10 Greatest Eddie Van Halen Guitar Moments
4. Little Guitars - Diver Down
When it comes to the Roth era of Van Halen, Diver Down tends to get voted as the least favorite by many fans. With most of the track listing being half filled with cover songs, the entire record feels like it was a rush job rather than a grand artistic statement from one of the greatest hard rock bands ever. It might be short on original material, but when it does shine, the results are almost blinding.
On its own, "Little Guitars" is a pretty decent delve into the poppier side of rock, but the way Eddie sets everything up is more than most guitarists could muster. Seeing how the song has illusions to Spanish music, Eddie puts a flamenco spin on his traditional playing by having a droning high string endlessly repeating as he frets bass notes on the lower strings. For as many times as people say he has four hands, this was the closest example of Eddie sounding like two guitar players at once.
Even when the song eventually kicks in, the riff is one of his most creative passages, as he uses the volume switch to make every chord sound like its being hammered into your brain. Diver Down might be a passable entry for the band's golden years, but you're doing yourself a disservice if you don't give this song a chance.