Maps of Music

Diver Down (1982)

Where the lyrics of Diver Down take you, and where it was really made.

Made in twelve days to keep the band in the public eye, Diver Down sold four million copies in the US, yet several critics dismissed it.

Key places

Single recorded at Sunset Sound (1982)

Recording site Sunset Sound — The band recorded the single "(Oh) Pretty Woman" at Sunset Sound in Los Angeles before the album was made. The source ties this studio to the single rather than to the full album. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album recording at Amigo Studios (1982)

Recording site Schnee Studio — The album was recorded over twelve days at Amigo Studios in North Hollywood, which the source says is now known as Warner Brothers Recording Studios. The map point marks the city centre, not the building. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Back cover photo at the Tangerine Bowl (1981)

Album cover Parc Studios — Richard Aaron photographed Van Halen on stage at the Tangerine Bowl in Orlando, Florida, on October 24, 1981, as the band ended its opening set for The Rolling Stones. The back cover uses this photo. The map point marks the city centre. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Diver Down: fifth studio album by American rock band Van Halen
• Released April 19, 1982 by Warner Bros. Records
• Heavy on cover versions, genre experiments and guitar interludes
• Sold four million copies in the US by 1998
• Spent 65 weeks on the US album chart
• Sold faster than predecessor Fair Warning (1981)

Background

• The label asked for an album to keep the band in the public eye
• Eddie Van Halen said the band planned a break and song writing after the Fair Warning tour
• The plan changed: the band started the year with a single, a cover of "(Oh) Pretty Woman"
• The single climbed the charts, and Warner Bros. pressed for a full album
• The band went back into the studio straight after the tour, without rest
• Three original songs predate the album: "Hang 'Em High" traces back to 1976, "Cathedral" was played in 1981

Recording

• Recorded with producer Ted Templeman over twelve days
• Five of the twelve songs are covers
• Material ranges from jazz and country blues to doo-wop, a cappella and neo-classical music
• Covering "Big Bad Bill" was Roth's idea, and Jan Van Halen plays clarinet on the track
• Recording place in the source: Amigo Studios

Cover

• The cover shows the "diver down" flag used in many US jurisdictions
• Roth said the flag implied something not apparent to the eye
• The back cover photo was taken on October 24, 1981 at the Tangerine Bowl in Orlando, Florida

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · fr.wikipedia.org · pt.wikipedia.org

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Formation

• Van Halen was an American rock band formed in Pasadena, California, in 1972.
• The brothers Alex (b. 1953) and Eddie Van Halen (b. 1955) were born in Amsterdam, moved to Pasadena in 1962, and began playing together in the 1960s.
• The band went through the names Broken Combs, Trojan Rubber Co, Genesis, and Mammoth before becoming Van Halen in 1973.
• David Lee Roth joined as lead vocalist in 1972 and Michael Anthony joined on bass in 1974.

Members

• Eddie Van Halen (guitar, keyboards, backing vocals), Alex Van Halen (drums), David Lee Roth (lead vocals, 1974–1985), Michael Anthony (bass, 1974–2006).
• Sammy Hagar replaced Roth in 1985 and Gary Cherone replaced Hagar in 1996.
• Wolfgang Van Halen, Eddie's son, replaced Anthony on bass in 2006.

Career

• The self-titled debut album (1978) reached No. 19 on the Billboard 200 and was later certified Diamond by the RIAA.
• The album 1984 (1984) produced 'Jump', the band's only number-one single on the Billboard Hot 100.
• With Hagar, the band released four U.S. number-one albums, including 5150 (1986) and OU812 (1988).
• Eddie Van Halen died of cancer on October 6, 2020; Wolfgang later confirmed the band had ended.
• The band has sold more than 80 million records worldwide.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• Los Angeles Times: Don Waller called it the best heavy-metal record in several years
• Lincoln Journal Star: Bart Becker named Van Halen the best heavy metal band, partly for its tongue-in-cheek style
• New Musical Express: Cynthia Rose praised Ted Templeman's production for balancing the experiments
• New Musical Express: Cynthia Rose wrote that about a quarter of the album is filler
• The Times: Steve Smith said the album continues the band's habit of recycling old songs
• Rolling Stone: Parke Puterbaugh said the covers and instrumentals made it seem thin and short of ideas
• The Rocket: John Keister said the album sounds fun to make but contains filler

Reappraisal

• AllMusic: Stephen Thomas Erlewine called it one of Van Halen's best records
• The Rolling Stone Album Guide (2004): described it as a return to form
• The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (1997): Colin Larkin named it the weakest Van Halen album
• Eddie Van Halen later criticized the album for being rushed to meet Warner Bros.' demands

Records

• US: spent 65 weeks on the Billboard album chart
• US: sold four million copies by 1998
• Sold faster than its predecessor Fair Warning
• Guitar World: ranked third in its 2022 list of the 25 greatest rock guitar albums of 1982

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• The "(Oh) Pretty Woman" video was among the first banned by MTV, but VH1 Classic (now MTV Classic) kept airing it.
• Roth wrote "Intruder" to fill the length of the "(Oh) Pretty Woman" video, which ran about three minutes too long.
• Eddie Van Halen played the "Cathedral" solo-style guitar line that the band thought sounded like a Catholic church organ.
• Country musician Kenny Chesney later socialized with Eddie Van Halen and Sammy Hagar and called Diver Down the first album he ever bought.
• Diver Down is in the licensed Guitar Hero: Van Halen game, where six of its songs can be played.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · es.wikipedia.org

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