Diver
Down (1982)
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
 
The fifth Van Halen album in five years
has the boys going in a radically different, almost 180 degree turn from last year's Fair Warning. Whereas that album had the
guys trying to go in a grittier, more serious direction, this release
has them in non stop silliness. It's not fair to actually call this a
party album, since for the most part this record is cleaned up
and is much more 'PG' rated than just about anything the guys ever did.
They're simply having clean fun, and whereas the diehards may scoff at
its aloofness, it works quite well overall.
About half the stuff here is covers of other's material, and about half
of that is so out of character for the band, you can't help but
notice the frivolity of the whole experience. Songs such as Dancing
in the Street and (Oh) Pretty Woman are instantly
recognizable by everyone, but the band manages to stamp their personal
brand on the tunes, so they manage to add just enough of their
personality without sounding overly sleazy. You can't help but laugh on
some of the other tracks such as Big Bad Bill (which would be
very characteristic of Roth's soon-to-be solo career), or the accapela
closer Happy Trails, which could only have been thought of after
the consummation of several alcoholic beverages. Strangely, all of this
works very well. Van Halen was always at its best (with whatever
lineup) when they chose to not take themselves too seriously. Since the
craftsmenship of this record is so immaculate, it's forgivable when
they don't quite rock as hard as some might wish.
The group penned numbers on the album are overall very strong as well -
even if they're sadly overlooked. Particularly good is Little
Guitars, which actually had the makings of a pretty good single and
Hang 'Em High, which is heavy enough for maybe those who don't
like the album overall to perhaps find a bit of encouragement.
Sometimes, their indulgences can wear a bit thin, though. Eddie Van
Halen seems to always have to put some sort of brief, instrumental
excursion on many of the early records, and his Cathedral isn't
particularly memorable. Something about an instrumental guitar song
trying to replicate the sound of a church organ just doesn't quite do
it. Intruder is pretty impressive, though. It's one of the few
'dark' pieces here, and it oddly makes a great segue way into (Oh)
Pretty Woman.
Of course, they went on a mammoth tour (I think it was called the 'Hide
Your Sheep' tour), and they once again delivered the goods. Like Fair Warning, this one's predecessor, you
didn't have to really care that much about the album to enjoy the band.
And the guys just kept right on delivering.
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