Van Halen
Diver Down

THE REVIEW

In 1982, stadiums and concert halls are overflowing with Van Halen concerts.

The group is at the peak of its success, the audience loudly demands a new studio album after the dazzling successes of the great albums Van Halen, Van Halen II, Women And Children First, and Fair Warning. The band returns to the studio to hastily record what was supposed to be a new masterpiece, Diver Down.
Mission failed: half of the album consists of poorly chosen covers, more suited to a soft music album than to a hard rock band like Van Halen. Oh Pretty Woman, Dancing in the Street, Big Bad Bill Is Sweet William Now, Happy Trails and Where Have All The Good Times Gone are indeed completely useless pieces.

But even what the band writes is not much better: Hang 'em high has horrible vocals, Cathedral is an intro where Eddie plays with guitar effects, while Secrets is the only piece from the album worth saving. Intruder is as awful as Sunday Afternoon in the Park from Fair Warning, just like Little Guitars Intro is identical to Spanish Fly from Van Halen II. Little Guitars is a decent song, while The Full Bug we've heard somewhere else before.

I do not recommend this album because it is a mere speculation on the success of live albums and especially the previous live tours. Diver Down is as bare as its horrible cover, an album put together without ideas. Was it really necessary to keep striking the iron at all costs while it was still hot?