VAN HALEN – REHEARSALS 1983 SOUNDBOARD (2 CD)

Description

Unknown Place, South America January or February 1983 STEREO SBD

　What is this!? Amazing, a new studio album has been discovered! The first appearance of the “HIDE YOUR SHEEP Tour” soundboard series will also see the release of a shocking album!

　This album permanently preserves a tour rehearsal recording that was previously unknown. It’s a treasured album, whose existence was previously unknown, and all circumstantial evidence suggests it was recorded in a studio somewhere in January or February 1983. At the time, VAN HALEN was in the midst of the “HIDE YOUR SHEEP Tour” accompanying “DIVER DOWN.” First, let’s take a look at the band’s activities and explore the position of this album.

●1982
{“DIVER DOWN” released on April 14th}
・July 14th – August 21st: North America #1 (26 shows) ← *CLEVELAND 1982, etc.
・September 1st – 25th: North America #2 (17 shows) ← *PHOENIX 1982, etc.
・October 7th – December 11th: North America #3 (38 shows) ←TORONTO 1982, etc.
●1983
・January 16th – February 12th: South America (15 shows) ← ★Here★
・May 29th: US Festival Appearance

[A completely unknown rehearsal recording]
　This is Van Halen from 1982/1983. Speaking of “January or February 1983,” it was during Van Halen’s only “South American” tour in history. It appears to be a studio rehearsal that took place before or during that tour.

　Speaking of the “HIDE YOUR SHEEP Tour,” a huge amount of the finest soundboards are leaking. At the time, they were recorded by a man named “Roy,” who was an engineer at VAN HALEN, and more than 15 superb soundboards have already appeared. In fact, this rehearsal is also one of the newly excavated soundboard series. There are no notations on the tape, and this treasure, which had been left unidentified for a long time, has finally been made public.

　The sound is truly transcendent. Anyone who has experienced even one of the newly excavated soundboard series from the “Roy Collection” will have experienced the extremely thick and super direct sound, but this work is only from a studio, so it is two levels higher. Although it is not as polished as an official studio production, it is a magnificent studio recording with a sense of stability that is on a different level from a concert.

[A secret studio album that reveals the raw VH]
　Even more shocking than the sound is the content of the rehearsals themselves. Basically, Eddie, Alex, and Michael just jammed away, with Dave occasionally coming on and dominating the room with his first-rate scat singing and jokes (there’s even a song with vocals towards the end). The casual phrases, the exchanges between the members, the snippets of improvisation…all of it is directly engraved in my brain.

　While the album is essentially a free jam session, the phrases that emerge are astounding. There are riffs from The Troggs’ “Wild Thing,” Led Zeppelin’s “Since I’ve Been Loving You,” and even Queen’s “Another One Bites the Dust.” Of course, all of them are reimagined with Eddie’s signature tone and nuances.

　Then, during the blues jam, Dave suddenly appears on harmonica. Of course, it’s Dave! Later, he hums a line from Elvis Presley’s “Heartbreak Hotel,” and Eddie follows suit on guitar. “Jam IV” is a bit funny. Michael starts playing the bass line from IRON BUTTERFLY’s “In A Gadda Da Vida,” but before the rest of the band can join in, the crew interrupts, saying, “Hold on, Eddie’s tuning up.”

　Michael shines on CREAM’s “Crossroads.” He plays a super-fast version, almost to completion, with the bass playing a major role. His vocals are also featured, albeit only in a short section. “Jam VI,” reminiscent of Allan Holdsworth’s “Material Real,” is an arrangement also featured in the “Somebody Get Me A Doctor” jam during the South America tour. The rehearsal content also reveals that the rehearsals were geared toward the tour.

[A witness to VH history, even featuring numbers from 1984]
　Of course, it’s not just covers. During the jam, instrumental versions of “Sinner’s Swing” and “Hear About It Later” appear. It’s also quite vivid when Eddie stops playing “Take Your Whiskey Home” and says, “I don’t remember that.”

　What’s also surprising is that tracks from “1984” also make an appearance. Although it’s only an early instrumental, they play “Panama,” and “Jam V” even features a phrase that develops into the guitar intro of “Hot For Teacher.”

　In the second half, there’s a section where Eddie plays guitar completely by himself for about 10 minutes. This is like a glimpse into “Eddie’s mind.” He plays the theme song from the TV drama “The Munsters,” then strums the main riff from Michael Jackson’s “Beat It.” This selection is quite interesting, as this song is often associated with guitar solos.

　And then, towards the end, Dave reappears! Here, the conversation is sharp, and he spits out a nasty remark to Eddie’s wife, saying, “Here comes a woman who doesn’t need an introduction… three months without work from Hollywood,” and teases her with dirty jokes. Then, just as he warms up, he sings covers of THE BEATLES’ “You Can’t Do That” and “Little Dreamer (Partway Through).” At the end, Dave says, “Roy, that’s it,” and Roy responds, “OK,” and the tape ends vividly.

[Also includes the extremely rare Roy Collection bonus material]
　The rehearsals alone are shocking, but this album also includes even more extremely rare bonus material. There are six live recordings, each a few minutes long, recorded by the same “Roy” as the main album. We’ve introduced various soundboards so far, but these were previously unreleased, fragments remaining on the edges of those tapes. Of course, even though they are fragments, the performances are by the original Van Halen, and they have been permanently preserved in this album to convey the truth of the “Roy Collection” to future generations.

　This newly excavated soundboard collection features the miraculous “Roy,” who has been releasing shocking works every decade. It’s a mind-blowing, mind-numbing rehearsal album. Not only is the sound exceptional, but the content is also a transcendent studio recording. Enjoy it anytime, anywhere with this 2CD press, which will never lose its luster.

This is a superb stereo soundboard recording of the rehearsals for the “HIDE YOUR SHEEP Tour.” While this series was recorded by an engineer named “Roy,” the sound is two levels higher than you’d expect from a studio recording. Experience the ultimate in secret rehearsals, including jams featuring a variety of classics from artists like QUEEN and Michael Jackson, and an early version of “Panama.”

Disc:1 (42:42)
1. Jam I
2. Jam II
3. Jam III
4. Panama
5. Since I’ve Been Loving You
6. Blues Jam
7. Jam IV
8. Take Your Whiskey Home
9. Sinner’s Swing!
10. Hear About It Later
11. Jam V
12. Crossroads

Disc:2 (50:07)
1. Jam VI
2. Guitar Noodling
3. Interlude
4. Jam VII / Girl Gone Bad
5. Runnin’ With The Devil / Vocal Warmup
6. You Can’t Do That
7. Little Dreamer

STEREO SOUNDBOARD RECORDING

Bonus Tracks (Unreleased Short Remnants)
8. Intruder (Unknown Place July 1982) (from Biloxi tape)
9. Everybody Wants Some!! (Detroit 14th August 1982, Soundboard) (from Rehearsal tape)
10. Romeo Delight (Daly City 15th September 1982, Original Audience Master) (from Largo tape)
11. Romeo Delight (El Paso 19th September 1982, Original Audience Master) (from New Haven tape)
12. Everybody Wants Some!!(Syracuse 9th October 1982, Soundboard) (from Soundcheck tape)
13. Romeo Delight (Largo 12th October 1982, Original Audience Master) (from Toronto tape)