When Van Halen released their self-titled debut album in early 1978, they came out with a bang. The album solidified their status as rising icons in the world of rock music, while one particular track made history thanks to Eddie Van Halen‘s guitar playing.
The song “Eruption,” which debuted on the album, is an instrumental track centering around a guitar solo from Eddie. In the song, Eddie used a unique two-handed tapping technique that completely changed rock. The technique wasn’t that well-known before this song, but after it came out, it became a mainstream favorite for many rock musicians.
“Eruption” was also an unique pick for the band’s album, and it almost didn’t make the cut. In an interview with Guitar World in 1996, Eddie recalled how it all came to be. He said, “The whole story behind Eruption is unusual. It wasn’t even supposed to be on the album.”
Eddie described going to the recording studio a little early one day while Van Halen was working on the album. He wanted to use the time to practice a guitar solo for an upcoming gig at a club. But then the band’s producer, Ted Templeman, heard it.
“He asked, ‘What’s that? Let’s put it on tape!’ So I took one pass at it, and they put it on the record,” said Eddie. “I didn’t even play it right. There’s a mistake at the top end of it. To this day, whenever I hear it, I always think, ‘Man, I could’ve played it better.'”
“Eruption” has no lyrics and wasn’t a single for Van Halen, but it made a huge impact despite this. Along with how it got other guitarists to learn the two-handed tapping technique, it is still regarded as one of the best guitar solos of all time.
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The song is often included on lists of the best guitar solos in music history, with Guitar World ranking “Eruption” at No. 2 on its list. The publication said of the song, “No one had heard anything as groundbreaking since the days of Jimi Hendrix.”
“The tapping gets the attention, but the tone, blistering legato, and creative note choices are all equally important,” the entry went on. “Amid all that virtuosity, Eddie still played with joyous rock ’n’ roll abandon. It makes his playing appeal to people who never listen to shred instrumentals.”
Now almost 50 years after “Eruption” was first released, the legendary guitar track from Van Halen is still a true smash hit, beloved by fans and well-respected by musicians.
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