Van Halen's "Diamond" David Lee Roth made some of the most colorful, funny, flat-out bizarre music videos ever following his 1985 departure from Van Halen. As we picked out five of our personal favorites from the archives, we realized that in the '80s, they either had more creativity, or really good drugs. Check out the Top Five David Lee Roth Videos and see what we mean:

  • 5

    'A Lil' Ain't Enough'

    'A Little Ain't Enough,' 1991

    With the exception of 'She's My Machine,' this is perhaps the last great David Lee Roth video. It was a time of big hair, and even though Roth was fighting some male pattern baldness, as you'll see from this footage, he somehow kept up. Ever the diva, this video features our hero wearing no less than three different outfits in the first minute, a little kid handing him an aerosol can of something, and of course, a parade of hot chicks in the workout room.

  • 4

    'Just A Gigolo/I Ain't Got Nobody'

    'Crazy from the Heat,' 1985

    The video onslaught of 'Dave TV' foreshadowed the eventual real-life career of Roth as a short-lived morning radio replacement for Howard Stern. The only difference is, with 'Gigolo,' Dave was actually really funny. The video features Roth wandering through sets that look suspiciously similar to popular videos of the era from Cyndi Lauper, Billy Idol, Michael Jackson and others. Time stands seemingly still on 'Dave TV,' and these days, we'd happily take it as a substitute for whatever's playing on the network they're still calling MTV.

  • 3

    'Just Like Paradise'

    'Skyscraper,' 1988

    You might be surprised to hear this David Lee Roth video features the star doing his own stunts, in this case repelling off a series of really dangerous looking cliffs. The only thing more bad-ass than that was Steve Vai and his wicked heart shaped triple-necked guitar, not to mention the awesome mid-song solo he plays on it. You'd think that Roth would eventually run out of ways to use that roundhouse kick of his, off drum risers and every other available flat surface, but you'd be wrong.

  • 2

    'Yankee Rose'

    'Eat 'Em and Smile,' 1986

    One of the best things about David Lee Roth's videos was that they were actually mini-movies, many directed by future Black Crowes manager Pete Angelus, who also directed a number of the classic Van Halen music videos. “Gimme a bottle of anything, and a glazed donut...to go!” What? If you're clerkin' it at the local mini-mart and you see anything that looks like the visual of tribal DLR in the extended opening of the 'Yankee Rose' video, chances are that you might need to put in for a few extra vacation days. We agree with our UCR brethren by the way – we'd love to see Eddie take a crack at replicating Vai's talk box conversation on the upcoming VH tour.

  • 1

    'California Girls'

    'Crazy from the Heat,' 1985

    A bus load of tourists on a road that their travel agent never told them about. The bus driver: a sequin-suit wearing guide who looks suspiciously like Van Halen's soon-to-be-former lead singer David Lee Roth. Amidst the motley crew riding this bus, Roth looks relatively normal. Bound for the “shadowy tip of nowhere,” the 'California Girls' video was the debut moment in the sun for "Diamond" Dave, and remains his most memorable video to date.

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