music.wikisort.org - Composition

"Eruption" is an instrumental rock[1] guitar solo performed by Eddie Van Halen. It is widely considered one of the greatest guitar solos of all time, having popularized tapping.[3][4] It segues into a cover of the Kinks' "You Really Got Me" on the album Van Halen, and the two songs are usually played together by radio stations and in concert. The song was later included as the B-side to the group's second single, "Runnin' with the Devil".

"Eruption"
Instrumental by Van Halen
from the album Van Halen
Released	1978 (1978)
Recorded	1977
Genre	Instrumental rock[1] hard rock[2]
Length	1:42
Label	Warner Bros.
Composer(s)	Michael Anthony David Lee Roth Eddie Van Halen Alex Van Halen
Producer(s)	Ted Templeman

Composition and recording

This section does not cite any sources. (August 2021)

"Eruption" starts with a short accompanied intro with Alex Van Halen on drums and Michael Anthony on bass. The highlight of the solo is the use of two-handed tapping. "Eruption" was played on the Frankenstrat, with an MXR Phase 90, an Echoplex, a Univox echo unit and a 1968 Marshall 1959 Super Lead tube amp. The Sunset Sound studio reverb room was also used to add reverb. The Frankenstrat was tuned down a half-step. "Eruption" begins in the key of A flat and ends on an E flat note that is a twelfth fret, 6th string harmonic processed through a Univox EC-80 echo unit.

Inspiration

The "Eruption" introduction is based on the "Let Me Swim" introduction by Cactus.[5] After the intro, an E-flat major quotation of the "Etude No. 2" by Rodolphe Kreutzer is heard. The end section begins with a series of rapid two-handed tapping triads that have a classical like structure and eventually finishes with a repeated classical cadence followed by sound effects generated by a Univox EC-80 echo unit.[1]

The piece that would later be named "Eruption" had existed as part of Van Halen's stage act at least as far back as 1975, when it featured no tapping.[6]^{[better source needed]} Although one-handed tapping (hammer-ons and pull-offs) was standard guitar technique, "Eruption" introduced two-handed tapping to the mainstream popular rock audience, and it was a popular soloing option throughout the 1980s.

Initially, "Eruption" was not considered as a track for the Van Halen album as it was just a guitar solo Eddie performed live in the clubs. But Ted Templeman overheard it in the studio as Eddie was rehearsing it for a club date at the Whisky a Go Go and decided to include it on the album. Eddie recalled, "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.'"[7]

"Spanish Fly", an acoustic guitar solo on Van Halen II, can be viewed as 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 playing a classical guitar. In March 2005, Q magazine placed "Eruption" at number 29 in its list of the 100 Greatest Guitar Tracks. "Eruption" has been named the 2nd greatest guitar solo by Guitar World magazine.[8] Chuck Klosterman of Vulture.com named it the best Van Halen song, noting "if you love Van Halen, this is what you love, and you can listen to it a thousand times without diminishing returns."[9]

Personnel

• Eddie Van Halen – electric guitar
• Michael Anthony – bass
• Alex Van Halen – drums

Accolades

Publication	Country	Accolade	Year	Rank
Guitar World	United States	100 Greatest Guitar Solos	2009	2[8]
Q	United Kingdom	100 Greatest Guitar Tracks	2005	29[10]
Rolling Stone	United States	100 Greatest Guitar Tracks	2008	6[11]

References

Further reading

• Templeman, Ted; Renoff, Greg (2020). Ted Templeman: A Platinum Producer's Life In Music. Toronto: ECW Press. pp. 237–9. ISBN 9781770414839. OCLC 1121143123.
• Van Halen Guitar Anthology. Van Nuys, California: Alfred. 2006. pp. 11–14. ISBN 9780897246729. OCLC 605214049.

External links

• Eddie Van Halen Guitar Player 1980 Interview

На других языках

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- [en] Eruption (instrumental)

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[es] Eruption (canción)

Eruption es una canción instrumental de Van Halen de su primer álbum, Van Halen, escrito y realizado por Eddie Van Halen. Este solo de guitarra eléctrica es considerado uno de los instrumentales de rock más influyentes de todos los tiempos. El solo de esta canción es considerado como el 2º mejor solo según Guitar World, y el más difícil según Rolling Stone.

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[ru] Eruption (композиция)

Eruption (с англ. — «Извержение») — инструментальная композиция-гитарное соло[2] из одноименного альбома в исполнении Эдди Ван Халена, группы Van Halen. Она широко считается одним из величайших гитарных соло всех времен, популяризировав тэппинг.[3][4] Она переходит в "You Really Got Me" на альбоме Van Halen, и эти две песни обычно исполняются вместе радиостанциями и на концертах. Позже эта песня была включена в качестве стороны Б ко второму синглу группы, Runnin’ with the Devil.

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