One Track Mind: David Lee Roth, “One Piece Thermo-Molded Country Plastic Chair” (2012)

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Ready for some new solo music from David Lee Roth? Warning: As with his initial solo foray away from Van Halen, it’s nothing like his old band’s pop-metal sound.

Back in 1985, when Roth released his debut Crazy from the Heat, he was dabbling in sunny Beach Boys sounds and silly vaudeville take offs. Today, with the devastation wrought by Hurricane Sandy fresh on every one’s minds, he’s sounds more somber.

Still, the title tells you there’s more than just a ruminative singer-songwriter thing going on here.

Sure, as Roth moves around in the lower end of his range over a gloamy acoustic, he sounds earnest as hell. But, listen more closely, and there’s a wink or two to be heard: “I watched a parade go by, like most folks ’round here, from my one-piece thermo-molded country plastic chair. I like the green ones, not the ones that look like wood. The white ones make me feel tropical. The basic model’s still good.”

Count on Diamond Dave to illicit a smile, even in the toughest of times.

Roth is on an extended hiatus from Van Halen, which released the long-awaited reunion project A Different Kind Of Truth earlier this year, as guitarist Eddie Van Halen recuperates from surgery following a difficult bout with diverticulitis. That halted a sold-out tour. Van Halen is expected to be sidelined for the rest of 2012.

This new video serves as the third edition in the on-going “Roth Show” series. Last time, Roth broke down the memorable videos both for Van Halen’s “Jump” and for his ’85 solo take on “California Girls.”

“One Piece Thermo-Molded Country Plastic Chair” is “dedicated to all who are effected by and recovering from Hurricane Sandy.”

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