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Audience 7.7 - Lo-fi but surprisingly clear with a good biting guitar tone, and solid bass. Drums kind of buried. -
Audience 7.2 - Sound not good but artwork is spectacular. For collectors only. -
Audience 8.4 - Very good job here by an astute taper who knew to capture the opening band as well – also featured here! -
Audience 8.8 - Perhaps lacking in sonic depth, it makes up for it in clarity and detail, the kind that allows you to hear the nuance because this band had nuance in spades. -
Audience 8.4 - A rather decent tape that delivers a clear representation of the music happening on stage. I found that maybe the levels were a tad hot, but I prefer that over low levels that you end up having to crank up causing terrible hiss. This one is not suffering at all from that problem! -
Soundboard 8.9 (4-3-79) -
Soundboard 8.8 (4-13-79) -
Audience 8.8 - Very cool, great atmosphere! -
Audience 8.1 - One of the better early recordings. Get it! -
CD 1 - Audience 7.4 - Strong and loud without the dreaded over driven distorted mess or squashed lo fi sound. Jamming! CD 2 - Audience 7.0 - Tape is a bit over-saturated but even so, you do get everything on the stage in full force (meaning sledgehammer to your skull). -
Audience 8.2 - Above average Audience recording with one very critical feature – contains perhaps the most sinister, gnarliest Hammond organ sound ever committed to tape. Just ferocious, and the band is on fire. Brilliant! -
Audience 7.2 - For the time, this is actually pretty decent. I mean, this band was LOUD, and really there’s no way to properly record on some cheap cassette player. Still, a rare early show, applaud this taper please! -
Audience 7.6 - I rate this highly because I am amazed that the taper got something this decent because it is obvious the gear is amateur and the band is LOUD as all hell. That being said, this should give you a very good idea of what you could have expected seeing this band in the early 70’s. -
Audience 7.8 -
This is an Audience recording, my rating is a 7.3 quality, not a bad show. It's got one thing I can appreciate, a lively atmosphere without being obnoxious and intrusive although I got to tell you, sometimes the audience makes the performance...want proof? Listen to the Madison Square Garden 1984 show - you can honestly say that the loud, obnoxious, and totally over the top crowd and atmosphere is what totally makes that show. I found myself more interested in the crowd believe it or not. I must offer that show in the future - seriously the audience is the best part even though the band is on fire and inspired by the crowd. This one is close to that mania, but nothing compares to that MSG show. -
Audience 9.0 - Fantastic! Stunning performance and incredibly realistic feel of the show captured on this tape. Right up close, freakin’ PA’s pumping but recording levels are set proper and you get slammed in the face with a red hot Van Halen. Love this! -
Audience 8.4 - Man, what an amazing show this is! and not for the reasons you might think. I absolutely LOVE LOVE LOVE this BECAUSE OF THE AUDIENCE! Yes, it's so unique to find a show that I get into the crowd as much as the band. In this case, the band, as good as they are (and they are extremely pumped up as the crowd pushes them further and further every song), the audience is the real star of the show. I've just never heard anything like this - the recording is excellent, capturing the atmosphere and the audience very well - notice I did not say "the music" here? Really, I kid you not, this show is about the crowd and the band is just along for the ride. Incredible document. Wish I was there! -
Audience 8.7 - Really loud and up front sound but no distortion makes for a real thrill ride. I love this recording. I think it captures the manic energy happening on stage. Wonderful -
Audience 8.5 - The better of the Japan shows. Clear, in your face, average separation of instruments but Eddie in great form and can hear every note. -
Audience 8.2 - This is a very in demand show from this tour. Why? Because it is perhaps the best audience recording from 1984, but it is not perfect, it just has more great qualities than bad. I think the only knock is the absence of bottom end, but that is what an Equalizer is for. Get this and have fun! -
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 7.8 - Stadium sound all the way. Boomy and loud and CRAZY audience but damn, it’s hard not to love it. The good news here is the drums are defined and not just a sloppy boomy mess, the guitar slices through the mud and lands on your ears in the right spot, then Dave yelps, and does his thing. The end of Hot For Teacher when the drum solo starts the whole place goes bananas. -
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. -
Soundboard 8.8 -
Audience/Soundboard - The Houston Music Hall tape is a 7.1 quality Audience. but it is a first generation and therefore does represent the best possible source of the concert that kicked off their 1979 tour. The bonus material is all Soundboard including the Bradford, UK. which does rate a solid 8.8 with signs of age, the US festival portion rates 9.7 being from a pristine condition transcription disc. -
Audience 8.4 - I expected more from a post 2000 audience recording, but this one is decend just seems to be toward the back of the hall. You do get all instruments, and mixed properly, with pretty much Eddie and DLR being the clearest and out front. Solos sound good as they seem to swirl around the room giving it a cool atmosphere. The show does seem to get better as it goes, might even boost the rating another .3 for the slight improvement. -
Audience 7.4 - Pretty average recording of a rare gig not seldom traded. The good news for collectors is that it has been remastered to reveal more in the tape (more music that is). It’s just really loud, and it distorts, you have to appreciate that it was recorded at all, now that we know just how scarce these early 80’s recordings are. On the plus side, there are moments where it is much clearer - like the guitar solo and mellower parts. I would recommend this to the collector who focuses on classic DLR era Halen, to have the best version wrapped up in eye-popping packaging. This show is complete, every second captured for posterity. -
Audience 8.7 - Some harshness on the cymbals, but I’d rather have those highs intact because it is easier to round off than try and crank them up if they don’t exist. -
Pro Soundboard 9.1 - Recorded for broadcast in a studio setting so you know it is going to be really good. Tape is just a touch “aged” in that it is not as bright as you would expect but still darn good. -
Audience 7.9 - A loud, and immediate sounding tape, almost as if it was recorded yesterday. Really has that vibe, like you can’t believe it was 1978. -
CD 1 - Alkmaar - Soundboard 8.8 / CD 2 - Ashington - Audience 8.0 -
London - Pro 9.0 (BBC) / NY - Audience 6.3