The Record That Changed My Life: Tony Iommi on THE SHADOWS / GREATEST HITS

Two albums have changed my life forever. About one I have already spoken very often: the recordings of the french Jazz musician Django Reinhardt, who was capable of virtuoso top performances on the guitar despite his completely mutilated hand. That gave me the courage to continue my music career at the time when I lost two fingertips in an accident I had with 17.

But I already had the desire to play in a rock band and make music my life’s purpose before that. It was born by The Shadows, an instrumental band from near London. The energy they unleashed in their tracks without vocals was transferred directly into me. I just owned a Best-of-LP by them, bought from my pocket money, but in restrospect that was no bad choice. Because if you could accuse the Shadows of anything, it was that their albums, like the albums of the early 60s, consisted of a few hits and a lot of filler material. But Greatest Hits contained my two favorite songs Apache and Wonderful Land– plus a lot of other great stuff. But I tell it how it is: without The Shadows and their guitarist Hank Marvin as idol, my playing might have developed into a completely other direction, and Black Sabbath would not have been the band it became. I have met the Shadows personally, when we had already been succesful for a while. I thanked them for the music, and they replied : “What? You are thanking us? False world!” And I said: “No, just right”.

by Tony Iommi

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