Van Halen - Diver Down
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Free Music Notes for Diver Down
Free Music Review: UNDERRATED
Hit: 4 Stars
VERY underrated. A lot of VH fans (and Eddie Van Halen too) look down on this album for some reason. Maybe it is because of the amount of cover songs, or the fact that Diver Down is more commercial than their previous albums. Who knows, but what i do know is that this is still a good album.
We kick things off with an awesome cover of the Kinks Where Have all the Good Times Gone. Nice way to kick start a rock and roll album! We also get rockers like Hang em High and the cover of Dancing in the Street, which has nice keyboard work. Big Bad Will is entertaining (it has clarinet work by Jan Van Halen, father of Eddie and Alex) as is Happy Trails. Cathedral is a nice showcase of Eddie's guitar brilliance, as is the catchy Little Guitars (can't get enough of this song, I tell you). And I love the cover of Roy Orbison's (R.I.P.) Pretty Woman, they really make the song their own. I believe it was a Top 20 hit.
So give this album a chance! It really is an underrated gem, and it set the stage for their breakthrough classic 1984.
Free Music Review: Diver down, Van Halen Up!
Hit: 5 Stars
I have to say that this album is a masterpiece. Perhaps more eclectic than other DLR era Vh albums, but just mentioning the singer, he really rocks on this one.
'Where have all the good times gone' is awesome classic rock, cover or no cover. 'Hang 'em high' is a great punk-ish sought of song and Cathedral is a fantastic instrumental intro for an underrated song called 'Secrets'. And 'intruders' is a haunting intro to 'Pretty Woman'.
'Dancing in the street' is really energetic and features some guitar pyrotechincs that reach an even greater level on 'Little guitars', one of the greatest songs ever! IMO. 'Big bad Bill is sweet William now' has a Louis Armstrong kind of sound and has humourous lyrics. Talent runs in the family? Jan Van Halen plays great clarinet work on that one. The 'Full Bug' rocks and 'Happy Trails' ends the album with a smile.
Recommended buying
Free Music Review: Really Good!!!!
Hit: 4 Stars
"Diver Down"(1983). Van Halen's fifth album.
By the early 80's,even though Van Halen had remained really succesful,there were problems in the group:David Lee Roth had become really egotisitical,and as a result,problems in the band had cooked up and became a war between Roth against his fellow bandmates Eddie Van Halen,Alex Van Halen,and Michael Anthony. Van Halen had seen and done it all-they had been discovered by Gene Simmons while they were performing at a New York City club and gotten their recording contract as a result of it,and after their fourth album("Fair Warning")had been released and had turned out to be hard,dark,and heavy,the guys in Van Halen were becoming quite tired-which may have been the reason that their fifth album,"Diver Down" had a half of original songs,two instrumentals,and half cover songs. How did the album measure up? Read on for my review of this:
When Van Halen fans go look through their collection of VH cds,this tends to be their least liked CD from the Roth era. Why is that? Because of the large amount of cover songs there are on here.But what's the big deal? There may be only four Van Halen originals here that are not instrumentals(Hang 'Em High,Secrets,Little Guitars,and The Full Bag)but it's still a great album. Their cover of Roy Orbison's "(Oh)Pretty Women" and their cover of the Motown classic "Dancing In The Street" were the two songs that got the most attention off of this record,and they are both really good-Van Halen made those songs their own,and they both became classics in the library of classic Van Halen songs,even though they were cover songs. As for their cover of The Kinks' "Where Have All The Good Times Gone"(the opening track for this album),that song,in my opinion,was the best cover song Van Halen EVER did.It is also an excellent way to open an album.
Now,let me move on to the original songs on this album. Out of the original songs,"Hang 'Em High" is,as mentioned at the top,an ode to Clint Eastwood,and Van Halen did a great tribute to Eastwood. It reminds me of the tribute Gene Simmons did to the late silent horror actor Lon Chaney(RIP)on his self-titled 1978 solo record. And "Secrets"-I'd give that song 19 stars if I could.Really,it is that good.It is actually a blues song,and "Women and Children First" found Van Halen attempting blues,but this has 100 percent blues.Artists like Aerosmith,Motley Crue,Slaughter,Warrant,etc.have all proven to have a bone for blues music-and Van Halen sure does(or did)have a bone for blues music. That song could have been and should have been a hit.
Overall,a really good CD. Like I already said,this is probably the least liked Van Halen CD with David Lee Roth on lead vocals(the least liked Van Halen CD out of all of their CDS is the dreaded album with Gary Cherone on lead vocals)but it has proven to be quite underrated.The Van Halen/David Lee Roth era was one of the greatest eras rock 'n roll would ever see-and while this CD is not the best VH CD out there,it still is really good. And just in case You were wondering,look at Amazon's track listing for this on top-tracks 1,6,7,10 and 12 are cover tunes,tracks 5 and 8 are instrumentals,and tracks 2,3,4,9,and 11 are original Van Halen songs with music and lyrics.
Free Music Review: Another Van Halen classic
Hit: 5 Stars
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.
Free Music Review: 4 STARS, Lacking Original Material
Hit: 3 Stars
This is a great album dont get me wrong, but the point of releasing an album is to show off your material, not someone elses. For that reason I give this album only 4 stars, even though I like it just as much as any other Roth era Van Halen album and even more so than the hagar albums. Just too let you know the band only included so many covers because they needed too finish the album before a release date and they didnt have enough time too make up more of there own. But even still the covers are enjoyable and the original material is great as usual. Heres what I think of the songs.
1.Where Have All The Good Times Gone (4/5)- Good Opener, Originally by The Kinks
2.Hang Em High (4/5)- Great Riff
3.Cathedral (4/5)- Great Instrumental, very original and impressive guitar work
4.Secrets (4/5)- Should Have been a hit, very nice melody, daves best singing performance
5.Intruders (4/5)- Very dark intro song too Pretty Woman
6.Pretty Woman (4/5)- This is one song I could never see Van Halen Covering, but they do a good job
7.Dancing In The Street (3.5/5)- Gets really old, its so cliche to cover this song I dont no why Van Halen decided too
8.Little Guitars (intro) (4/5)- Great Acoustic instrumental intro to Little Guitars, remeniscent of Spanish Fly from Van Halen II
9.Little Guitars (5/5)- Best song on the album, great guitar
10. Big Bad Bill (Is Sweet William Now) (1.5/5)- stupid and pointless cover song, I think they put it on as a joke, Eddies Dad Jan Van Halen appears in it playing the clarinet
11.The Full Bug (4/5)- Sweet riff, a great song
12.Happy Trails (1/5)- Another pointless cover they put in as a joke
Definitely listen to this one before buying, not that its bad but some people may not like it as much as I do.