Although David Lee Roth never matched Van Halen’s success as a solo artist, he assembled one of the most formidable backing bands of the era. Alongside Steve Vai — whom Roth saw as the ideal foil to Eddie Van Halen — he recruited drummer Gregg Bissonette and virtuoso bass guitarist Billy Sheehan, who would later find massive success with Mr. Big.
But Sheehan was the first to head for the exit, saying Roth’s second solo album drained the joy from making music.
Released in 1986, Eat ’Em and Smile was an immediate success. Led by the MTV staple “Yankee Rose,” the album showcased the chemistry between Roth, Vai, Sheehan and Bissonette, eventually earning Platinum certification in the U.S. Vai, who has long insisted he never viewed himself as Eddie Van Halen’s replacement or rival, quickly emerged as Roth’s secret weapon.
Things changed on 1988’s Skyscraper. With keyboardist Brett Tuggle brought in as Roth pursued a more polished, radio-friendly sound, Sheehan says the atmosphere that had made the debut so enjoyable disappeared.
“Skyscraper was a whole different world,” he tells Rock Interview Series. “It’s not a record I really gravitated towards when it was done. It seemed kind of stiff to me.”
Looking back, Sheehan believes the band’s working methods were reflected in the music itself.
“With Eat ’Em and Smile we were hanging out, having fun, playing in one room, and we wrote the stuff together,” he recalls. “It was for fun, and we’d go out afterward and have some drinks, have a couple of beers at the end of rehearsal. We had a riot — it was a great hang. Skyscraper was different.”
Commercially, the album kept Roth’s momentum going, reaching No. 6 on the Billboard 200 and eventually selling more than two million copies. The bassist, however, wasn’t enjoying the band’s new direction.
“When we recorded it, we recorded one guy at a time,” he says. “I’d go into the studio, and there’d be nobody there but me and the producer. I played to Gregg’s drums and a rough [cut] of Steve’s guitar, and then I’d leave. Then one of the other guys would go in.
“Something happened, and the whole atmosphere changed. That’s why, at the end of that, I was out of the band because it was not my thing.”
While Sheehan decided to move on after the album was completed, Vai remained committed to Roth’s vision, at least through the subsequent tour. Speaking to Guitar World around the time Skyscraper was released, he made it clear he wasn’t looking for an exit.
“I get a lot of offers to play on other records and stuff that I don’t do because we’re building a band image here,” he said. “I don’t want to be looked at as a studio musician.”
He also addressed Sheehan’s departure with characteristic diplomacy.
“When two people get together, and they’re playing music, and everything goes fine until one of them wants to do something different, it’s best to get together and talk about it. If one of them decides to move on, that’s it. It was Dave’s decision, but it’s best for Bill, and it’s best for Dave; that’s at least the way I feel about it. It’s not like the Van Halen extravaganza.”
Vai remained with Roth through the Skyscraper tour before leaving in 1989 to join Whitesnake. Jason Becker succeeded him for A Little Ain’t Enough, but Roth’s solo career never again reached the commercial heights of those first two albums. For Sheehan, though, the decision to leave had never been about chart positions. Once the fun disappeared, it was time to move on.
In related news, David Lee Roth recently announced he was canceling dates on his tour, prompting a response from his Van Halen successor, Sammy Hagar.
