Crazy From the Heat [EP]

Performer: David Lee Roth
Engineer: Jeff Hendrickson
Producer: Ted Templeman
Distributor: WEA (Distributor)

Notes: Personnel: David Lee Roth (vocals); Eddie Martinez, Sid McGinnis, Dean Parks (guitar); Edgar Winter (saxophone, keyboards, synthesizer, background vocals); Brian Mann, James Newton Howard (synthesizers); Willie Weeks (bass); John Robinson (drums); Sammy Figueroa (percussion); Carl Wilson, Christopher Cross (background vocals). Recorded at The Power Station, New York; Lion Share Recording Studio, Los Angeles, California; Amigo Studios, North Hollwood, California. For his first solo effort, David Lee Roth strips away the gonzo guitars that are Van Halen's trademark and accentuates his lounge-lizard-as-rock-star persona, resulting in an EP that succeeds because of that persona, not because the music is anything special. Certainly, he doesn't add anything to "California Girls" and "Just a Gigolo/I Ain't Got Nobody" other than his joking, over-the-top vocals. Then again, that's all he needs to do. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine After five hit albums spanning 1978 through 1982, Van Halen issued its biggest album yet with 1984 (released the same year as its title). 1984 spawned several monster hits and is often heralded as the ultimate rock album of the decade. Van Halen was experiencing internal friction despite such success. Depending on whose story you choose to believe, either singer David Lee Roth wanted to put the band on the backburner in favor of a film career or the Van Halen brothers were letting drink and drugs affect their work ethic. Either way, Roth shocked the music world when he announced his departure from the band in 1985. A few months prior to his resignation, Roth issued his first solo release, the four-track CRAZY FROM THE HEAT EP. It was an all-covers affair, recorded just for the sheer fun of it. Like his previous work with Van Halen, CRAZY was a big hit. Two very popular singles/videos were issued - "California Girls" and a medley of "Just A Gigolo/I Ain't Got Nobody"-while "Easy Street" and "Coconut Grove" also proved enjoyable. Although some criticized Dave for the EP's lightheartedness (he was of heavy metal renown, after all), CRAZY FROM THE HEAT remains an interesting career detour.

Given the snowballing success of Van Halen during the early 1980s, many rock fans were shocked when high-kicking frontman David Lee Roth left the band to go solo in 1985. The much-publicized split followed the release of Roth's initial EP, CRAZY FROM THE HEAT, which featured cheeky covers of "California Girls" and "Just a Gigolo/I Ain't Got Nobody" and showcased the vocalist's wacky humor. Recruiting a backing band that included guitar ace Steve Vai and bass hero Billy Sheehan, Roth released the full-length EAT 'EM AND SMILE in 1986 just as Van Halen unleashed their first Sammy Hagar-led album, 5150. Although Roth's career slumped after the mid-1980s, the mercurial singer decided to turn the Roth/Hagar rivalry into a profit on a joint 2003 tour...without, of course, the rest of Van Halen.

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