previously unheard recording of Van Halen covering Rainbow’s Man On The Silver Mountain live has just been made public.

This is in tribute to Ronnie James Dio, who died from cancer on May 16.

The recording goes back to Van Halen’s club days in 1976.

While there have been bootlegs with versions of this song, the one that’s now been put into circulation is a completely different recording, straight off the mixing desk and of a superior sound quality.

Mind you, the performance isn’t exactly inspiring, as David Lee Roth struggles to cope with a song tailored to suit Dio’s vocals.

Check it out for yourself below: