10 Greatest Eddie Van Halen Guitar Moments

For as big as Van Halen was in the mid '80s, fans were shellshocked when David Lee Roth announced they he would be departing from the group. Even if things were looking up after the band drafted Sammy Hagar, how would they hold up after losing one of the most charismatic frontmen of all time? It's not an easy feat...but if anyone could make it work, it was Eddie.

Though 5150 is a savage record from front to back, the real energy comes in during the song "Best of Both Worlds," which shows the band returning to their heavier side. From the way Hagar sings the chorus to the swinging groove running throughout the track, this amount of kickass could give Led Zeppelin a run for their money. Hagar might be the new kid on the block, but the rolling assault that Eddie gives the listener is more than worth the price of admission.

The band would eventually have many more years with Hagar behind the mic, but this was the first time the Van Hagar lineup created a masterpiece. Roth may have been integral to the band's success in the early days, but by the time the '80s kicked into high gear, Eddie had grown into a well-oiled riff machine.