“It takes a lot to beat this solo. Fire, technique, structure - it’s got everything you could want. Plus, there’s the tapping. Like a lot of people, I’d never heard tapping before Eddie Van Halen did it. What a mind-blower! I was like, ’What’s this guy doing?’ It was revolutionary.

“But the best thing about Eruption is the sense of freedom you feel when you hear it. To this day, it gives me chills. It’s pure rock expression. You don’t sense the thought that went into creating it; it simply exists, like the sun or the moon. When I heard it for the first time, all I could say was, ’Fuck, man. Thank you!’ That’s how good it made me feel… and still does.”

Listen: Van Halen - Eruption (solo by Eddie Van Halen)