Van Halen's Greatest Hits - RAJ Master Collection

Here is my own personal do-it-yourself Van Halen "Greatest Hits" collection from their albums up to the release of 1984. Any tracks that I left out that are a crime not to have in such a set?

 

A few:

Somebody Get Me a Doctor
Light Up the Sky
Romeo Delight
Take Your Whiskey Home
Sinners Swing!
So This Is Love?
Girl Gone Bad

 

"Somebody Get Me a Doctor." And maybe "Hear About It Later." Otherwise you've covered all the bases, IMO.

 

Not much fat on the original Six Pack. Tough to cull out bad tracks. I'd leave a few off of the ones you listed, but not many.

 

"So This Is Love?" Is already included, btw.

 

Thanks. I missed it.

 

Romeo Delight, Sinner's Swing and Hear About It Later??!!

To the OP, add one more cd and you can have three albums in full.

 

On Fire
Atomic Punk
I'm The One

Light Up The Sky

Romeo Delight
In A Simple Rhyme

Girl Gone Bad

How long is each cd you made? As ElevatorSkyMusic says there isn't much fat on the original six, but still you've got a bunch of stuff I would excise if I really wanted the best of the best.

Did you not want to include either of the Best of Vol 1 tracks or anything from A Different Kind of Truth, or you just don't think they're worthy?

And personally I like to try mixing the sequence up to find combinations that are interesting.

 

Light Up The Sky rules!

 

Again, No Romeo Delight?
An amazing, tremendously energetic song and they opened the show with it on that tour.
Probably my favorite VH song.

 

Yeah, all 6 albums fit easily onto 3 CD-Rs.

Of course, a 3-CD compilation could factor in "ADKOT" tunes, too!

Surprised to see so much "Diver Down" here. Seven songs total from "WACF"/"FW" and nine from "DD"???

 

I second the comments everyone has made for this. "Romeo Delight" is essential VH IMO.

 

I'm the One
On Fire
Outta Love Again
Light Up the Sky
Romeo Delight
Take Your Whiskey Home
In a Simple Rhyme
One Foot Out the Door

 

Nice! Almost added that one too. Hidden, almost literally, on that great album. Great solo, love the stutter "come, comin' back" at about 47 seconds! Always grabs my ear.

 

I really wish "Girl Gone Bad" got more props for being the brilliant track that it is. It's kind of a no-fail VH tune:

Some of Eddie's most inventive playing, phrasing and composition. He didn't do "pretty" often, but when he did, he did it well (see also, "Women In Love," "In A Simple Rhyme," "Little Guitars").

Alex and Michael are locked in unlike they ever were before.

Dave is in fine and, dare I say, mature form.

 

You really have to have I'm the One. That is maybe the definitive VH song.

 

Here's my 2 disc VH GH collection, including the Sammy years. I'm not including VHIII, or ADKOT - I have that one but don't listen to it enough to include anything (and without Mike it's not the same, for me anyway).

Disc 1:
Runnin' with the Devil
Eruption
You Really Got Me
Ain't Talkin' Bout Love
Jamie's Cryin'
Dance the Night Away
D.O.A.
Beautiful Girls
And the Cradle Will Rock
Everybody Wants Some
Could This Be Magic?
Romeo Delight
Mean Street
Unchained
Where Have all the Good Times Gone
Secrets
Intruder/Pretty Woman
Dancing in the Street
Little Guitars

Disc 2:
Jump
Panama
I'll Wait
Drop Dead Legs
Me Wise Magic
Why Can't This Be Love
Dreams
Summer Nights
Best of Both Worlds
Love Walks In
When It's Love
Cabo Wabo
Feels So Good
Finish What Ya Started
Runaround
Top of the World
Can't Stop Lovin' You
Don't Tell Me What Love Can Do

 

Girl Gone Bad shows how much Ed was influenced by Holdsworth at the time. It has Holdsworth all over it.

 

Did they ever have any non-album b-sides?

 

In the DLR years? I don't think so. I looked over their discography on Wiki and didn't see any evidence of non-album B-sides - their list isn't complete, but I couldn't find any...

 

Let's just go with a 78-84 vinyl box set mastered by S.H. and pressed at QRP!

 

Can you tell that I ever had 'Women And Children First' or 'Fair Warning'? ;-) I may need to get those 2 and listen to 'em a few times to see if any stick out for me.

 

It

It got Dave arrested in Cincinnati, you know the story?

 

I didn't know you didn't have them - I just figured you didn't like them a lot.

All that "Diver Down" on your compilation gives me hives!

 

They are 80 minute CDs with plenty of room on each for additional tracks. I will add to them for sure. I will do a later compilation for the remaining years that will cover the Van Hagar years and the Roth return stuff. As for them being in chronological order, that's just how I roll. ;-)