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To be sure, Roth had a good run in terms of riding the crest of the wave, pop culture-wise. Nobody stays on the top of the heap forever.
Certainly, the culture shifted in the early 1990s. Perhaps for no reason other than a big chunk of the fans of hard rock in their teens and twenties in the 1980s had less interest in that stuff as the 1990s dawned and they got out of high school/university. Probably explains the highly experimental nature of YFLM: by the time 1992 rolled around, why not essay a bunch of different styles and make an eclectic album? A straight-up hard rock album from Dave in 1993 probably wouldn't have moved the needle much anyway, regardless of how good it was. I can't remember offhand if YFLM was the last release Roth had re: his Warner Brothers contract.
I'd agree with Sesh that by the time ALAE rolled around Roth (for a variety of reasons) was shuffling through band members, and that wasn't particularly helpful. I'd be lying if I claimed my initial reaction when seeing the ALAE video and hearing the tune at the time of release wasn't somewhat one of thinking it seemed a bit too typical in terms of what one expected from a Roth tune and video, despite finding the video amusing.
When I think of the state of hard rock/heavy metal from 1985 to 1992, most of the bands who had experienced success prior to 1985...for the most part, their best work was behind them (Scorpions, Priest, Maiden, Dio, Halen, Ratt) and the latter half of the 1980s was dominated by your Warrants, Wingers, Poisons, Bon Jovis and the like: a definite downward trajectory.
ALAE still holds up pretty well all these years later.
Certainly, the culture shifted in the early 1990s. Perhaps for no reason other than a big chunk of the fans of hard rock in their teens and twenties in the 1980s had less interest in that stuff as the 1990s dawned and they got out of high school/university. Probably explains the highly experimental nature of YFLM: by the time 1992 rolled around, why not essay a bunch of different styles and make an eclectic album? A straight-up hard rock album from Dave in 1993 probably wouldn't have moved the needle much anyway, regardless of how good it was. I can't remember offhand if YFLM was the last release Roth had re: his Warner Brothers contract.
I'd agree with Sesh that by the time ALAE rolled around Roth (for a variety of reasons) was shuffling through band members, and that wasn't particularly helpful. I'd be lying if I claimed my initial reaction when seeing the ALAE video and hearing the tune at the time of release wasn't somewhat one of thinking it seemed a bit too typical in terms of what one expected from a Roth tune and video, despite finding the video amusing.
When I think of the state of hard rock/heavy metal from 1985 to 1992, most of the bands who had experienced success prior to 1985...for the most part, their best work was behind them (Scorpions, Priest, Maiden, Dio, Halen, Ratt) and the latter half of the 1980s was dominated by your Warrants, Wingers, Poisons, Bon Jovis and the like: a definite downward trajectory.
ALAE still holds up pretty well all these years later.
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