Em And Smile". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 26, 2021.
  38. ^ "Swisscharts.com – David Lee Roth – Eat 'Em And Smile". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 26, 2021.
  39. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 26, 2021.
  40. ^ "David Lee Roth Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved August 26, 2021.
  41. ^ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1986". Billboard. Retrieved August 26, 2021.
  42. ^ "British album certifications – David Lee Roth – Eat 'Em and Smile". British Phonographic Industry.
  43. ^ "American album certifications – David Lee Roth – Eat 'Em and Smile". Recording Industry Association of America.

Further reading

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Templeman, Ted; Renoff, Greg (2020). Ted Templeman: A Platinum Producer's Life In Music. Toronto: ECW Press. pp. 409–12. ISBN 9781770414839. OCLC 1121143123.

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