The title of the review says it all. Diver Down is the great overlooked Van Halen album. In my opinion it's one of their best albums but for some reason it's just overlooked by everyone. It was a great followup to an even greater album, Fair Warning. Diver Down for the most part is half cover songs and half originals with some instrumentals thrown in. I'll review the cover songs first. The first cover on the album is of the Kinks' classic Where Have All the Good Times Gone?, the Mighty Van Halen's version blows the original away. The only hit from this album was the cover of Roy Orbison's (OH)Pretty Woman, they did a great version of this song also. They also cover the classic song Dancing in the Streets, a lot of people say this is their worst song but I thin they did an excellent job on the song, David Lee Roth sounds great. The last two covers on the album are strange ones indeed, the first one is called Big Bad Bill (Is Sweet William Now)it is a very slow ragtime sounding song, it features Jan Van Halen (Eddie and Aelx's father) on clarinet, then the song that closes the album is Happy Trails, the VH boys do a great song on this song also, the background vocals are great and Dave's voice fits the song. So that's the story on the cover songs, now the first original is called Hang em High. This song is typical early Van Halen and it's amazing. Great guitar riff and eccentric drumming by Alex. Cathedral is a short Eddie instrumental, then it goes into Secrets. It is a good song, very underrated. Little Guitars is without a doubt the best song on the album, and no doubt one of Van Halen's best. The song is very catchy and poppy. The last original on the album is The Full Bug, this is also one of the best Van Halen songs ever. There is a short acoustic intro before kicking into a great rocker. Everything about this album is great, any fan of great music should pick this up, don't listen to what everybody says, and don't overlook this masterpiece

I'm sorry, but the people who gave this album 5 stars and then said it was There are a few decent VH recordings, but this album could never touch VH 1 or any other VH album, including some of the Hagar albums. This album sounds like they all woke up with hangovers and recorded a few cover tunes and second rate originals. If your a hardcore VH fan you shoud have this, but if your looking for a great VH album, go with one of their first 4 albums.

I have to say that this album is a masterpiece. Perhaps more eclectic than other DLR era Vh albums, but just mentioning the singer, he really rocks on this one.
'Where have all the good times gone' is awesome classic rock, cover or no cover. 'Hang 'em high' is a great punk-ish sought of song and Cathedral is a fantastic instrumental intro for an underrated song called 'Secrets'. And 'intruders' is a haunting intro to 'Pretty Woman'.

'Dancing in the street' is really energetic and features some guitar pyrotechincs that reach an even greater level on 'Little guitars', one of the greatest songs ever! IMO. 'Big bad Bill is sweet William now' has a Louis Armstrong kind of sound and has humourous lyrics. Talent runs in the family? Jan Van Halen plays great clarinet work on that one. The 'Full Bug' rocks and 'Happy Trails' ends the album with a smile.
Recommended buying

Ah, Diver Down. Nestled between the controversy are 4 fantastic heavy-rock
songs from the band that took the torch from Zep. The only songs
I have a problem with on the album are the too-silly "Happy Trails" and the mediocre "Pretty Woman".
"Big Bad Bill" is a funny and swinging change of pace and "The Full Bug" is a
raunchy, underrated gem. And yes, the band themselves aren't crazy
about this album. And it is short. But, oh man, those 4 songs! Songs from a band that is mostly overshadowed
by their guitarist .....a band that has the funk born of great timing and musicianship and love for
what they do....
1) Where have all the Good Times Gone? - Eddie makes the indestructible Kinks riff his own.
You just want it to go on forever. Alex displays Bonzo-style taste and restraint.
Dave was never more charismatic. They made it look easy.
2) Hang Em' High - Mike, Alex & Eddie. Three musicians locked airtight
from constant touring. A mindboggling tour-de-force.
3) Secrets - Gentle....swinging. A nice display of songwriting chops. There are so many good things
going on in here that can only be appreciated through headphones. Great lyrics and another good
example of everybody having fun together.
4) Little Guitars - A Monster. A brilliant acoustic intro....then silence...then that great stomping electric
"second" intro. It's a classic right down the line from Dave's comical trouble-across-the-border lyric (that would sound
... without that self-deprecating edge he has that makes so many of the songs work) to the
tightness of Eddie, Mike & Alex, to Eddie's wierd fingerpicking riff to those brown,
majestic powerchords towards the end. I'd take this one to a desert island with me any day.

For starters, the 1982 release, Diver Down, is Eddie Van Halen's least favorite record. Ouch! The cover tunes, which constitute half of the album, are no where near the original magic of 'You Really Got Me'(VH doing 'Dancing in the Street'!!??) Unfortunately, there are just as few keepers of the original material, 'The Full Bug' being the best, and 'Little Guitars' and 'Hang 'Em High' are the only points of light. Roth figured, if you do a song that's already a hit, you're half way home. Forget about it, Dave. Pass this one by if you're only a fair-weather Van Halen fan.