Van Halen

Imagine a world where rock guitar is just… fine. No dive bombs, no finger-tapping fireworks, no electrified, Frankenstein'd guitars. That bleak alternate universe is one where Eddie Van Halen never existed-and frankly, we don't want to live there.

Eddie Van Halen didn’t just play the guitar; he reprogrammed it. Before him, guitarists were content shredding in the slow lane, but Eddie came along, floored the gas pedal, and turned rock ‘n’ roll into a turbocharged, high-voltage thrill ride. His playing on Van Halen’s 1978 debut was so jaw-dropping that listeners were convinced he was using some kind of black magic (spoiler: it was just absurd talent and a lot of practice).