10 Amazing Rock Songs That Artists Hated Recording
2. Diver Down - Van Halen
Even on some of the best albums in rock history, there can be a few bits of filler in between the classics. Though there are definitely some records that are flawless from cover to cover, you can't expect every single song on an album to reinvent the wheel in some different way. And when it came time to make a throwaway album, Van Halen didn't really seem to try.
Because as it stands, Diver Down is a record that didn't really need to get made. Around the time that the tour for Fair Warning wrapped up, the band were absolutely exhausted and needed some time off before working on the next record. While David Lee Roth thought it would be a good idea to knock out a cover song to keep the fans wanting more, their label got antsy and demanded that they make a full album immediately.
And that's exactly what we got on Diver Down: an album of songs. Compared to the more bombastic moments on other Van Halen records, this entire thing sounds like it was rushed, with half of it being filled out with cover songs and leftovers that the band had laying around for the past few years. Of all of the great albums that came out of the Roth-fronted Van Halen, this is one of the only times where the band actually sounds like they don't want to be there.