Someone, please, put DLR out of his misery

Pardon me for my third Conan-related bit in about five minutes, but David Lee Roth is pushing an album called "Strumming With the Devil," a bunch of country takes on VH hits. He's MURDERING Jamie's Crying as I type. There's a banjo, a ukeulel (sp) and a violin and Dave--his receding hairline carefully combed--making that lounge lizard playing-to-the-camera face as he tries to convince us he's in on the joke.

Dear god, Dave, go back to radio.

Right now, Eddie Van Halen just rolled over in his grave.

 

Point of order: That is not country, but bluegrass. Admittedly, bluegrass is a form of country music but the two genres are different.

The CD he's pimping is the latest in the line of "Pickin' On" series. It's brought to you by the same people who do the Hawaiian cover albums.

http://www.cmhrecords.com/web/page.asp

 

I was thinking "this is probably bluegrass" as I was typing, but it didn't get to my fingers.

Sorry to offend those who like bluegrass. But this was AWFUL.

 

You know, back when Phish would break into a bluegrassy cover of a song I liked it. When The Gourds covered Gin & Juice in their newgrass style, I liked it. When String Cheese Incident does a cover, I usually like it.

But I couldn't imagine an entire bluegrass album of rock covers working that well.

 

BYH, you beat to me to it. Not only was it awful, but the "lounge lizard" factor to the whole shenanigan just made it seem ... desperate. It was like he was saying to the audience, "I used to be David Lee Roth. I could wear zebra striped spandex and chicks loved it! Remember? Dontcha? No? Really? I'm serious, chicks loved me!"

Just weird.

 

Roth needs to become like Puff Daddy/P. Diddy/whatever the hell his name is now and just record music with six or seven other names.

He could sing like one line, then hand it off to the combo of Michelle Branch, Rob Thomas, Nickelback and whoever the hell else happens to tag along.

 

Can't be worse than Dashboard Confessional on Leno tonight. I'd rather hear cats fuck in an echo chamber than to listen to that Alpo ever again.

 

That sounds like the Santana album that is in its 5,763th consecutive week at no. 1 in hell.

Actually, I like Michelle Branch and I don't mind Rob Thomas. But Nickelback. *shudder*

 

Just think, in another five years you'll be hearing VH songs on the Muzak in the grocery store. Ewwww

 

Try this: http://www.hayseed-dixie.com/
It's absolutely bizarre, although the musicianship is impressive.

 

It's DLR's "Seeger Sessions."

 

some of the 'pickin' on' CDs are not bad, some are. i have the 'pickin' on the dead,' 'pickin' on springsteen,' and 'pickin' on widespread panic.' the dead one is pretty solid throughout with vassar clements on fiddle. the other two - hit and miss on some songs.

i've heard some of the dlr 'strumming with devil' stuff on xm and by and large, it stinks.

but you'd be surprised at how many pop/rock songs translate well to bluegrass when in the hands of the right band. seldom scene does great versions of 'boots of spanish leather' and 'sweet baby james.'

and yonder mountain string band does strong covers of the beatles' 'and your bird can sing' and 'only a nothern song' and the stones' 'no expectations' and ozzy's 'crazy train' and the misfits' '20 eyes' and j.j. cales' 'if you're ever in oklahoma'