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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 -
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 -
Audience 8.2 - Not the best tape by any stretch but it’s also a scarcity…very few World Invasion Tour tapes survive and this one does have a couple of things going for it –first, it is NOT muddy! It’s not distinctive, but that is not the same as muddiness. It’s a “clear” tape that is just not from close up, and is not done on professional gear. I started listening to this thinking “oh man” but believe it or not you will find a reason to continue on through the whole show, especially when Dave rants about his little problem in Cincinnati the night before. Van Halen Lee County Arena Fort Myers, FL August 8, 1980 World Invasion Tour 1. -Romeo Delight 2. -Bottoms Up - Alex Van Halen Drum Solo 3. -Runnin' With The Devil 4. -Loss of Control 5. -Take Your Whiskey Home 6. -Dance The Night Away 7. -Women In Love 8. -Jamie's Crying 9. -Bright Lights, Big City 10. -Everybody Wants Some!! 11. -And The Cradle Will Rock... 12. -Edward Van Halen Guitar Solo 13. -Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love 14. -Ice Cream Man 15. -You Really Got Me -
Audience 8.8 - Very clear and with enough dynamics present to really provide an authentic experience of virtually being there. These kinds of recordings, while technically not considered as excellent (unfairly) due to the measurable fidelity of the audio (in the objective sense) are actually excellent in their own right. This is a well done recording, with the sound “floating” above you and giving you a sense of time and place, of literally being there. Van Halen Fair Warning Tour Greensboro Coliseum Greensboro, North Carolina, USA Tuesday August 25th, 1981 Disc 1 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 12. Everybody Wants Some!! Disc 2 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 Line-up: David Lee Roth : Edward Van Halen : Alex Van Halen : Michael Anthony. -
Soundboard 9.3 - Recently remastered to give a good board tape a much needed kick in the ass. I heard this tape years ago, and I love what was done to bring out the bad-assery this performance was. -
Early Soundboard 8.6 - High energy; it does get a little "hot" as far as the mix but it doesn't detract from the experience of hearing Van Halen in a small club playing their asses off before they hit the big time. Dave is in fine form, as always. A great gig, a very good recording, a great band at a great time. Highly recommended. -
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 8.7 A real surprise here because when I first came across this one I assumed it would be crap. Why had I not heard of it before if it was good? Well, sometimes stuff just slips through the cracks I guess. Anyway what I am saying is that this is quite good, I began listening and made it through to the end and was thinking “this is a real find”. Van Halen Market Square Arena Indianapolis, IN. July 6th, 1984 Disc 1 - 62:37 1. Unchained 4:35 2. Hot For Teacher 8:03 3. On Fire 3:09 4. Running With The Devil 6:19 5. Little Guitars 4:48 6. Cathedral - House Of Pain 12:03 7. Jamie's Cryin' 3:24 8. I'll Wait 4:44 9. Everybody Wants Some 15:32 Disc 2 - 51:37 1. Girl Gone Bad 6:15 2. 1984 0:53 3. Jump 4:33 4. Guitar Solo 16:12 5. Pretty Woman 3:02 6. Panama 5:25 7. You Really Got Me 9:16 8. Ain't Talkin''Bout Love 6:01 -
Audience 8.6 - A clear tape, possibly a master source, that presents a very nice performance by the band with a tape that gives you a reasonable recollection of the evening. The tape leans towards a high end propensity while sacrificing any deep lows but I am 100% sure you will LOVE this one because it’s just one of those tapes that seems to get better, the ears adjust, and before you know it you are saying “damn this is pretty good”…because it actually is. As Pretty Woman ends (and there’s a moment in the song where Dave lets loose on some dingus that threw something at him) and it goes into Eddie’s solo, man, this tape TAKES OFF and becomes an easy 9.3 rating. Van Halen The Forum Inglewood, CA September 10, 1982 Disc 1 1. -Romeo Delight 4:14 2. -Unchained 4:01 3. -Drum Solo 2:45 4. -The Full Bug 3:36 5. -Runnin' With The Devil 3:04 6. -Dave Raps 3:34 7. -Jamie's Cryin' 3:28 8. -Little Guitars 4:21 9. -Where Have All The Good Times Gone 3:16 10. -Bass Solo 4:19 11. -Hang 'em High 3:10 12. -Cathedral 1:47 13. -Secrets 3:21 14. -Everybody Wants Some 13:18 Disc 2 1. -Dance The Night Away 3:14 2. -Somebody Get Me A Doctor - I'm So Glad 6:11 3. -Ice Cream Man 7:48 4. -Intruder 1:54 5. -(Oh) Pretty Woman 3:27 6. -Guitar Solo 11:15 7. -D.O.A. 3:36 8. -Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love 6:05 9. -Bottoms Up 5:46 10. -You Really Got Me - Happy Trails 6:31 -
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 8.0 - Rated rather conservatively here, at times it goes a notch or two higher. This recording does capture the excitement of the gig rather well. Frequencies are not squashed, you can play with this.