Van Halen - 1980 London Invasion

Amazingly, Van Halen never recorded an official live album when David Lee Roth was on board -- and that's most regrettable because the influential heavy metal/hard rock outfit was at its creative peak during the Roth years. Warner Bros. should have put out a live two-LP set by Van Halen around 1981-1984, but that didn't happen. Therefore, bootlegs are the only place to go to hear live performances by Roth-era Van Halen. Numerous bootleg LPs surfaced when Roth was the band's lead singer, and these days there are quite a few bootleg recordings from Van Halen's Roth era available on CD. Their sound quality really runs the gamut; a bootleg CD of Roth-era Vh might boast excellent sound, or it might be plagued by poor or inferior sound. Released in 1999 by a bootlegger calling itself Party Dog Records, 1980 London Invasion contains a June 23, 1980, performance in England's largest city. Van Halen's original lineup (Roth, Michael Anthony, and the Van Halen siblings) toured Europe extensively in 1980, and this London show was taped around the end of the tour. The sound quality isn't fantastic, but it's decent and certainly listenable -- 1980 London Invasion doesn't appear to be a soundboard recording, although the bootlegger probably used a high-quality portable stereo recorder. The band's set, however, is first-rate. Van Halen was very much in its prime in 1980, and the Los Angeles residents are in top form on gems from Women And Children First ("And the Cradle Will Rock," "Everybody Wants Some," "Take Your Whiskey Home," "Romeo Delight") as well as Van Halen Ii ("Light Up the Sky," "Dance the Night Away," "Bottoms Up!") and its self-titled debut album ("Ain't Talkin' ?Bout Love," "Runnin' With the Devil"). Unfortunately, Party Dog omitted a performance of The Kinks' "You Really Got Me" due to space limitations. Because the sound quality is imperfect -- decent, yes, but not perfect -- 1980 London Invasion is less than essential and isn't recommended to casual listeners. But it's worth picking up if you're truly a die-hard fan of Roth-era Van Halen and if you're able to find a copy. ~ Alex Henderson, All Music Guide