When Van Halen released their debut album, they created a storm of interest. I once attended a Black Sabbath show where Van Halen was the opening act (Aug 14, 1978). When Van Halen left the stage, the new fans clamored for an encore of something…anything. When Black Sabbath took the stage, they struggled to regain control of the crowd, who still wanted more Van Halen. They did regain control but i goes to show the immediate impact the band had on their developing fanbase.
Van Halen went through several lineup changes, all successful. With a collection of twelve studio sets, Van Halen has amassed an enviable collection of singles and deep cuts.
On November 1, Rhino Records will release a vinyl collection of Van Halen singles issued in Japan. The box will be called The Japanese Singles: 1978-1984. Obviously, this set will contain the singles featuring the David Lee Roth-era through the 1984 album.
As of now, there is no cover art nor details of contents. That will be fixed when I get them. But it wouldn’t surprise me to find these tracks in the box:
- Panama
- Pretty Woman
- Unchained
- Dance The Night Away
- Ain’t Talkin’ ‘Bout Love
- Jump
- I’ll Wait
- Dancing In The Street
- And The Cradle Will Rock
- You Really Got Me
The date is subject to change.
I had a similar concert experience. Cincinnati, 1983. Def Leppard had just released Pyromania and we’re opening for Billy Squier. Def Leppard stole the show. Poor Billy hit the stage to audible groans and some boos. He was great though and put on an awesome show, but Def Leppard blew the roof off the joint. They were not on Billy’s tour much longer after that.