12 '80s Hard Rock Albums All Fans Should Own
10. Eat 'Em And Smile - David Lee Roth
The first of two entries on the list to feature frontman extraordinaire, David Lee Roth. This was Roth's first release after parting with Van Halen. As Roth himself said, what do you do when you have to replace Eddie Van Halen, arguably the greatest guitarist in the world? Get two Van Halens! What he meant was that not only was Steve Vai brought in to cover guitar heroics, but bass player Billy Sheehan was also on board with his ability to translate Van Halenesque two handed tapping to the bass.
Steve Vai had previously played with Frank Zappa and Alcatrazz, but his stock had risen considerably when his debut solo album, 'Flexable', was previewed with a free flexidisc in Guitar Player magazine, and he was dubbed the new Eddie. Sheehan had played bass in Talas, a band with a few albums under their belt and whose bass playing had taken the instrument to a new level.
All Roth needed was a set of killer songs, which 'Eat 'Em And Smile' delivered big time - 'Yankee Rose', 'Going Crazy' , 'Shy Boy' and 'Elephant Gun'. Subsequent DLR albums never hit the same heights, but 'Eat 'Em' is an essential.