"Diver Down" is possibly my favorite original era Van Halen record. It's not necessarily their best, but I have always enjoyed it. Sure, roughly half of the tracks are cover songs, but they are all done the right way in that the band has kept the integrity of the originals and yet they sound like Van Halen songs. The band are extraordinarily talented when it comes to covering Kinks songs, with the album opener "Where Have All the Good Times Gone" kicking things off in high gear. Their modernized "(Oh) Pretty Woman" is pure fun and "Dancing In The Streets" puts a great rock spin on a classic tune. Hey, I even like "Big Bad Bill" and the outro of "Happy Trails" is a funny, surprisingly good closing charmer.
But the originals hold up as well. "Little Guitars" is a bona-fide classic in its own right (even if I do still think it sounds like Dave Roth is singing about an etch-a-sketch). "Hang 'Em High" finds the band firing on all cylinders and the slightly bluesy groove of "Secrets" adds another jewel to the crown of this record.
Some VH fans rate this as a low point for the band, but for me this is the one from the Roth era I can listen to and enjoy at any time no matter what my mood. I'm not a fan of the musical interludes, and yes, it would be nice to have a few more originals on the record but I'm not complaining. "Diver Down" is just a fun listen and sounds so good on vinyl. On CD Van Halen sound a little thin but hearing them on vinyl again reminds me not only of how awesome they sounded back in the day but also how superior this medium really is.
4 1/2 out of 5 Daves.
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