Van Halen, "Live: Right Here, Right Now" Warner Bros. 1993

Before reading this review, the article "Live Albums: To produce or not to produce?" from this
website is recommended reading.

At last, a double Van Halen album... just what the doctor ordered. Looking to hear a good singer
at last tackle some early Van Halen classics? Step right up. Want a comprehensive overview of
the Van Hagar period? Certainly, Sir. Looking to hear Eddie, Alex, and Mikey unleashed in their
live splendour? No problem. It's all here. Ironically, this is sonically one of the best Van
Halen albums ever released; for an international multi-million selling band, Van Halen didn't
half have some badly produced studio albums. Production is from Van Halen and Andy Johns, and
the combination of careful studio detailing and cracking performances from the band mean many
of these songs are even better than in their original incarnations. 
"Love Walks In", for example, sounds a lot more tasteful with a piano than those cheesy '80s
synths, and Sammy's vocal prowess makes "Jump" more melodic than its ever been. The lack of
a rhythm guitarist is occasionally noticed when Edward steps up to solo, but when King Ed is
playing his axe, is anyone really listening to what's going on in the background? 
Virtually all the classic Sammy Hagar-era Van Halen tracks are covered, along with Sam's solo
classic "One Way to Rock" and early VH gems "Panama", "Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love", and "You Really
Got Me". Being Van Halen, there are of course no shortage of solos, but does the world really
need a five minute bass solo? A nine minute drum solo? Eddie is awesome and his solo jaw-
dropping, but were all 11 minutes of his solo entirely necessary? 
No matter. Across 2 CDs there's still plenty of time for Van Halen classics. "Finish What Ya
Started" doesn't go over very well in its new electric form, with tapping licks replacing Eddie's
original stylish acoustic chicken-pickin', but everything else rocks just as much as you'd hope
Van Halen would. It's Van Halen, it's live, and it's got all the best stuff. Nuff said.

[10]