10 Greatest Eddie Van Halen Guitar Moments

10. Panama - 1984

To kick things off, this is known primarily as one of Van Halen's biggest hits. From being used in countless movies to being the ultimate party anthem in the '80s, a lot of up and coming guitar players get their first exposure to Van Halen through "Panama." Though Eddie's lead work is not as flashy on here as some of his other cuts, there's something uncanny going on with his rhythm playing.

For as often as he tore up the fretboard with one lick after another, the entire intro of the song shows of Eddie's technical finesse when it came to locking in with his brother Alex. The tempo might be at a laid back groove for Van Halen, but the way he adds the rhythmic accents with machine-like precision is something that no other artist was doing at the time.

Hell, he even finds time in between the riffs to add subtle hints of craziness, from using a dive bomb to turning the sound of guitar harmonic screeches into a hook before plowing through the chorus. The solo isn't too shabby either, as Eddie adds tasteful uses of tapping into the mix that serve to complete a melodic phrase rather than make someone's jaw drop. Some people tend to think it's all about playing fast to achieve guitar greatness, but Eddie was already a god just playing simple chords.