With the VAN HALEN reissue of ‘Women And Children First’ on SACD we featured here, you need to hear ”Women and Children First Sessions [Sunset Sound Studios Dec 1979 – Feb 1980]”. There’s various bootlegs varying in quality, this one is taken from the original DAT transfer; VG+ sound quality.
On these early takes the variations are numerous and a good listen proves to be a fascinating study in observing a particular period of one of the most innovative and successful bands ever to emerge on the rock scene.
Some of the songs sound like they could be the final take used on the album (Cradle, Romeo). Others sound pretty early. Dave is loose on most of it, probably Dave’s scratch vocals while the band recorded. Amazing to see how rough some of this was… to the great finished product they became just a short time later on the album.
Pay close attention to the song with a working title “Act Like It Hurts.” A rare unreleased instrumental from this session. The middle breakdown was later used for “Get Up” off 5150 album.
“And the Cradle Will Rock” has a similar opening to the original and although the guitar isn’t that crisp, it is still impactful. Dave’s vocals go in and out a little, but the nice thing is the line “Have You Seen Junior’s Grades” is absent and has Dave mumbling some mumbo jumbo. It doesn’t have the guitar solo or that full guitar sound at all and lastly it stops abruptly. And you know, it was still totally cool to see a very early version of this song and you can already hear how special this track was.
Then we get a couple instrumentals with “Romeo Delight” and “Unreleased Instrumental”. “Romeo” is heavy on the bass and drums which really adds another dimension to the song especially with no Dave doing lyrics and no massive solo, but still a total treat. The “Unreleased Instrumental” is also known as “Act Like It Hurts”. This is another that seems to have the drum and bass mix higher than the guitar and there are some cool elements plus cool to focus on Michael Anthony and Alex Van Halen for a change. Eddie is a little low in the mix, but what you hear is still his typical magic.
“Everybody Wants Some!!” is up next and quite different. Starts off totally different but still has Dave’s swagger. It is missing the final Eddie tricks on the album version and Dave’s a little rough and not the same lyrics either as there is a little scatting, but it is a demo. You can already feel the energy and vibe that this could be something special.
“Loss of Control” has some evil Dave cackling and more scatting. Eddie is ripping you a new asshole as they blow through this one. It feels heavier and darker.
Next we get an instrumental of “Take Your Whiskey Home” minus the acoustic bit at the front. With no Dave, the song still kicks ass and nice to have one with Eddie more front and center even if it is mostly the rhythm section although at times he goes a little wild.
”Fools” starts off with the little Dave moment at the beginning before Eddie kicks in and turns it up a notch, the cool thing here is the lyrics aren’t final and Dave is all over the place with them except the chorus is in good shape. Fun track. Then we get an instrumental of “In A Simple Rhyme”. It is another that is mostly the bass and drum mix with Eddie down low in the mix, but still scratching your ears on the left channel. It feels pretty complete. Nice track / version.
And finally we get the intro part to “Take Your Whiskey Home” and with Dave, no instrumental. And that is all the Women and Children First demos.
Wait! There are a couple of bonus tracks filling the DAT. Both are live audience recordings from an uncertain show from 1976. Sound quality is low-grade, but it’s really cool to hear Van Halen performing Rainbow’s “Man on the Silver Mountain”. And there’s a crazy proto-Eruption version with Eddie on fire, plus “House of Pain”.
This is a blast of a listen and as far as bootleg demos go, this one is very good, showcasing Van Halen at their finest moment.
Highly Recommended
01 – And the Cradle Will Rock
02 – Romeo Delight [instrumental]
03 – Act Like It Hurts [Unreleased]
04 – Everybody Wants Some!!
05 – Loss of Control
06 – Take Your Whisky Home [instrumental]
07 – Fools
08 – In a Simple Rhyme [instrumental]
09 – Take Your Whisky Home [intro only]
Bonus:
10 – Man on the Silver Mountain [Rainbow cover] + Eruption tease (Live)
11 – Eruption early version + House of Pain (Live)
Eddie Van Halen – guitar
David Lee Roth – lead vocals
Alex Van Halen – drums, percussion
Michael Anthony – bass
VAN HALEN – Women and Children First Sessions [Sunset Sound Studios Dec 1979 – Feb 1980], MP3+FLAC
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