>Widely considered to be the greatest guitarist of his generation—and maybe of all time..<p>Seriously? Methinks messrs Hendrix, Clapton, Gilmour, etc. might have something to say about tht.<p>I'm sure Eddie Van Halen was a very technically gifted guitarist indeed. But I always lumped him in with the likes of Steve Vai etc. ie. the <i>"Never mind that it sounds like a pinball machine falling down a flight of stairs. Just marvel at how many notes he can play in a second!"</i> school of guitaring. Impressive feats of prestidigitation but no soul to it.