DLR 1998 20 Years already

[jacksmar]

This is the hardest Roth has rocked since Eat 'Em and Smile. The songs may not be as funny or memorable, and his new band doesn't reach the heights of Steve Vai and Billy Sheehan, but The DLR Band benefits from its modest scale. It succeeds on its own terms, delivering a selection of fine, spirited metal songs that finds Roth's charisma at a near peak.

https://www.allmusic.com/album/dlr-band-mw0000039527

Well, I can remember coming here and finding out that there was a new CD. And remember, 20 years ago the Internet isn't what it was today. That being said, I was able to track down a couple of stores in Louisville that actually had the CD in stock. I bought two which was kind of my practice back then. One CD for the car 10 disc changer and one CD for the house 100 disc changer. I bought them both right before the Fourth of July and had them for my party the next day. I had a gig Friday July 3rd at the Tiger and couldn't wait to have over those 40-50 year old women on Saturday.

The house disc changer went through its random play and about 10:30 Slam Dunk wound them up. My 2nd wife was beside herself and wanted to know what that edgy song was. I told her it was a new band DLR. Booze, beer, boobs, and fireworks for the next two hours and then Lose The Dress. The women went on auto pilot dancing, stripping each other's tops off. (Glad I use the yard fogger.) Same question: who's the edgy band.
About 20 minutes later, the following song made my night: Everybody Wants Some.That's when the nude dancing started along with the trouble. The women don't care but a bunch of drunk other halfs don't like the way a couple of the pervs took pics and started dancing nude with the ladies. Party over. Some left in towels they were using at the pool and hot tub. Some just left nude. Some were pissing at the edge of the ravine; some in the pool.

It went from bad to worse by morning. Some stayed and were puking tequila,; one couple was having a Heineken and brie puking contest in the driveway. I got in bad trouble for letting an AP reporter make it together with me on the pantry stairs. She was supposed to be making coffee. Here's some advice: a Danish pastry or Bear Claw doesn't make up for a sex error in judgement. You need cigarettes and a Long John with coffee.

Thank you DLR Band for a night of tanning bed tit salutes and great tunes. 20 years ago.

https://cps-static.rovicorp.com/3/JPG_500/MI0000/169/MI0000169089.jpg?partner=allrovi.com

[Terry]

I think I found out about the DLR BAND cd by seeing a segment on either MTV or VH1 in 1998 and it was literally a Where Are They Now? segment, with the album cover blown up behind Roth via blue/green screen. I went down to Strawberry's Records, and there was one copy available, buried in the back of the Roth solo cds. No promotional posters in the store even letting anyone know it was available. Outside of that MTV/VH1 segment, I'd never even heard a single mention of the cd in any media outlets.

I liked it. Listened to it a shitload of times initially. It sounded every bit like every person playing on it made a conscious decision to serve up virtually every tune in the CVH style (and why not? Van Halen III wasn't interested in doing any CVH-type tunes!!). It came across as something that was written and recorded very quickly, and the demo tape-like sound only contributed to the charm. It sounded like Roth, despite his vocals being rough as sandpaper in spots, was making an effort: the fact that the CVH reunion had bombed and he was sliding into obscurity made the effort that much more commendable.

20 years on, some of the tracks have aged better than others. Even on the tracks where Roth's lyrics sound a bit contrived, though, the instrumentation is shit hot and carries the tunes through. The only tune I've ever heard him do off it live was Slam Dunk, which was a bit of a shame, because there were several other tracks I would have quite enjoyed hearing in concert. Goin' Places was a GREAT track. I still like King Of The Hill. Truth be told, I'd be more likely to throw this on in the old cd player and play it from start to finish than I would Skyscraper, ALAE or YFLM: when I listen to any of those, I find myself skipping more than a few tracks (and the same tracks) whenever I play them.

I think DLR Band ended up selling between 50,000 and 100,000 copies. Even with a big promotional push, I tend to doubt it would have even went gold, but I'm less surprised that it sold so few copies than I am it even sold what it did, considering the general public probably wasn't even aware the album had been released for all the publicity it got.

[FORD]

The Best album of 1998... Hell, possibly the best album in the second half of the 1990s. And ironically, I'd guess that 3/4 of the 10 million + people who bought Van Halen 1 & 1984 still don't even know this record exists......


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqeZnZ_p4cM
I mean, how the fuck was this song not a huge fucking radio hit??

[FORD]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q7sMoqTtvrM

Great song.... once you get past the minor cringeworthy vocals on the chorus. Not sure why Dave used this opportunity to attempt notes he couldn't hit when he was 20!

[bueno bob]

I remember reading back in the day that if you bought a copy of this, basically you bought a copy that David put together himself. This was very much a home brew project. I don't exactly remember where I first heard about it, I think it was in an advert in Metal Maniacs or some magazine or another, back when there were actual music magazines that you could learn things from. To date, I still have Slam Dunk and Little Texas on my phone, although the rest of the album has kind of gone soft on me. Definitely a far better release and much more fun than what the, ahem, other guys were up to at the time. Hard to believe it's been 20 years already.

[Terry]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q7sMoqTtvrM

Great song.... once you get past the minor cringeworthy vocals on the chorus. Not sure why Dave used this opportunity to attempt notes he couldn't hit when he was 20!

It wasn't so much that Roth couldn't reach the notes - he couldn't - but that he was willing to give it everything he had...making an effort.

[Terry]

I remember reading back in the day that if you bought a copy of this, basically you bought a copy that David put together himself. This was very much a home brew project. I don't exactly remember where I first heard about it, I think it was in an advert in Metal Maniacs or some magazine or another, back when there were actual music magazines that you could learn things from. To date, I still have Slam Dunk and Little Texas on my phone, although the rest of the album has kind of gone soft on me. Definitely a far better release and much more fun than what the, ahem, other guys were up to at the time. Hard to believe it's been 20 years already.

Little Texas. Had forgotten that one. Great fucking track.

[tora]

http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f51/19777/VH/s-l16%20l00.jpg (http://s45.photobucket.com/user/19777/media/VH/s-l16%20l00.jpg.html)

[twonabomber]

Got mine signed by Ray after the Diamond Dave show and by John 5 a few years ago

https://i.imgur.com/il5p3i5.jpg

[Jérôme Frenchise]

Twenty years... My my...

I bought the album in Lille in July, took my car and drove to the Highlands where I spent a month. Bought CFTH in Glasgow, read it at night during my stay in Scotland.
Then I went down to Wales where I met Robert Plant (who asked me for a light) on a market day, right in front of the White Lion Inn where he was having a drink. I played "DLR Band" all the time in my car. I remember I climbed Ben Nevis with "Black Sand" often in mind. I dig that track. Great summer.

[Jérôme Frenchise]

I'd almost not seen the album was David Lee Roth's latest album at the record shop. It's the chick on the sleeve that caught my eye (Betty page, as I knew later).
What a strange marketing decision.

[chuckjitsu]

I remember finding this in the bargain bin at the local music store. I knew nothing about it other than it was DLR, but for $1.99 I figured the price was right, even if it turned out to be a dud. Got home and put it on and it was just one solid song after another. Way too good to be in a bargain bin!

Pity it just fell in to obscurity, because it was probably his best work since EEAS and it was definitely better than III (low bar, I know).

[78/84 guy]

Great fun album. Sounds like a demo. Speaking of demo's anyone into vinyl should grab V.H. Zero Demos off of EBay. Great sound. Someone cleaned them up.

[BumBahDeeDah]

He said Nile Rodgers taught him to start his own record label and that he made, if I remember correctly, five bucks a cd. Way more than he made on the first Van Halen album. The southern rapper, sell ‘em outta your trunk model was really good for a while.

[jacksmar]

https://www.amazon.com/DLR-Band-David-Lee-Roth/product-reviews/B000007O7F

20 years later. And to some; like new.

Might as well.........

[vanhalendlrband]

Better than all VH albums with Sammy Fagar and Cherone.

One of my favourite albums and will always be the soundtrack to my life.

“Guns and guitars, bikinis and fast cars”

Compare that album track by track to VH3 it makes VH3 look like a night at the flamingo with gary touching eddies inner thigh a few times, maybe the speed made eddie do a couple things with gary “Once” if you know what i mean the epitome of drinkin milk while driving a toyota