Product Description When his tenure as an original member of rock supergroup Van Halen ended in '85, "Diamond Dave" proved that musically, he could hold his own. This album - the only comprehensive collection of essential solo tracks by one of pop music's most colorful and extroverted frontmen - coincides with the release of Dave's autobiography, Crazy from the Heat. Along with his hit covers "California Girls" and "Just a Gigolo/I Ain't Got Nobody," the album features a new track, available only on this compilation: "Don't Piss Me Off." .co.uk One of rock's great characters, Roth's excesses are fully redeemed by a knowing sense of his own absurdity: who else, for example, would have the sheer cojones, not simply to cover "Just A Gigolo," but to make the song his own? Fans could argue that, following his less than entirely amicable split with Van Halen, Roth has foundered for direction--and by and large, they'd be right: as a commercial force, he clearly peaked some years ago. But if that band had the chops, Roth had the soul: he's best at his most absurd--the lascivious edge he brings to "California Girls", his Ethel Merman-like theatricality on "It's Showtime" and "Easy Street"; such moments, while unlikely, have a magic all their own, and help compensate for the ugly-Americanism of tracks like "Don't Piss Me Off". Not an especially great vocalist, nor a particularly talented songwriter--but a born performer, and a true star. --Andrew McGuire
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