A Little Ain't Enough
A Little Ain't Enough is the third full-length studio album by David Lee Roth, released on January 15, 1991, through Warner Music Group. It was certified gold on April 11, 1991. Produced by Bob Rock, the album featured the lead guitar work of Jason Becker, a then up-and-coming guitarist who was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS, a.k.a. Lou Gehrig's disease) a week after joining the band. He managed to finish recording the album, but was unable to tour in support of the album, as his condition left him with little strength in his hands.
| A Little Ain't Enough | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | January 15, 1991 | |||
| Recorded | 1990 | |||
| Studio | Little Mountain (Vancouver) | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 53:10 | |||
| Label | Warner Bros. | |||
| Producer | Bob Rock | |||
| David Lee Roth chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic | [3] |
| Entertainment Weekly | B+[4] |
| Los Angeles Times | [5] |
| Rolling Stone | [6] |
The album marked the beginning of Roth's commercial decline, given the drop-off in sales from his prior two albums. During the year of the album's release, the Seattle grunge movement was beginning a sea change in rock, and Roth's brand of glam metal was considered, by mainstream audiences, obsolete. Although the album went out of print on the Warner Bros. label in 1996, it was reissued (in remastered form) in 2007 through the Friday Music label.
Release edit
A music video for the title track, "A Lil' Ain't Enough", received significant play on MTV.[7][8]
The song "Hammerhead Shark" is a cover and partial rewrite of the song by the same title from the 1990 album Walking on a Wire[9] by Lowen & Navarro.
Tour edit
The tour supporting the record was successful in Europe, but the American leg, supported by Extreme and Cinderella, turned into a financial failure, with low attendance and a third of the shows cancelled due to poor ticket sales. Setlists were shortened and songs from the current album dropped as the US tour went on.[citation needed]
The touring band featured Ozzy Osbourne and Lizzy Borden guitarist Joe Holmes, bassist Todd Jensen from Hardline, longtime collaborators Gregg Bissonette and Brett Tuggle, and for the first few shows[10] Desi Rexx from D'Molls as second guitarist.[11]
Track listing edit
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "A Lil' Ain't Enough" | Robbie Nevil, David Lee Roth | 4:42 |
| 2. | "Shoot It" | Gregg Bissonette, Nevil, Roth, Brett Tuggle | 4:13 |
| 3. | "Lady Luck" | Craig Goldy, Roth | 4:40 |
| 4. | "Hammerhead Shark" | Eric Lowen, Roth, Preston Sturges | 3:34 |
| 5. | "Tell the Truth" | Steve Hunter, Roth, Tuggle | 5:18 |
| 6. | "Baby's on Fire" | Hunter, Roth, Tuggle | 3:22 |
| 7. | "40 Below" | Hunter, Roth, Tuggle | 4:54 |
| 8. | "Sensible Shoes" | Dennis Morgan, Roth, Sturges | 5:09 |
| 9. | "Last Call" | Matt Bissonette, Gregg Bissonette, Rocket Ritchotte, Roth, Tuggle | 3:22 |
| 10. | "The Dogtown Shuffle" | Hunter, Roth, Tuggle | 4:58 |
| 11. | "It's Showtime!" | Jason Becker, Roth | 3:46 |
| 12. | "Drop in the Bucket" | Becker, Roth | 5:05 |
| Total length: | 53:03 | ||
Personnel edit
- David Lee Roth – vocals, harmonica, concept
- Jason Becker – lead guitar
- Steve Hunter – slide guitar, rhythm guitar
- Paul Baron – brass
- Gregg Bissonette – drums, percussion
- Matt Bissonette – bass, vocals
- Derry Byrne – brass
- Brian Dobbs – engineer
- Tom Keenlyside – brass
- Marc LaFrance – backing vocals
- George Marino – mastering
- Jim McGillveray – percussion
- Ian Putz – brass
- Bob Rock – producer, mixing
- Randy Staub – engineer
- David Steele – backing vocals
- Chris Taylor – engineer
- Brett Tuggle – keyboards, vocals
- John Webster – keyboards
- Pete Angelus – concept
- Jim Pezzullo – art direction, design
Charts edit
| Chart (1991) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums (ARIA)[12] | 26 |
| Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[13] | 22 |
| Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)[14] | 21 |
| Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[15] | 30 |
| Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)[16] | 1 |
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[17] | 12 |
| Japanese Albums (Oricon)[18] | 17 |
| Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[19] | 9 |
| Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[20] | 11 |
| Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[21] | 5 |
| UK Albums (OCC)[22] | 4 |
| US Billboard 200[23] | 18 |
Certifications edit
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Canada (Music Canada)[24] | Gold | 50,000^ |
| United Kingdom (BPI)[25] | Silver | 60,000^ |
| United States (RIAA)[26] | Gold | 500,000^ |
| ^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
References edit
- ^ Your Filthy Little Mouth - David Lee Roth | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic, retrieved 2021-04-06
- ^ "Friday 5: What 5 (More) Hair Metal Albums Are Essential?". MetalSucks. 2015-10-16. Retrieved 2021-03-14.
- ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. A Little Ain't Enough at AllMusic
- ^ Tucker, Ken (1991-02-01). "A Little Ain't Enough Review". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2013-02-16.
- ^ Boehm, Mike (1991-01-27). "POP MUSIC : David Lee Roth's Ham on Wry, With Lots of Mustard". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2013-02-16.
- ^ Altman, Billy (1991-03-07). . Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 2008-08-07. Retrieved 2013-02-16.
- ^ "When David Lee Roth Predicted 2021 In 1991's 'A Lil' Ain't Enough' Video". Van Halen News Desk. February 17, 2021.
- ^ Voice, The Metal (October 3, 2021). "David Lee Roth Retirement Planned Since 1991 'A Lil Ain't Enough' Video? Prophecy? Coincidence?". themetalvoice.
- ^ "Walking on a Wire - Lowen & Navarro | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic.
- ^ "Dmolls".
- ^ "R'Solved".
- ^ "Australiancharts.com – David Lee Roth – A Little Ain't Enough". Hung Medien. Retrieved 9 January 2022.
- ^ "Austriancharts.at – David Lee Roth – A Little Ain't Enough" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 9 January 2022.
- ^ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 1491". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved August 26, 2021.
- ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – David Lee Roth – A Little Ain't Enough" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 9 January 2022.
- ^ Pennanen, Timo (2006). Sisältää hitin – levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. ISBN 978-951-1-21053-5.
- ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – David Lee Roth – A Little Ain't Enough" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 9 January 2022.
- ^ Oricon Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970–2005 (in Japanese). Roppongi, Tokyo: Oricon Entertainment. 2006. ISBN 4-87131-077-9.
- ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – David Lee Roth – A Little Ain't Enough". Hung Medien. Retrieved 9 January 2022.
- ^ "Swedishcharts.com – David Lee Roth – A Little Ain't Enough". Hung Medien. Retrieved 9 January 2022.
- ^ "Swisscharts.com – David Lee Roth – A Little Ain't Enough". Hung Medien. Retrieved 9 January 2022.
- ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 9 January 2022.
- ^ "David Lee Roth Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 9 January 2022.
- ^ "Canadian album certifications – David Lee Roth – A Little Ain't Enough". Music Canada.
- ^ "British album certifications – David Lee Roth – A Little Ain't Enough". British Phonographic Industry.
- ^ "American album certifications – David Lee Roth – A Little Ain't Enough". Recording Industry Association of America.