This is a recording of David Lee Roth doing the screams for "Running With The Devil" without any accompaniment. When I heard it, I commented that he sounded like he was being tortured with a hot poker. But really, he was just being a rock star.
Here he is actually singing and screaming…
And here he is singing the song… Damn, I miss the 80s sometimes.
When I was coming along, David Lee Roth was all the rage. He was the lead singer of Van Halen for years, but then had a falling out with other band members and got replaced by Sammy Hagar, who was also kind of popular in my day. For awhile, Dave had a solo career, and one song he did in the mid 80s was the classic hit, "Just a Gigolo".
I have always gotten a kick out of this video, since it really is a relic of my adolescence. In the 80s, everybody was watching MTV, which back in those days, still actually played music. Besides, this video was pretty funny. I especially enjoyed watching Dave being manhandled by Willie Nelson… or is that just someone who resembles the red headed stranger? I don't know, but it's funny.
David Lee Roth also covered "California Girls". To my great shame, I'm probably more familiar with his version than The Beach Boys' vastly superior original.
I did kind of like "Yankee Rose", though…
I hear David Lee Roth is back with Van Halen, which is a good thing. I think he was their best front man, especially when he wore his chaps on stage with no pants on underneath. I liked some of the songs Sammy Hagar did, too. But I don't think Hagar has quite the charisma and fun energy David Lee Roth has. And really, both the band and Roth belong together. Neither was quite as good without the other.
