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Pro 9.0 - Everything in this set is very good to excellent, sounds mostly all Soundboard too. What a peculiar band, interesting, intense, angular (see title). -
Audience 8.7 - Even though this recording does not feature a full and rounded spectrum of lows to high, it is very clear and resides mostly in the middle range EQ-wise. So, it’s most welcome to lovers of VDGG because there’s just not a whole lot of high quality recordings out there. This one is one of those that grows on you and sounds better and better the more you listen…get it! Van der Graaf Generator Marquee Club London, England 1976-08-12 Disc 1 01. -The Undercover Man - Peter talks 02. -Masks 03. -Arrow 04. -Still Life 05. -Wondering 06. -Peter talks - La Rossa Disc 2 07. -Childlike Faith In Childhood's End 08. -When She Comes 09. -Meurglys III - The Songwriter's Guild 10. -The Sleepwalkers 11. -A Place To Survive Peter Hammill: vocals, guitar, piano. keyboards Hugh Banton: organ, bass Guy Evans: drums David Jackson: sax, flute -
Audience 8.6/Pro 9.1 - This recording was not done on great equipment but it’s not a load of crap. The high frequency range is well represented but at times when the horns hit higher notes it gets a little screechy. The atmosphere is a touch bouncy and live, mid and low frequencies are present but not powerful. Overall it’s not bad, but it isn’t going to set the world on fire. The BBC material is a vast improvement from the ’77 stuff as it is a pro recording and broadcast. VAN DER GRAAF Chateau Neuf Oslo 9 March 1977 Disc 1 1. -Crying Wolf 2. -Lost And Found 3. -Rock And Role 4. -Arrow 5. -My Room Disc 2 6. -The Siren Song 7. -Time Heals 8. -When She Comes 9. -Urban 10. -Last Frame Bonus Tracks BBC In Concert 23 September 1971 11. -Man-Erg 12. -W 13. -Killer 14. -Theme One 15. -Dambusters March -
Audience 7.2 - A bit thin sounding but I could get everything that was happening, and while it is not hi-fi sound, I could equalize and bring out the bottom end a bit. Still decent enough. -
Studio 8.8 - This is a band recorded project obviously. Like it was done on a boom box, but a good boom box because you can just tell it was loud in the room and it’s not ideal but it gets the job done. So, it’s a tad overdriven in a good way – raw, and loud, and VAN HALEN in about as real a way as it could be. Very fun to listen to and classic fly on the wall stuff. VAN HALEN 1979 Tour Rehearsals 1 -Running with the devil 2 -On Fire 3 -Bass 4 -Your No Good 5 -Talking 6 -Bass - Drums 7 -Bright lights Big City 8 -Somebody get Me a Doctor 9 -Light up the Sky 10 -Dave Talks 11 -Dance the Night Away 12 -Beautiful Girls 13 -Eddie Guitar Solo Jam - Sound Check 14 -Eddie Acoustic Jam Home Demo 15 -Bass and Drums 1 16 -Bass And Drums 2 17 -Bass And Drums 3 18 -Bass And Drums 4 19 -Bass And Drums 5 -
Audience 8.7 - A fantastic live atmosphere on this one! I mean, this is a total immersion tape, somebody out there knew how to properly capture a loud rock band once upon a time. -
Audience 8.8 - Quite the find! This is a strong and clear tape, although I sense the taper is quite new at it because for starters he manages only part of the show (although it’s most of the show) and second he says things (he’s clear on the recording, but thankfully not too chatty) that indicate he’s a noob. The audience around him gets into the show but are not overly intrusive in the recording. I found the guitar solo portion of the show to be the most electric as it sounds so close and clear…very cool! I like the I’m So Glad/Somebody Get Me A Doctor combo because it is one of those rare improvisational moments that you don’t know where it will go. Taper loves to stop and start too close to the songs sometimes cutting off endings it’s infuriating (and again indicates he’s a beginner) but thanks go to him for doing this one regardless. Van Halen Riverside Centroplex Baton Rouge, Louisiana November 26, 1982 1. Hang 'Em High 2. Cathedral - Secrets 3. Everybody Wants Some! 4. Dance The Night Away 5. Somebody Get Me a Doctor 6. Ice Cream Man 7. Intruder - Pretty Woman 8. Eruption 9. Ain't Talkin 'Bout Love 10. Bottom's Up 11. You Really Got Me -
Studio Quality 9.3 - Astounding and revelatory, this is indispensable to anyone who remotely appreciated rock and roll music…regardless of the association with band members named Van Halen…I am saying that if you like rock and roll music this stuff is essential listening. Now, if you were a fan of the Van Halen brand rock sound, well, yeah it is kinda obvious how important these demos are and this collection features them in excellent quality. Van Halen 'Before The Eruption' Studio & Rehearsal Recordings Gene Simmons Demos 1976 & Warner Bros. Demos 1977 Disc 1 01 - Intro 02 - On Fire 03 - Woman In Love 04 - House Of Pain 05 - Runnin' With The Devil 06 - She's The Woman 07 - Let's Get Rockin' 08 - Big Trouble 09 - Somebody Get Me A Doctor 10 - Babe, Don't Leave Me Alone 11 - Put Out The Lights 12 - Let's Get Rockin' 13 - We Die Bold 14 - Voodoo Queen 15 - Little Dreamer 16 - House Of Pain 17 - Runnin' With The Devil 18 - On Fire 19 - Babe, Don't Leave Me Alone 20 - Bring On The Girls 21 - Young & Wild 22 - Last Night 23 - Light In The Sky 24 - Get The Show On The Road Disc 2 01 - D.O.A. 02 - Somebody Get Me A Doctor 03 - Show Your Love 04 - She's The Woman 05 - Put Out The Lights 06 - Big Trouble 07 - I Wanna Be Your Lover 08 - Feel Your Love Tonight 09 - In A Simple Rhyme 10 - Piece Of Mind 11 - You Really Got Me 12 - Happy Trails 13 - Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love 14 - House Of Pain 15 - Runnin' With The Devil 16 - On Fire Rehearsals From Pasadena Convention Center, October 15, 1977 17 - On Fire 18 - Voodoo Queen 19 - Atomic Queen 20 - Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love 21 - On Fire Disc 1 Tracks 12-24 Disc 2 Tracks 1-12 are from the 1977 demo produced by Ted Templeman and Mo Ostin for Warner Bros. in Los Angeles late 1977. Disc 2 Tracks 13-16 are unused sessions and alternate takes. Disc 2 Tracks 17-21 are rehearsals from Pasadena, Ca. USA Convention Center October 15, 1977 -
Soundboard 8.7 - The only flaw with this tape is that it features a typical video compression type sound but the mastering job mitigated a lot of that so that the sound does breathe a bit more. It’s still very good, a little rough maybe but I take it and I am happy with it especially if nothing else because all instruments are present, the bass work is surprisingly defined in this mix…I can actually hear individual notes being played and my goodness Michael Anthony was a boss! Van Halen Poliedro de Caracas Caracas, Venezuela 1983-01-16 01. Romeo Delight 02. Unchained - Drum Solo 03. The Full Bug 04. Runnin' With The Devil 05. Jamie's Cryin' 06. Little Guitars 07. Dance The Night Away 08. Somebody Get Me A Doctor (Incl. I'm So Glad) 09. Little Dreamer 10. Mean Street 11. Secrets 12. Everybody Wants Some!! 13. Ice Cream Man 14. Intruder 15. (Oh) Pretty Woman 16. Eruption 17. Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love 18. Bottoms Up! 19. You Really Got Me David Lee Roth: Vocals Edward Van Halen: Guitars, Backing Vocals Michael Anthony: Bass, Backing Vocals Alex Van Halen: Drums -
Audience 8.7 - One of those tapes that you have to force yourself past the first song which gets mauled as the taper seemingly works to find his spot and get all his shit together…but then it just opens up to a much better experience. It kind of feels like going from the mud puddle to a waterfall, but in reality the tape is still only a little above average – but muddy it is not and that is great news to Van Halen collectors who seek every DLR recording in existence. Van Halen Rosemont Horizon Chicago, IL. 1984-03-13 Disc 1 01. -Unchained 02. -Hot For Teacher 03. -Drum Solo 04. -On Fire 05. -Running With The Devil 06. -Little Guitars 07. -Cathedral 08. -House Of Pain 09. -Bass Solo 10. -Jamie's Crying 11. -I'll Wait 12. -Keyboard Solo Disc 2 13. -Everybody Wants Some 14. -Girl Gone Bad 15. -1984 16. -Jump 17. -Guitar Solo 18. -Oh, Pretty Woman 19. -Panama 20. -You Really Got Me 21. -Ain’t Talkin’ ’Bout Love -
Audience 7.8 - I can handle an average audience tape as long as the guitar is clear, and this one thankfully showcases guitar in the mix and man, I am glad because he is TEARING it up here! At times even the mix gets really good and clear, like the taper is maneuvering for better position so this is a strong 7.8. -
Audience 8.6 - Slight tape saturation. Eddie is front and center and is SMOKING hot. I love DLR in the first song forgetting the words and turning it into a lyric. Classic VH in every way. -
Audience 8.7 - This recording is one of those that initially has you thinking “ok, good but not great” but seriously, let it play. It is a LOUD tape, yes, sometimes bordering on distortion in the upper mid frequencies, yes – but when you get to Unchained there are moments where you completely get on board with this one. Trust me. It has a magic element to it despite being a little overloaded. I got sucked into it big time and my ears adjusted after only one song, after that it was tons of fun and the tape is close up and bristling with unbelievable electric energy. In other words – this was a total blast! Van Halen Brendan Byrne Arena Meadowlands East Rutherford, New Jersey November 15, 1982 Disc 1 1. -Romeo Delight 2. -Unchained 3. -Drum Solo 4. -The Full Bug 5. -Runnin' With the Devil 6. -Jamie's Cryin' 7. -Little Guitars 8. -Where Have All the Good Times Gone 9. -Bass Solo 10. -Hang 'Em High 11. -Cathedral Disc 2 12. -Secrets - Everybody Wants Some!! 13. -Dance the Night Away 14. -Somebody Get Me a Doctor 15. -Ice Cream Man 16. -Intruder 17. -Oh, Pretty Woman 18. -Guitar Solo 19. -Ain't Talkin' 'bout Love 20. -Bottoms Up! 21. -You Really Got Me -
Audience 8.3 - What is happening with this tape is that the bass frequencies are too much for the microphone, and it causes some peaking (not pure distortion, just level peak). On the plus side, it’s relatively open in all the other frequencies, meaning you can actually listen to this show and once your ears sort of adjust to the limitations, it’s not that bad. I would still call this one for hardcore collectors only though, even when there is a shortage of 1979 tapes. On a personal note, I listened to the entire show and liked it, I think it has a place in the collection. Van Halen Northlands Coliseum Edmonton, AB, Canada September 18, 1979 Disc 1 1. Light Up The Sky 6:39 2. Somebody Get Me A Doctor / Drum Solo 4:20 3. Runnin' With The Devil 4:29 4. Dance The Night Away 3:25 5. Beautiful Girls 3:31 6. DLR Talking 5:03 7. On Fire 6:13 8. You're No Good 3:56 9. Jamie's Cryin' 3:21 10. More DLR Talking 3:38 (includes "Eyes of the Night" tease) Disc 2 11. Feel Your Love Tonight 5:14 12. Outta Love Again 6:28 13. Ice Cream Man 7:10 14. Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love 10:05 15. Eddie's Guitar Solo 8:41 16. You Really Got Me 9:11 -
All discs are Audience recordings of VERY GOOD quality. All sound bright, and with the exception of maybe one show (which sounds a little crowded up in the middle frequency), are pretty wide and clear. Having listened to all of it, I have to rate this set as spectacularly fun to listen to, it's just a really good time for the band who are riding high on their successes but not yet ready to relax too much. Having a good time, but meaning business too. Great stuff! Van Halen FAIR WARNING TOUR CANISTER Disc 1 Providence Civic Center Providence, RI May 15, 1981 1. -On Fire 3:43 2. -Sinner's Swing! 3:47 3. -Drum Solo 1:30 4. -Hear About It Later 4:50 5. -Dave Raps 2:22 6. -So This Is Love 4:40 7. -Jamie's Cryin' 3:40 8. -Bass Solo 3:13 9. -Runnin' With The Devil 3:02 10. -Dance The Night Away 3:40 11. -Romeo Delight 7:38 12. -Everybody Wants Some!! 8:18 13. -Mean Street 5:22 Disc 2 Providence Cont'd 1. -Ice Cream Man 10:32 2. -Guitar Solo 7:38 3. -Lucille 2:47 4. -You Really Got Me 10:57 5. -Unchained 4:47 6. -Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love 6:26 Disc 3 Los Angeles Sports Arena Los Angeles, CA, USA June 19, 1981 1. -On Fire 3:50 2. -Sinner's Swing! 3:40 3. -Drum Solo 2:24 4. -Hear About It Later 4:51 5. -Dave Raps 2:35 6. -So This Is Love 3:25 7. -Jamie's Cryin' 3:37 8. -Bass Solo 3:43 9. -Runnin' With The Devil 3:17 10. -Dance The Night Away 3:18 11. -Sunday Afternoon In The Park 3:18 12. -Romeo Delight 4:43 13. -Everybody Wants Some!! 9:04 Disc 4 Los Angeles cont'd 1. -Sounds of Summertime 4:02 2. -Ice Cream Man 5:45 3. -Mean Street 5:16 4. -Guitar Solo 6:57 5. -Feel Your Love Tonight 2:56 6. -You Really Got Me 4:37 7. -Unchained 5:27 8. -Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love 5:43 Disc 5 The Forum Inglewood, CA June 20, 1981 1. -On Fire 3:51 2. -Sinner's Swing! 3:37 3. -Drum Solo 2:26 4. -Hear About It Later 4:54 5. -Dave Raps 3:08 6. -So This Is Love? 3:09 7. -Jamie's Cryin' 3:45 8. -Bass Solo 3:39 9. -Runnin' With The Devil 3:24 10. -Dance The Night Away 5:09 11. -Sunday Afternoon In The Park 1:55 12. -Romeo Delight 3:14 Disc 6 LA Forum cont'd 13. -Everybody Wants Some!! 9:24 14. -Ice Cream Man 7:56 15. -Mean Street 4:54 16. -Guitar Solo 6:01 17. -Feel Your Love Tonight 2:57 18. -You Really Got Me 4:59 19. -Unchained 6:32 20. -Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love - Happy Birthday to Michael Anthony 6:30 Disc 7 Great Western Forum Inglewood, CA June 21, 1981 1. -On Fire 3:58 2. -Sinner's Swing! 3:35 3. -Drum Solo 2:36 4. -Hear About It Later 4:48 5. -Dave Raps 2:53 6. -So This Is Love 3:26 7. -Jamie's Cryin' 3:46 8. -Bass Solo 3:23 9. -Runnin' With The Devil 3:24 10. -Dance The Night Away 4:55 11. -Sunday Afternoon In The Park 1:58 12. -Romeo Delight 4:36 13. -Everybody Wants Some!! 6:10 14. -Ice Cream Man 5:35 15. -Mean Street 5:03 Disc 8 the Forum cont'd 1. -Guitar Solo 7:37 2. -Feel Your Love Tonight 3:06 3. -You Really Got Me 4:11 4. -Unchained 4:37 5. -Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love 5:02 Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum Phoenix, AZ September 28, 1981 6. -On Fire 7. -Sinner's Swing 8. -Alex Van Halen Drum Solo 9. -Hear About It Later 10. -So This Is Love 11. -Jamie's Crying 12. -Michael Anthony Bass Solo 13. -Runnin' With The Devil 14. -Dance The Night Away 15. -Sunday Afternoon In The Park Disc 9 Phoenix cont'd 16. -Romeo Delight 17. -Everybody Wants Some 18. -Lucille 19. -Ice Cream Man 20. -Mean Street 21. -Edward Van Halen Guitar Solo 22. -You Really Got Me 23. -Unchained 24. -Ain't Talkin''Bout Love Disc 10 Greensboro Coliseum Greensboro, North Carolina, USA August 25th, 1981 01. -On Fire 02. -Sinner's Swing 03. -Drum solo 04. -Hear About It Later 05. -So This Is Love 06. -Jamie's Crying 07. -Bass solo 08. -Runnin' With The Devil 09. -Dance The Night Away 10. -Sunday Afternoon In The Park 11. -Romeo Delight Disc 11 Greensboro cont'd 12. -Everybody Wants Some!! 13. -Sounds of Summertime 14. -Ice Cream Man 15. -Mean Street 16. -Guitar solo 17. -Feel Your Love Tonight 18. -You Really Got Me 19. -Unchained 20. -Ain't Talkin''Bout Love -
Audience 8.7 - A raucous affair this one, the music is recorded very well, on excellent gear, but the stage mix is not ideal, but I am going to be critical mainly because I don’t like where the guitars are in the sound mix. The music is hot, not only performance wise but also on the tape itself, it’s pushing the meters to the breaking point…but it doesn’t break…much. There’s some “noise” somewhere in it, it’s not bad, it’s not a deal breaker, but I can tell it is there and I think it’s just some minor breakup in one band somewhere in the mid range. All in all, this is a pretty good one to get. Van Halen Selland Arena Fresno, CA September 5, 1982 Disc 1 Total Time: 59:08 1. -Romeo Delight 4:15 2. -Unchained 4:00 3. -Drum Solo 3:00 4. -The Full Bug 3:40 5. -Runnin' With The Devil 3:20 6. -Dave Raps 4:07 7. -Jamie's Cryin' 3:30 8. -Little Guitars 4:30 9. -Where Have All The Good Times Gone 3:31 10. -Bass Solo 4:04 11. -Hang 'em High 3:20 12. -Cathedral 1:54 13. -Secrets 3:15 14. -Everybody Wants Some 12:36 Disc 2 Total Time: 56:44 1. -Dance The Night Away 3:14 2. -Somebody Get Me A Doctor - I'm So Glad 6:00 3. -Ice Cream Man 9:41 4. -Intruder 1:54 5. -(Oh) Pretty Woman 3:06 6. -Guitar Solo (Pt. I) 7:03 7. -Guitar Solo (Pt. II) 2:23 8. -D.O.A. 3:51 9. -Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love 7:00 9. -Bottoms Up 4:20 10. -You Really Got Me - Happy Trails 8:06