15 Greatest Classic Rock Guitar Solos
2. Eruption - Van Halen
Van Halen's 1978 eponymous debut album is one of the finest of the entire hard rock genre. Jam-packed full of memorable singles such as "Runnin' With The Devil", "Ain't Talking 'Bout Love" and the band's take on Kinks' classic "You Really Got Me".
Amongst all these remarkable songs, "Eruption" still manages to stand out as a true testament to the guitar-playing prowess of Eddie Van Halen. The track serves to introduce Eddie's revolutionary style of guitar playing and technique to the listener, which to those listening for the first time in 1978, must have been an absolutely mind-blowing experience.
Clocking at just under two minutes, the entire song is just one epic guitar solo, as Eddie rushes through a litany of different speeds, keys and tapping techniques to create an entirely unique solo that would have been unlike anything heard before this album was released.
The release of Van Halen's debut album was a landslide moment for the rock genre, and served to spearhead the rise of an insane number of hair metal bands of the 1980's.
Eddie Van Halen's work on this track spawned a generation of new guitar players attempting to learn how to tap (with varying degrees of success).