The Weakest Link: Van Halen, Diver Down-ROUND TWO

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by Zoot Marimba, Mar 25, 2020.

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  1. Zoot Marimba

    Zoot Marimba And I’m The Critic Of The Group Thread Starter

    Location:
    Savannah, Georgia
    Well, Happy Trails to Big Bad Bill.

    DQ: Where do you rank this in Van Halen’s discography.

    R1: “Big Bad Bill (Is Sweet William Now)”
    R1: “Happy Trails”
     
  2. GodShifter

    GodShifter Forum Member

    Location:
    Dallas, TX, USA
    Pretty Woman to go.

    I’d rank Diver Down towards the bottom of the Roth stuff, but it’s better than anything with Hagar or Cherone.

    I mean, someone voted off “Little Guitars” :confused:. That’s messed up.
     
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  3. Oatsdad

    Oatsdad Oat, Biscuits, Abbie & Mitzi: Best Dogs Ever

    Location:
    Alexandria VA
    "Dancing" and "Cathedral".

    Discussion: for the DLR albums, it's DFL - easily the worst thing that version of the band ever did!
     
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  4. Duke Fame

    Duke Fame Sold out the Enormodome

    Location:
    Tampa, FL
    Dancing and Cathedral.

    DQ: DLR era I'll put it ahead of II and Women and Children but behind the rest.
     
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  5. vamborules

    vamborules Forum Resident

    Location:
    CT
    Cathedral and Intruder/Pretty Woman

    Tough to say. Behind the first four for sure but I don't know whether I'd put it before or after 1984. I guess I'd say it a bit more listenable than 1984 but not necessarily better. If that makes any sense which it probably doesn't. Better than ADKOT which I love but it doesn't have any songs as good as Little Guitars.
     
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  6. Jerry c.

    Jerry c. Forum Resident

    cathedral and dancing. i agree with the previous post. i was gunna say last in the roth era, but i listen to this way more than 1984... so maybe not.
     
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  7. GodShifter

    GodShifter Forum Member

    Location:
    Dallas, TX, USA
    I know “Dancing” is kind of hated, but I like it. The way Eddie uses the mini moog through a pitch shifter and an echo box is genius.

    Incidentally, Eddie kind of hated this album and didn’t want to do it. Because it’s all over the place and a bit jokey/hokey is primarily because Roth and Templeman were the impetus behind a lot of it.
     
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  8. LandHorses

    LandHorses I contain multitudes

    Location:
    New Joisey
    I only Van Halen's first 5 albums.

    My ranking is..........

    Fair Warning
    Van Halen

    Van Halen II
    Women & Children First

    ......(big drop off)..........
    Diver Down

    This record got me off Van Halen......then I didn't like the hit songs from 1984, so I didn't even bother buying it or anything else.
     
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  9. M2225

    M2225 Nebulus 7 intergalaxy eclipse

    Location:
    Helsinki, Finland
    I'll vote "Dancing" in next round. Cathedral bye-bye. One mess of an album.
     
  10. PacificOceanBlue

    PacificOceanBlue Senior Member

    Location:
    The Southwest
    Cathedral
    Dancing In The Streets

    DQ: Probably last place for the first Roth era albums. Even so, I think it is quality album, even though it is somewhat uneven and lacks direction. I would probably rate it higher than A Different Kind of Truth.
     
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  11. Dancing In The Streets and The Full Bug to go.

    DQ: I guess I'd rank this the lowest of the original six Roth era albums.
     
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  12. Exile On My Street

    Exile On My Street Senior Member

    Location:
    Long Island, NY
    I went with Little Guitars cuz it sucks! Senorita...wtf?

    Ha! I kid, I kid!!!!!

    I put Cathedral and Dancing on the chopping block. I like every song on the album and I think the Motown cover is pretty good.

    I would rank this album at the bottom of the Roth albums, including ADKOT, which is better.
     
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  13. PDK

    PDK Forum Resident

    Location:
    Central Florida
    Cathedral and Secrets.

    Next will be "Where have...?"

    The rest are all vital to me. Even "Dancing In The Streets"

    Who in the hell voted "Full Bug"? That crazy!
     
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  14. Instant Dharma

    Instant Dharma Dude/man

    Location:
    CoCoCo, Ca
    Man am I sick of Oh, Pretty Woman...so that and The Full Bug though its decent.

    I rank it at the bottom, though I probably listen to it more than the debut or WACF.
     
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  15. Full Bug (cool, but their worst high-tempo boogie tune)

    and

    Dancing In the Streets (again, not a good song before they covered - nor after)

    ----

    Among the original 6, I used to consider this 5th (ahead of Women & Children). I think I like it a little better than A Different Kind of Truth even though it's not as adventurous. Ranking almost doesn't matter because there are no bad Van Halen albums with Roth. Heck, there aren't hardly even any bad songs.

    Best tunes are Little Guitars, Secrets and Hang 'Em High (what a solo!).
     
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  16. Oatsdad

    Oatsdad Oat, Biscuits, Abbie & Mitzi: Best Dogs Ever

    Location:
    Alexandria VA
    You don't think the MatV original is a good song? :wtf:
     
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  17. egebamyasi

    egebamyasi Forum Resident

    Location:
    Worcester, MA
    I think Van Halen's version of Dancing In The Streets is a blast. A lot more fun than Grateful Dead or Jagger/Bowie.
     
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  18. No. Not even a little, and I normally love soul music from that era.
     
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  19. LandHorses

    LandHorses I contain multitudes

    Location:
    New Joisey
    I'll take 5/2/70 Harpur College and any other 1966-1970 (and 1984-1987) GD version of "Dancing In The Streets"over Van Halen's or anyone else's covers of it.
     
  20. GodShifter

    GodShifter Forum Member

    Location:
    Dallas, TX, USA
    The Jagger/Bowie version was god awful. The video was so bad it should be considered as a counter to COVID 19. One will kill the other. I like the video’s chances.
     
  21. O Don Piano

    O Don Piano Senior Member

    Which is interesting because I didn't really like VH prior to this release! At first, I thought they were yet another "Macho Bro" hard rock band. Of course, I respected Eddie as I am a guitarist as well.
    This album made me realize a lot of it was "schtick", and DLR was hilarious as well as a great entertainer. That softened them up for me a bit, and I became a big fan, and got the rest of their albums pretty quickly. Then I saw them at the LA forum in September 1982- just great!!!

    Yeah- it maybe the weakest DLR fronted VH album, but it IS a lot of fun!
     
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  22. O Don Piano

    O Don Piano Senior Member

    Yeah, The Dead gave you time to stretch out and actually dance (in the streets) to the song!
     
  23. Fullbug

    Fullbug Forum Resident

    Location:
    Seattle
    For me, Diver Down ranks very high, second after Fair Warning.
     
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  24. GodShifter

    GodShifter Forum Member

    Location:
    Dallas, TX, USA
    David Lee Roth is like the combination of Sammy Davis Jr. meets, I dunno, Jimmy Buffett? Not serious, wants to have fun, and doesn’t care what people think about him. He’s a very intelligent guy, but definitely marches to beat of a different drummer and there’s nothing wrong with that!
     
  25. Frick me! They do the best version of "Dancing In The Streets"!!! You all are mad!
     
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