Eric Johnson was “the perfect guitarist you’ve by no means heard of” when his first album, Tones, debuted halfway by way of a decade of guitar music distinguished by Van Halen, Morse, Malmsteen, and Satriani. His follow-up, Ah By way of Musicom, transcended rock excellence. Beautiful instrumentalist, imaginative composer, and savvy songwriter, Johnson channelled an array of kinds, proving it artistically and commercially viable on a single opus.
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Although his virtuosity was simple, Johnson’s artistry was refined. He blended fusion chops and blues-rock with jazz, nation, psychedelic, people, electronica, and world-music tangents – with out artifice or contrivance. I just lately reconnected with Eric to replicate on Musicom as he assembled a brand new document.

Musicom provided 11 originals – seven instrumentals and 4 vocal songs. With major engineer Richard Mullen (of SRV fame), E.J. recorded between March ’88 and June ’89 at a number of Austin studios together with Riverside Sound, Saucer One, Arlyn, and Studio Seven. He sang lead, performed guitars, lap metal, and piano, credited different musicians as co-arrangers; his rhythm part of Tommy Taylor (drums) and Kyle Brock (bass) was augmented by visitor bassist Roscoe Beck, keyboardist Steve Barber, percussionists Paul Bissell and James Fenner, and backing singer Jody Lazo. E.J. was concerned in mixing with Mullen in Texas and Michael Frondelli at Sandcastle, in L.A., and mastering with Bernie Grundman.

“I labored laborious on the album,” he mentioned. “It was throughout a time whenever you needed to show your self and I used to be being pulled in several instructions. I produced it myself with no earlier credit; one other producer would possibly’ve finished it in every week, however I took a 12 months. I principally recorded the album twice, however I did lots of demos that had been developed alongside the way in which.”

Eric’s exemplary tone resulted from years of honing approach and refining gear. Reflecting his stay rig, he employed Fender Twin Reverbs for clear tones (often compressed), his Dumble Metal-String Singer for semi-clean, and three paths for distortion – a Marshall 100-watt stack with Tube Driver (major lead), and a Tube Screamer or FuzzFace into the Dumble. Manufacturing concerned experimenting with mic varieties and placement, in addition to studio elements. Surprisingly, he most well-liked a lower-tech Panasonic Ramsa board for distorted guitar monitoring.

“It’s akin to a easy hand-wired tube amplifier that has a greater, purer tone when pushed to the restrict, for distortion but additionally clear. I recorded Musicom at Riverside Sound which had an MCI 16-track Ramsa 8816 console, Lexicon reverb, and low cost digital delay – that’s it! I bought higher tone there than in fancier studios everywhere in the world. One other issue was Richard, an ideal guitarist who actually is aware of find out how to get a tone.”

Launched March 20, 1990, Musicom loved heavy AOR rotation and yielded 4 Prime 40 singles; “Cliffs of Dover” reached #5, garnering a Grammy for Greatest Rock Instrumental Efficiency. Eric reunited with Taylor and Brock to carry out a stay model of Musicom in 2019.

“Cliffs of Dover” is a definitive piece in Johnson’s repertoire. Fusion-informed shred chops and blues-rock ferocity collide within the intro, a type of Mahavishnu-meets-Hendrix affair. He develops hexatonic/pentatonic mixtures in odd groupings attribute of basic fusion and mixes them with blues-based licks distinguished by wailing string bends. The atypical open-voiced arpeggio shapes in measures 4-6 are completely distinctive; performed as lead licks that develop from his software of expanded concord past typical triads. The ensuing wider unfold intervals along with Johnson’s singing, violin-like tone (overdriven Marshall with emphasis on bass/mid frequencies) epitomize extraordinary components of his lead sound.

The title observe, Johnson’s Hendrix-inspired soundscape, locations his guitar in a system of managed chaostantamount to yin-yang of Japanese philosophy. Underscoring sonic duality, E.J.’s fuzz-guitar yin segues instantly into the singing, violinistic yang of “Dover.”

“As soon as I made a decision ‘Cliffs’ was the opening track, I did the edit. It was a jam from halfway within the classes that occurred to get on tape. I used to be on the lookout for one thing to start out the document – some sort of loopy sound impact. I flipped the tape over and began overdubbing on the reversed observe. Some guitar is backward, some ahead. Then, I took a short-wave radio and flew in several frequencies and other people speaking on the air.”

“Cliffs of Dover” established E.J. with mainstream audiences. The landmark instrumental successor to “Zap” (Tones) had a bumpy begin. Surprisingly, a few of his most beloved traces just like the pedal-tone theme (0:56) struck execs as harking back to a game-show ditty. “It’s an older track I began writing earlier than Tones. I recorded an earlier model however the consensus was to omit it. It matured through the years, bought higher in orchestration, and got here to fruition by ’88. An instrumental depends on inspiration; ‘Cliffs’ has lots of improvisation and wanted a really impressed take. The unique model was not as convincing and didn’t get a lot curiosity, besides from Jeffrey Shane at Capitol, who liked the track and did all the things he might to make it a success. The combo was okay, although somewhat bass-heavy and boring, however Bernie made it sonically a lot better. It’s a Karmic factor; the universe conspired to make it occur. I used my ’59 sunburst ES-335.”

The remainder of the album was recorded with “Virginia,” Eric’s ’54 Strat with sassafras physique completed in sunburst with a DiMarzio HS-2 bridge pickup (stacked humbucker wired single-coil), and flattened fretboard with jumbo frets.

The primary vocal tune, “Desert Rose,” is a power-pop piece within the atypical key of Ab with distorted/clear guitar layering, a driving riff, and a solo with characteristically distinctive guitar maneuvers.

“That was written simply earlier than Musicom. I used to be writing lots of tunes then and this was one of many strongest. We carried out it earlier than crowds and it all the time bought a very good response. I co-wrote it with Vince Mariani. I used to be in his group, Mariani, after I was 13. Actually, he turned me on to Wes Montgomery.”

“Excessive Landrons,” a metaphor for increased consciousness, reached #31. Suggesting connections to Chaldean and Pythagorean numerology, the vocal rock quantity in Eb tuning boasts R&B undertones, colourful orchestration with sitar guitar, lap-steel, piano, uncommon results (excessive flanging), and a prolonged outro solo (3:24-5:40).

“That one simply got here to me. I wished to do a ‘Home Burning Down’ Hendrix-type factor. It was fairly a chore; I used to be utilizing two flangers crisscrossing one another and phase-cancelling on the zero level. In these days we didn’t have a plethora of flangers, so I did lots of adjusting. To protect the settings, I didn’t flip them off after I went dwelling. I spent a number of days getting issues proper for the solo.”

“Steve’s Boogie” reveals Johnson’s nation and Western-swing roots. His method is past genuine on this uptempo cooker, but presents an unique expression. Hybrid selecting approach, indigenous to the style, coupled with considered right-hand muting on open A notes and unmistakable Tele twang, provide the requisite snappy chicken-picked assault a la Albert Lee, James Burton, and Jerry Reed to the dyad-based fundamental riff (measures 4-7). His solo in 9 units the hayride aflame with fleet single-note traces largely of major-pentatonic character adorned with tasty string bends and slurs. He trades with Steve Henning on this part – indicated by the 4-bar relaxation in 13 – and closes with double-stop riffing and a spirited nation cadence.

“Steve’s Boogie” is an instrumental nation romp on a 24-bar blues in A with visitor Steve Henning and E.J. on a Telecaster. Its genuine Western-swing really feel is enlivened with emblematic double-stop riffing, unabashed guitar twang, and hustling cut-time tempo.

“I wrote it throughout the classes so Steve would play on it, and I borrowed the Telecaster from a pal. We did lots of takes. Jerry Reed was an enormous affect – a tremendous participant forward of his time with the chicken-pickin’ stuff. Steve performed the primary solo, I’m second (1:34), and he’s buying and selling with me on the finish. On the time, he was utilizing a pedal guitar, a six-string electrical with an enormous wire. You’ll be able to hear the pedal pulling the strings.”

The shuffling blues-rock instrumental “Trademark,” reached #7. Bearing a very catchy theme of singable blues licks and partial chords, it comprises Johnsonisms within the deft improvisations, fascinating observe decisions, scale-blending, intervallic traces, inimitable phrasing, and lovely tone. Eric cites the solo (3:29) as a favourite guitar sound. Initially thinner and brighter, he and Mullen EQ’d the guitar to be cello-like, greater and hotter.

“I had ‘Trademark’ a 12 months earlier than Musicom. It began as a melody we jammed on and developed organically, resulting in different concepts for overdubs. I reduce the solo stay. It has an enormous, fats sound that nearly didn’t match the observe – consuming all the opposite frequencies. Throughout mixing, folks wished to skinny it out. From an audiophile perspective, it may not match ‘appropriately,’ however that’s a part of its effectiveness; it sits on the observe and is admittedly thick. Vince named the track, saying, ‘That appears like your trademark.’ He named lots of my instrumentals, like ‘Manhattan’ and ‘Cliffs of Dover.’”

“Nothing Can Hold Me From You” is a pop-rock vocal track distinguished by an infectious intervallic riff and an impressed outro solo of suggestions, whammy-bar antics, and sophisticated single-note runs.

“I wrote it within the Musicom interval. I had the tune and melody, however no lyrics. I wished to put in writing one thing with this concept of attraction, and Tommy steered the title that led to phrases. The ending jam shifts gears. We used an 8-track Tascam tape from my apply home. It sounded good on the session take, however not significantly impressed. The demo actually captured the second and the joy. Whereas mastering with Bernie Grundman, I introduced the two-track combine, which didn’t sound good in any respect, and requested him to edit it into our skilled recording. It’s a testomony to Bernie.”

Eric’s country-blues-folk solo acoustic instrumental, “Tune for George,” gives sonic distinction.

“George Washington was a household pal in Austin after I was little – great man, a second father. I wrote the track on the street in an RV earlier than Musicom. I’d stumbled right into a St. Louis music retailer and acquired this ’30s resonator for $300. I recorded it with my Martin D-45 in my home on a 2-track. My dad bought me that Martin when my tools was stolen within the ’80s. Steve Barber, who’s a very good guitarist, helped me with the sound by enjoying in my little sales space whereas I adjusted console settings. Later, I simply sat there on my own with an extended wire and punched ‘Play.’ It was alright, sonically, however once more, Bernie needed to EQ it. The track is in drop-D tuning, however I infrequently use alternate tunings. Once I take a look at a fret, I hear that observe on a string, it’s so ingrained from commonplace tuning.”

“East Wes” is an homage to an early affect, Wes Montgomery. The intro exploits a haunting two-chord modal-jazz determine composed of polychords Em11 and D/E (measures 1 and a pair of in part A). Johnson delivers a chic Wes-inspired theme in thumb-strummed octaves in 2-9, punctuated by chord jabs and imbued with a wealthy clear timbre that belies the truth that his Strat isn’t an archtop jazz field. His solo (at B) is elegant and soulful. He performs jazz-colored blues traces in E minor, mixing pentatonic, hexatonic, modal, and blues-scale sounds, and makes use of dynamics and ghost notes to deepen the improvisations’ innate magnificence.

“Righteous,” is an altered-blues instrumental that reached #8 and finds E.J. joined by bassist Beck and Wee Willie on harmonica. The medium-fast rock shuffle redefines Texas traditions past ZZ Prime with an irresistible heavy riff and two thematically linked solos (1:43, 2:36) replete with mutated blues-rock improvisation.

“I grew up on blues, blues-rock, and boogies, and wrote this within the Musicom interval. It’s uncommon, being in F. To me, each key has a vibe, so I’ll write a rock track in F, like ‘Zap.’ Although it’s a wrist-burner for a bass participant, it simply feels proper.”

The haunting vocal quantity “Forty Mile City” is usually cited as E.J.’s greatest “mellow track” for its magnificence and ambiance, coloured with percussion, synthesizer, and orchestral layered guitars (processed electrics, lap-steel, and backward components).

“The title refers to smaller cities exterior a bigger metropolis. A spot like Galveston, close to the ocean, the place you get away and depart your troubles behind. The tremolo guitar half was on a borrowed PRS. The floating tremolo had that Chet Atkins Bigsby sort of sound, in contrast to my Hendrix Fender sound. I wished one thing distinctly totally different.”

“East Wes” reveals one other aspect of Eric’s musicianship – his feeling for instrumental jazz. He cultivates a laid-back modal sound with suspended prolonged polychords and clean-tone method akin to Wes Montgomery.

“Tip of my hat to Wes Montgomery. I really like Wes’ Verve/A&M pop interval with the strings and all, in addition to his straightahead Riverside jazz. Down Right here on the Floor is one in all my favourite information; it’s excellent like Sgt. Pepper – business however completely finished. I might take heed to it my complete life and by no means get bored with it. That one and Music of My Thoughts by Stevie Marvel. I wrote “East Wes” for the album as a result of I wished one thing chill for the top.”

Wolf Marshall is the founder and unique Editor-In-Chief of GuitarOne journal. A revered creator and columnist, he has been influential in up to date music schooling for the reason that early Eighties. His newest guide is Jazz Guitar Course: Mastering the Jazz Language. Others embody 101 Should-Know Rock Licks, B.B. King: the Definitive Assortment, and Better of Jazz Guitar. A listing credit could be discovered at wolfmarshall.com.

This text initially appeared in VG’s February 2026 difficulty. All copyrights are by the creator and Classic Guitar journal. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.