From UltimateClassicRock.com:
Guitar wunderkind Eddie Van Halen is undoubtedly one of the most important rock musicians of the last 35 years. Beginning with Van Halen‘s 1978 debut, he virtually single-handedly re-invented the entire rock guitar lexicon with his blend of tone, technique and sheer musicality. The legendary axeman is most celebrated for his hard rock influence — especially his two-handed approach to “fingertapping,” a technique in which Van Halen uses the fingers of his right hand to fret notes on the neck of the guitar, which allows him to phrase passages very rapidly without the limitations of a pick. But he is also an exceptional rhythm player and songwriter whose playing encompasses a wide range of styles — as we’ll see in our list of the Top 10 Eddie Van Halen Guitar Solos.
10) ‘Spanish Fly’ – ‘Van Halen II’ (1979)
9) ‘Mean Street’ – Fair Warning’ (1981)
8) ‘Dance the Night Away’ – ‘Van Halen II’ (1979)
7)’Runnin’ With the Devil’ – ‘Van Halen’ (1978)
6) ‘Jump’ – ‘1984’ (1984)
5) ‘Ice Cream Man’ – ‘Van Halen’ (1978)
4) ‘Cathedral’ – ‘Diver Down’ (1982)
3) ‘Hot for Teacher’ – ‘1984’ (1984)
2) ‘Beat It’ – Michael Jackson, ‘Thriller’ (1982)
1) ‘Eruption’– ‘Van Halen’ (1978)
To read why they picked each solo, check out the full article on UltimateClassicRock.com.
What’s Your Favorite Eddie Van Halen Solo?
This is a great, diverse list of the Top 10 Eddie Van Halen Guitar Solos, but you could conceivably include almost every track the guitarist has ever recorded. What solos do you think should have been here that aren’t? Or maybe there are songs here that you think shouldn’t be? Let us know in the comments section below!