Crazy from the Heat
Crazy from the Heat is a 1985 EP by American rock musician 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.
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   |
| Robert Christgau | B[2] |
| Rolling Stone | |
| Crazy from the Heat | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| EP by | ||||
| 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 | ||||
| ||||
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. This version peaked at #12 on the Billboard Hot 100, supported by a well received funny music video.
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 the EP's liner notes, the cover picture of Roth was shot in the Seychelle Islands.
Roth used the title of the EP for his 1997 autobiography, Crazy from the Heat.
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Easy Street" | Dan Hartman | 3:45 |
| 2. | "Medley: Just a Gigolo/I Ain't Got Nobody" (Arranged by Sam Butera) | Irving Caesar, Leonello Casucci / Roger Graham, Spencer Williams | 4:39 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "California Girls" | Brian Wilson, Mike Love | 2:50 |
| 2. | "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
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | Billboard 200 | 15 |
Singles
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | "California Girls" | Adult Contemporary | 29 |
| 1985 | "California Girls" | Billboard Hot 100 | 3 |
| 1985 | "California Girls" | Mainstream Rock Tracks | 3 |
| 1985 | "Easy Street" | Mainstream Rock Tracks | 14 |
| 1985 | "Medley: Just a Gigolo/I Ain't Got Nobody" | Mainstream Rock Tracks | 25 |
| 1985 | "Medley: Just a Gigolo/I Ain't Got Nobody" | The Billboard Hot 100 | 12 |