Wednesday, September 30, 2015

Van Halen: Diver Down (Warner Brothers/1982)



After the game-changing monster that was their self-titled debut album, Van Halen took a few years to successfully become a household name with 1984. In between they released their most-consistent and most-loved albums. 1982's Diver Down is far and away Van Halen's most diverse album offering. It contains five cover versions, three instrumentals and four proper, original Van Halen songs. On paper it kind of sounds like a half-arsed affair, however the results are excellent. The band sounds phenomenal and David Lee Roth is well-accounted for. Michael Anthony and Eddie Van Halen's backing vocals are wonderful and all over the place on Diver Down.

The album came to be when, at David Lee Roth's suggestion they cover “Oh Pretty Woman” and release it as a stand-alone single. They did, and it became a surprise hit. Subsequently, Warner Brothers pressured them to record a full-album to capitalize on this and quickly. The album reached #3 on Billboard's Hot 200 and had six songs to chart in the Mainstream Rock charts as well.



Little Guitars”, “The Full Bug”, “Hang 'Em High” and the understated single “Secrets” are the best songs on the album. “Big Bad Bill (Is Sweet William Now)” is a nice showcase for Roth but it's the Van Halen brother's father Jan Van Halen who steals the show on clarinet. The David Lee Roth-directed music video for “(Oh) Pretty Woman” managed to be one of the very first banned videos on MTV. And “Dancing In The Street” became an unlikely staple of classic rock radio for many years.


I personally like the album very much and I'd recommend to anyone who hasn't yet heard this overlooked album in Van Halen's album cannon.  

Here's the video review:


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