Crazy from the Heat (EP)
Encyclopedia
Crazy from the Heat is a 1985 EP
by David Lee Roth
, his debut solo release. It was released while he was still a member of Van Halen
. All four songs on the EP are cover version
s, with Roth's version of the Beach Boys
hit "California Girls" peaking at #3 on the Billboard Hot 100
, which was the same position that the Beach Boys original version reached twenty years prior to Roth's cover.
The song "Easy Street" is originally by Edgar Winter
, the song "Coconut Grove" is originally by The Lovin' Spoonful
. The medley
of "Just a Gigolo
" and "I Ain't Got Nobody
" is based on Louis Prima
's 1956 medley of the two songs.
In 1997, using the same title, Roth published Crazy from the Heat
, his autobiography
.
The last lyric in the chorus of the song "Goin' Crazy" from Roth's 1986 album Eat 'Em and Smile is taken from the name of this EP.
According to the liner notes, the cover picture of Roth was taken in the Seychelle Islands.
Crazy from the Heat is certified platinum by the RIAA, having sold over one million in the US.
Singles
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
by David Lee Roth
David Lee Roth
David Lee Roth is an American rock vocalist, songwriter, actor, author, and former radio personality. Roth was ranked nineteenth by Hit Parader on their list of the 100 Greatest Heavy Metal Singers of All Time....
, his debut solo release. It was released while he was still a member of Van Halen
Van Halen
Van Halen is an American hard rock band formed in Pasadena, California, in 1972. The band has enjoyed success since the release of its debut album, Van Halen, . As of 2007 Van Halen has sold 80 million albums worldwide and has had the most #1 hits on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart...
. All four songs on the EP are cover version
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
s, with Roth's version of the Beach Boys
The Beach Boys
The Beach Boys are an American rock band, formed in 1961 in Hawthorne, California. The group was initially composed of brothers Brian, Dennis and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and friend Al Jardine. Managed by the Wilsons' father Murry, The Beach Boys signed to Capitol Records in 1962...
hit "California Girls" peaking at #3 on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
, which was the same position that the Beach Boys original version reached twenty years prior to Roth's cover.
The song "Easy Street" is originally by Edgar Winter
Edgar Winter
Edgar Holland Winter is an American musician. He is famous for being a multi-instrumentalist. He is a highly skilled keyboardist, saxophonist and percussionist. He often plays an instrument while singing. He was most successful in the 1970s with his band, The Edgar Winter Group, notably with their...
, the song "Coconut Grove" is originally by The Lovin' Spoonful
The Lovin' Spoonful
The Lovin' Spoonful is an American pop rock band of the 1960s, named to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000. When asked about his band, leader John Sebastian said it sounded like a combination of "Mississippi John Hurt and Chuck Berry," prompting his friend, Fritz Richmond, to suggest the name...
. The medley
Medley (music)
In music, a medley is a piece composed from parts of existing pieces, usually three, played one after another, sometimes overlapping. They are common in popular music, and most medleys are songs rather than instrumental. A medley which is a remixed series is called a megamix, often done with tracks...
of "Just a Gigolo
Just a Gigolo (song)
"Just a Gigolo" is a popular song, adapted by Irving Caesar in 1929 from the Austrian song "Schöner Gigolo, armer Gigolo", written in 1928 by Leonello Casucci and Julius Brammer .-History:...
" and "I Ain't Got Nobody
I Ain't Got Nobody
"I Ain't Got Nobody" was a c. 1915 song, written by Spencer Williams. Publisher Roger Graham received co-composer credits. It became a perennial standard, recorded many times over following generations, in styles ranging from pop to jazz to country music....
" is based on Louis Prima
Louis Prima
Louis Prima was a Sicilian American singer, actor, songwriter, and trumpeter. Prima rode the musical trends of his time, starting with his seven-piece New Orleans style jazz band in the 1920s, then successively leading a swing combo in the 1930s, a big band in the 1940s, a Vegas lounge act in the...
's 1956 medley of the two songs.
In 1997, using the same title, Roth published Crazy from the Heat
Crazy from the Heat (book)
Crazy from the Heat is the autobiography of Van Halen lead vocalist and successful solo artist David Lee Roth. The book published in 1998 shares its name with Roth's debut release as a solo artist 1985's Crazy from the Heat EP...
, his autobiography
Autobiography
An autobiography is a book about the life of a person, written by that person.-Origin of the term:...
.
The last lyric in the chorus of the song "Goin' Crazy" from Roth's 1986 album Eat 'Em and Smile is taken from the name of this EP.
According to the liner notes, the cover picture of Roth was taken in the Seychelle Islands.
Crazy from the Heat is certified platinum by the RIAA, having sold over one million in the US.
Track listing
- "Easy Street" (Dan HartmanDan HartmanDaniel Earl "Dan" Hartman was an American singer, songwriter and record producer, best known for such songs as: "Free Ride", "I Can Dream About You", "Instant Replay", "Love Sensation", and "Relight My Fire", all of which had world-wide success.-Career:Born in Pennsylvania's capital, Harrisburg,...
) – 3:45 - "Medley: Just a GigoloJust a Gigolo (song)"Just a Gigolo" is a popular song, adapted by Irving Caesar in 1929 from the Austrian song "Schöner Gigolo, armer Gigolo", written in 1928 by Leonello Casucci and Julius Brammer .-History:...
/I Ain't Got NobodyI Ain't Got Nobody"I Ain't Got Nobody" was a c. 1915 song, written by Spencer Williams. Publisher Roger Graham received co-composer credits. It became a perennial standard, recorded many times over following generations, in styles ranging from pop to jazz to country music....
" (Irving CaesarIrving CaesarIrving Caesar was an American lyricist and theater composer who wrote lyrics for "Swanee," "Sometimes I'm Happy," "Crazy Rhythm," and "Tea for Two," one of the most frequently recorded tunes ever written. He was born and died in New York.Caesar, the son of Morris Keiser, a Romanian Jew, was...
, Leonello CasucciLeonello CasucciLeonello Casucci was a composer.Casucci is best known for composing the music of the world-famous song "Schöner Gigolo" in 1929, with lyrics by Julius Brammer). The English lyrics for "Just a Gigolo" were provided by Irving Caesar....
) (Roger Graham, Spencer WilliamsSpencer WilliamsSpencer Williams was an American jazz and popular music composer, pianist, and singer. He is best known for his hit songs "Basin Street Blues", "I Ain't Got Nobody", "Royal Garden Blues", "I've Found a New Baby", "Everybody Loves My Baby", "Tishomingo Blues", "Careless Love", and many...
) – 4:39 - "California GirlsCalifornia Girls"California Girls" is a song by American rock band The Beach Boys, featured on their ninth studio album Summer Days . Written by band-members Brian Wilson and Mike Love, the song features contrasting verse-chorus form...
" (Mike LoveMike LoveMichael Edward "Mike" Love is an American singer/songwriter and musician with The Beach Boys. He was a founding member of the band along with his cousins Brian, Carl, and Dennis Wilson, and their friend Al Jardine, and continues to perform with the band to the present day...
, Brian WilsonBrian WilsonBrian Douglas Wilson is an American musician, best known as the leader and chief songwriter of the group The Beach Boys. Within the band, Wilson played bass and keyboards, also providing part-time lead vocals and, more often, backing vocals, harmonizing in falsetto with the group...
) – 2:50 - "Coconut GroveHums of the Lovin' SpoonfulHums of the Lovin' Spoonful is the third album by the folk/rock band The Lovin' Spoonful, released in 1966. It peaked at No. 14 on the Billboard Pop Albums chart.- History :...
" (John SebastianJohn SebastianJohn Benson Sebastian Jr. is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist and autoharpist. He is best known as a founder of The Lovin' Spoonful, a band inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000...
, Zal YanovskyZal YanovskyZalman "Zal" Yanovsky was a Canadian rock musician. Born in Toronto, he was the son of political cartoonist Avrom Yanovsky. He played lead guitar and sang for the Lovin' Spoonful, a rock band which he founded with John Sebastian in 1964...
) – 2:52
Personnel
- David Lee RothDavid Lee RothDavid Lee Roth is an American rock vocalist, songwriter, actor, author, and former radio personality. Roth was ranked nineteenth by Hit Parader on their list of the 100 Greatest Heavy Metal Singers of All Time....
- vocals - Dean ParksDean ParksDean Parks is an American session guitarist and record producer from Ft. Worth, TX.-Albums:Dean was member of The North Texas State One O'clock Lab Band before moving to Los Angeles to work with Sonny and Cher in 1970. Dean is best-known through his many contributions to albums by Steely Dan...
- guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
s - Eddie MartinezEddie MartinezEddie Martinez is an American guitarist, born and raised in New York City, who mainly functions as a session musician. He has worked with David Lee Roth , Run-D.M.C. , Robert Palmer , Meat Loaf , several Jim Steinman projects, and many others...
- guitars - Sid McGinnisSid McGinnisSid McGinnis is an American musician and guitarist, best known for his work on the CBS Television show, Late Show with David Letterman, as part of the CBS Orchestra....
- guitars - Willie WeeksWillie WeeksWillie Weeks is an American bass guitarist. He has gained fame performing with famous musicians in a wide variety of genres. He has been one of the most in-demand session musicians throughout his career. Weeks has also gained notoriety touring with many of rock's heavyweights throughout his career...
- bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick.... - John Robinson - drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
- Sammy FigueroaSammy FigueroaSammy Figueroa is an American percussionist born in The Bronx, New York. At 18 he joined the band of bassist Bobby Valentín and also co-led the Brazilian/Latin fusion group Raices....
- drums - Edgar WinterEdgar WinterEdgar Holland Winter is an American musician. He is famous for being a multi-instrumentalist. He is a highly skilled keyboardist, saxophonist and percussionist. He often plays an instrument while singing. He was most successful in the 1970s with his band, The Edgar Winter Group, notably with their...
- keyboards - Brian Mann - keyboards
- Carl WilsonCarl WilsonCarl Dean Wilson was an American rock and roll singer and guitarist, best known as a founding member, lead guitarist and sometime lead vocalist of The Beach Boys...
- backing vocals on "California Girls" - Christopher CrossChristopher CrossChristopher Cross is an American singer-songwriter from San Antonio, Texas. His debut album earned him five Grammys. He is perhaps best known for his Top Ten hit songs, "Sailing", "Ride Like the Wind", and "Arthur's Theme ", the last of which he performed for the film Arthur starring Dudley Moore...
- backing vocals on "California Girls"
Charts
Album| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | The Billboard 200 | 15 |
Singles
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | "California Girls" | Adult Contemporary | 29 |
| 1985 | "California Girls" | The 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 |