Van Halen - the cover band

[Dave K]

Anyone else heard the bootleg of VH "Gazarri's Dance Party" from '74-'75 ? Have to say it's entertaining hearing a band in their formative years before they hit it big.
The set list is;

1. Chevrolet (ZZ Top) 3:43
2. Maybe I'm A Leo (Deep Purple) 2:42
3. We All Had A Real Good Time (Edgar Winter) 3:25
4. Walk Away (James Gang) 4:40
5. Can't Get Enough (Bad Company) 4:05
6. If You Can't Rock Me (Rolling Stones) 3:17
7. Might Just Take Your Life (Deep Purple) 3:44
8. Make It Last (Montrose) 5:50
9. Sweet Emotion (Aerosmith) 6:42
10. Twist And Shout (Isley Brothers) 2:50
11. The Grind (Tommy Bolin) 3:43
12. Tush (ZZ Top) 2:42
13. Trampled Under Foot (Led Zeppelin) 7:28
14. Stone Cold Sober (Rod Stewart) 2:01
15. Jean Genie (David Bowie) 1:52
16. Keep Playin' that Rock 'N' Roll (Edgar Winter) 1:36
17. Get Down Tonight (KC and the Sunshine Band) 2:25
18. Walk This Way (Aerosmith) 1:20

Tracks 1 through 8 are circa 1974, and Tracks 9 through 18 are from
sometime in 1975.

[brian b]

Where can you find this sounds interesting.

[Dave K]

I found it on Usenet alt.binaries.sounds.mp3.bootlegs

If you have a high speed connection and a good news server, you'll find plenty of things.;)

[brian b]

Link dosent work for me

[dpeterson]

you have to use a news reader and have a news server account of some kind to get to the group. didnt know if you knew that, it's not just a link.

dave

[pluto]

How's Eddie's playing on the bootleg (I'll assume the tone sounds rough)?

[michaelomiya]

Originally posted by pluto
How's Eddie's playing on the bootleg (I'll assume the tone sounds rough)?

it ain't soundboard quality - if that's what you mean. I've got MUCH better quality EVH club days/VH1 if you want it. 1979 Fresno, 1977 Valencia, 1977 Pasadena Civic Center, 1976 San Bernardino.....and that's just the 70's. Actually, my favorites are 6-17-78 from Shinjuku Tokyo and 7-15-78 from Oklahoma City.

Let me know!! (You never said that you were a VH fanatic!!!)

[pluto]

Originally posted by michaelomiya
it ain't soundboard quality - if that's what you mean. I've got MUCH better quality EVH club days/VH1 if you want it. 1979 Fresno, 1977 Valencia, 1977 Pasadena Civic Center, 1976 San Bernardino.....and that's just the 70's. Actually, my favorites are 6-17-78 from Shinjuku Tokyo and 7-15-78 from Oklahoma City.

Let me know!! (You never said that you were a VH fanatic!!!)

Nah, just wondering what how his playing was way back then. Pretty interesting list of cover songs that's for sure. BTW-I just sent a very amusing email.

[Dave K]

The quality is decent considering it's from a tape
that was made thirty years ago. It's much more a piece of history that shows how EVH developed his style along the way,with this being the oldest example I've heard of the band. His style was still developing at this point,but the basic tone
and foundation is there.By '76-'77 you hear more of the signature licks and phrasing that made it to the albums.

If you've heard enough of the pre '78 bootlegs and demos , you know how much material was written back then and carried thru the bands albums over the years.This includes riffs,complete solos,even Eruption evolved over the years and was worked out and not improvised or off the cuff, as has been stated in the past.
It's worth finding or downloading from that perspective.If you want to hear better quality boots,there are plenty to choose from, like Dallas '82,where the guitar is up high and very dry in the mix.

[michaelomiya]

Originally posted by Dave K
The quality is decent considering it's from a tape
that was made thirty years ago. It's much more a piece of history that shows how EVH developed his style along the way,with this being the oldest example I've heard of the band. His style was still developing at this point,but the basic tone
and foundation is there.By '76-'77 you hear more of the signature licks and phrasing that made it to the albums.

If you've heard enough of the pre '78 bootlegs and demos , you know how much material was written back then and carried thru the bands albums over the years.This includes riffs,complete solos,even Eruption evolved over the years and was worked out and not improvised or off the cuff, as has been stated in the past.
It's worth finding or downloading from that perspective.If you want to hear better quality boots,there are plenty to choose from, like Dallas '82,where the guitar is up high and very dry in the mix.

to that I'll add, if you want to hear how much EVH has really evolved, check out recordings from the 2004 tour, like 8-7-04 in Las Vegas and the NJ show from 6-23!!:eek: :D

[King Cobra]

If you think about it...........except maybe for Eric Clapton..........Eddie Van Halen is really the only living breathing legend around. Jimi ,Stevie, Randy.........so many died before we could see how they would evolve. I'm glad Eddie is still alive and well and playing his ass off.............:)


I would love to hear them play Gene Genie by David Bowie..................Did he do to these covers what he did to you really got me and Ice Cream man? Or did they sound like the originals?

[michaelomiya]

Originally posted by King Cobra
If you think about it...........except maybe for Eric Clapton..........Eddie Van Halen is really the only living breathing legend around. Jimi ,Stevie, Randy.........so many died before we could see how they would evolve. I'm glad Eddie is still alive and well and playing his ass off.............:)


I would love to hear them play Gene Genie by David Bowie..................Did he do to these covers what he did to you really got me and Ice Cream man? Or did they sound like the originals?

IMHO, it ain't David Bowie you're hearin'! There's a quote that Ed and Dave used to have (more EVH come to think of it), "in the early days we played covers, but for better or worse, it always sounded like us!" (or something like that).

Point is, the only stuff that I've really heard EVH nail, is the Clapton-Cream stuff (Crossroads). Everything else, IMHO, is VH covering someone's material. Listen to Rock n Roll from Live w/o a Net (1986 - yeah Sammy, but who's on lead guitar?). It sure don't sound like Page! The Led Zep stuff covered by VH sounds nothing like the Led Zep covers by Heart or Great White, which are closer to originals, IMHO.

So, to answer your question, the covers aren't completely reworked. But like, "You're No Good", "I'm So Glad", "Where Have All the Good Times Gone", "Pretty Woman", etc.. these early covers all have Ed's signature phrases and nuances. That Brown Sound came later, IMHO. I really don't detect that attenuated Super Lead until the 1977 stuff. Could be the recordings/tape degradation, etc, but the first real indication I've got are the Pasadena Civic Center shows.

[King Cobra]

Originally posted by michaelomiya
IMHO, it ain't David Bowie you're hearin'! There's a quote that Ed and Dave used to have (more EVH come to think of it), "in the early days we played covers, but for better or worse, it always sounded like us!" (or something like that).

Point is, the only stuff that I've really heard EVH nail, is the Clapton-Cream stuff (Crossroads). Everything else, IMHO, is VH covering someone's material. Listen to Rock n Roll from Live w/o a Net (1986 - yeah Sammy, but who's on lead guitar?). It sure don't sound like Page! The Led Zep stuff covered by VH sounds nothing like the Led Zep covers by Heart or Great White, which are closer to originals, IMHO.

So, to answer your question, the covers aren't completely reworked. But like, "You're No Good", "I'm So Glad", "Where Have All the Good Times Gone", "Pretty Woman", etc.. these early covers all have Ed's signature phrases and nuances. That Brown Sound came later, IMHO. I really don't detect that attenuated Super Lead until the 1977 stuff. Could be the recordings/tape degradation, etc, but the first real indication I've got are the Pasadena Civic Center shows.


Wow............sounds amazing. They should throw a few of these cuts on a box set.............Then I'd buy it even though I own everything 2-3 times over................;)

[ashman]

I wish I could do justice to a VH cover--I'm not worthy!