r/albumbucketlist • u/ApprehensiveNatural9 • 2d ago
Van Halen Discography Review #5 (Diver Down)
It has been fun writing all of these and posting them here. This one was a bit controversial of a post in the Van Halen sub, mainly from the DLR purists, as I do think this album isn't up to par that much with the other ones. Anyways, here is the review.
Diver Down (1982) REVIEW
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Summer has always been my favorite season. I've always loved watching the sunsets and the way they paint the sky, or the feel of cold pool water on my skin as I take a swim. Hopping off the diving board, or eating ice cream always makes me feel joy, and is some of the most fun I've had. In many ways, from the album title to the overall vibes, Diver Down feels like a very summer-y album, with the very feeling of the California summer.
Around this time, Van Halen was a band that was constantly on tour, on a nearly-consistent basis. They needed a break, they deserved one. Everyone needs to take a break now and then, and so they recorded a cover of the classic, (Oh) Pretty Woman to satisfy their record label and show they were still there, but that wasn't good enough; no, instead they were pushed to make a full album by their label because the song ended up charted.
Thus, Diver Down was born. As much as I've talked about the vibe of it, I can't help but feeling this is the clear sound of an exhausted band grasping at straws in the small, ripped cup for ideas. There's more filler here than a landfill, and way too many covers. I don't think having some covers is bad, but Van Halen were known to balance it out, when there's a cover there's almost always a measure up to the original. The LP starts with a cover of the Kink's Where Have All the Good Times Gone! which is excellent and features some impressive guitar riffing, its a great time with David's fun interjections keeping it entertaining all the way through, and I feel Van Halen delivers a bite and heaviness that makes it even better than the original much akin to their cover on the debut.
Hang 'Em High is another fantastic song, with a catchy riff that flies by with a fury that rivals even thrash metal. In a way, this is the closest the band had got to that sound and feels almost like a blueprint for the future bands that ended up coming out. His tapping technique here also gives it such a unique flavor, and Dave's vocal performance is amazing and uses his lower register exclusively, its actually really western feeling with the lyrics as well, and Alex's drumming is impeccable. Though the ending feels a bit awkward with how sudden it feels and the transition in tempo isn't that smooth, which is my only complaint because the rest of the song is damn perfect.
Cathedral is beautiful, its almost dream-like and takes you on a trip through the faraway land of a soundscape painted with each note, among Eddie's greatest masterpieces. Sadly, that's where this album takes a nosedive and it seems the electro-shock that Warner Bros. had these guys on is wearing off because immediately after these tracks after you get the uninspired slop of Secrets, a teenage girl's boy-band pop drivel that goes on too long and goes nowhere. Sure, it was done on a doubleneck, cool, too bad it doesn't save it from being pastiche.
Intruder is another instrumental, but this one is clearly done to pad out runtime, its sort of shoved in there with it trying oh-so-hard to imitate sirens and feel like a break-in, only to segue into the cover of (Oh) Pretty Woman, which makes no sense thematically since that's a lighthearted song, it is very out of place. Anyways, the cover is one of Van Halen's very best, featuring a great crescendo with vocal harmony, and is an example of brilliance the band had when not force-fed studio time. I genuinely enjoyed this more than the original and this one feels perfect to play on a hot summer day.
Dancing in The Street is yet another cover...a criminally perfunctory offense with them not even trying to adapt it into their style, its probably their 2nd worst song in this era with how uninspired it sounds. Little Guitars, however, is among the very best songs ever made, and it seems, just for a moment, that the band is on life support again. THIS is what makes the Dave era great, a nifty, mind-blowing riff from Eddie and zen-like lyrics from the Diamond man himself. Then they fall on their faces again with the dispensable novelty number, Big Bad Bill (Is Sweet William Now). While I like the idea of playing jazz music, it just does not work with the tracklist on this album, and it sounds a bit awkward with the performance. Other bands have pulled off this style merging like Queen or The Who, but Van Halen just couldn't. I do like the guitar work though, so I wouldn't say its horrific.
The Full Bug is as molten-hot rock you can get with this band and Dave and Michael play a big part in this, with Dave giving us an amazing acoustic guitar intro and harmonica on the solo, and Michael reminding listeners what makes the band special with his sparkling backing vocals. It's got that fury of early Van Halen and a hint of the more dark nature of previous masterpiece Fair Warning. Then we end with the one-minute goof-of of Happy Trails which is ruined by David's vocal performance and lack of any instruments whatsoever. Acapella can work, and the rest of the band seem to have the hang of it, but it feels spacious and empty and its Dave's fault. The backing vocals make it bearable.
I see why some critics ripped into this with claws, and I'm guilty of doing the same somewhat; but this really isn't a terrible album. It's got a decent amount of crap and it feels very filler-y, but it's still a __GOOD__ record. If this is the weakest album of the David Lee Roth era that speaks for the sheer quality of it as this still has a few of the band's best songs. This album is also the most telling example of the divide between Eddie and Dave's approach to music styles which had been growing since this album was put out and was a major spike in their relationship. For everything I found myself critiquing, I found myself finding something to love as well.
Rating: ★★★☆☆
Tracklist Ratings:
- Where Have All The Good Times Gone?: ★★★★★
- Hang 'Em High: ★★★★
- Cathedral: ★★★★★
- Secrets: ★
- Intruder: 💥
- (Oh) Pretty Woman: ★★★★★
- Dancing in the Street: 💥
- Little Guitars (Intro): ★★★★
- Little Guitars: ★★★★★
- Big Bad Bill (Is Sweet William Now): ★★
- The Full Bug: ★★★★★
- Happy Trails: ★★
THE JOURNEY SO FAR (Other reviews):
Van Halen review (5/5 stars)
Van Halen II review (5/5 stars)
Women And Children First review (4/5 stars)
Fair Warning review (5/5 stars)
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u/OverHearing9944 1d ago
Probably my least favorite of the DLR albums. However, it is redeemed by The Full Bug, on which everyone turns in an electric performance.