Forgot to mention that we were standing next to Chef Tom Colicchio at Bruce… I kept telling my brother to tell him he was hungry! I will always remember the meal my brother and I had at Gramercy Tavern… this was a long time ago, when Tom was still there and LONG before he was famous… Everything was perfect!!! It was one of those meals that will just stay with me!
So I am still in New Jersey… and off to NYC later and then Citi Field for the first time tonight… Yes, the Mets stink and my brother says that the stadium is cluttered with more advertising than a minor league park, but we are both excited to go.
Will also be seeing my buddy Jason… yes, Jason with the boombox from my teen tour… Haven’t seen each other in 25 years!!! And my frat brother, old roommate and great pal Barry… aka Myron!
So… what would be a good Friday listen? Has to be some classic rock… has to be something we all like…
This is a band who Jason really introduced me to… and who Barry and I went to see in Chicago… Perfect!
Van Halen – Diver Down
I have already done Van Halen… and while Van Halen II is probably my favorite and yet to be done, I was angling for something from the ’80s… that left me with 1984 and Diver Down to really dig into…
So why this one??? Simple… the first song that popped into my head and probably my favorite VH tune is “Little Guitars”.
After that about ten Van Halen songs popped into my head… like a jukebox gone wild… but this was my first instinct.
I love Fair Warning, but agree with AllMusic that it is dark…
“Fair Warning was such a dark, intense record that Van Halen almost had no choice but to lighten up on their next album, and 1982′s Diver Down is indeed much lighter than its predecessor. In many ways, it’s a return to the early albums, heavy on covers and party anthems, but where those records were rough and exuberant — they felt like the work of the world’s best bar band just made good, which is, of course, kind of what they were — this is undoubtedly the work of a finely honed band who has only grown tighter and heavier since their debut.”
I wanted something light and fun today. It’s a bit gloomy here and while the sun supposedly will be breaking through, I figured why not break it through myself by cranking up some tunes…
So Jason and Barry and my brother Dan who is schlepping me into the city in his day off… this one is for you!!!
I also send this out to Mark L… who loves Van Halen as much as I love Bruce!
And finally, I would like to dedicate this to Junior Seau… may you find the peace you could not find here… and Mariano Rivera, for a quick healing and perhaps a retirement on your own terms… If any of you Yankees haters… and you know who you are… say anything negative or rude about this, I will disown and un-friend you. The man is a total class act, a future Hall of Famer… and an athlete of extraordinary ability!!!
While it was with Sammy Hagar, Barry and I saw VH at the Rosemont Horizons with BTO as the opener… Bachman Turner Overdrive… although at that point, we were calling them Bachman Turner Overweight… Ah, kids…
Sammy was fine and fun, and they put out some great music with him, too… but there is nothing like Diamond Dave, the nice Jewish boy, running around with leather chaps and holes for his butt cheeks to hang out from!!!
AllMusic continues… “As a band, they might be tight, but Diver Down is anything but tight. It’s a downright mess, barely clocking in at 31 minutes, cobbled together out of five covers, two minute-long instrumentals, and five new songs. By most measures, this should be the kind of slop that’s difficult to muddle through, but it’s not: it’s one of Van Halen’s best records, one that’s just pure joy to hear.”
And it is… one of my favorite party platters! And for the record… after the album played I went back and listened to “Little Guitars”, intro and all, four times in a row!!!
From Jersey to California and back… Rock you boys from Pasadena, rock!!!
