DIVER DOWN Revisited

[DavidLeeNatra]

Originally posted by Rikk
I used to tape albums for friends all the time! Now I make mixed CDs. In fact, before Thursday I have to make my friend a mixed CD of Van Halen. It will have 100% Van Halen (including ME WISE MAGIC) except for HUMANS BEING, which he specially requested...and I must agree that that's a sweet song

couldn't do that... not for my closest friend...and a friend of mine would NEVER ask me to burn a hagar song for him :D

[rob100]

Originally posted by Rikk

I'm doing a 1984 RE-VISITED review in the next few days. I look forward to the feedback and hearing other people's opinions.

Great, look forward to it.

Thing I always liked about Diver Down was the kind of light drum sound. Somehow that's always been the ultimate Van Halen production-sound to me. Guitar sounds excellent on this album. The album feels like a real quickie, but I like that freshness. It's cool.

[MmboSlmrCasalad]

I love Diver Down! I was 10 years old when it was released and bought it on cassette in June '82 after I turned 11. Warner Bros. had taken to putting these annoying space-age strength stickers with their logo on all their releases at the time!

I remember laying on the beach in Wildwood, NJ that summer...singing along, imitating the yelps and screams and air guitaring along until a slightly older girl caught me! I was shy and slightly embarrassed, but I think she kinda' dug it...ha!

New York area rock radio at the time was all over the album: 102.1 WPIX, 102.7 WNEW, 103.5 WAPP, and 95.5 WPLJ (the first three no longer exist--the last one changed format long ago). "Pretty Woman," "Dancing in the Street," "Where Have All the Good Times Gone," "Little Guitars" were all in active to heavy rotation.

And ever since, it is always in heavy rotation for me betwen May and September and will always be my favorite Summertime album. The spirit and fun contained within are quintessential DLR.

[tjvhou812]

you guys done suckin each other dicks?

[DavidLeeNatra]

Originally posted by tjvhou812
you guys done suckin each other dicks?

you're looking for some dick to suck? go to the "ten13-revisited"-thread...or open an "0u812-revisited"-thread...

[Rikk]

Originally posted by DavidLeeNatra
you're looking for some dick to suck? go to the "ten13-revisited"-thread...or open an "0u812-revisited"-thread...

He's been looking for some dick to suck since his boyfriend (or alter-ego) cockvanhalen69 dumped him and left the site.

[ODShowtime]

I just wish they could have taken out a cover or too for more room for new songs. I actually really like Dancing in the Streets though, and in my opinion, it has one of Ed's best solos on record.

[Terry]

Diver Down is not without it's charm, and does contain several classic tracks:

Hang 'Em High
Secrets
Little Guitars
The Full Bug

These four songs alone make it worthwhile.

Dancing In The Streets never knocked me out, even back when it was first released. Same goes for Where Have All The Good Times Gone. Both songs came across much better live.

I dig Big Bad Bill. Same for Cathedral. Pretty Woman to a lesser degree. Happy Trails is what it is.

Would say that Diver Down is like 1984 to me, in that they are the only two 6-pack albums where I tend to skip tracks when I listen to them, and neither get as much spin time as the first four.

Really no such thing as a bad record as far as classic Van Halen is concerned in my book.

[smaz]

I bought Diver Down today, I'd heard it before but not probperly as it was background music at a friends, but I've got to say at a first flick through, I wasn't too impressed. But I haven't listened to the whole of each song yet as I havn't had the chance, but I'm sure after a few more plays I'll have changed my mind.

[fe_lung]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Rikk
[B]Great post!

And a great point...AEROSMITH released BIG TEN-INCH RECORD...and that's very comparable (attitude-wise) to BIG BAD BILL.

That's exactly what I was thinking of, actually. Ten Inch is a classic!

[distortion9]

Won't read this thread!

Worth the price of admission for "Secrets" alone.

QUINTESNTIAL VAN HALEN! Period.

If I had one album to turn someone on to VH, this would be the disc. It be havin it ALL!

I'm faced!

....I'm just sayin

[Seshmeister]

Great thread Rikk!

I have to say it's probably my least favorite of the 6 but that's like saying it's the 6th best BJ I've ever had.

Pojo WTF? You're not at work now? If it's that sad little Hagar troll that's spoiling the thread for you do something about it like sending him to the corner with a dunce's cap.

Anyhoo.

My strongest memories of this album are lying out in the sun at my parents yard like Dustin Hoffman in the Graduate getting pissed off about having to get up every 15 minutes to turn it over.

I think the whole Hagar-Roth thing started around this time when Fat Sammy said in an interview that he would have been too ashamed to release PW with vocals that sucked as bad as Dave's. Dave responded with the quote in my signature...

My problem with PW isn't the vocals but rather they could have added a bit more to it. Too straight for my liking.

I prefer the vocal melody on Hang Em High to the original although it was pretty good too. It's a great example too of the EVH BULLSHIT.

In EddieWORLD he tells us that Roth wrote the just lyrics to all the songs. Nothing more nothing less. He turned up and Eddie and his 'rock' Alex provided him with a complete song that he just added some lyrics to that Ed couldn't really follow.

Hang Em High is a beautiful example of the incredible bullshitting Ed does. By implication he wants us to believe that HE took 'Where were you last night' and because he is such a dedicated workaholic he completely rewrote all of the vocal melodies. He rewrote the verse, the prechorus and the chorus. He added a new middle section. Roth turned up and then rewrote the lyrics.

OK Ed. If that's true why are your guitar parts the exact same as they were on WWYLN? Were you too busy doing Roths melodies to revisit your solo or any of your guitar parts. I don't buy it for a minute. I hate the way he treats classic fans like they are even more stupid than him and his fucking brother. Oops a bit of negativity slipped in there...

Like many others here I've preached the greatness of the 12 string wonder of Secrets for many a year,

I agree with the Dancing in the Streets comments - oh god I've tried over the years but it doesn't do it for me.

To me it's essentially a lazy album. The band are lazy, the song writing is lazy but the gems all 18 minutes or whatever it is are brilliant so why not lie back with a beer and be lazy listening to it?

Cheers!

[Honeyhunter]

That's the memories I have about that record man, getting fucked up and playing it louder than hell!

[Balue]

It's bad....

VH albums were always short but before DD they were packed with quality. A half hour with this much filler?

Just programme the original numbers and it's still by far the weakest set of songs this line up recorded. Totally lost touch with why they were so great in the first place. Too many drugs?, too much booze?, under pressure to make a hit record?, I don't know. I've always been impressed that the band managed to turn it around and come back so strong with 1984. Eddie really works hard on that album, totally inspired, commercial without compromise. Gives a clue as to why Dave walked at that point - 1984 is the sound of Eddie taking back full musical control of the band.

Anyway, just admit it, one of the DLR VH albums isn't very good. Go on, it won't kill you :D .

[Parnelly]

I dont know about anybody else but I definately have to say that Dancing In The Streets has to be one of the best covers of all time. Dave kicks ass coast to coast and all around the world in that tune.

Diver Down does happen to be a little Ill though.

Dave Or The Grave.