Van Halen - Diver Down - Album Review!
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- čas přidán 29. 08. 2024
- Rolling Stone gave Diver Down two stars. Here, I ask the question, 'What do they know?!' Join me for a deep 'dive' into an album that is sure to get the party started!
Please feel free to add a comment or start a conversation, especially if you love this album as much as I do!
If you would like to listen to my instrumental composed in tribute to the late great Eddie Van Halen, please click here: • EV - The Institute of ...
As always, thanks for watching!
As many comments have pointed out, Secrets is a great song...and definitely not 'bland'! I totally agree! Thanks to everyone who has joined in with their insight and enthusiasm.
That metallic sound during INTRUDER, I read Eddie used a Shlitz Malt liquor can over the pickups.
@@Scottocaster6668 Wow! That kinda makes sense! Thanks for contributing…🙏
Full bug is great too.
I'm really happy to see there are people who love this album as much as I do. I love Eddie 's guitar tone on this one. There is nothing bad to say about it.
yes exactly!
Who knew they were so many of us? Thanks for joining in! 🙏
This album is very strong. Take it for what it is. The originals are classic. Hang em High is sick.
Totally agree about Hang 'Em High! So right, the album is what it is. Thanks for joining in!
Absolutely agree!
Hang em high is great..... and that's about It.
@@MrOctober44 Secrets?
@@TheInstituteofPopFull bug is a killer.
Diver Down was the first album I ever bought. Used to listen to it every day after school, a few times, driving my parents nuts.
I love it to this day. It changed my life.
What a memory! The power of music... Awesome! 🙏
The absolute hidden gem on this album is Secrets. Such a beautiful feel good summer road trip tune, totally under appreciated and overlooked. The song is actually very sophisticated.
@@user-wp4cs6eg8q I was too hard on Secrets. Love the feel… and that solo by Eddie…fantastic! Thanks for joining in! 🙏
Eddie said that Secrets was his favorite song on the album during a Jas Oberecht interview.
@@ciretose2 I never knew that! I love it such a sweet tune, Alex brings that swing, Dave’s lyrics and soulful delivery, Michael Anthony does some really nice bass work, and Ed’s song writing skills really shines with that bridge and all the transitions, a hidden gem for sure!
Diver Down is such a summer sounding album! Not their best but still underated
Perfect for summer! Cheers! 🙏
I love this album , the Full Bug and Hang em high has some of the best rhythm playing ever.
@@2216sammy Totally agree! Thanks for contributing! 🙏
EVH was an outstanding rhythm player, as well as an all around musician. R.I.P.
Well said, totally agree
Diver Down is awesome, on my regular play rotation!
Cool! Thanks for joining in...🙏
I love that record and Little Guitars is worth the price of admission all by itself.
It's so good. Thanks for sharing! 🙏
“Little Guitars”🎸 is a masterpiece. “Secrets” is a great one too.🎵
Cool! Thanks for contributing! 🙏
Hand Em High and Little Guitars are my favorite VH songs. Eddies tone is his career best on this album and the drums sound amazing and high up in the mix I also feel like on Where Have All the Good Times Gone ,Dave's voice sounds the best it ever did....all just my personal opinion,of course :)
Great video, nice to see this album getting some love.
Thanks for such a wonderful reply! Like you, I love Diamond Dave's vocals on this album, he's rocking! What a great album, cheers! 🙏
Great review... this Album also has what I feel is some of Eds perfect tone... but that doesnt take it away from anything else by any stretch... After the Darker tone on Fair Warning this was that nice twinkle between the former and 1984... it was nice to see your enthusiasm for this one :)
Thanks so much for the kind words! 🙏 It's absolutely part of my musical soundtrack. Love Eddie's tone too! ❤️
I still feel like nobody has truly appreciated the greatness of A Different Kind of Truth. Eddie is using effects on that album I never heard him use and his playing seems to have a new gear. Dave sounds like Dave and his writing is as clever as ever.
Haven’t heard that one. I’ll put it on the list! Thanks for joining in! 🙏
too right !!!
My favorite VH album along with Fair Warning!
Glad you love it! Thanks for sharing! 🙏
THis album reminds of my my mom drving me to school. I only had a few tapes in the car and this was one. I think I was in 8th grade. Also had it in my car and played it over and over for a long time. That would have been around 1987. Also had a friend who could play cathedral really close. He made it sound like it but he used his delay more than the volume knob. great album.
What a great memory! Like you, it really is one of those albums that takes me back to a time and place. Thanks for the comment! 🙏
Greetings from Detroit rock city.
Nice to see VH getting some love from across the pond. 🤘
Hello, Detroit! Thanks for joining in. Plenty of love for this album from Australia! Time to reacquaint myself with the rest of their records...
To quote Henry Rollins when talking about VH, “..even their bad songs are good…”
@@user-wp4cs6eg8q Gotta listen to Rollins! Cheers! 🙏
Diver Down is a fantastic album its fun with imaginative guitar tones, ranks number two behind VH II.
Played "Happy Trails" as my then wife and I left our reception, you should have our guests faces when they finally recognized the tune.
What a fantastic memory! Thanks for sharing! 🙏
It’s a masterpiece
Agreed! Thrilled I'm not alone... Thanks! 🙏
I love this album it's so unique
It's definitely a fave for me. Thanks for engaging! 🙏
Diver Down is the first album where DLR finds his voice as a solo artist and it goes further to Crazy From The Heat. I'm glad both parties finally understood to quit it and many more great albums were made where people understood each other: 5150, Eat 'Em And Smile, OU812, Skyscraper, A 'Lil Ain't Enough, F.U.C.K. and Balance. Honorary mention to Best of Volume 1 for DLR songs and Humans Being.
Thanks for sharing. Look out for my review of Skyscraper, coming soon! Cheers!
2 words: Fair Warning
@@aladinsarsipeus Seems to be a huge favourite! Looking forward to having another listen. Thanks for the tip!🙏
Cathedral is underrated. The two- hand tapping always gets mentioned as for its innovation. But for me, the volume swells/tapping mastery is so damn impressive.
I agree, the volume swells are just so lush. Thanks for joining in! 🙏
I love Diver Down!
So much fun, very cool! Cheers! 🙏
This has always been my favorite. It’s just so good. They always made their covers 10 times better than the originals.
Killer album! Thanks for joining in! 🙏
One of my faves
It's a classic album! Thanks for joining in! 🙏
VH is my favorite band. I only listen to the first 6 albums. Nothing against Hagar but for me VH ended with the departure of Roth the first time. Ive listened to all VH albums more then once and have a couple of albums released after his departure. I just have no interest listening to anything other than the first 6 albums at this point in my life. Diver Down is a weird album. I dont love any of the first 6 albums over another. I dont think there is a best or favorite. They are all different and part of the evolution of VH's sound. The early albums sound live, Fair Warning and 1984 not so much but the production is peak. They are all great albums. People hate on Diver Down. Doesnt change how I feel about it. Couldnt imagine not having a copy to listen to whenever I feel the urge.
Thanks for your insight and thoughts! DD = Diamond Dave’s influence? Wonderful album, thanks for joining in! 🙏
You a fan of ‘A Different Kind Of Truth’?
Best reunion album ever made imo!
Spot on
@@bryanjordan4262 I liked it. I listened to it when it was released and havent listened since. I suppose I am emotionally attached to the first albums and simply go to them whenever I want to listen to VH. I was thinking just the other day that I should sit down for the afternoon and listen to all VH albums made after 1984. Its been years (some decades) since listening to some.
@@Slappedkat
Don’t bother with Van Hagar - go straight to ADKOT! 😉🤘
I love the album. Lots of variety. I especially love the intro to "Little Guitars" and "Little Guitars" itself. I love Ed's technique on both songs. I have never liked the cover art or title, however. Too negative. "Cathedral" was jaw-dropping back then. Their cover of the Kinks' song is awesome too.
Thanks for sharing your insight! 🙏
Love this album! Its definitely a Roth album. It flows amazingly even though its sooooo diverse . Secrets is a 10/10. Hang em high perfecrion. Top 5 VH 4 me . I understand how people think its an a let down. But this was my 1st VH album i got . AMAZING! Album ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
So glad I am not alone in loving this album immensely! Totally agree with you about Hang 'Em High being sheer perfection. Thanks for joining in! 🙏
This is a great album. With the exception of dancing in the street. The only song out of the first 6 albums that I skip. It’s 4th on my favorite album list by VH. Full bug,big bad bill,hang ‘em hi,cathedral&secrets. Great songs. Big bad bill is awesome. Featuring Jan. What a brilliant idea for Ed to have his dad show us the influence he had on the brothers. This song proves that they were so good they could pull anything off. Thanks for your comments on this classic album.
Thanks for such a generous reply. Love your insights and agree with you wholeheartedly! Keep rocking! 🙏
People talk about some of the "cheezy" songs from the SH era...to me, "Dancing In The Streets" was cringeworthy when it came out...still stands as one of, if not the, cheeziest VH songs recorded..well...except maybe "How Many Say I" from VH III....
I love it ....Fun album
So much fun! Thanks for joining in! 🙏
Edward Van Halen once spoke in an interview about his frustration over the media’s criticism of the number of cover songs on this album. He said that he worked really hard on rearranging those songs, so it was disappointing for him that the album was dismissed by critics so arbitrarily.
I’ve always considered the album underrated, not least because it contains my personal favourite Van Halen song, Little Guitars. That pick slide he does towards the end gets me every time.
Thanks for the insight and opinion! 🙏
This might be my favorite VH record. I love it.
Cool, it’s definitely mine! Thanks for sharing! 🙏
Great album, I've gotten 2 speeding tickets with the Full Bug playing on my stereo
That’s easy to understand! Thanks for sharing! 🙏
Always thought Full Bug was underrated and I loved the whole album.
I love Diver Down. All of the covers are well done and enjoyable and the originals are great.
Same here! Thanks for sharing! 🙏
saw this tour in Phoenix. General admission at the Colosseum. What good times. I was front row against the barricade in front of Eddie. My god it was insanely loud and Eddie was going nuts. During his guitar solo he would run at his speaker cabinets and just slam into them while shredding With a big ol smile on his face of course. Wish i could go back in time. The album gets slagged a lot but it brings nothing but good memories for me.
What an awesome memory... jealous! Thanks for sharing! 🙏
Wanna know a “secret” ??? Listen to the intro to where have all the good times gone ( the fade in ) it’s actually the fade out of the song secrets but backwards 😳😳😳
How cool! I never knew that. Thanks for sharing! 🙏
You’re welcome and keep on rockin’ 🤟🏽🤟🏽🤟🏽🫡😎
Secrets and Little Guitars are in my top 10 VH songs of all all time..
Awesome! Thanks for sharing! 🙏
It’s absolutely killer no filler
Total agreement from me! Thanks for joining in!
It's oddly enough my favorite VH album. Hang em high and little guitars are my top 2
Yes, I am not alone! Thanks for sharing! 🙏
If you add up the originals, you only get four. Then 3 instrumentals & 5 covers. Your mileage may vary, but I think their best album for true Van Halen rock, all originals, and variety is Fair Warning. The only criticism I have about that album is that it's too short. I think Diver Down could have been more of what Fair Warning was. The covers and the instrumentals were fun, but I was a little disappointed with DD in comparison to the rest of the catalog. A friend's sister purchased it new & I borrowed it and recorded it, but it never really grew on me, but that's just my opinion. I noticed that you were a little critical of a couple of the songs on here too.
Thanks so much for sharing your memories and insights. It ain't perfect, but I do love it. Cheers! 🙏
I would tell everyone that Diver Down was my favourite album and people would say that I didn't understand what "real music" was. It's light-hearted but a lot of the guitar playing is some of Eddie's best work.
Stay strong! It's killer from start to finish. Thanks for sharing! 🙏
Fair Warning is and will always be my favorite.
Glad you love it! Thanks for joining in! 🙏
Fair Warning may have the most start to finish brain warping guitar work in their catalog. It's for sure their darkest. Diver Down may have been a bit of a goof for the band, but when that era of VH just messed around and took a few chances some pretty interesting things happened. Sometimes the artist is last guy you should trust to accurately assess his work. Eddie bad mouthed Diver Down a lot but didn't ever tell the truth about the stale generic albums the band made after Roth left.
@@bakeone4406 Definitely some interesting (and exciting) things happening on DD! Agree that sometimes an artist can get too close to their work to fully see it for what it is. Thanks for the tip on Fair Warning, it’s been a while since I last played it… 🙏
The best guitar tone is on diver down😢
Absolutely love that sound! Thanks for sharing! 🙏
Every one of their albums are. Genius and unique
Nope Balance is dire as is VH3 songs crap and guitar playing drivel
The covers are Bad Ass! I love it when Van Halen do covers. I love Diver Down. Never understood all the hate. "Where have all the good times gone?" Is my 2nd fave Vh song behind 5150...Big Bad Bill is just fun. I can go on and on
Totally! Thanks for joining in! 🙏
I've been an Van Halen fan since 1980..saw them live on the 1984 tour and they been part of my life..with all this time passing I have to say that Diver Down is my favorite Van Halen album..it has a positive feel about it..and also the ultimate Van Halen song..the song I would play to sum up the wibe from this band perfectly...Little Guitars!..come on!! That's the best Van Halen song ever!💯..Thank you 🙏
Thanks for the comment and all the passion! Glad I’m not on my own with a total love for this great record! 🙏
Easily my favourite VH album. I think it's the most consistently good album they ever produced.
It's so much fun...and it pumps hard! Thanks for sharing! 🙏
Little Guitars slaps.
Yeah, I was a little tough on it. Duly noted, it's a great song! Thanks for engaging! 🙏
@@TheInstituteofPop All good. I just wanted to stick up for my favorite song on that record.
Little Guitars is hauntingly beautiful.
Agreed! Thanks for joining in! 🙏
Whatever the movation, still turned out to be a classic work of art!
Agreed! Thanks for joining in! 🙏
Great record, I remember when it came out. However..........I did notice something different with Edward's sound. Just something seemed to be fading out. 1984 kinda kept it going.... His roar of the first 4 albums began to change with this album.
Thanks for your insight. I really appreciate the contribution!
Little Guitars is hands down my favorite Van Halen tune. It just hits me hard.
So cool. Thanks for sharing! 🙏
Especially if you have ever been romantically involved with a Mexican girl 😊
Van Halen the most ultimate rock band of all time RIP EVH
Cheers, thanks for contributing, 🙏
Secrets is one of their best songs of all time. The solo is so tight. Brilliant pop-rock song. Overall kind of reminds me of Badge by Cream.
Yeah, I can kinda hear that Badge feel, especially in the 'Aww, she got rhythm' section. Cheers! 👍
Great album!
Cheers, I’m glad I’m not alone! Thanks for joining in! 🙏
Everybody needs to get Van Halenized. Greatest band ever.
@@jamestaylor7106 Huge album! Thanks for joining in! 🙏
Love this album! "Intruder" alone is a great =VH= track with EVH's cool guitar tricks!
Awesome! Agreed, ‘Intruder’ is something special. Thanks for contributing! 🙏
@@TheInstituteofPop Welcome!
This album is a great one.
Cheers!
Little Guitars bland?! You high fella?! Little Guitars is the greatest song EVER ya big goof!!!!
Maybe a poor choice of words! Thanks for watching, from The Big Goof!
I've always thought DD was the most quintessential VH album, because they started off as a fantastic cover band, covering everything from Black Sabbath to the Ohio Players. DD has that flavour, and its FUN. I absolutely love their version of Dancing in the Street, and Little Guitars and Intruder are fantastic. I only wish DD was longer, and had more cover tunes, just because they are so interesting and enjoyable. Of the Roth-era albums (six, I don't count A Different Kind of Truth because IMO it is basically terrible apart from a couple of tracks), I would rank them from best to worst: 1984, DD, Fair Warning, VH 1, VH 2, and last Women and Children First. I wish they would release VH "Zero", the demo album.
Wow! I'm so glad other people love this record, I thought it was just me. Thanks for your insights and opinion! 🙏
This is where Eddy and Dave clashed.
Eddy spent a lot of time on Fair Warning wanting a heavy album and he succeeded but Fair Warning outsold it!
Cheers, and thanks for joining in! 🙏
I really liked the album
Awesome! Thanks for being part of the DD fan club! 🙏
The ones they wrote on this album are fantastic. The ones they covered are well done.
Cheers, thanks for joining in! 🙏
Big bad bill is the best
Little Guitars👍
@@basher5107 Great song. Thanks for contributing! 🙏
I AM a dedicated Van Halen fan, and like yourself, it's my absolute favourite Roth era album! We are most definitely in the minority in that opinion. But seriously, "Little Guitars" is the best Van Halen song ever!! And all of the originals, from "The Full Bug", "Hang 'Em High", and "Secrets" are fantastic and Van Halen at it's best. But even the covers are great. I mean, let's face it, Van Halen covers are ALWAYS better than the originals!! It's the most played Van Halen album in my collection.
We may be in the minority, but it's an awesome album! Listening to it again has made me want to go back to the others. Thanks for sharing! 🙏
I love the album!
You and me both! Thanks for joining in!
Absolutely love this album! Hang em High !
It's a classic! Thanks for contributing! 🙏
DD gets a lot of flak, but it’s a great record.
So much fun ! Thanks for joining in! 🙏
I wasn't wild about the covers. It always seemed like a vehicle for Dave to grandstand (what, you say - Dave grandstand??) rather than VH music. But I love the originals. Hang 'Em High, Secrets, LIttle Guitars - killer songs.
It must drive Dave absolutely crazy that Van Halen had far more success with Sammy Hagar than they ever had with Dave
@@donald-parker Some covers work (when they make them their own) better than others, but the gold is in those originals. Thanks for the comment! 🙏
Amen brother. Big bad will is sweet William now baby.
Cheers! One of my fave ever songs… Thanks for joining in! 🙏
Bill. Not will. Stupid spell check. My bad. I should proof read. lol.
After ‘Girl Gone Bad’ from 1984…..’Hang em High’ from Diver Down is my second favourite VH song.⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Killer song! Thanks for joining in! 🙏
Secrets. Best song on album 👍
Cool! Thanks for joining in! 🙏
That's an extremely underrated VH song, in my opinion. Beautiful guitar playing and great lyrics!
Thanks for reviewing this! I've finished listening to the whole review and have some feedback!
I like your reviewing style - we can hear your enthusiasm and joy and I like the detail you go into when describing the various tunes!
My only disagree is "Little Guitars"... to my ears this is one of the most uplifting songs I've ever heard, before or since, one of the band's very best, but you find it bland? I wish I could show you how great that is, but music is subjective, so to each his own.
One other thing to point out - no mention of Roth's keyboard on "Intruder"? To the best of my knowledge that's his "riff" the band is following. It's just a couple notes repeated, but what they did with it is killer!
You're spot on for the rest and great delivery. Keep up the good work!
PS this is the only VH record you still own? Go back and rediscover the others! The first 4 are fantastic! Cheers
Hi! Thanks for your wonderful and uplifting comments, they have really made my day!
I agree, my choice of words when saying that Little Guitars is bland was poor, I really do like the song a lot. It's not bland at all, just a different mood and tone which is essential for a great album.
Thanks also for letting me know about Roth playing keyboards on Intruder, I had no idea... So cool!
Definitely going back to have a listen to the first four albums.
Again, thanks so much for your insight and contribution! 🙏
From 1 threw 10 being the best I'd give it 6/7 .. 🙌
Still, some great songs on there. Thanks for joining in! 🙏
Little Guitars is a great song.
Totally agree! Thanks for joining in 🙏
Fair Warning by far then go earlier
Cheers! Lots of re-listening to do. Thanks for engaging! 🙏
I love this album. " secrets" is classic alone. I'm not a country guy, but the way they do it, worked. I had heard " big bad bill" by Preservation Hall, cause ive always been a record collector, but i think VH version is better. Little Guitars w/ intro is perfect. My music taste is all over the place, and so is this album. " could this be magic" is good, but i prefer " in a simple rhyme" from that older album
Thanks for the insight, I never knew that about Preservation Hall. Cheers! 🙏
There is nothing “country” about Secrets.
I love the album! It has a very wistful, whimsical vibe to it. There’s something “light” about it compared to Fair Warning, which was relatively dark.
I like how you picked out Dave’s lyrics. Dude was a FANTASTIC writer and always had a poeticism that not a lot of people pay attention to. I’ve always said that he wrote lyrics and called up themes upon which the typical rock musician of the era wasn’t really ever able to tap into, like an 80s rock Bob Dylan.
Thank you for such a generous comment. Diamond Dave certainly had a great way with words to get the party rocking! Cheers! 🙏
Diver Down was THE worst Halen/Roth album, but better than any Halen/Hager albums... which isn't saying much.
Cheers! I can't imagine anyone replacing Diamond Dave. Thanks for joining in! 🙏
I love it. Something special about that album
Agreed… it’s a lot of swagger and fun! Cheers! 🙏
This album is a great one.
I stopped listening after the big mouth departed.
Never got into the Hagar years.
And that’s unfortunate as Sammy is a much better singer.
Glad you love it too! Thanks for joining in! 🙏
One of my first Van Halen albums that I owned, and still one of my favorites. One of very few albums of ANY band that I can listen to from start to finish without skipping a track.
Thanks for sharing! I agree with you totally! 🙏
@@TheInstituteofPop aaaaand now it’s on in my house! 😂
@@keithabbott360 Sounds good. I'm about to hop in the car, perfect driving album!
I like the songs that aren't covers - Hang Em' High, Secrets, Little Guitars, and The Full Bug.
Cheers! Thanks for joining in! 🙏
can't go wrong with Dave Halen, my favorite is VH II though my favorite VH album changes week to week as it has over the last 46+ years
love Montrose and loads of Sammy's solo albums but could never jibe with Sam Halen. again , its not right nor wrong just my personal taste.
Cheers, thanks for sharing. Keep it rocking! 🙏
The beginning of the end. Then came 1984 and it was over.
I can't remember ever listening to 1984. I must go back and listen to those first four albums again. Thanks for contributing!
Oh bro, great video, but Little Guitars is one of their best songs. Listen to the guitar playing in the background. It's a perfect song, like Secrets.
Thanks for such a generous comment. Agree totally! 🙏
I like most of their stuff until the 1984 album.
I don't think I've ever listened to 1984 in full before... Thanks for engaging! 🙏
The Full Bug, kicks butt from the guitar picking opening to the rocking end!
Harmonies are great in that song too! 👍🏼
Yes, I realised after editing that I forgot to talk about their harmonies! The Full Bug is a sensational ‘closer’ (love Happy Trails as well). Thanks for joining in! 🙏
I didn't give it much credit until I heard the original cuts on it.
Such a great album! Thanks for joining in! 🙏
👑 Edward VH diamond 💎 Dave 🔥🎸🎸🎸
Right on! Thanks! 🙏
It may favorite Van Halen. It really like their of, Pretty Woman and Little guitars
Cool, I totally agree! Thanks for joining in!
i AM a VH junkie & absolutely love this album, the original songs are killer and the covers don’t sound anything like the originals. it’s not my favorite album of theirs (it’s currently a 4-way tie between the first four) but i listen to this album as much as any of theirs 🤘🏼
Cheers, thanks for joining in. Love those originals! 🙏
This was Ed’s least favorite album. Had a bunch of covers on it. He was pissed. Said he would rather fail with his own music than succeed doing covers. I have always been a huge VH fan, but I remember buying Diver Down and giving it a few listens and then I proceeded to take the album in my car and throw it like a frisbee out the window. Some poor bastard probably picked it up, listened to it and was as disappointed as I was.
I think we’ve all done that with some album! Thanks for sharing the memory! 🙏
It's not without its flaws, but it's still got enough bright spots on it to be a solid listen front to back.
Definitely some magic moments. Thanks for engaging! 🙏
DD is the BEST!!!!
Great to hear there are other people who love the record as much as I do. Awesome album. Thanks for joining in!
ALL of Van Halen's songs and albums are
OUTSTANDING!! & SUPERIOR!!
"LONG LIVE VAN HALEN"
⭐ 🎶🎤 🎸 🌟
What a great comment! Love the design and shape! Thanks so much for sharing! 🙏
My favorite album is Fair Warning.
That's a favorite of a lot of people, including myself too!
I must have another listen to it. Thanks for sharing! 🙏
It's the only album that has a darker tone to it... no party-time music, just sonic art. You just don't see it coming.