Van Halen - Live Rarities [2008]

Customer Reviews:

Unbelievably bad bootleg release........2008-01-08

I totally agree with all the previous 5 reviewers, especially John Doherty's review. What can I say except to reiterate what the previous reviewers have written (I'm a bit amazed though that any of the reviewers have given it more than 1 star):

Picture and sound quality are shocking. A very poor bootleg VHS copy has been used as the source. At least they have made it less noticeable by shrinking the picture by a about a 3rd and putting a lovely border around it. Sorry, they have not only put the border around but also made sure that it overlaps the picture in several places. Very Arty. And the border isn't annoying at all, honestly.

I would give the DVD packaging - 10. It looks great on the self...after all that's the most important thing with a music DVD, right?

That will teach me for buying it on pre-order and not waiting for it to be released and reviewed. I won't make that mistake again. I'm also annoyed that there is no indication on the Amazon website that this was an unofficial release.

I urge anyone reading this to not buy it. If you want to see this concert there are much better quality bootlegs of it and I daresay you would even be able to download a better copy of the concert on the Internet.

If I could give this no stars I would.

bad but good.......2007-12-05

The quality is terrible but the gig itself is a must-see for VH fans and far better than the old bootleg suggests.

Great band and music - terrible picture quality.......2007-11-21

I've seen this show, the actual footage, don't ask! - just trust me,
It's way better picture quality than this RUBBISH.
If you want it soo baad, buy the bootleg...it will out class this crap visually.
Superb performance, great band and songs, sound is fine, straight from desk, but this looks like a copy of a copy of a copy. Picture quality? it's AWFUL.
Van Halen get a "5"
Picture quality gets a NIL, WAY past the point of humor.

The 5* rating is for Van Halen. Not for this release!.......2007-11-19

Van Halen are absolutely wonderful of course, so they get a 5* rating. This DVD has a brilliant setlist and apart from the expected lapses in Roth actually singing the right words (you can see why Eddie used to lose patience) this DVD contains some superb performances. I`ll give you the setlist;

Romeo Delight, Unchained, Drum Solo, The Full Bug, Runnin` with The Devil, Jamie`s Cryin`, So This Is Love?, Little Guitars, Bass Solo, Dancing In The Streets, Somebody Get Me A Doctor, Dance The Night Away, Cathedral, Secrets, Dave and Al Chi solo (drums), Everybody Wants Some!, Ice Cream Man, Intruder, (Oh) Pretty Woman, Eddie Van Halen Guitar Solo, Ain`t Talkin` `Bout Love, Bottoms Up.

From my perspective, that`s pretty close to the ideal list. Seeing how we may never see them in Europe with Dave Lee Roth, and lots of hardcore fans are still bitter about the ousting of Michael Anthony, then this is definitely worth purchasing.

However! There`s a pretty important message on the back. "Editorial Control: This project requires totally independent editorial control. This film is unauthorised and is not approved in any way by Van Halen or their past or present management". There`s only one way to take that kind of warning isn`t there? The framing of the screen with the American flag is pretty odd, and annoying...and how many times do we need to hear Roth ask if the crowd can hear him? But these are minor gripes as I`ve been wanting a DVD of Roth-era Van Halen for over 20 years and it`s finally here. One needs to bear in mind it was 1983 and technology may have just moved on a little in the interim so that will account for some of the blurriness. Much like buses, I`m sure there`ll be another one along soon from the current US tour...perhaps wait for that if you want something with 2007 quality.

Worth buying for the music, to see a young VH together, and for the vibe; the production, editing and sound are some way from perfect.

rehash of a bootleg .......2007-11-16

This is the US Festival 83 performance. The quality isn't great and they have stuck an annoying border round the image so viewing is a bit restricted. I'm amazed that no one seems to have a good quality DVD performance of Dave Lee Roth era VH.

Customer Reviews:

for elvis addicts with insomnia.......2002-02-07

if you are looking for a trawl through elvis' career with slick footage of concerts and films - dont buy this. aging bit players in his life are interviewed against a backdrop of stills that we've all seen before. this is a terrible, boring pic and both the title and the sleeve photo are totally misleading. a frustrating 'don't buy'

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