Is it any wonder that there is so much electric guitar iconography involving Eddie Van Halen? The hair, the Frankenstrat, the solos... you get the idea. One of true few needs-no-introduction players of the instrument, Van Halen's cultural impact on electric guitar is something that cannot be overstated. A confluence of technical skill, musical ingenuity, and once-in-a-lifetime cultural circumstance catapulted Van Halen to mythical status. Is there rock guitar without Eddie Van Halen? For generations of wired, hyper, Stratocaster knockoff-wielding kids, the answer is a resounding "No."
The Origin Story
It's no surprise that Van Halen still occupies a spot on so many guitarists' marquee of "The Greats." The eighties were a different time for guitar, and if we could accurately quantify such a time's cultural essence, we might not have to rely so greatly on metaphor. The science isn't quite there yet, so rely we shall. The high-octane eighties served a symbiotic relationship with Van Halen. Eventually becoming something of a the-chicken-or-the-egg conundrum, the line between the decade's drive for bigger, louder, and faster, and Van Halen's apparent affinity for delivering it would eventually blur. How much of the hype behind eighties electric guitar is Van Halen's doing? How much of the time influenced Van Halen? Again, not easy to quantify.
The Secret Sauce
There is reason why Van Halen is one of the proverbial guitar heroes – and it might partially have to do with why he is something of a bittersweet blessing to guitarists even to this day. Van Halen knew to start with the fireworks. The first Van Halen album starts with a bang. How many first guitars did "Eruption" sell? How many dollar bills changed hands over late '70s guitar lessons after that solo hit wax? How many student and teacher duos sat in a still silence over the revelation that you don't start with that solo? How many dreams died right then and there? How many players persisted?
Our Call
We can't quantify these metrics, though we absolutely do have the answers. It's apparent that leagues of young guitarists carried on past that initial "Teach me to play that solo." When the guitar teachers of 1978 and onward denied their pupils the fast-track to guitar heroism, that "No" must have stuck with them – so much so that decades later, when asked if there is rock guitar without Eddie Van Halen, you have an army of lifelong guitarists who will repeat the same one-word answer.