Thanks for the music and the memories, Diamond Dave!

"Gimme a bottle of anything. And a glazed doughnut. To go!"

Songs like Jump and Panama elevated both David Lee Roth and his band, Van Halen, from mere rock-star fame to household names.  Unfortunately, the dust had barely settled after the Hot for Teacher video when Van Halen started to breakup.  The boys did eventually get back together—albeit way too late and for only one studio album.  But in the 1980s, DLR was king of the rock world.  After releasing four platinum albums that decade with VH, Dave minted another three post-VH platinum records before the 80s ended: Crazy from the Heat, Eat ’Em and Smile, and Skyscraper.  I’m no music historian, but being a hard-rock lead singer with seven platinum albums out of seven tries, in a single decade, no doubt puts Dave in a truly elite class. 

In any case, about a year ago, Eddie Van Halen passed away.  And now, DLR has announced his retirement.  Retirement is not death, of course, though Dave seems to acknowledge that the inevitable isn’t too far way when he said: “Hey Ed, objects in the rearview mirror are probably me.”  (Sounds like Panama-inspired words of wisdom: “right behind in the rearview mirror now!”)  But although DLR still roams the earth, it feels to me like another small piece of my world has died—or at least is slowly fading from existence.  For me, Dave’s post-1984 music was a big part of my life, and is now intertwined with memories of better days.  So to keep those memories alive, and to celebrate his solo career, here are some of my favorite songs from my four favorite DLR albums.