Van Halen Diver Down Song by Song Thread

Here is the Kinks' version:

Not bad, but not a favorite Kinks tune of mine, and Van Halen did it way better.

 

And here is Bowie's version, which I never heard until today:

This is pretty damn cool, and also better than the original.

 

Right ! It's an excellent cover, practically a reinterpretation of the song. I like it very much ! Eddie's guitar riff makes it a totally different song (IMO)

With respect to the album I liked it a lot when it was released (and now is still one of my fab!)
I saw Van Halen on that tour! My favorite song on the album is "Full Bug" and "Little Guitars" (Beautiful song and one of the most great Ed's guitar work ever recorded, just listen the intro, God !)
Even though many people hate "Dancing In The Streets" I think it's great ! ...That weird mix of guitar and mini-moog sounds is unique. The guitar solo in Hang 'Em High ? bloody great ! a blast !
It's a good album, very good and still sounds like a Van Halen album. Of course it's not Fair Warning but it's Van Halen.

 

The original Warner Brothers CD.

 

DD, though I love it, is the first Van Halen album to contain a song that I don't like.

 

@GodShifter @Rose River Bear
Would love to hear from you two

 

I love this song. I think this is probably the best cover they ever did. Dave sings it so great he really makes this his own. Love the solo, love the guitar and drums sounds...I just love this. My favorite thing besides the lead vocal is the little sound Eddie make at the end of the first line in each verse. I'm not sure exactly what to even call that. Sort of a harmonic I guess, but 'Ma and Pa look back on all the things they used to do... plink' ...that thing.

 

I Would love to hear a studio version of the Kinks All Of The Day and All Of The Night that would be awesome cause their take on Where Have All The Good Times Gone is excellent

 

I love DD great LP

 

Always liked this eclectic album from VH. Upon closer examination, it may show signs of burn-out from the band during a period of excessive work, but there a number of great tracks and highly enjoyable musical moments throughout. And I will say it, I like the band's cover of "Where Have All The Good Times Gone" better than The Kinks' master recording.

 

About time this album gets some much needed love Thank you

 

It's a great cover. I enjoy it more than The Kinks original-which I also love. The album itself is a bright, happy album that really contrasts well with Fair Warning, a much darker outing.

 

Largo '82:

 

It's pretty amazing how VH can completely turn someone else's song into something completely their own. "Where Have All the Good Times Gone" is one of the better examples. I didn't even know it was a cover for years. Eddie's rhythm guitar exhibits its usual excellence. I think the pre-chorus is the highlight of the song, both musically and vocally. I also really like how Eddie tricks out the rhythm guitar at the end as it fades out. A strong opening song but I wouldn't consider it a classic.

 

I thought the same as a young man, I think the album as a whole is a classic though.

 

WHATGTG

Strong start to an enormously disappointing album. This comes over as more of a cover of the Bowie/Ronno version than the original, although I'd have to say Ronno added more to it than EVH.

Couldn't believe it when DD came out. I'd been on board since II, and not only was this their 1st wrong step, it was a WTF on the scale of In Through The Out Door, or Young Americans. A thoroughly useless album IMO, apart from 3 songs. Maybe 4.

 

Always loved their version of "Where Have All the Good Times Gone" (very appropriate if you read about what their lives were like at that point). In retrospect, it lacks a little of the fire of their version of "You Really Got Me," and it's actually Dave who kind of saves it with his great vocal. This was a pretty minor tune for The Kinks, and I think Van Halen betters them here.

They maybe could have used a bit more edge and aggression on Edward's guitar part for this one.

When I first heard the whole album, I was firmly on the train of "originals are better." I still agree somewhat, and an album-length project that had so many covers maybe wasn't right. A Van Halen EP at this point would have been just fine. Thought their originals were excellent and are every bit as good as on any other VH project.

The only true loser here is "Dancing In the Street," which just doesn't work. Don't like the original either. Just not a very interesting song.

 

And my take is the exact opposite: a weak start to a really enjoyable album. I'm surprised to see I am firmly in the minority in not caring for this particular Kinks cover. To me it sounds kinda stiff and plodding for a Van Halen tune, although I have to say I have softened towards it over the years. I prefer the Kinks original (and I heard the VH version first).

 

I've always said that the opening bars of "Little Guitars" could make a life-long Eskimo think of summer.

 

Where Have All the Good Times Gone!

Dave had bought a K-Tel collection of Kinks hits while they were still a bar band, for "research purposes". I'm in agreement that VH bettered the Kinks' version. This used to get frequent play on WRIF here in Detroit many years ago. So when I was CD shopping, I instantly knew it and liked it, so it was an easy purchase. Phenomenal choice for opening track. VH definitely made this song their own.

 

I will be exhibiting a strong love for this album throughout the thread.

I really like how folks are pointing out all the little magic flourishes Ed puts on display in the song. Yup, I totally know what you're talking about.

 

Diver Down - some of you may already know that, in spite of my avatar, I pretty much stopped with Mean Streets for the Mighty Van Halen. Diver Down is a strange one for me in that I never acquired it. I've held it in my hand so many, many times, yet... never pulled the trigger. A lot was going on with me in 1982 - a girl friend who would eventually become my wife (and who was headed off to college in 1982), shifting music choices and songs we were performing at the time. (I did acquire the Dancing in the Street on 45 - I love that song.)

What is weird to me is that it's worth acquiring just for Cathedral - that is the single highlight for me and something I didn't even really realize was on the album at the time. (Remember, this was 1982, no real way to sample albums and none of my buds at the time had it.) In fact, it was a long time after before I realized it was on the album and had locked it in my mind since I heard EVH play it in concert during his solo on the Mean Streets tour - it was otherworldly for me then and I thought I'd never get to hear it again...

But there are detractors on the album, for sure (at least for me). It returns to a by then familiar formulaic approach of VH II, and WACF (IMO). FWIW, I eventually obtained it on mp3...
The album does seem to bridge sounds from the first 3 with Mean Streets to retain a VH 'sound' - whether this was due to age of the compositions, intentional or merely accidental, I do not know.
IMO, I feel the album per year schedule was pretty difficult for VH with such a manic touring schedule and Diver Down starts to show some cracks in the infrastructure.

WHATGTG: I like the song. I wasn't really aware it was a cover when it came out. I really like EVH's playing on it, the backup singing, Dave's vox. Thematically, it anticipates Pretty Woman and Dancing in the Streets in elements. It's a very relaxing, laid back song for VH. But listening to it now, I'd say it's just a so-so performance: a bit repetitive; Eddie's fills are not quite so amazing; a boring fade ending.

 

Agree especially on Secrets. DD is not a throw-away, by any means. It's very rich in ideas.

 

What I don’t understand is that people knock this album because it has a lot of covers but bands release albums with nothing but covers nowadays. I think the covers are great and the originals are excellent. I think it’s a win win for the VH fans once again a great album and we will be able to share insight and thoughts on this this very good thread.

 

This is were I started liking them less and less.They went too commercial. Sorry, was supposed to comment on the songs on hand!