Crazy from the Heat

Crazy from the Heat
EP by David Lee Roth
Released	January 28, 1985
Recorded	1984
Genre	Pop, jazz rock
Length	14:06
Label	Warner Bros. Records 25222
Producer	Ted Templeman
David Lee Roth chronology
Crazy from the Heat (1985) Eat 'Em and Smile (1986)

Crazy from the Heat is a 1985 EP by David Lee Roth. His debut solo recording, it was released while Roth was still lead singer for Van Halen, though he parted ways with the band several weeks later and launched a solo career. The EP is certified platinum by the RIAA, having sold over one million copies in the United States.

Background

The entirety of Crazy from the Heat consists of cover versions of songs of decidedly dissimilar style from Roth's previous work with Van Halen. The song "Easy Street" was originally recorded by The Edgar Winter Group, while "Coconut Grove" was originally recorded by The Lovin' Spoonful. The medley of "Just a Gigolo" and "I Ain't Got Nobody", perhaps the EP's best-known song, is based on Louis Prima's 1956 medley combining two pre-World War II songs. Roth's version of the well-known Beach Boys' hit "California Girls" peaked at #3 on the Billboard Hot 100, the same position that the Beach Boys' original rendition reached 20 years prior.

According to album's liner notes, the cover picture of Roth was shot in the Seychelle Islands.

In 1997, using the same title, Roth published Crazy from the Heat, his autobiography.

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[1]
Robert Christgau	B[2]
Rolling Stone	[3]

Track listing

1. "Easy Street" (Dan Hartman) – 3:45
2. "Medley: Just a Gigolo/I Ain't Got Nobody" (Irving Caesar, Leonello Casucci) (Roger Graham, Spencer Williams;) (Arrangement: Sam Butera) – 4:39
3. "California Girls" (Brian Wilson, Mike Love) – 2:50
4. "Coconut Grove" (John Sebastian, Zal Yanovsky) – 2:52

Personnel

• David Lee Roth – vocals
• Dean Parks – guitar on "Coconut Grove"
• Eddie Martinez – guitars
• Sid McGinnis – guitars
• Willie Weeks – bass guitar
• John Robinson – drums
• Sammy Figueroa – percussion
• James Newton Howard – synthesizers on "Coconut Grove"
• Edgar Winter – keyboards, synthesizer, saxophone and backing vocals on tracks 1 & 2
• Brian Mann – synthesizer
• Carl Wilson – backing vocals on "California Girls"
• Christopher Cross – backing vocals on "California Girls"

Charts

Album

Singles

References