A Little Ain't Enough
| A Little Ain't Enough | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by David Lee Roth | ||||
| Released | January 1991 | |||
| Recorded | 1990 | |||
| Genre | Hard rock | |||
| Length | 53:03 | |||
| Label | Warner Bros. | |||
| Producer | Bob Rock | |||
| David Lee Roth chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   |
| Entertainment Weekly | B+[2] |
| Los Angeles Times |  |
| Rolling Stone | |
A Little Ain't Enough is the third full-length studio album by David Lee Roth, released in January 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, aka 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.
The profile of the album was initially increased by the controversy surrounding the promotional music video released for the album's first single, "A Lil' Ain't Enough"; featuring barely dressed women and oddly dressed little people, the video was banned from MTV shortly after its initial airing. A second single and video was released for the song "Sensible Shoes" but airplay on MTV was limited secondary to the provocative nature of the video.
The album is seen as the beginning of Roth's commercial decline, as there was a drop-off in sales from his prior two albums. Timing is seen as a factor in the album not selling as successfully as his prior works. Within a year of the album's release, the Seattle grunge movement had created a sea-change in rock, and Roth's brand of hard rock was considered, by mainstream audiences, as obsolete. Still, A Little Ain't Enough is something of a fan favorite and many view it as his most under appreciated album. Although the album went out of print on the Warner Bros. label in 1996, it was later reissued (in remastered form) in 2007 through the Friday Music label.
The ALAE Tour was a financial failure with low attendance and nearly half of the shows ended up cancelled due to poor ticket sales.
Track listing
| 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
- David Lee Roth – vocals, harmonica, concept
- Jason Becker – lead guitar
- Steve Hunter – slide guitar, rhythm guitar
- Paul Baron – brass
- Gregg Bissonette – percussion, drums
- 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
Chart performance
Album – Billboard (North America)
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | Billboard 200 | 18 |
Singles – Billboard (North America)
| Year | Chart | Single | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | Mainstream Rock Tracks | "Sensible Shoes" | 6 |
| 1991 | Mainstream Rock Tracks | "Tell the Truth" | 39 |
| 1991 | Mainstream Rock Tracks | "A Lil' Ain't Enough" | 3 |
References
- ↑ 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). "David Lee Roth: A Little Ain't Enough : Music Reviews". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 2008-08-07. Retrieved 2013-02-16.