How Eddie Van Halen & David Lee Roth FOUGHT Over This 80s Classic Rock Album | Professor of Rock
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 29 ต.ค. 2021
- The story of Van Halen’s 5th studio record: Diver Down inducing the story of Eddie and Alex Van Halen, Micheal Anthony and David Lee roth’s romp through the hit covers Oh’ Pretty Woman and Dancing’ In the Street and stand out tracks Little Guitars and Hang ‘Em High. The story of Van Halen’s most underrated album from the 80s
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#80s #Rock #Story
Hey music junkies and vinyl junkies Professor of Rock always here to celebrate the greatest artists and the greatest 80s songs of all time for the music community and vinyl community.
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EDDIE Van Halen once said- “I would rather bomb with one my songs, then have a hit with someone else’s.” Much to Eddie’s distaste, his band did just THAT when Van Halen had a Top 40 hit with their cover of The Kinks’ “You Really Got Me,” and they did it again, 4 years later, with a remake of Roy Orbison’s signature #1 classic “(Oh) Pretty Woman,”- becoming one of Van Halen's biggest singles. The conversation to release another remake as a Van Halen single began immediately following the exhausting Fair Warning tour.
When the tour ended in late ‘81, the guys were supposed to take a break from each other, but things didn’t go as planned. Dave wanted the band to put out another single, to keep the Van Halen name hot in the media during their hiatus. Dave’s idea was for the band to do a rock version of the Martha & the Vandellas hit “Dancing in the Street,” but Eddie insisted on the band doing a cover of “Pretty Woman. ”The release of “(Oh) Pretty Woman” became the impetus for Van Halen’s 5th studio album…DIVER DOWN. “Pretty Woman” was fast becoming a Top 15 single in early ‘82, the first Van Halen song to crack the Top 40 since “Dance the Night Away” went to #15 in ’79.
Since their momentous debut LP in ’78 through ’81, the band had released an album every year.. 4 total. Then they would go on a massive national tour to support each of those records. There was little, or no time, to come up with new material. The label kept pushing, and the band finally gave in. Reminiscent of the fire drill conditions they worked under to drop Van Halen 2, the band jumped right back in the studio, and started recording. Since they only had a handful of original songs available, the band had to result to doing covers, and some instrumentals. Amazingly, Diver Down was finished in just 12 days- with 5 covers songs, 3 instrumentals, and 4 original Van Halen tracks.
It wasn’t the ideal record by Eddie’s standards, but the band ended up having a BLAST making Diver Down, and the album was another HUGE success for Van Halen. The LP spent 65 weeks on the Billboard 200 Album Chart- selling more than 4 million units. The first splash on Diver Down is “Where Have All the Good Times Gone,” another Van Halen interpretation of a Kinks song. - บันเทิง
Poll: What are the 3 greatest album tracks of Van Halen's catalog?
House Of Pain
Mean Streets
Hot For Teacher
Ain't Talkin' 'bout Love, D.O.A., Feel your Love Tonight
Secrets (my all time favorite VH track), When Push Comes to Shove, Women in Love
@@bonesjackson81 Great choices.
@@AlexandertheGreat99 Love D.O.A. Such an under appreciated gem.
This episode is excellent. Not since Casey Kasem has anyone been so captivating and sincere in their description of the music their talking about. You are deserving of a worldwide cable television show. Please keep it going; you are a true talent!
Casey who??
Oh, come on now! Ya don't like Ryan Seacrest on the countdown now? 😉
@@lostintime8651 Really?
@@fivestring65ify nah joking lol
@@bryangirod9173 lol you are thinking about Dick Clark lol. silly
"DIVER DOWN" was the soundtrack of my summer of 1982. I was fifteen years old and had just finished my freshman year in high school. I can still see the display of the red and white LP record cover at Target in the Fountain City area of Knoxville, Tennessee. What a great time to be a teenager!
I was right there with you in age but lived in NYC - the 80's really were a great time to be a teenager!
Holy shit. Target was around back then? Haha I had no idea.
My mom was from Fountain City. I know exactly where you're talking about. Man, I miss record stores. I'm 5-6 years younger than you, and grew up outside of Nashville, and would go to Cats records in Donelson. I really miss those days, life was great.
Ditto, definitely one of the best summers of my younger years. Thanks to the live show that came after the release of Diver down, and what an incredible show it was! Camped out overnight to score front row center tickets to this show, and time we'll spent in doing so. Never a better time to be a teenager in this world, a world without the mighty VH just wouldn't have been as exciting!
Same for me. All of us high school freshman were trying to get tickets for the tour. After, you saw a ton of kids wearing the Van Halen Diver Down raglan concert shirt. Great times!
"Little Guitars" is a masterpiece. Top 5 Van Halen tune for me.
Fully P M.
Yeah, it's so good, it sounds like it snuck off Fair Warning. . . not a huge fan of all the cover songs, but Van Halen mastered them nonetheless.
@@coldsharkride Pretty Woman is a good cover and Van Halen actually grabbed the year end 88th spot with it making it their first year end cover song
Absolutely. Possibly even my #1. It's THAT good.
1. Feel Your Love Tonite 2./3. Little Guitars or Full Bug 4. Unchained 5. Dance the Night Away
I am so happy this band was part of my youth. Every year every musician waited for the next Van Halen record like Christmas. Everyone wanted to hear what Eddie would do next and he never disappointed his fans. What a joyous time!
What a massively amazing gift the Van Halen boys gave to their dad. He must have felt 10 miles tall.
One of my favorite VH songs just because of such a charming moment.
I bet they're Jamming away together right now. He loved his parents. I think his Dad would be first one to Jam with Eddie.
The VH DIVER DOWN version of "Dancing In The Streets" is the absolute best rendition of that song. Bar none.
"Little Guitars" is just perfect from start to finish. I believe this is one of Michael Anthony's best. His bass, along with his choice of chords, just puts this song on another level.
Remember, EVH said he to teach Michael how to play bass...lol
Eddie has talked a lot of shit about Michael (I would use his real name like Eddie would and has but I can't remember it right now...lol)
@@bryonkidder6199 Ed did play bass on at least half of the albums. Before you tell me otherwise, and I don't get notifications, I knew Ed personally. He told me he performed bass on all the albums. I do know which albums are Ed.
@@glennwarlock1555 I wouldn't tell you otherwise because I don't know. I'm not one of those...lol
I'll tell you about what I do know, Tom McDermott of Rick James and the Stone City Band was playing the black & yellow Bumblebee Strat on Soul Train back in the early 80's. It had a rosewood fingerboard and a painted headstock. I don't think it had a Floyd Rose yet but I'm not sure...lol This is the same guitar buried with Dimebag Darrell Abott. There is videos of this performance on TH-cam. I'm pretty sure EVH said he painted his own guitars or the iconic one's anyway...lol
I also think EVH stole Ace Frehley's Ibanez Destroyer from KISS's rehearsal studio. Then after painting it he decided to cut it up and it became the "Shark" guitar...lol
EVH thinks the only good bass player in the world besides himself is his son...lol
I just pay attention to what people say so I remember them saying something different years later...lol ;-)
Mikey played all the bass on the first album. The rest was mostly Ed. I still think that first album is the best
@@glennwarlock1555 bullshit
My cousin went to school with them. They were great musicians & partied hard! R.I.P. Eddie
I begged my parents to buy me Van Halen's "1984" for Christmas that year. Christmas morning I ripped open my gift and it was a Van Halen record! I looked at the track list and said "No Jump? No Panama? No Hot For Teacher? What is this!" BUT I decided to listen to my new VH album "Diver Down" that Christmas afternoon. WOW!! I was hooked. "Secrets" became a personal favorite of mine. But truly you could not go wrong with this great album. BTW, I took some Christmas money and bought VH "1984". Those two albums started me on the road to VH being my all time favorite band. I quickly bought all their other albums and never looked back! Great memories Professor!!
The 1st five songs were great, I'm not into the covers
I had all their tunes on vinyl, cassette & cd. Just like getting the Beatles White Album again, whenever it is released on a new format!
@@Terk131 the covers were excellent, it was some of their leftover songs that made it to this album that kind of drag it down in my opinion! 🤷🏻♂️
good story Dude, very familiar, RIP Eddie
My first Christmas album came the year after yours,1985, Appetite for Destruction. Different band, same enthusiastic, stoked feeling that Christmas day. A hard rocking guitar fan was created that day. 4 years later I picked up a guitar and never put it down. 29 years later I can confidently say I can shred. It all started that Christmas day when I heard that album and said to myself, "I want to do this". You will be stoked to know that indeed I also can play a lot of Van Halen, Hot for Teacher, Unchained, and of course Little Guitars among others. For me a good Christmas these days mean rock and roll and of course Die hard. Rock on brother 🤘👊!
It wasn’t just Van Halen , it was the times. The 80’s were a glorious time to be alive , especially if you were coming of age at that time . The early 80’s just had that positive vibe that transcended and influenced culture in a way that’s hard to explain. I would say that the album 1984 really captured that feeling, completely. It had that “sunny” bright , beach influenced vibe. ‘Jump’ is the quintessential 80’s song- it had everything.
So many fond memories of that time . I wouldn’t trade it for anything.
Man you hit the nail right on the head I was growing up in the 80s the first Van Halen show I seen was May 26th 1980 Buffalo New York I was in 8th grade a life-changing moment for me the day I became a Van Halen disciple but like you said all that music from late 70s through the 80s early 90s up to Nirvana was the best
@@billvoss979 Damn, you’re very lucky to have seen Van Halen in their prime , in 1980 - I’ve only been able to have seen them w/Sammy and the first 2 reformed tours w/Roth - it was great, but I’m sure 1980 tour was much better.
Cheers!
The 80 ies weren't a greater time to be alive than the 70ies or the 2020s. That' BS. when it comes to the music business, the 70 ies is the best decade ever, all genres, Pop Rock Funk Jazz and all others. There is even a reason for it. So it's not a coincidence. There was some great music released in the 80s as well, but no decade comes even close to the 70s.
"Once you play a Van Halen Album it spills out all over your turntable and ruins all your other records" DVR was right that's exactly what happened. Lol. I can still remember my buddy running over to my house with their first album and the second we put it on the turntable I thought this is the best stuff I've ever heard. Without VH I don't think I would have made it through High School.
At 60 years old ive lived through some of the greatest times for music.I remember when most of these albums came out.
Vanhalen is one of my favorite bands and i was able to see them live in 2015 with both my sons my nephew and my best friend. They were awesome.
"Little Guitars," definitely one of my favorite VH tracks. I just LOVE that riff!
Mine as well. 👍
Little Guitars ....Definitely the best cut on this release.
Same, even the intro is so cool!
Yes beautiful!
I moved to Norway in June of 1982 from Houston. I bought 5 cassettes at the Mall before leaving Houston at the mall. Diver Down, Blizard of Oz, The Cars by The Cars, Asia, and ZZ Top El Loco. I would listen to all of them a bunch over the next year but I listened to Little guitars almost every night before going to sleep and I would think about what the next day had in store for me:) That Sanyo knock-off of a Sony walkman was one well-built unit. I used it non-stop for 3 years. Records and Tapes in Norway were way more expensive than in the states:)
Dancing in the Streets is exactly as Adam says: a testament to Ed's integrity to his ability to make a cover into something special and unique.
He hated that they grafted his synth riff onto the song, as he composed it as a solo piece; apparently, only Roth and Ted Templeman liked the track. I love it, their best cover song and Ed’s solo is so beautiful; short, sweet, and very melodic.
@@michaelbillypec Yes, I think it's an excellent cover.
I can't believe it's been so many years since these albums came out. I remember waiting for each one and was blown away by the excitement of buying each album. It was truly a magical time and was the best time to grow up. I feel sorry for those who weren't apart of this incredible Era.
I hear ya man. The VH albums during the DLR era were homeruns. Nothing like 'em. Happy trails.
Absolutely Loved being alive during the Climax of Huge Rock Music! VH being one of the Best! And Professor of Rock, You Are Amazing with Your Analogies of Rock that makes you fall in Love with these albums ~tunes All over again! ❤ You should be Airwaved like Casey Kasem was in the earlier stages of Great Rock!! 💖🎸🎼🎶🎶
When he say’s Side 2 of album we all know the physical way of the flip side…the tangible …album sleeve, studying the album art while the music played…awww the glory day’s of VanHalen & music for the masses!
@@cherylnewland6538you couldn't say it any better
Yeah it was like a dream I was a huge Van Halen fan since 1979 the first time I heard abruption and never look back to the all-time number one greatest rock band ever I'm waiting for those records to come out I know it was incredible one after the other Van Halen to Women & Children First then fair warning Diver Down + 84 I mean it just kept coming and coming and coming and I was just eating it all up yet it was fantastic wasn't it
This was my favorite episode of yours, hands down. I listen to a lot of classic rock, but no album transports me back to a specific set of memories better than Diver Down. If you’ll excuse me, I’ve got a memory lane to walk.
We were in the living room watching the early days of MTV, back when they had no advertisers so it was nothing but music. Invader/Pretty Woman came on. I was 17, my brother was 11. We were transfixed by the video, it was awesome. Then my dad walks in. He was about as square as they come... He listened for a sec, and said, "Oh, that's Roy Orbison."
My brother said, "Ok, that's all for me," and started listening to electronic noise... lol
Me... i looked up Roy Orbison, and I'm still in awe of that man's voice.
_Intruder..._
*Extra Diver Down factoid:* the synth intro "Intruder" for the song "(Oh) Pretty Woman" was added to extend the run time of of the latter track. It seems that the band ended up with a video that was too long for the intended audio track. Roth didn't want any of his precious 3 minute movie hitting the cutting room floor, so he did what Roth does... bent reality to fit his own. The band went back into the studio and cut "Intruder", with Roth playing the synth part. It was spliced together with "Pretty Woman" and the rest is history. Very nice posting BTW. Great content!
It's sad that Ed's ability to write great songs and how amazing his ear was for awesome tones and beautiful melodies kind of took a back seat because his guitar wizardry blew everyone away! He was also very innovative on so many different areas of making music and the process of creating the gear and sounds that achieved what he heard in his head! There will never be another human like EVH, he was a gift to the world!
This is the best analysis of a treasured album by one of the most important bands in the history of music. Period. Just simply awesome. Thank you.
“Cathedral” is like nothing ever played on guitar at the time. Nobody was doing that kind of experimentation yet, and things like “Cathedral”, obviously “Eruption” and the intro to “Mean Streets” cemented EVH as the most ahead-of-his-time forerunner of electric guitar. Probably more than even Hendrix.
Roy Buchanan
Pat Thrall was doing the 'Cathedral' technique in the 70's with Automatic Man and Pat Travers..check this out..th-cam.com/video/N8Ay4d5bWtw/w-d-xo.html
@@1978eruption Damn man, those licks are amazing. They kind of remind me of a fusion between Return to Forever, & The Mahavishnu Orchestra...with a dash of old Herbie Hancock, for a spritzer.
Just found some groovy funkadelic jams thanks to you. CHEERS BRUDDER!!!
@@1978eruption Thought you might dig a quick & cheerful Stanley Clark & Jeff Beck jam! th-cam.com/video/XuI0G_CFzQc/w-d-xo.html
@@fobbitoperator3620 free your mind, and your ass will follow
Love Van Halen! When you said they played Happy Trails at the end of their concerts I wanted to share that we played that song at the end of the service for my dad’s funeral last December ❤️🙏
This album was my introduction to VH, I remember hearing Little Guitars in the car with my mom on our way to the bank to cash my first paycheck, your interpretation of the album title really brought some insight into the next few years that I never really thought about. I’m gonna sub now 👍🏻
Love this episode! My husband was one of the little guys in the Oh, Pretty Woman video, the blonde who was wearing the Indian headdress at the end. It was the first video to be banned by MTV because they deemed it made fun of little people and transvestites.
Soon after filming, DLR contacted my husband and asked if he'd like to go on tour with the band. He and a friend of my husband spent 2 years as Dave's bodyguards.
BTW, the hunchback was played by Ron Jarvis, a former Ringling Brothers clown, actor, etc.
Little Guitars - both the intro and the song - are awesome and really show EVH’s creative genius. Great episode and thanks for sharing the heartwarming story of Jan playing the clarinet on Big Bad Bill. It would have been awesome to witness that recording!
I was a high school woodwind player. Flute and sax mostly. Bought a clarinet especially to learn Big Bad Bill. It took a while, but I got it. I was proud.
The Full Bug, Little Guitars, and Cathedral. Nuff said! Great job Professor!
Secrets and Hang 'Em High, too!
Excellent analysis! 👍💿✔
For me...this is THE Van Halen album above all others. This is the album that captures the sense of humor and fun that separated VH from all the other Hard Rock bands of the era.
I also have to comment that David Lee Roth's solo tune Damn Good is such a great song. Another great mini documentary. Thanks Prof.
This is my FAVORITE VH album. I bought it right when it came out. I was lucky enough to record a long interview with Alex & DLR on KMET L.A. in the summer of ‘82 while I was visiting my dad. They had deep dives into the original songs & DLR played his acoustic & sang. I was blown away. He is an excellent guitarist believe it or not..! It was a song I’d never heard before or since. I played that interview on my Walkman (Panasonic Way, actually) over & over. Adam, thanks again for phenomenal content..!!
Thanks for watching Steve!
Steve if they would have ditched the covers this would have been a classic. I think Eddie would agree. They were so good tat this stage they could have made experimental tracks. Fair warning was the sgt pepper.. the true fans were locked in
Whooya! I miss the Mighty Met!
@@michaelehlert9 DD is by no means their best album, 😆 only my fav
@@DJAvalonArizona You ought to transfer that interview to digital and upload it, if by chance you still have it. That would be a great bit of music history to preserve!
I love these journeys into the albums that make my musical dreams come to life. I can pull this album off my shelf and follow along with you. I love to hear the anecdotes about these tracks. Thanks, Prof, for another thrilling ride down memory lane.
Awesome video!! Thanks for the salute to Diver Down, my favorite VH record.
Happy Trails was on the jukebox at the Pizza Hut where we cleaned when my daughter was a toddler. She would beg to have us play the song over and over. We all loved it!!!
I got this record the second it first came out. This album would certainly qualify as Van Halen’s most fun recording. This, along with Fair Warning, would be my favorites from the VH cannon, being two sides of the same coin. Where Fair Warning is dark and brooding, Diver Down sparkles and feels like a warm summers day. For me the highlights are Little Guitars and Big Bad Bill. Big Bad Bill is so bonkers and left of center that only someone like Diamond Dave could have carried it off.
Fair Warning their best...
Great episode, once again. I listened to every single VH album in a row while working in my garage the day after Eddie passed. (yes, even Van Hagar)
Despite all the struggles around the album, 'Diver Down' still is my VH favourite. Especially 'Little Guitars', 'Hang 'Em High' and Ed's solo 'Cathedral'. Good childhood memories connected with that music, too! 😊
Please give some love to
"Women and Children First "
Great album, some of Eddie's best guitar work,
And his prowess with an acoustic guitar,, coupled with some stinging electric guitar grooves is a sweet recipe
I second that. Women and Children first was the VH album I listened to the most as a teen!
And the Cradle Will Rock was like my high school theme song back then. Fun memories and good times at all the concerts.
best vh record, with their best song (in a simple rhyme)
Now THAT was a rock album!
@@frankferriolo9212 "have you seen Junior's grades?"
Great episode! You gotta admit that they really do a great job in making covers sound like a Van Halen song. Cheers!
By far the one I enjoyed most on that album was dancing in the streets. The original was a hit when I was a little kid, and the remake by Van Halen was so modern and full of energy then it fit right in to our attitudes. Graduated high school and had just got out of a four-year hitch in the Navy in Van Halen was blowing us away.
Still heartbroken that Eddie is no longer with us.I could never determine the best DLR VH album. I love em' all. I was 12 when VH 1 came out, 17 when 1984 came out...VH was always there with something cool throughout my youth...great show Professor
It’s fair warning. After all these years that’s the one I still breakout the most. Or at least have the most of on my playlist. Looks like you’re about three years older than me. Since you can’t determine I have helped you. You’re welcome.
@@jonthehermit8082 …yes, thank you. I have always considered “ Fair Warning “ my favorite. It was sort of a dark time for Eddie. It was before Valerie, a really great album, and probably my favorite. But all the DLR albums have something special to offer. I often determine a favorite by elimination the bad ones first…but there were no bad ones…I guess maybe Diver Down? ..nah, that one is great too. …”Unchained “ is a hugely powerful riff…but so is “ Hang em High”. I think so much of the first 4 albums were written before they got a recording deal. I still often listen to all of the DLR albums, there are none I would want to do without …I am 54….we are fortunate to have grown up with the VanHalen brothers on our radios for most of our lives….Sure “ Fair Warning” is my favorite, thanks
@@raymo6795 hehe I was just being cheeky but ok. Yes unchained, along with sinners swing and meanstreet. Three of my favorites on one album .
@@jonthehermit8082 …are there any bad ones Jon the Hermit?…Of all the DLR, songs,“ Jump” is one I could do with out. You are from the U.K.?
@@raymo6795 I’m from u.s. yes same, if I had to name a song I dislike it is jump.
Thanks , love the whole album, I miss the old van halen, brings back so many memories, Sammy done a great job, It just wasn't the same , thanks for another great job on a great band professor!!!
Thanks for listening
Next to Led Zeppelin...this band has NO songs that bore me....these guys are ENERGY at it's best...Im still stuck on their first 2 albums myself...I miss the 70's n early 80's real bad...so i frolic in them as much as i can and enjoy every minute of that era...
@@blueforest2927 Definitely a great time for music, my favorite years are 78 to 82.
So glad you covered this. While it is not my favorite VH album, it is indeed very underrated and probably their most creative album ever. Their dads contribution, the reflection back to old time music etc. really speaks to their musical diversity and talent.
Keep it up man. I absolutely love your contribution to their contribution to eternal music…
Another fantastic video! Great story behind Diver Down. Thank you!
Alex was Tarzan - Lord of the Jungle, Mikey was the Samurai, Ed was the Cowboy and Dave was, well, just Dave being Dave.
That said, what a great post. Thnx man..
Van Halen's "cover" songs were just as difficult, if not more so, for EVH to create because he has to make them sound like Van Halen.
I know it's not EVH's favorite album, but it has more than a few brilliant moments on it imo.
This has always been one of my very favorite VH albums. So underappreciated.
Totally agree! I love Little Guitars soooo much!
@@ProfessorofRock love it - so great to sing along to at full volume in the car while other drivers look at you like you’re crazy. And the best part is, you really don’t care…
Mine too as well
Recent subscriber here. Every time I watch one of these videos I come back wiser, and with a blown mind. Your love of music is contagious.
I absolutely love this album, it’s what I listen to when all the things are going right, and the day can’t get much better. Regardless of the critical response, I don’t really know many fans that dislike this release. I’m happy to see you point out the absolute wizardry that was EVH’s structuring of dancing in the streets, as well as the melodic apex of the Diamond Dave era with Secrets and Little guitars. The thing plays like the feel good hit of the summer, over and over. Not the best representation of Van Halen’s power, but definitely an excellent reflection of their come-what-may attitude. What other band had the balls to do this, and then turn around and have it be completely successful!?
Agreed. Never thought of it like that before. You are spot on.
I bought this album in nineteen eighty four when I was a teenager. I went out a and bought 1984, and thought it was so good I would go out and buy van halen 1. It was out of stock so I bought diver down. I was amazed at the original songs, but shocked at some of the covers, but after listening to them a few times I realised van halens versions of the songs were better than the originals. Every time I listen to this album it takes me back to the mid eighties, which is where I would still be now if I had the chance to go back.
Righto , Dave..The good ole days no matter what we were all doing ..What a mess now- being lied to every day and controlled ..Having rights taken away...A much simpler ,less worrisome time in 70's, 80's.
I remember when I first heard Roy Orbison's 'Pretty Woman' and realized VH's was a cover. I was like MAN!, they made that dud kick some serious @ss. Also, 'Intruder' is NOT optional; I have to hear both together to this day. It makes the opening chords of the main song so much more impactful.
Listened to the record Diver Down when it just came out. A long haired rocker in my early 20s I loved big bad Billy! Put it in my band's set list. I sang it at my sister's wedding in the early 80s along with the kinks song Holiday ( ironically) from the hurray for Hollywood album. My father and I didn't get along, here I was at a wedding with his entire extended family. He was embarrassed by his long haired son . I asked the band if I could perform with my guitar with the wedding band. This brought more attention to me and my hair. I'm sure my dad was thrilled at that. I wished my sister and bro in law a happy life together and brought down the house with these two songs ending in a standing ovation. My father loved rag time music and he immediately approached me with hand extended. Shook my hand and told me i made him very proud. I made his day by playing a song by other long haired degenerate rockers. Irony strikes again I guess. I'm 63 now, my favorite V H songs are hot for teacher and little dreamer. Diver down is the most listenable album for me. I still perform big bad Billy to audiences today. That song brought not only the Van Halen boys together with thier dad, that song did the same for me and mine as well. R I P Charlie Holmes.
R I P Eddie Van Halen
I always enjoy your perspective , on music and the bands.
Ahhh the summer of 82, I was in love with Van Halen, I was going to be a Jr. in high school so things were crazy as far as that age group and Rock concerts go. I caught the Diver Down tour in Philadelphia at the old spectrum . What a place for concerts awesome sound. I was always one to sneak past security and work my way to front and center stage. My younger brother bought the Diver Down album later that year and boy what an amazing surprise. I was in one of the Thumbnail pictures inside the album cover. I had just gotten done handing David Lee Roth a Van Halen Bandana to which he grabbed from me and tied around his neck. I guess thats what made the photographer snap the shot. But what an awesome display of gratitude I have for this band. I know and forever have proof I was front and center by getting a full picture of me at the show on the Album cover. Thanks VH.
This was the review of diver down that the band deserved. It's an awesome summertime album that only VH could deliver. I still enjoy it!
Thank you good sir!
Little guitars is the gem on Diver Down.
it was an album played at all the high school keg parties I attented(as many as I could find lolll) from 88-92...and all the bbqs etc..I bought this album when I got a sound system put in my car..a 77 Lincoln continental so it sounded awesome..I love all the dlr era albums..I love some of the Sammy albums too, but the 78-84 era is untouchable...you are 100 percent correct about this awesome album
@@fivestring65ify it's one of my favorite vh songs period...love when they did it live and eddie extended and ripped out the ending guitar run...all 4 guys delivered the goods on this track
@@fivestring65ify Correct and also Secrets
Coming late to the party, "little guitars" is when I really discovered VH, and the first VH album I bought. Hang rm high and Secrets are favorites of mine
Love little guitars!
Thanks, again, for another great video pod cast!!!
Awesome episode!!!
Thoroughly enjoyed this!!!
Great breakdown of this album, and giving insight to some of the particulars & details of the individual tracks. Always liked the tune “Secrets”.
Their funnest album.Loose but killer lead guitar and diverse styles:little guitars,secrets,cathedrals...a showcase of a guitar monster.SO glad i saw them on the 84 tour.Best concert performance ever.
Thanks Professor, you do such an excellent job of telling the in depth, behind the scene stories of so many bands and artists... what a superb episode! As big a Van Halen fan as I have always been, I learned new info about them and their 5th album today. Diver Down has traveled with me on many road trips and is such a high energy, uplifting album. Even the more mellow tracks make you wonder how they pulled it off. The creativity of those four guys and, of course, Templeman and Landee is so much more vast than even what it appears on the surface. Maybe that's another (unintended) meaning behind the album title.
I really appreciate your approach and depth in these videos. Keep doing what you do. Thank you. :)
Hang em high is my favorite song in the album and definitely top five in their whole catalogue. This album is actually one of my favorites. Without knowing all the background hoopla that was happening, I found their creativity ingenious. Making these songs their own! In essence, making these songs Van Halen songs. I had never heard any of the originals of their covers until many years later. I never would have guessed they were covers. DLR was a creative force, but EVH was a creative genius. Even in hate, he created something to love.
WOW, I just stumbled across this video. Very well done and so much good information. Very captivating. Thank you. Liked and subscribed
Just found this. I'm almost 66 years young having lived through this era. Fascinating!!!
Edward even said in an interview he thought they were done because they put out an album full of covers. It's one of the reasons he rushed to build 5150 studios afterwards. Love these videos, man!
He built 5150 before Fair Warning.
Looking back...Van Halen recorded so many covers because they needed fillers to fill in what little writing they were actually doing ( because of contractual commitments, heavy touring and lack of original new material). Van Halen had an incredible early creative boom and would continue to put their bucket back in that well throughout their time together. VH II is left over 'spec material'. In a Simple Rhyme is from a pre-Warner Brothers demo. Ed didn't mind covers as they helped fill in for those extremely short albums. Ed was locked in his studio, his words, recording 18 hours a day for 20 years and he went right back to the old demos and b-sides for ADKOT. Dave was the genius behind Van Halen, Dave was the workaholic. Ed and the boys wanted time off (well deserved btw) but Dave was already planning his time. I don't doubt that Ed had tons of riffs but it was Dave and Sammy that took those riffs and yes and no'd which ones would fit their lyrics and their ascetic. Ed ran it his way for Van Halen III and it bombed.
@@RichardGutierrezRG true enough about Ed. However, they actually didn't do that many covers. One cover on each of the first three albums: You Really Got Me, you're no good, could this be magic? and no covers on fair warning and 1984. Diver Down intentionally was half covers. It was just supposed to be stopgap release as they were gearing up for 1984. Also, covers kept them on the charts.
I guess ice cream man was a cover.
Dave doesn’t get enough credit for his lyrical ability. He can sing about anything and make cool!
Yeah Dave was a great singer and people bashing for which I have no clue why he was perfect for their music
Great video, really enjoyed hearing all the stories! Even thought I knew some of them already, you did bring some new bits to those as well. Riveting viewing, thank you!
Brilliant and informative. Professor of Rock is precisely who you are Sir!
I'm going back to listen to this album, as it's sat in my stack for years unplayed, need to hear that jazz track again, pure genius. RIP ED.
Happy Trails to You ....
the intro riff from hang em high was where Eddie just started playing guitar on a whole other level of imagination to me. This whole album was full of moments of brilliant improvisation with Alex too. So loose, so expressive, so imaginative…
Thank you professor, this was one of my favorite VH albums.
I remember another quote by Ed, where he talks about the "rearrangement" of cover songs taking just as long to develop as original songs would. I remember receiving the 8 track from one of my older brothers, for Christmas. So, I was around 13 years old and this album was part of my coming of age, which is why I have such reverence for it.
Where have all the good times gone...fr.
I was given this cassette as a high school graduation gift from a best friend, which has passed btw.
I have listened to these songs probably more than I've heard anything in my life,good stuff bro,you know your stuff,thanks
I remember buying this album when I was 16! I loved it, and still do. Back then, I had no idea that some of the tracks, were covers. I personally think it's a great album, covers and all. Peace, from FL.
Same. I was also 16 and this was the first VH album to be released that I got into when it was released.
Agree with you Professor - Little Guitars is one of my favorite VH songs as well! Great video as always. Diver Down is such a fun album - love your analysis of it! Thx again....
This was amazing good job I really like your channel a lot
I enjoyed this immensely !! Nice going, dude !! 😉🥀🙋🏻♀️
I bought this on tape in the late eighties and played it until it couldn’t be played no more. It’s freaking fun. The fact that one of the biggest heaviest rock bands at the time put out an album with a bunch of show tunes! And still manages to authentically Rock makes them one of a kind.
I always felt Big Bad Bill was chosen due to Eddy's recent marriage. He too had to settle down.
I loved cassettes, but My car ate several of them!
Great album. Diver Down!! Thank you Professor. Rip EVH.
This was SO cool to watch! The Diver Down tour was my first concert as a kid and I remember being absolutely mesmerized by Eddie!! This brought back some great memories!
Fantastic video. I really enjoyed your presentation.
Roth gets a lot of flack for never being the greatest singer, AND, to be fair, he wasn't the most PLEASANT sounding, every note perfect, etc., per se, but the guy could walk out and sing Sinatra, Martin, etc. and sound amazing (AND, PERFECT!!!!! THAT'S what makes it real!), then instantly become Bowie, Tyler, and an equally legendary DLR, and just kill. He is great because he is his own thing, has his own thing, and, defines his own greatness. While I grew up focusing on the music itself (Gtr, in particular), DLR... He's just great. He is David Lee Roth, one of the two best Rock singers (Possibly the best), ever. Only Tyler can it that level. Thanks, DLR, thanks Dr. O' Rock for this one.
Roth was an entertainer, not a singer. Never has been.
Well said!
Roth was 10x better than Hagar
@@averydempsey4468 haha Hager voice blows Dave away, go listen again! An I grew up with the original members, but Sammy takes them to another level , We can understand Sammy, Dave is just stage play!
@@T4Tracy2 true Dave is more of a stage man and I agree Sammy has better range I just like the early era of VH better then the “van Hagar” era
i would not get into a verbal sparring match with DLR. he's too fast on the draw.
LOL
Lol yeah that's Diamond Dave!
But he never makes any sense.
@@geraldobrien7323 if what DLR doesn't make sense to you, you're not listening good enough...lol
Ya got get on the verbal wave that Dave is riding and tune into the words he's speaking...lol
Then you'll understand just how much of a genius Diamond David Lee Roth really is and how much of a real person Dave is at the same time he's putting on his Diamond Dave act...lol
Dave's a better human being than he gets credit for. He's educated himself and studied about things not everyone is cut out for but ya gotta pay attention to learn...lol
Peace!
Yup…straight up get destroyed lol.
I’m hooked on Prof of Rock! Best narrative on songs ever!
Secrets and The Full Bug are two of my all time favorite VH songs and are so often overlooked, by radio and by cover bands. Their performance of Secrets at the US Festival was the first time I heard DLR sing those last 3 notes at the end of the song that still send chills.
"Eruption', "Jump" and "Dreams" are my favorite Van Halen songs.
Dude,two of those songs are pop crap...
Lol
One of the first rock albums I ever experienced. My sister owned it on record. She would put it on continuous play. I wasn't allowed, at 12, to touch her record player so, I listed over and over while in our basement play area. I was hooked on VH and EVHs playing. Been playing guitar since then. RIP the great one, Edward Van Halen.
I used to sneak into my older sisters room and listen to her records when no one was home. Then leave it exactly how I found it.
Thank you so much for doing this video that has some of my favorite VH songs on it (Full Bug), Fair Warning usually gets all the fanfare, so your video is very welcome! I never knew how big a party of my life Eddie was until he passed, so I’m stoked you’re keeping the flame burning!!
Glad you did a track breakdown of this Album 👍
Oh god. I was so young. NOBODY was going to “forget” Van Halen if iirc, that energy was something else.
Fair warning is my number 1 favorite VH album. Diver is second. Very fun album. Seems like they didn't take themselves serious in diver down. All the songs just seen to put a smile on
My face when I hear them. I was 13 when this album came out. Till this day I still love dancing in the street by VH. Awesome cover! We miss you Eddie. He was one of the artist in my life that made my sad childhood more tolerable growing up.
Saw this tour when I was in high school. As always, we went to hear Ed do his thing. Whether it was an original or cover, it was awesome... Thank you for covering this.. Ty
Good video man. This record was released when I was about 17, have always been very fond of it.
The high school seniors the year ahead of me chose Van Halen's version of "Happy Trails" for their class song. To answer, the next year, when I was a senior, I suggest for our class song Aerosmith's "Back In the Saddle." It lost to Starship's "Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now."
Oy vey…. That’s depressing!
Nothing wrong with either of those songs.
To be fair....that was Startship's biggest song according to Mickey when I see them live.
Besides, you had to know the ladies in your calls prefer the love ballads!
Such a killer album and band. That band changed my life. God bless VH…
God bless you sir! Thanks for watching. Long live VH.
Great video dude! VH was my favorite Rock Band growing up. Diver Down, while not my favorite album of theirs, was the album that made me fall in love with their music. They were such a unique band at the time they came on to the scene, and of course Eddie was so innovative. I also loved the Sammy years, but the original line up will always occupy a special place in my heart. Again, I really enjoyed this episode!
The rhythm playing on the "Full Bug " and " Hang em High" is astonishing .
I love how he appreciates all genres and categories of music! He judges & views all music and songs so fairly. More than anyone else. That’s why he’s my fav 👌
Yes he's very good and has great subject matter. He mostly talks about music from the 70s and 80s and I think they are music's best decades.
Definitely an underrated Van Halen album, 2 of my favorite VH songs on it Secrets and Little Guitars, great review a lot of things I didn't know in it. Thanks Professor and happy trials!!
Happy trails!
@Anna Trail that is a good one for a marriage for sure, I still can't believe Eddie is gone, sad
Well done. This video added a whole new perspective to that album for me.
Fantastic! Your Van Halen videos have gotten me back into the band after 30 years.