Van Halen - "Diver Down" (LP Review)

Eddie Van Halen died just over a week ago.  Without exaggeration, he's one of the greatest rock guitarists to ever live, if not the best.  I realize there were others before him, and it's hard to compare different generations, and anyone starting out in the 70s would have the benefit of Clapton, Hendrix, Iommi, Blackmore, and other seminal guitarists.  Having acknowledged all of that, my opinion is that Eddie was indeed the best rock guitarist to have ever lived.  

Of course, I have to admit my own bias: Van Halen was probably the first band that for which I made a conscious decision to call myself a "fan".  By that I mean not just liking some songs that you heard on the radio or saw on MTV, but recognizing and identifying with the unique sound and image of the band and their entire canon.  At that time I could not have told you why Eddie Van Halen was special; the best I could do is say that he made the guitar "laugh" and it sounded like no other guitarist I had heard.

So why would I mark Eddie's passing with "Diver Down", probably the least regarded LP of the "classic era"?  If my memory serves me correctly, this is the first LP of theirs that I bought, probably at the K-Mart in Denbigh (see also: "Flirtin' With Disaster").  In 1982, the price of an LP represented quite an investment for a middle schooler, and I remember playing this LP to death: in part because I was a budding fan, and in part because my personal collection consisted of only a few LPs.  I loved it at the time, but later in life came to recognize its shortcomings.  The others?

• Van Halen - this was the first and probably their best, sounding nothing like what other bands were putting out ca. 1978
• Van Halen II - is a solid sophomore effort, but probably the one that I played the least at the time, in part because I never warmed to the opening song, their cover of "You're No Good"
• Women and Children First - while I can't say this is better than their debut LP, I can say this is my favorite of theirs now; if I were going to play a VH right now, this is the one I would reach for
• Fair Warning - undoubtedly their darkest and heaviest LP, with no party songs, TIC blues covers, or general screwing around; this would probably be the second one that I reached for now
• 1984 - while their most commercially successful LP, it is without a doubt my least favorite LP of this era; while there are some decent songs on 1984, the unnecessary keyboards and a Michael McDonald co-writing credit are just too much for me to swallow 

I'm not going to try to convince you that Diver Down is a great LP, but I can better contextualize it.  Apparently the original plan was to release "(Oh) Pretty Woman" as a non-LP single, but based on its success their label wanted an LP.  The result was a short (31minutes), 12 song LP that featured five covers,  three instrumentals, and one song adapted from their 1977 demos.   Clearly this was a stop-gap LP, released mainly to satisfy Warner Brothers.  

Still, there are some really good songs on this LP.  "Where Have All The Good Times Gone?" is a great cover (I've written elsewhere that all bands should cover songs by The Kinks), "Hang 'Em High" has a great riff, "(Oh) Pretty Woman" is a perfect song for David Lee Roth, and "Little Guitars" is a fun song.  

So this isn't the best LP from their classic era, but in my book it's still 10X better than 1984.  Diver Down means less to me in 2020, but it was very important to me in 1982, and so for nostalgia reasons I'm marking Eddie's passing with "Diver Down".  

Standout songs: "Where Have All The Good Times Gone?", "Hang 'Em High", "Intruder / (Oh) Pretty Woman", "Little Guitars (intro) / Little Guitars", "Happy Trails"

Skip' em songs: "Dancing in the Street" (not because it's a bad cover, but I detest all versions of this song)

Final score: 7/10

Random liner notes fact: Jan Van Halen, father of Eddie and Alex and an accomplished musician in his own right, plays clarinet on "Big Bad Bill (Is Sweet William Now)".  In the liner notes he's listed just as "Jan Van Halen", and knowing nothing about Dutch names in 1982 I just assumed "Jan" was Eddie and Alex's sister.  It was later in life that I learned the truth.

Van Morrison - "And It Stoned Me" (forgotten song)

Can we separate the art from the artist?  Sometimes?  Maybe?  Or perhaps just focus on the earlier part of their canon?  

Almost a month ago I saw that Van Morrison, who is nearly universally revered, had released three songs protesting the UK's Covid lock down.  Apparently they feature charming lyrics like scientists are "making up crooked facts" and "No more lockdown / No more government overreach". 

Why am I so disappointed to learn this?  Well, in addition to taking a dangerous and selfish position regarding his inability to tour, the lyrics seem a little too on the nose and not up to his standards.  I appreciate Van Morrison for his stories of fantasy, mysticism, spirituality, and nostalgia.  My all-time favorite of his is "And It Stoned Me", the opening track from his sublime 1970 LP "Moondance". 

Channeling the same coming-of-age nostalgia of "Stand By Me", "The Wonder Years", and "Dandelion Wine", it recalls the adventures of a single day where everything magically aligns.  Quoting from the Wikipedia page, which in turn quotes from Van Morrison's 1993 biography:

I suppose I was about 12 years old. We used to go to a place called Ballystockart to fish. We stopped in the village on the way up to this place and I went to this little stone house, and there was an old man there with dark weather-beaten skin, and we asked him if he had any water. He gave us some water which he said he'd got from the stream. We drank some and everything seemed to stop for me. Time stood still. For five minutes everything was really quiet and I was in this 'other dimension'. That's what the song is about.

Aside from being a great song, what's the personal connection for me?  It makes me recall a weekend during the summer of 1991.  I was 22, not 12, but like Van Morrison's imagery of the rain, the fishing hole, and "great big gallon jar", water was a recurring theme for that weekend.  The mists of time may have caused me to conflate the events of multiple trips, but all of these things happened and I'm pretty sure they all happened in one weekend.

1. And the Rain Came Pouring Down

Half a mile from the county fair

And the rain came pourin' down

Me and Billy standin' there

With a silver half a crown

Hands are full of a fishin' rod

And the tackle on our backs

We just stood there gettin' wet

With our backs against the fence

Oh, the water

Oh, the water

Oh, the water

Hope it don't rain all day

I had graduated and was about to start working at CSC as a contractor for NASA (my time as a civil servant did not begin until that Fall). Drew, Terry, and Fred were all a grade behind me and staying at UVa and JMU for the summer in between their junior and senior years.  I drove from Newport News to Charlottesville in my 1968 Mercury Cougar and picked up Drew, and the two of us drove to Harrisonburg to visit Terry and Fred for the weekend.  While driving the scenic, mountainous route (US 29-US 33) between Charlottesville and Harrisonburg, the Cougar's radiator hose burst and steam was pouring from under the hood.  On back roads and in the days before cell phones, this could have been a disaster, stranding us miles from help.  Instead, right as the steam was pouring out, an exit appeared and Drew and I were able to coast through the exit and straight to a service station, where we were patched up and soon back on our way.  

I had originally planned to stay at Terry's place, but we stopped by Fred's first and his place was so nice that I never made it to Terry's (Fred was one of the few people who at 21 had a place that looked like it belonged to a married 40 year old).  Later that night, thanks to Fred, was the first and only time that I've been thrown out of a bar.  

2. We Looked at the Swim and We Jumped Right In

Then the rain let up and the sun came up

And we were gettin' dry

Almost let a pick-up truck nearly pass us by

So we jumped right in and the driver grinned

And he dropped us up the road

Yeah, we looked at the swim and we jumped right in

Not to mention fishing poles

Oh, the water

Oh, the water

Oh, the water

Let it run all over me

The next day a bunch of us drove out to Switzer Lake and the day began with us jumping into the lake via a rope swing hanging from a tree on the side of a ridge.  Later we were in canoes and paddled around the lake, including seeing the structures you see at 3:06 in this video.  After canoeing, we hiked around the lake some and eventually came across a large boulder, maybe 5' in diameter, partially embedded at the top of a ridge.  Fueled by our collective testosterone, we decided that the boulder needed to be dislodged, freed from centuries of imprisonment on the side of the hill.  It was quite an undertaking given its size and its deep embedding.  We immediately attacked it with our hands and sticks, slowly digging it out.  Since I was the only one of our crew that had taken engineering classes, I introduced them to the idea of levers and fulcrums and then we started making real progress.  After much effort, we had the sweet release of watching the tumbling boulder of death race down the hillside.  The sun was setting, and sore, hungry and thirsty, we began the trek back to the parking lot, satisfied with our pointless triumph over nature.  It had been a perfect day, and there was no way it could be improved upon.

3. Bottles Too, One for Me and You

On the way back home we sang a song

But our throats were getting dry

Then we saw the man from across the road

With the sunshine in his eyes

Well he lived all alone in his own little home

With a great big gallon jar

There were bottles too, one for me and you

And he said Hey! There you are

Oh, the water

Oh, the water

Oh, the water

Get it myself from the mountain stream

But it did get better: as we approached that picnic area next to the parking lot, Fred saw that members of his fraternity were there and having a cookout.  Greetings were exchanged and we simply strolled into an ongoing party, complete with music, food, and beer.  An already perfect day improved, via a level of serendipity that could exist only in a pre-cellphone era.  

So why does this song resonate with me?  On the surface, Van Morrison's images of the pastoral pleasures of a 12 year old would not seem to speak to me at 22 years old. Sure, there's the recurring motif of water (rain, fishing hole, drinking vs. radiators, Switzer Lake, and, well, drinking).  But reflecting on this further, I think there's more.  First, thanks to Daryl Schoolar's recommendation from a year or so earlier, "Moondance" was still a new LP to me in 1991.  Second, the summer of 91 was a turbulent one for me, including my transition from being a college student to having a career.  This was the weekend before I started full-time with CSC, and while Terry, Drew, and Fred still had a year (or more) of college, I knew I was in transition.  This was not the end of my adventures with Terry, Drew, and Fred -- indeed, the hijinks continue to this day -- but it will never be the summer of 91 again. 

So I will do my best to separate the artist (ca. 2020) from the art (ca. 1970 & 1991) and not let Van Morrison's current commercial crassness erase the magic of "Moondance", its bucolic opening song, and those transcendental moments in 1991.

And it stoned me to my soul

Stoned me just like Jelly Roll

And it stoned me

And it stoned me to my soul

Stoned me just like goin' home

And it stoned me

Van Morrison - "And It Stoned Me"

Public Image Ltd - "Rise" (forgotten song)

Et tu, Johnny?

Turns out Johnny Rotten is a Trump supporter (ht Drew for sharing the disappointing news).  I guess the guy who once sang "I am an anti-Christ / I am an anarchist" decided the most punk thing he could do would be to go MAGA. 

"I could be wrong I could be right".

 Johnny, you're wrong -- they must have put a hot wire to your head.

 PiL - "Rise"

Walk Off The Earth - "A Hard Rain's a-Gonna Fall"

For this year's installation of Danette's birthday song, I'm choosing a recommendation that she shared with me: a cover of Bob Dylan's "A Hard Rain's a-Gonna Fall" by the Canadian alt-folk group Walk Off The Earth.  

I would not normally pick a Bob Dylan song for Danette's birthday, but there are three reasons to do so.  First, it is illustrative of Danette's policy of liking songs by Neil Young, Tom Waits, Bruce Springsteen, and especially Bob Dylan as long as they're covered by other people.  And as much as I venerate those artists, I concede her point.  

Second, it's also a recognition by Danette of my preference for male/female duets: few songs can not be improved by splitting the vocals between a man and a woman.  

Third, I believe Danette heard this song in an Outlander episode.  Apparently Walk Off The Earth's version was not released on any their LPs, and was just a one-off cover they did and posted on YouTube.  The Outlander producers wanted to use "A Hard Rain's a-Gonna Fall" but figured they could not get Dyaln's permission, and then they stumbled across this version.  Julianne is a big Outlander fan, and the TV series has been on high-rotation in the house as a result, pulling various members of the family into the story.  In the future, Outlander, Charmed, Supernatural, and similar shows will likely remind us of this point in our lives. 

Happy Birthday Danette!  Sorry it's "only" a Bob Dylan song, but at least it's a cover...

Walk Off The Earth - "A Hard Rain's a-Gonna Fall"

Bob Dylan - "A Hard Rain's a-Gonna Fall"

Previous birthday songs:

2019: Nicki Minaj - "Monster"
2018: Bear Hands - "Giants"
2017: Alvvays - "Archie, Marry Me"
2016: Molly Hatchet - "Flirtin' With Disaster"
2015: Avett Brothers - "Kick Drum Heart"
2014: Ani DiFranco - "32 Flavors"
2013: The Green Pajamas - "Kim the Waitress"
2012: The Cure - "High"
2011: Blink 182 - "Josie"
2010:  Dead Milkmen - "Punk Rock Girl"  

P.S. Danette hates Edie Brickell & New Bohemians, so I won't mention their cover.  Besides, there's no M/F duet ;-)

Little Richard - "Rip It Up" (the song remains the same)

Little Richard (Richard Wayne Penniman) died in May.  I've been meaning to cover his death, but couldn't find the song or a succinct way to describe his enormous influence on rock-n-roll.  I've decided to just link my way out of describing his impact on music since I'm unlikely to have anything novel to say on the subject.  But thanks to a tip from my friend Gregg, I've finally found the right song.

"Rip It Up" was a 1956 single from the LP "Here's Little Richard".  It's been covered by numerous musicians, but the 2020 collaboration between Richmond's Butcher Brown and Little Richard for the NFL's Monday Night Football theme is the latest.  Bottom line: continuing with a Bocephus MNF theme was no longer tenable, again.  Swapping to an updated Little Richard song?  Perfect.

"Let's ball tonight!"

Little Richard - "Rip It Up" (1956)

Little Richard and Butcher Brown - "Rip It Up" (2020)

Thou - Live 2019-05-06 (concert)

Scott just turned me onto Thou, a doom metal / sludge metal band from Louisiana.  I did not know about them before his note, despite their extensive discography.  The LP he sent me was their just-released "Primer for Holy Words", a LP of covers, including songs from Soundgarden, Alice in Chains, and, of course, Black Sabbath. 

I liked that LP enough that I did some poking around to learn more about them, and in the course of my research I uncovered this NPR Tiny Desk Concert they did just over a year ago.  They did three songs from their 2018 acoustic EP "Inconsolable".  Apparently part of their discography is dedicated to exploring different sub-genres that connect to primary sound.  I certainly don't have a full command of their canon, but this particular concert (and the EP from which it draws) invites comparisons to slow-core bands like Codeine and Low. 



Bonus link: "Inconsolable" EP
Second bonus link: a live set from 2019-03-29, with some of the same songs as above but done in their usual (i.e., much heavier) idiom. 

Godspeed You! Black Emperor - "F♯ A♯ ∞" (LP Review)

Godspeed You! Black Emperor is a Canadian musical collective that I first learned of from Herbert, probably 20 years ago.  Their genre is broadly "post-rock", but "atmospheric" and "soundtrack" are equally descriptive as well.  I listened to their 1998 debut LP "F♯ A♯ ∞" (F-sharp, A-sharp, Infinity) again recently, and no matter how often I listen to it, I'm always moved by its power and scale.

I could try to describe it further, but instead I'm going to steal a line from Gordon Krieger, who described the LP as a "slow soundtrack of regret and desire, equal parts morose and expectant."

Stand out songs: All.  There are individual tracks, but listen to the entire LP for the full effect.

Skip 'em songs: none.

Final score: 10/10.  This is a genre-defining LP.