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 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | January 15, 1991 | |||
| Recorded | 1990 | |||
| Genre | Hard rock | |||
| Length | 53:03 | |||
| Label | Warner Bros. | |||
| Producer | Bob Rock | |||
| David Lee Roth chronology | ||||
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| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| Entertainment Weekly | B+[2] |
| Los Angeles Times |  [3] |
| Rolling Stone | [4] |
When the album was first released, controversy ensued surrounding the promotional music video for the album's first single, "A Lil' Ain't Enough," which featured scantily dressed women and oddly dressed little people wearing Afro wigs and blackface. The video was banned from MTV shortly after its initial airing. A second single and video was released for "Sensible Shoes," but airplay on MTV was limited due to the provocative nature of the video.
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 hard rock was considered, by mainstream audiences, more 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 a financial failure, with low attendance and nearly half the shows 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 – 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 (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.
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