Gene Simmons helped get Eddie, David Lee, Alex and Michael going by saving them from the clutches of a yogurt supplier (Kiss and Make-Up, Gene Simmons).
Eventually the foursome signed with Warner Bros., got Ted Templeman to man the controls for their debut effort and churned out a combination of hard rock classics that still resonates as their best overall album.
The First Shall Be.....Best?
1984 and Diver Down pop up as favorites on a lot of Van Halen fan lists of best VH all-time albums. Those who prefer the more adult-contemporary sound that resulted when Sammy Hagar replaced David Lee Roth may vouch for 5150 or OU812. (It's doubtful that VHIII will climb the summit - sorry, Gary Cherone.)
Honestly, each of those albums has their flaws. 1984 started off with a bang ("Jump" and "Panama") but outside of the other singles ("Hot for Teacher" and "I'll Wait") fell flat for the rest of the album. 5150 and OU812 did a capable job of blending party anthems with more adult material but when did Van Halen care about playing it safe? Diver Down's highlights are the two covers ("Pretty Woman" and "Dancing In The Street") and maybe the clarinet solo on "Big Bad Bill....." supplied by Eddie and Alex's pop, Jan.
A Great Cover Surrounded By Killer Solos and Other Delights
The version of "You Really Got Me", originally recorded by the Kinks, comes in after the simple but great bass opening of "Runnin' With the Devil" and air guitar classic "Eruption". This version gave the band its first Top 40 hit (www.billboard.com).
From there, "Ain't Talkin' About Love" might be one of Eddie's shorter solos but certainly one of his most memorable, "I'm The One" continues to showcase the underrated backing vocals of Michael Anthony and "On Fire" is one of their heavier songs in the catalog.
Side two opens with the downward spiral guitar combining with the sad tale of "Jamie's Cryin", the vocal round in "Feel Your Love Tonight", and the finale "Ice Cream Man", in which Roth sounds like he's having the most fun vocally after the electric portion of the song kicks into gear.
Hard To Beat Ten Out of Eleven
Aside from square peg "Atomic Punk" this is certainly the most consistent effort Van Halen put out in their thirty-one years. Now that Roth is back in the picture will a new classic result from the reformed partnership? If it does it will be tough to top the opening salvo.
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