A Little Ain't Enough
A Little Ain't Enough is the third full-length studio album by David Lee Roth, released on January 15, 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.
| A Little Ain't Enough | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | January 15, 1991 | |||
| Recorded | 1990 | |||
| Studio | Little Mountain Sound Studios, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 53:10 | |||
| Label | Warner Bros. | |||
| Producer | Bob Rock | |||
| David Lee Roth chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [3] |
| Entertainment Weekly | B+[4] |
| Los Angeles Times |  [5] |
| Rolling Stone | [6] |
The song "Hammerhead Shark" is a cover and partial re-write of the song by the same title from the 1990 album "Walking on a Wire"[7] by Lowen & Navarro.
The album marked the beginning of Roth's commercial decline, given the drop-off in sales from his prior two albums. During the year of the album's release, the Seattle grunge movement was beginning a sea-change in rock, and Roth's brand of glam metal was considered, by mainstream audiences, becoming obsolete. 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 tour supporting the record was successful in Europe but the American leg, supported by Extreme and Cinderella, turned into a financial failure, with low attendance and one-third of the shows cancelled due to poor ticket sales. Setlists were shortened and songs from the current album dropped as the US tour went on.
The touring band featured Ozzy Osbourne and Lizzy Borden guitarist Joe Holmes, bassist Todd Jensen from Hardline, longtime collaborators Brett Tuggle and Gregg Bissonette, and for the first few shows[8] Desi Rexx from D'Molls as second guitarist.[9]
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 – drums, percussion
- 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 (United States)
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | Billboard 200 | 18 |
Singles – Billboard (United States)
| 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
- "Friday 5: What 5 (More) Hair Metal Albums Are Essential?". MetalSucks. 2015-10-16. Retrieved 2021-03-14.
- Your Filthy Little Mouth - David Lee Roth | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic, retrieved 2021-04-06
- 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.
- "Walking on a Wire - Lowen & Navarro | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic.
- "Dmolls".
- "R'Solved".