1978 Rock Classic Named Among Greatest Guitar Solos of All Time - And It Still Rocks

The list of greatest guitarists of all time wouldn't be complete without Eddie Van Halen's name written in pen - perhaps permanent marker.

The man delivered a number of the greatest guitar solos of all time, like his addition to Michael Jackson's Beat It. However, his greatest work may have come from a routine warm-up he did for live shows.

Rolling Stone ranked Van Halen's Eruption at No. 5 on the list of the greatest guitar solos of all time.

"Nearly a half century after Van Halen released their self-titled debut, it's almost impossible to conceive of the impact that the album's second track, a minute and 42 second guitar solo aptly named Eruption, had on the course of guitar history," Rolling Stone wrote.

"Eddie Van Halen's succinct statement of purpose, with its revolutionary use of two-handed tapping, total mastery of the whammy bar, blinding speed, and rich, overdriven tone - he referred to it as the 'brown sound' - establishing the lexicon for a new generation of guitarists."

'Eruption' Was Last-Minute Addition to 'Van Halen'

The guitarist revealed Eruption wasn't initially planned to be part of the band's titular album.

"I had the basic riffs to the song. And my guitar solo, Eruption, wasn't really planned to be on the record," he revealed. "Me and Al were dickin' around rehearsing for a show we had to do at the Whiskey, so I was warming up, you know, practicing my solo, and Ted walks in. He goes, 'Hey, what's that?' I go, 'That's a little solo thing I do live.' He goes, 'Hey, it's great. Put it on the record.'"

While recognized as one of the greatest guitar solos of all time, Van Halen wasn't pleased with a mistake he made during production.

"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,'" he said.

Related: 1976 Rock Hit Named Among Greatest Guitar Solos of All Time - And It Still Rocks

This story was originally published by Men's Journal on Jun 13, 2026, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Men's Journal as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

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This story was originally published June 12, 2026 at 10:43 PM.