A Guitar And Gear Support Forum

toomanycats wrote: ↑Wed Mar 02, 2022 7:15 am That song is magic. The wavey (phased?) guitar tone on the bridge and those dreamy VH harmonies. And no guitar solo! Well, not really, just a short slide interlude. Diver Down is often disparaged, but I hold it in no less esteem than the other five contiguous Roth era VH records. There is a combination of a fun, spontaneous, light hearted feeling on that album while still being underpinned by absolutely ferocious guitar playing and a first class rock rhythm section. It's the sound of the mature Van Halen as personalities, performers, musicians, captured at full steam in the studio.

toomanycats wrote: ↑Wed Mar 02, 2022 7:15 am That song is magic. The wavey (phased?) guitar tone on the bridge and those dreamy VH harmonies. And no guitar solo! Well, not really, just a short slide interlude. Diver Down is often disparaged, but I hold it in no less esteem than the other five contiguous Roth era VH records. There is a combination of a fun, spontaneous, light hearted feeling on that album while still being underpinned by absolutely ferocious guitar playing and a first class rock rhythm section. It's the sound of the mature Van Halen as personalities, performers, musicians, captured at full steam in the studio.

Rollin Hand wrote: ↑Fri Mar 04, 2022 11:51 am The way I described Diver Down to a friend in high school:

"It's Van Halen on a bad day, but on a bad day they're still better than everyone else."

I do think the sound of this album is in the "lesser than" category, but the material is solid, save for Dancing in the Street.

And it holds a special place in my heart due to the presence of one Jan Van Halen on clarinet!