A Little Ain't Enough

After Skyscraper, Billy Sheehan and then Steve Vai left, and David Lee Roth rebuilt his band for a third album. Drummer Gregg Bissonette and keyboard player Brett Tuggle stayed, and the drummer's brother, Matt Bissonette, took over on bass. On lead guitar came the young Jason Becker, who had played alongside Marty Friedman in Cacophony and released a solo album, Perpetual Burn, in 1988, while Steve Hunter played slide and rhythm guitar. Bob Rock produced the record, which was made at Little Mountain Sound Studios in Vancouver. Most of the songs were written before Becker joined: Robbie Nevil co-wrote the title track and Craig Goldy "Lady Luck", and Hunter and Tuggle share the credits on four more. Becker co-wrote the two closing songs, "It's Showtime!" and "Drop In The Bucket", with Roth. Becker had just got the job when a lazy feeling in his left calf sent him to a doctor, and after a couple of weeks of tests he was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). By his account the recording began a week later, and he could see the muscles of his left hand wasting as he played. He still calls the result a very good rock album, and remembers Roth taking him under his wing and spending his time with Hunter. As his illness advanced Becker was unable to tour, and Joe Holmes replaced him on the 1991 world tour. The album is titled A Little Ain't Enough, while its title track is spelled "A Lil' Ain't Enough". It was released on 15 January 1991, peaked at number 18 on the Billboard 200 on the chart dated 16 February and spent 19 weeks there, and reached number 4 in the UK and number 17 on Japan's Oricon albums chart. The RIAA certified it gold on 11 April 1991. "A Lil' Ain't Enough" reached number 3 on Billboard's Album Rock Tracks chart and "Sensible Shoes" number 6. The Los Angeles Times found the Hunter and Becker guitar team plainer and bluesier than Roth's earlier foils, and enjoyed the comic roles Roth played on "Hammerhead Shark" and "Sensible Shoes".