Crossroads premiere - roth and vai - 1986

[THE SAINT]

1986

How Steve Stevens Almost Joined David Lee Roth’s Band

by Matthew Wilkening
Longtime Billy Idol guitarist Steve Stevens has revealed that he was invited to join David Lee Roth‘s solo band shortly after the singer’s departure from Van Halen.

“I met Dave, he came to my apartment, we went to lunch,” Stevens tells the Double Stop podcast. ”[But] I said, ‘Look, I’m in the middle of finishing up this Idol record [1986's 'Whiplash Smile'], I’m not gonna leave, and I’m committed to touring behind it. So you would have to wait for me.’ And by then he already had Billy Sheehan in the band. And he said, ‘I don’t think I can wait for you. Have you ever heard of this guy Steve Vai?’ I knew him from the [Frank] Zappa stuff. I said, ‘He’s an incredible guitar player. Him and Billy would be phenomenal together.’ So I passed on the Roth gig.”

However, Stevens still ended up having a big impact on the sound of Roth’s debut album, ‘Eat ‘Em and Smile,’ when producer Ted Templeman sent out an S.O.S. from their New York City recording studio. “I think Dave wanted to record in New York ’cause he wanted to get away from the Van Halen thing. But they were having issues getting a good guitar sound with Steve Vai. Ted asked me to meet up with Steve and give him some pointers. He was using Carvin gear or something. So I called Ted and said, ‘You’re not gonna get a good guitar sound out of that stuff.’ I said, ‘Let me send over my gear. I’ll send over all my Marshall stuff.’ So that’s all my equipment on that first David Lee Roth record. I mean, that first record is just phenomenal.”

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MARCH 7th, 1986
ROTH ATTENDS THE, “CROSSROADS” PREMIERE


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[THE SAINT]

MARCH 14th, 1986
STEVE VAI CUTS HEADS WITH THE KARATE KID

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THE MOVIE, “CROSSROADS” IS RELEASED

Eugene Martone (Ralph Macchio) a classical guitar student at the Juilliard School for Performing Arts in New York City who has an obsession for the Blues especially the famed Robert Johnson. Especially intriguing are the legends surrounding exactly how Johnson became so talented most notably the one claiming he "sold his soul to the Devil at the crossroads" along with a supposed lost song that Johnson never recorded.

In 1986, Steve Vai was having one of those years. March saw the debut of the film Crossroads, for which Steve wrote and performed both the rock and neoclassical sequences of the now-famous guitar duel, and in which he also landed a starring role as the devil’s swaggering henchman, Jack Butler. Trailer clips of the film’s climactic musical showdown, with its mesmerizing cascade of diminished arpeggios, had just begun to explode adolescent minds across the country when David Lee Roth stepped into the studio with Steve to record his highly anticipated post-Van Halen grudge album.
When that record, Eat ‘Em And Smile, was sent to the lathe in July of that year, Vai was catapulted from talented upstart to the ranks of the rarefied. Guitar Magazines nearly herniated themselves in the rush to pen think pieces measuring him against the default yardstick of Eddie’s vast influence. Adjectives like “talented” and “iconic” were weighed. Typewriter keys clacked. Coffee mugs were drained and refilled. Music videos were filmed. Fans were alternately thrilled or scared — or both — depending upon their allegiances. Steve’s sudden ubiquity was so complete, it was almost as though he’d made a deal with the Dave-il.

As it happens, Vai’s performances, both on the album and in the film, justified the hype. Those glittering arpeggios may have been the centerpiece of the film’s marketing campaign, but the entire scene was a Vai romp. The tasty blues jam that precedes the throwdown is punctuated by sinister slides, daring harmonics, and slippery arpeggiated runs straight out of what would soon become the Eat ‘Em and Smile playbook.

Q. How did you end up playing the role of Jack Butler in the movie Crossroads?

Slide guitarist Ry Cooder was doing the soundtrack, and he called Guitar Player magazine to get the name of a hot rock guitarist for some sections. They recommended me. Ry called me, and I went down to work on the musical duel section with him. I had to discuss certain aspects of the scene with the film director, and he asked me if I wanted to act out the part. It was simpler than teaching an actor to mimic what I was playing. I guess I also had the perfect “Jack Butler” eyebrow.

Q. Did the film bring you to the attention of David Lee Roth?

No, we met before the film was released. In fact, he went with me to the premiere of the movie. I was bubbling under back then. After Guitar Player used my “Attitude Song” for their soundpage, and then my Flex-Able album came out with a few cool guitar things on it, things began to happen. Dave had heard the record I did with Alcatrazz and liked that too.

Q. There was a lot of media attention focused on Roth’s split from Van Halen. Did you feel a lot of pressure as the one who had to fill the spot Eddie Van Halen had carved out?

How do you compete with Eddie Van Halen? I loved his playing and knew I would be compared to him; I was honored to be in the position. I didn’t know what would happen at the concerts—whether the audience would accept or ignore me. By the middle of the tour they were chanting my name before I got on stage. It was a thrill. I enjoyed the whole thing.


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[THE SAINT]

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[cadaverdog]

The band Dave put together after leaving Van Halen was great but most of their material was only average at best. Hard to believe Van Hagar sold 3 times as many albums as Roth did with Eat Em And Smile with 5150. I wonder why Ted Templeman didn't produce 5150. He produced all 6 of Van Halen's albums, Montrose Montrose and Sammy's VOA album. So he had a working relationship with Sammy and Van Halen. Might have been a little awkward for Ted to produce 5150 for Van Hagar while he was producing EEAS for Dave. Ed must not have held a grudge against Ted for working with Dave because he continued a working relationship with Ted after that. It's probably been explained in a book somewhere I haven't read.

[Von Halen]

I wish Steve Stevens had taken the gig.

[VHscraps]

The band Dave put together after leaving Van Halen was great but most of their material was only average at best. Hard to believe Van Hagar sold 3 times as many albums as Roth did with Eat Em And Smile with 5150. I wonder why Ted Templeman didn't produce 5150. He produced all 6 of Van Halen's albums, Montrose Montrose and Sammy's VOA album. So he had a working relationship with Sammy and Van Halen. Might have been a little awkward for Ted to produce 5150 for Van Hagar while he was producing EEAS for Dave. Ed must not have held a grudge against Ted for working with Dave because he continued a working relationship with Ted after that. It's probably been explained in a book somewhere I haven't read.

I think Ed did hold a grudge against Ted, and still does to this day. During the recording of 1984 Ted and Dave were often locked out of the studio while Eddie and Donn Landee worked on music.

When Ted came back on one of the Van Hagar records, he was brought in to work with Hagar on the vocals - I'm pretty sure Ed said it was a concession he had to make because by that time (F.U.C.K) Sammy was becoming difficult to work with, and he wanted to record his vocals with Ted (Ted had been a singer, after all, and was probably good with singers).

I think Roth did as well commercially, if not a little better, than Van Hagar outside of the US - certainly in Europe in those first few years after going solo.

[cadaverdog]

I think Ed did hold a grudge against Ted, and still does to this day. During the recording of 1984 Ted and Dave were often locked out of the studio while Eddie and Donn Landee worked on music.

Ted helped produce two Private Lives album with Ed and Don Landee after he produced EEAS for Dave. He might have been holding a grudge but he didn't let it interfere with business at that time.

[VHscraps]

Ted helped produce two Private Lives album with Ed and Don Landee after he produced EEAS for Dave. He might have been holding a grudge but he didn't let it interfere with business at that time.

Yeah, true - but Ted was Senior Vice President of Warner Bros Records, and in control of budgets for the albums of bands he signed. My guess is that Ed got Private Life signed to Warners, but was "under supervision" when he was producing those albums (budget implications and all that) and that was why Ted was involved.

Ed never really got independence from Ted's influence until OU812. Mick Jones, who co-produced 5150 was put in there during the making of that album by the record company (i.e., Ted), because Warners didn't trust Ed and Donn Landee to deliver the album on time and on budget.

Mick Jones said that when he came on the scene for that album Donn Landee locked himself in the studio and threatened to burn the master tapes (which he had also done, according to Dave's book, during the making of 1984 when there was suspicion between the Ed & Donn and Dave & Ted camps!).

[twonabomber]

I wish Steve Stevens had taken the gig.

Stevens was going to work with Sheehan after Billy left Dave. There was a quote in Guitar World that said "Steve's got a new Billy and I've got a new Steve!"

[ashstralia]

I wish Steve Stevens had taken the gig.

I doubt he could have come up with anything as cool as 'big trouble'. That is the Roth/Vai pinnacle. Ever notice the groove is a bit like 'little dreamer'?

And hi everyone.