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COMPETELYRANDOMPHOTOOF THE MONTH
July 25, 2007: Geezer Butler [sitting] and Tony Iommi share a moment at Rockfield Studios in Wales during the recording sessions for Heaven & Hell’s only studio album, 2009’s The Devil You Know. The album, which spawned “Bible Black,” “Atom and Evil” and “Breaking into Heaven,” also stars drummer Vinny Appice and vocalist Ronnie James Dio (1942-2010). “Getting back together with Ronnie this time is a totally different thing,” Iommi told GW’s Chris Gill in late 2008. “We give and take a lot more all around. If you become too stubborn in these things, they don’t last. It just blows to pieces. We definitely realize that this is it. We’ve dropped all of our egos and we’re getting on with it. It’s been great this time.” — D.F.
Nice Eric Clapton tribute, but what’s with his getup?
Thank you so much for the in-depth coverage of one of the truly greatest influences on electric blues and rock guitarists the world over (including myself), Eric Clapton [February 2024]. The long-overdue coverage more than makes up for E.C.’s general absence from these pages. From “Clapton is God” to “a yacht-rock-leaning softy” who “mainly provided records to use as white noise for lazy drives through the countryside,” Guitar Worldlays it out, thoroughly detailing, from a guitarist’s perspective, one of the longest musical careers ever. But perhaps the most amazing thing of all is that cover photo. Please, you’ve got to tell me — when and where did he appear onstage in that getup? And more importantly, why?
— Mike Trehus [Editor’s note: According to some online research, Michael Putland’s cover photo was shot June 29, 1974, at the Spectrum in Philadelphia. Sadly, that only takes care of the “when” and the “where”! — DF]
David Sinclair’s opening paragraph on Eric Clapton changing and basically upgrading today’s guitar approach in 1966 — and E.C. being in denial in the Seventies — is an historical fact to me. Sinclair made a righteous statement. Young guitarists only seem to know “Cocaine” or “Layla” (both fine playing, no doubt), but E.C.’s marriage of a Marshall amp with a Gibson Les Paul changed everything (along with his smooth vibrato). Also I believe he did the same thing with his Brownie Strat in (the 1st/2nd position) with his first solo album and with Derek and the Dominos. And just think about how Clapton revolutionized the “vintage guitar era”! Also, Clapt
