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WOLFGANG VAN HALEN explains his involvement in VAN HALEN's upcoming SAMMY HAGAR-era reissues

17-03-2023

VAN HALEN‘s first live album – 1993’s double-platinum “Live: Right Here, Right Now” — will make its vinyl debut on Record Store Day as a limited edition four-LP set. Recorded in May 1992 as the band was wrapping up their massive world tour in the support of their classic, triple-platinum album “For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge”, the collection finds singer Sammy Hagar, guitarist Eddie Van Halen, drummer Alex Van Halen, and bassist Michael Anthony firing on all cylinders and delivering over two hours of VAN HALEN‘s signature hits.

“Live: Right Here, Right Now” will be limited to 7,500 copies on 180-gram translucent red vinyl and available exclusively at select independent music retailers on April 22 for $99.98.

Asked in a new interview with Rock 100.5 The KATT‘s Cameron Buchholtz if he is involved in any of upcoming VAN HALEN reissues, Eddie‘s son, former VAN HALEN bassist Wolfgang Van Halen, said: “Al (Alex Van Halen) is, obviously, he’s the head honcho when it comes to making the decisions. But I am a part of that when it comes to… Obviously, I default to him on anything that he thinks is the right thing to do. But when it comes to decision making or at least just kind of helping out, yeah, I am that sort of what would have been my dad’s vote for stuff there with Al. So Al and I are kind of that team. But, yeah, all in all, he’s the guy.”

Wolfgang went on to say that he is glad to see “Live: Right Here, Right Now” being re-released three decades later.

“That era (of VAN HALEN) doesn’t get any respect, I don’t think,” Wolfgang said. “And there’s a lot of amazing songs and just obviously brilliant guitar playing on a lot of that — on all of that stuff — and I think people don’t give it a chance ’cause they fall into that exhausting ‘this singer is better’ crap, when it’s, like, just give it a chance. There’s some really good stuff in there.”

The “Live: Right Here, Right Now” vinyl collection has all 24 songs from the original CD release, plus three additional live recordings. This marks the first time that audio for two of the tracks (“The Dream Is Over” and “Eagles Fly”) will be released, as they were previously available only on the DVD version of “Live Right Here, Right Now”. The third, “Mine All Mine”, was recorded in the summer of 1993 during the second leg of the tour and was previously released as part of a European CD maxi-single for a live version of “Jump”. All tracks from the original live album were newly remastered from the 5150 studio master tapes by Bernie Grundman, who also cut the lacquers.

The new vinyl version of “Live: Right Here, Right Now” is the first VAN HALEN reissue that focuses on the Hagar era. It also kicks off a series of upcoming vinyl releases spotlighting VAN HALEN‘s time with Hagar, which will be overseen by the band’s long-time engineer Donn Landee. Additional information about those releases will be announced in the coming months.

“Live: Right Here, Right Now” debuted 30 years ago, on February 23, 1993. The collection peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard 200 chart and sold more than two million copies in the U.S. alone.

The group filmed and recorded “Live: Right Here, Right Now” across two shows at the Selland Arena in Fresno, California on May 14-15, 1992. The result was a concert album packed with exhilarating live versions of Hagar-era hits like “Why Can’t This Be Love”“Dreams”“When It’s Love”“Finish What Ya Started”“Right Now” and “Runaround”. The album also includes live versions of earlier VAN HALEN anthems like “Panama”“Ain’t Talkin’ ‘Bout Love” and “Jump”.

“Live: Right Here, Right Now” gives each band member a chance to shine with Alex Van Halen‘s pummeling drum solo, Michael Anthony‘s “Ultra Bass” solo, and Hagar‘s acoustic version of his solo hit “Give To Live”. One of the show’s biggest highlights is Eddie Van Halen‘s ripping guitar solo. For more than 10 minutes, he lives up to his reputation as the ultimate guitar god with a solo that touches on some of his best-known instrumentals: “316”“Cathedral” and “Eruption”.

“Live: Right Here, Right Now” four-LP track listing:

LP1: Side A

  1. Poundcake
    2. Judgment Day
    3. When It’s Love
    4. Spanked

LP1: Side B

  1. Ain’t Talkin’ ’bout Love
    2. In ‘N’ Out
    3. Dreams
    4. Man On A Mission

LP2: Side C

  1. Ultra Bass
    2. Pleasure DomeDrum Solo
    3. Panama

LP2: Side D

  1. Love Walks In
    2. Runaround
    3. Right Now
    4. One Way To Rock

LP3: Side E

  1. Why Can’t This Be Love
    2. Give To Live
    3. Finish What Ya Started
    4. Best Of Both Worlds

LP3: Side F

  1. 316
    2. You Really Got MeCabo Wabo

LP4: Side G

  1. Won’t Get Fooled Again
    2. Jump
    3. Top Of The World

LP4: Side H

  1. The Dream Is Over
    2. Eagles Fly
    3. Mine All Mine

 

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