Band’s fifth album brings metal flavor to rock, soul and western swing tunes
Writer’s Note: Legendary rock guitarist Edward Van Halen died from complications associated with throat cancer on Oct. 6.
In 1982, Van Halen released its fifth album, “Diver Down.” The 12-song LP was released in April of that year and spent 65 weeks on the Billboard charts. It features only seven original tunes (many of them departures from the band’s signature sound), but the album proved to be one of the Los Angeles-based hard-rock band’s most creative works.
A collection of mostly covers and experimental tracks was not the group’s idea, but rather the brainchild of record company executives who felt that the album would sell better with songs that already had charted for other artists in the past. The band, comprising vocalist David Lee Roth, guitar virtuoso Edward Van Halen, bassist Michael Antony and drummer Alex Van Halen, reluctantly obliged.
The direction did not sit well with the group – and especially with its namesake guitarist, who once noted, “I’d rather have a bomb with one of one of my own songs than a hit with someone else’s.”
But they persevered, laying down distinctive versions of Roy Orbison’s “(Oh) Pretty Woman;” The Kinks’ “Where Have All the Good Times Gone;” Dale Evans’ “Happy Trails,” which was a hit for her and husband Roy Rogers; Martha and the Vandellas’ “Dancing in the Streets;” and “Big Bad Bill (Is Sweet William Now),” an old jazz song popularized by singer Margaret Young.
Roth’s vocals are typically extraordinary throughout the collection, and Eddie Van Halen only solidifies his place as one of the best technical guitarists in the history of hard rock. The rhythm section is also tight and propulsive.
The seven originals, although unique, are solid but understandably not their best work. In fact, “Diver Down” is carried by the cover tunes, which Van Halen ultimately made their own. It is no surprise that the three hit singles it spawned were written by Orbison, Ray Davies and Marvin Gaye.
Largely gone are the days of execs wielding such power over artists – at least with regard to major creative decisions – but the band, legendary for a reason, made lemons into a mighty fine pitcher of lemonade with this LP.
