Eruption (song)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| "Eruption" | ||
|---|---|---|
 |
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| Song by Van Halen | ||
| from the album Van Halen | ||
| Released | February 10, 1978 | |
| Recorded | 1977 | |
| Genre | Instrumental Rock | |
| Length | 1:42 | |
| Label | Warner Bros. | |
| Writer(s) | Eddie Van Halen | |
| Producer(s) | Ted Templeman | |
| Van Halen track listing | ||
| Runnin' With the Devil (1) |
"Eruption" (2) |
You Really Got Me (3) |
"Eruption" is an instrumental by Van Halen from their first album Van Halen (1978 — now often called "Van Halen I" by fans). Written and performed by Eddie Van Halen, this electric guitar solo is considered one of the most influential instrumentals of all time, appearing on many 'greatest guitar solos' lists, including a recent Guitar World poll.[1] It is 1 minute 42 seconds long.
After a short intro with brother Alex Van Halen on drums and Michael Anthony on bass, the solo takes off unaccompanied in a barrage of scales, bends, and "dive bombs" (extreme use of a whammy bar). The highlight of the solo is the use of "tapping" — both hands on the neck of the guitar to produce rapid arpeggios, resembling a Baroque organ fugue more than a guitar. A phaser, 1950s Gibson humbucker pickup, 1960s Marshall tube amp, tape-driven Echoplex, Univox echo box, and studio plate reverb helped define the distinctive tone of the track. Eruption is in 1/2-step down tuning and begins in the key of A flat, then moves around. Some brief sections are difficult to pin to a specific key. It ends on a cycling low E flat (twelfth fret harmonic with the Univox echo box kicked in, dived an octave lower by manipulation of the Echoplex controls), and is followed by a cover of The Kinks song You Really Got Me in the key of A flat.
Eruption was the first prominent appearance of several innovative and well-honed techniques, earning Van Halen the unofficial status of "guitar god", cementing the band's future success, and influencing countless future guitarists and bands. Legend has it that the piece was originally Eddie's improvised stage warmup, which producer Ted Templeman heard and asked him to record. "Spanish Fly", an acoustic instrumental on Van Halen II, can be viewed as somewhat of a nylon-string version of Eruption, expanding on similar techniques. Similarly, it was suggested by Templeman for inclusion on the album after he heard Eddie Van Halen goofing around on classical guitar at a party.
When performing live before the release of their first album, Eddie would place his back to the audience to prevent other guitarists from stealing "his" technique. His brother Alex had warned him that other guitarists would "rob him blind" if his tricks were exposed before a major album release. Afterward he was indeed emulated by millions, but was comfortable displaying his techniques once credit had been firmly established on vinyl.
In March 2005, Q magazine placed "Eruption" at number 29 in its list of the 100 Greatest Guitar Tracks. A music critic praised "Eruption" once by labelling it "The Soundtrack to World War III"
