Customer Reviews

Diver Down

5 star:		(41)
4 star:		(36)
3 star:		(28)
2 star:		(18)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

Eddie Van Halen once referred to DIVER DOWN as his "least favorite album." Pointing to the profusion of cover songs and the fact that the mini-Moog riff that opens "Dancing In The Streets" was meant for an original VH tune he was writing, EVH noted, "I'd rather bomb with my own stuff than score with somebody else's." In that vein, I once read a review of this LP that said, "This is the product of an exhausted, bored band at a creative lowpoint."

True, true. Yet DIVER DOWN is not a terrible or even a bad album. It is merely mediocre by the standards of the Old (1979 - 1985) Van Halen. And considering that band gave us ridiculously brilliant albums like VAN HALEN I and 1984, that's a sliding scale.

First of all, the three main cover tunes ("Dancing", "Where Have All The Good Times Gone?" and "Pretty Woman") are well done, although "Pretty Woman" is technically way off, the result of the band playing it in the studio from memory rather than actually doing their homework (just like high school, Dave!). In fact, I like all of these songs better than their originals - VH truly made them their own. In keeping with old VH traditions, there are also two gag-reel songs, "Big Bad Bill" and "Happy Trails", which are as ridiculous as you'd expect them to be.

On the softer, more AOR-radio friendly side, we've got "Secrets" and "Little Guitars", two underrated and understated tunes you will never - ever - hear on contemporary radio. And the good old VH trademark of an instrumental song ("Cathedral") marks the first real foray by Ed into keyboards and is really a beautiful and evocative track. His next outing was the key-solo on "Jump", and we all know how that one ended up.

DIVER DOWN has a vaguely spaghetti-Western type of theme (I guess Dave was watching a lot of Sergio Leone in 1982?), most particularly on the oddly compelling song "Hang `em High", which is arguably the best track on the record. In addition, "The Full Bug" features an exuberant harmonica solo. This song rocks full-bore and will get you a speeding ticket if you listen to it while driving.

All in all, DIVER DOWN is decent three-star album from a great band playing with one hand occupied by beer, or possibly a groupie's bra. It has most of the things you'd associate with DLR-era Van Halen, the main difference being the lighthearted, almost disposable nature of the songs, which lack the hard, gritty resonance of earlier albums or of side 2 of "1984." It' a quirky, very distinctive, upbeat type of Big Rock with just enough edge to prevent it from straying into sugar-pop-rock territory.

Did Van Halen follow-up their 1981 masterpiece "Fair Warning" with another classic in the same vein? No. Although "Fair Warning" remains Van Halen's masterpiece and is a fan favorite, upon its release, it was a commercial disappointment, stalling at platinum status (it has sold over two million copies to date).

Van Halen made a far more radio-friendly, commercial album with 1982s "Diver Down." Of the twelve tracks, three are instrumentals, and five are cover songs. That leaves only four Van Halen originals. The reason? As producer Ted Templeman stated, once you record a song that's a hit, you're already halfway there. A lot of fans have complained with the format of this CD. And while it would have been nice to have a full-length album of VH originals as a follow-up to "Fair Warning," "Diver Down" is still a classic Van Halen recording. The original recordings, "Hang `em High," "Secrets," "Little Guitars" and "The Full Bug," are four of Van Halen's all-time best songs. All of the covers on this disc are better than the originals, and the instrumentals are cool and help with the flow of the album. Eddie's playing, which goes with out saying, is spectacular. Dave shines of course, and Alex Van Halen (drums) and Michael Anthony (bass) provide a stellar rhythm section.

"Diver Down opens with the Kinks "Where Have All the Good Times Gone," a mid-tempo, upbeat rocker. "Hang `Em High," an ode to Clint Eastwood, is fast and furious. It features one of Eddie's all-time best solos. "Cathedral" is a haunting, offbeat guitar instrumental, which adds a bit of spice to the album. The highly underrated "Secrets" is, without doubt, one of Van Halen's greatest songs. It simply shows the Van Halen/Roth chemistry at its absolute best. This low-key, tuneful song is wonderfully written. David Lee Roth's finest lyrics can be found right here:

"She ain't waiting 'til she gets older
Her feet are makin' tracks in the winter snows
She got a rainbow that touches her shoulder
She be headed where the thunder rolls"

The pace picks up for the fast-paced instrumental jam "Intruder," which leads perfectly into the Roy Orbison classic "Pretty Woman," one of Van Halen's most popular songs. Van Halen made a dance-pop smash with the mowtown classic "Dancing in the Streets." The melodic instrumental "Little Guitars (intro)" leads perfectly into the gorgeous "Little Guitars," one of Van Halen's greatest love songs. Much like "Secrets," with "Little Guitars," Van Halen manages to create a love song that is both sincere and has power. Unlike the schlock that Van Halen would be releasing a few years later with Sammy Hagar. "Big Bad Bill (is Sweet William Now)" is pure Dave kitsch and adds a great sense of humor to the CD. "The Full Bug" is a great, underrated, fast-paced, classic VH rocker. "Happy Trails" is a light-hearted vocal instrumental and is a great way to close the CD. While some fans might complain at its inclusion, along with "Big Bad Bill (is Sweet William Now), and call it filler, I actually am quite fond of them both. "Diver Down" wouldn't be the same without them.

Some fans might consider "Diver Down" to be one of the bands weaker albums, especially when compared to their first four albums. I would have to disagree with this assessment. Van Halen didn't set out to make a kick-ass hard rock album with "Diver Down." They set out to make a more commercial, light-hearted album, and they succeeded brilliantly. It may not rock as hard as "Van Halen" or "Fair Warning," but "Diver Down" is a gem in it's own right. If you are a fan of classic rock, the first six Van Halen albums are essential to own for any great collection. "Diver Down" is no exception.

The title of the review says it all. Diver Down is the great overlooked Van Halen album. In my opinion it's one of their best albums but for some reason it's just overlooked by everyone. It was a great followup to an even greater album, Fair Warning. Diver Down for the most part is half cover songs and half originals with some instrumentals thrown in. I'll review the cover songs first. The first cover on the album is of the Kinks' classic Where Have All the Good Times Gone?, the Mighty Van Halen's version blows the original away. The only hit from this album was the cover of Roy Orbison's (OH)Pretty Woman, they did a great version of this song also. They also cover the classic song Dancing in the Streets, a lot of people say this is their worst song but I thin they did an excellent job on the song, David Lee Roth sounds great. The last two covers on the album are strange ones indeed, the first one is called Big Bad Bill (Is Sweet William Now)it is a very slow ragtime sounding song, it features Jan Van Halen (Eddie and Aelx's father) on clarinet, then the song that closes the album is Happy Trails, the VH boys do a great song on this song also, the background vocals are great and Dave's voice fits the song. So that's the story on the cover songs, now the first original is called Hang em High. This song is typical early Van Halen and it's amazing. Great guitar riff and eccentric drumming by Alex. Cathedral is a short Eddie instrumental, then it goes into Secrets. It is a good song, very underrated. Little Guitars is without a doubt the best song on the album, and no doubt one of Van Halen's best. The song is very catchy and poppy. The last original on the album is The Full Bug, this is also one of the best Van Halen songs ever. There is a short acoustic intro before kicking into a great rocker. Everything about this album is great, any fan of great music should pick this up, don't listen to what everybody says, and don't overlook this masterpiece

I remember hearing VH's Diver Down back in 82 when it first came out. For some reason, I associate it with Summer, because I guess my friend was playing it that summer. You either love it, or hate it, and their are alot of people who have a love/hate thing for Diver Down. Me personally, I love it. Sure, it is almost half cover songs, but they are good cover songs. Where Have All The Good Times Gone, Dancing in the Streets, and the best one Pretty Woman. Yes, these are cover songs, but VH took them, ran with them, and made them their own for the album. They Van Halenized them so to speak. Ed's playing is awesome on Diver Down. Its got a real good feel to it, a little more mellow, less raw or aggessive then the previous albums before it. It aint no Fair Warning I tell you, but what is? I think it was a breath of fresh air when it came out. You can hate it talk bad about it, say its not this or that, thats your opinion, and you are entitled to it, but, its not the best VH album and its not the worse, it is what it is, a feel good, party, good time, light album by a once great classic hard rock band. Where have all the good times gone, can you tell me?

I remember when this album (not CD - vinyl album!) first came out. I was living in a 3rd floor walk-up in Boston, so broke that it took four of us to pay the rent with our part-time jobs - going to school full-time - and hanging out - lying on the floor mostly - listening to music. When Diver Down came out, we spent grocery money to get it! Who could resist Eddie's infectious smile, as his fingers raced over the frets? Who could ignore Diamond Dave's stratospheric leaps? So, we forked over the bucks - and we were in heaven! "Dancing in the Street" - "Pretty Woman" - "Where have all the Good Times Gone?" - to this day - some of my favorite songs of all time. And when they ended with a chorus of "Happy Trails" - we died... there, on the spot, and we fell over with glee, it was SO funny! An album of pure fun and masterful guitar - what more could you ever want?

1. Where Have All The Good Times Gone!
2. Hang 'em High
3. Cathedral
4. Secrets
5. Intruder
6. (Oh) Pretty Woman
7. Dancing In The Street
8. Little Guitars (Intro)
9. Little Guitars
10. Big Bad Bill (Is Sweet William Now)
11. The Full Bug
12. Happy Trails

I dare say that Diver Down is Van Halen at its best. Now, I know that is a bold statement considering there are more cover songs than originals on this album. But maybe that's part of the reason why it's so great. When doing cover songs, Van Halen always successfully transformed them into their own. "Where Have All the Good Times Gone" is a great rocker that sounds as if the band wrote it themselves. "Pretty Woman" and "Dancing in the Streets" are just as good as the originals, and "Big Bad Bill is Sweet William Now" is Diamond Dave at his best. And speaking of Dave, I do believe Diver Down contains the very best singing of his career. Aside from Dave, Eddie's guitar playing is outstanding. The more I listen to it, the more I can hear his "Sammy-Style" beginning to evolve.

Buy this album. You'll love it...well...probably more if you're a Dave fan. Yeah, you might be scared to spend fifteen to twenty bucks on a thirty minute album, but fear not. It's one of the best Van Halen albums out there. Ever since I bought it, I've listened to it faithfully - usually about three times a week on average. It's one of those albums you'll never get tired of listening to.

People seem to either love this album or hate it. Cover songs, yes. As strong as the first couple of records? Maybe not. Still, a really solid record from one of the best rock bands ever. I always like cover songs that add something new to the original song. This is an album full of songs like that, in a variety of genres from R&B to jazz. A great band that played well together recording great songs. I wish there were more albums like this one.

Ah, Diver Down. Nestled between the controversy are 4 fantastic heavy-rock
songs from the band that took the torch from Zep. The only songs
I have a problem with on the album are the too-silly "Happy Trails" and the mediocre "Pretty Woman".
"Big Bad Bill" is a funny and swinging change of pace and "The Full Bug" is a
raunchy, underrated gem. And yes, the band themselves aren't crazy
about this album. And it is short. But, oh man, those 4 songs! Songs from a band that is mostly overshadowed
by their guitarist .....a band that has the funk born of great timing and musicianship and love for
what they do....
1) Where have all the Good Times Gone? - Eddie makes the indestructible Kinks riff his own.
You just want it to go on forever. Alex displays Bonzo-style taste and restraint.
Dave was never more charismatic. They made it look easy.
2) Hang Em' High - Mike, Alex & Eddie. Three musicians locked airtight
from constant touring. A mindboggling tour-de-force.
3) Secrets - Gentle....swinging. A nice display of songwriting chops. There are so many good things
going on in here that can only be appreciated through headphones. Great lyrics and another good
example of everybody having fun together.
4) Little Guitars - A Monster. A brilliant acoustic intro....then silence...then that great stomping electric
"second" intro. It's a classic right down the line from Dave's comical trouble-across-the-border lyric (that would sound
... without that self-deprecating edge he has that makes so many of the songs work) to the
tightness of Eddie, Mike & Alex, to Eddie's wierd fingerpicking riff to those brown,
majestic powerchords towards the end. I'd take this one to a desert island with me any day.

I'm of two minds about this album. On the one hand it contains two great original VH tunes (The Full Bug, Little Guitars). On the other it has a bunch of cover tunes. Mind you, they're very good covers of good songs but when I buy an album I want mostly original material unless the whole album is covers. Musically, VH is as good as ever here. However, the soul of album is missing. Banging out a bunch of covers tells me the band wasn't too into making this album and just rushed one out to have something to support. That might be good business sense but it makes for a forgettable album.

On the plus side, VH entered the world of non-concert music videos on this album. They did a neat video for "(Oh) Pretty Woman."

For starters, the 1982 release, Diver Down, is Eddie Van Halen's least favorite record. Ouch! The cover tunes, which constitute half of the album, are no where near the original magic of 'You Really Got Me'(VH doing 'Dancing in the Street'!!??) Unfortunately, there are just as few keepers of the original material, 'The Full Bug' being the best, and 'Little Guitars' and 'Hang 'Em High' are the only points of light. Roth figured, if you do a song that's already a hit, you're half way home. Forget about it, Dave. Pass this one by if you're only a fair-weather Van Halen fan.