Van Halen - Diver Down

Diver Down is the fifth studio album by American hard rock band Van Halen, originally released in April 1982 via Warner Bros. Records.

Diver Down is indeed much lighter than its predecessor. In many ways, it's a return to the early albums, heavy on covers and party anthems, but where they were rough and exuberant, this is undoubtedly the work of a finely honed band who has only grown tighter and heavier since their debut.

This is one of Van Halen's best records, one that's just pure joy to hear. Like the debut, it's a great showcase for all the group's strengths, from Eddie Van Halen's always thrilling guitar to the bedrock foundation of Alex Van Halen and Michael Anthony's throbbing pulse to, of course, David Lee Roth's strut.

Each member gets places to shine. In a way, the covers showcase their skills in a way none of the originals does, since they get to twist "(Oh), Pretty Woman", "Dancing In The Street", and "Where Have All The Good Times Gone" inside out, all the better to make them their own.

Van Halen are stretching out in different ways here, funneling the menace of Fair Warning into the ominous instrumental "Intruder", playing with the whiplash fury of a punk band on "Hang 'Em High", and honing their pop skills on the bright, new wavey rock of "Little Guitars" and the sweet "Secrets".

Combine that with the full-throttle attack on the covers, along with Dave's vaudevillian song and dance on "Big Bad Bill (Is Sweet William Now)", and the result is an album that's nothing but fun, the polar opposite of its predecessor.

This 2015 Vinyl LP has been Remastered from the Original Analog Tapes by Chris Bellman at Bernie Grundman Mastering.

This 2015 remastered LP is pressed in Europe on 180 gram heavyweight vinyl with reproduced original artwork.