Angus Clark is an expert of all things Tony Iommi, and he has the gear to prove it! The Trans-Siberian Orchestra and Rock of Ages guitarist shows us a couple sweet Iommi tribute SGs as he walks us through Black Sabbath’s discography, breaking down Iommi’s vocabulary, sound, and gear, and how Iommi created some of the most identifiable riffs in all of rock. Angus is plugged in and ready to go, so we get to hear some of the moves in action—including how loose, light gauge strings create the signature Sabbath sound, how it encouraged some parts of Iommi’s lead moves.
Guitarist John McLaughlin’s career has been long and winding. From his early solo records and work with Miles Davis, he possessed a unique approach to the guitar that encompassed jazz and rock vocabulary, played with a biting tone and stellar, virtuosic technique. He’s never stopped developing, and we’re covering our favorite highlights of McLaughlin’s career: his acoustic (and later electric) take on Indian music with Shakti, his more traditional jazz projects, and much more.
There are lots of listening highlights in this episode and we’ve covered as much as we can: Mahavishnu Orchestra’s first two records are undisputable; Tony Williams Lifetime’s Emergency may be the birth of fusion guitar; McLaughlin’s mid-career studies in Indian music are inspiring; his take on Coltrane in an organ-jazz setting is monumental. But we could still cover a whole other episode’s worth.
