Summertime in Holland cover
(click on cover image
for larger version)

Summertime in Holland
(bootleg CD)

Osa/Bong (VTM 936109-1/2)

CD1:

  1. Sack O'Woe (see note)
  2. Satisfied (4:51)
  3. Whenever God Shines His Light (3:26)
  4. Summertime in England / Can You Feel the Silence (7:29)
  5. Fire in the Belly (6:46)
  6. This Weight (4:43)
  7. Ain't That Lovin' You Baby (6:09)
  8. Wonderful Remark (3:40)
    Total time: (37:04)

CD2:
  1. Vanlose Stairway / Trans-Euro / It's Not the Twilight Zone (6:03) (see note)
  2. The Burning Ground (6:01)
  3. Tupelo Honey / Crazy Love (5:42 & 3:01)
  4. Sometimes We Cry (5:14)
  5. See Me Through / Soldier of Fortune / When Heart is Open / Thank U Faletten Me Be Mice Elf Agin (15:38)
  6. Waiting Game (5:00)
  7. The Healing Game (5:09)
  8. Bright Side of the Road (3:34)
  9. Have I Told You Lately? (6:41)
    Total time: (62:01)

Recorded in Utrecht, Vrendenburg, Holland on Sept 18, 1996

Notes from Denis Healy: What appears on the discs is slightly different from the tracks listed on the liner!

  1. "Sack O' Woe" does not appear despite being listed - this was the Georgie Fame intro before Van takes the stage
  2. "Satisfied" fades in about one minute into the song.
  3. "Vanlose Stairway / Trans-Euro / It's Not the Twilight Zone" appears on disc 1.
  4. "Tupelo Honey" and "Crazy Love" are separate tracks on disc 2.
This is actually the full show and, in effect, we lose about one minute of the Van part of the show.

This is an average audience recording and is slightly disappointing given that there are some excellent masters of this show doing the rounds. It is a pity that the compilers did not put a little more effort into getting the best master that was available. Had they done so, this could have been a boot to rival the likes of Pagan Streams for the title of the classic Van boot.

That said it is a worthy boot and it is an excellent show. It is also the first CD boot to feature tracks from The Healing Game album - six in all. Van is really good on the vocals here and there are some excellent solos from band members. Overall opinion - good sound and a great show. Well worth the admission fee.

As an afterthought, it is worth mentioning the sleeve - the front has a really good colour close-up of Van with a "moody" B+W close-up of him on the rear. The inner has a nice picture "Van through the ages", which was lifted straight out of an article in "Q" magazine some time ago. Nice graphic efforts overall though.

Part of the van-the-man.info unofficial website