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Atavachron Digest 11/91
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Date: Tue, 5 Nov 91 04:00:00 EST
From: atavachron@morekypr
Subject: Atavachron #1 - Finally in business!
To: Jeff Preston
At last it appears we have the major bugs out of our distribution
scheme, and so here starts Atavachron #1. First, I would like to thank
Larry Estep (Morehead State's systems programmer... and a darn good one
at that) for figuring out all the little nuances of the various mailers
and enabling our Prime to deal with all the other machines out there.
Now that the administrative stuff has been said, let's begin by
trying to assemble a complete discography of Holdsworth's solo works
and of releases on which he has appeared as a guest performer. The
former shouldn't be too difficult; the latter has been much harder
for me so far. Hopefully some of you will be able to clue me in on
the more elusive ones. I am hoping to be able to track down a
complete list, along with sources for all the releases, and keep
this as a file which will be available to Atavachron subscribers.
Below is a list of releases that I have, and also a list of ones
I have heard about (some I have seen listed in catalogs, some not):
I have the following:
Artist Title Format
------ ----- ------
Allan Holdsworth Velvet Darkness CD
Allan Holdsworth I.O.U. CD&LP
Allan Holdsworth Metal Fatigue CD
Allan Holdsworth Atavachron CD
Allan Holdsworth Sand CD&LP
Allan Holdsworth Secrets CD
Holdsworth/Gordon Beck With A Heart In My Song CD
Bruford Feels Good To Me CD
Bruford One of a Kind CD
Bruford Master Strokes 1978-1985 CD
Gong Expresso II Tape
Jean-Luc Ponty Enigmatic Ocean Tape
Jean-Luc Ponty Individual Choice CD
John Stevens Touching On CD
U.K. U.K. CD
Tony Williams Believe It Tape
Tony Williams Million Dollar Legs Tape
These I have heard of; the ones marked with "*", I have
never seen listed in a catalog, etc., nor seen personally,
but I have included the label as listed in various
discographies:
Artist Title Label
------ ----- -----
Holdsworth/Gordon Beck *The Things You See JMS
Holdsworth/Frank Gambale Truth In Shredding Legato
Jack Bruce *A Question of Time Epic
Gong Expresso II Virgin
Gong *Gauzese! Virgin
Gong Time Is The Key Arista
Stu Hamm *Radio Free Albemuth ????
Igginbottom Igginbottom's Wrench ????
Level 42 *Guaranteed RCA
Alex Masi Attack of the Neon Shark ????
Nucleus *Belladonna Vertigo
Soft Machine Bundles Harvest
Soma *Soma Occidental
Tempest Tempest Warner Bros.
Chad Wackerman Fourty Reasons ????
Does anyone have more to add to this? (he said, trying to
stimulate posting activity in a very subtle fashion) *grin*
Thanks!
Jeff Preston
Owner and moderator of Atavachron
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From: atavachron@morekypr
Subject: Atavachron #2
To: Jeff Preston
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Date: Tue, 05 Nov 91 08:47:38 EST
From: Dero
Subject: Re: Atavachron #1 - Finally in business!
Alex Masi is on Metal Blade Records (dist. by Warner Bros. at this
point.)
Stu Hamm is on Relativity Records (home to Joe Satriani, Steve Howe's
new solo instrumental release, etc.)
Can anyone send me a complete list of "song" titles from _Atavachron_?
(Like this is going to be real difficult!) Rumaging through my old
flex-disks from guitar magazines I came across a Holdsworth piece that
said, "From the forthcoming album Atavachron." Now, we ALL know how
things sometimes do not make it to the album, even though earlier
promotional material makes it sound like it will! I don't have the title
with me today, so any help will be apprecaited. (If it's a track that
appears no-where else, perhaps I can make copies for the digest!) -DERO
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Date: Tue, 5 Nov 91 09:52 EDT
From: Born on the fourth man who fell to earth girls are easy money
Subject: Re: Atavachron #1 - Finally in business!
I think you forgot ROAD GAMES... I have a holdsworth/beck album, actually I
haven't been able to find it lately, I thought it was called "sun bird". It may
be the same as the heart it my song CD, if that is a reissue.
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Date: Tue, 05 Nov 91 10:17:16 EDT
From: PRESTON@morekypr
Subject: Song listing for _Atavachron_ (the CD, not the list)
Dero,
Here's the song listing for _Atavachron_ :
Non-Brewed Condiment
Funnels
The Dominant Plague
Atavachron
Looking Glass
Mr. Berwell
All Our Yesterdays
I was quite surprised that the majority of his live show was
drawn from this album (after all, this one is almost 6 years old
now, and he did 3-4 tunes from it last month in Columbus). Even
more surprising was the fact that he did the whole show without
having the SynthAxe along... that made for some really interesting
versions of the tunes from _Atavachron_ and later releases.
Question: Have any of you here seen Allan Holdsworth in concert?
If so, how did you find out about the show? I had to write his
management *twice* (and include a SASE) to get any reply, but I
finally got what I was looking for - his touring schedule for Fall
1991 (he's finished that, sorry to say).
Well, back to the grind...
Jeff Preston
Owner and moderator of Atavachron
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Date: Tuesday, 5 November 1991 10:39am ET
From: David.Motes@emc2-tao.fisc.com
Subject: A.H. Discography
Jeff,
Nice work. You did forget the ROAD GAMES EP though...
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From: atavachron@morekypr
Subject: Atavachron #3
To: Jeff Preston
Date: Wed, 06 Nov 91 03:09:04 EDT
From: PRESTON@morekypr
Subject: _Road Games_ and Gordon Beck info
>Date: Tue, 5 Nov 91 09:52 EDT
>From: Born on the fourth man who fell to earth girls are easy money
>
>Subject: Re: Atavachron #1 - Finally in business!
>I think you forgot ROAD GAMES... I have a holdsworth/beck album, actually I
>haven't been able to find it lately, I thought it was called "sun bird". It may
>be the same as the heart it my song CD, if that is a reissue.
>Date: Tuesday, 5 November 1991 10:39am ET
>From: David.Motes@emc2-tao.fisc.com
>Subject: A.H. Discography
> Jeff,
> Nice work. You did forget the ROAD GAMES EP though...
Thanks for pointing out my omission of _Road Games_ , folks (I
told you I was being subtle in trying to get someone to post, hee
hee!). I do have that EP as well. I'm adding it to the discography
file.
That one seems like it should be one of the easiest to find, since
it was distributed by Warner Brothers, but with the decline of vinyl
as a format, it may not be all that easy. Unless someone buys the
rights to that in the future, I doubt if we'll ever see it on CD
(since that was Holdsworth's one-and-only WB release, there's not
much chance of it being added as "bonus tracks" to another CD).
As to the Holdsworth/Beck release, I have talked to one other
person on the nets who has referred to _The Things You See_ as
_The Things You See/Sunbird_ . Obviously, I am confused. :) I
have never seen that one, so I'm not sure if this is a subtitle,
or if it's a reissue of a previous work. I do know that Holdsworth
is supposed to play almost nothing but acoustic guitar on _The Things
You See_ , which was recorded before _With A Heart In My Song_ .
That in itself should make it a real treat... acoustic Holdsworth is
pretty scarce, no?
Another addition that I had forgotten: John Stevens's _Conversation
Piece_ . If I'm not mistaken, this is only available on a German label.
I will begin putting together sources for this and other CDs this
weekend, so if you know of a good mail order shop that carries any of
Holdsworth's releases, please send them in and I will add them to the
"sources" file.
Well, we're off to a great start so far! We have 15 subscribers
as of 03:00 on 11/6/91. Keep those cards and letters coming in! :)
Jeff Preston
Owner and moderator of Atavachron
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Date: Thu, 07 Nov 91 01:57:28 EDT
From: PRESTON@morekypr
Subject: For those who may be wondering...
Just in case we have some people here that aren't that familiar
with whom Allan Holdsworth is and what he does, I have decided to
send out this bio sheet that his management (The Merlin Company,
17609 Ventura Blvd., Suite 212, Encino CA 91316) sent me just over
a month ago. Enjoy...
Jeff Preston
Owner and moderator of Atavachron
-=O=-
ALLAN HOLDSWORTH
Biography
"He's as influential as Chuck Berry, Jimi Hendrix and
Eddie Van Halen. So why is he still paying dues?"
- Guitar World
It is a well accepted fact in the entertainment world that quality and
popularity do not always go hand in hand. True creativity can be a subtly
affecting virtue that, to the general public, man not be fully appreciated
for many years. Occasionally, though, a time comes when music fans join
with critics and musicians to openly value and enjoy the work of the
virtuoso, In 1991 such a time has already arrived for Allan Holdsworth.
One of the most accomplished and innovative guitarists in the world today,
Allan Holdsworth continues the next successful chapter of his much
acclaimed career.
Born and raised in the small textile town of Bradford in Yorkshire,
England, Allan grew up devoting much of his time to his love of cycling.
And while Sam Holdsworth, his father, was a professional musician in his
own right, it is surprising, considering his current musical status, that
Allan didn't seriously pick up a guitar until he was seventeen years old.
Though originally facscinated by the saxophone, Allan soon became a fan of
noted Benny Goodman guitarist Charlie Christian. Holdsworth's love affair
with the instrument soon followed.
In the ensuing years, Holdsworth went on to establish himself as one
of the most expressive and emotional guitarists of the day with a series
of contributions to several now legendary rock and instrumental groups,
such as U.K., Bruford, Soft Machine, Jean-Luc Ponty, Gong, and Tony
Williams Lifetime. And while his brilliantly showcased solos with these
groups drew overwhelming critical praise, Allan felt the need to express
himself more completely. So in 1980, he formed his own band - I.O.U. -
with bassist Paul Carmichael, drummer Gary Husband, and vocalist Paul
Williams.
In 1982, this quartet ventured to the United States and independently
recorded and released their debut album, _I.O.U._ , a masterful LP that
for the first time proberly displayed Allan's ability to blend ambitious
melodies, powerful rhythms, and glistening solos into a uniquely
progressive rock-infused jazz amalgam. After several months of touring
with this unit, Carmichael and Husband left and were replaced by bassist
Jeff Berlin and drummer Chad Wackerman.
Allan came to the attention of Eddie Van Halen, who was so impressed
that he talked Warner Brothers records into signing Allan, who proceeded
to record _Road Games_ . The experience was not a happy one for Allan
because warners really didn't understand him or his music, and after
completion of the album, they parted ways. Ironically, the album was
nominated for a Grammy as "The Best Rock Instrumental" for 1984 and, as
usual for Allan, garnered glowing reviews from both the press and Allan's
growing legion of loyal supporters. Allan then signed with Enigma Records
who gave him total creative freedom. His debut album for them, _Metal
Fatigue_ , was recorded with Paul Williams, Chad Wackerman, keyboardist
Alan Pasqua, and bassist Jimmy Johnson. This album represented Allan's
first appearance on the pop charts and with it he added yet more highly
partisan fans. He then released _Atavachron_ on Enigma, a bold, powerful
instrumental album which featured, besides Allan's searing guitar playing,
the revolutionary SYNTH-AXE, a guitar synthesizer that allowed Allan to
create beautiful orchestral colors. Also featured on the album are Jimmy
Johnson, Gary Husband, Alan Pasqua, Billy Childs, and Tony Williams. He
followed that with _Sand_ and, most recently, _Secrets_ , both of which
feature his coterie of sidemen including Steve Hunt, Jimmy Johnson, Chad
Wackerman, and Vinnie Colaiuta.
At the end of 1986 Allan and his band toured the United States with
Chick Corea's Elektrik Band, moving him finally out of the clubs and into
the concert halls and universities. In 1987 he continued this career
expansion by completing an 8 week tour of Europe with his band sharing the
bill with Stanley Clarke. This tour marked his first trip back to Europe
since moving to the United States. Early in 1988 he took part in an
all-star band that included Stanley Clarke, Steve Smith, and Randy
Brecker which toured the US. Also in 1988 he returned to Japan for the
first time in several years. He ended 1989 with a triumphant tour of
England, his last since leaving more than 8 years ago.
Since then he recorded and toured briefly with the English band,
Level 42, and has devoted most of the rest of the time on his latest
album to be released in the fall on Restless Records. A major tour of
United States is planned for the fall as well.
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Date: Fri, 8 Nov 91 04:00:00 EST
From: atavachron@morekypr
Subject: Atavachron #4
To: Jeff Preston
Date: Fri, 08 Nov 91 04:11:04 EDT
From: PRESTON@morekypr
Subject: Is there anybody out there? :)
I hope no one minds that I keep rambling on here... I am probably
a bit eager to exchange information with other Holdsworth fans and to
try to make this list a success. So, please excuse my many posts...
I'm just trying to keep the ball rolling (one of these days I might
actually say something that someone else will want to discuss!). :)
In the last two years, I have found wide-area networking to be
the most informative and useful resource I have ever known; for
tracking down information about Allan Holdsworth (along with many
other topics), these networks have been absolutely invaluable to me.
One great example of this has been the ALLMUSIC list on Bitnet
(ALLMUSIC@AUVM.BITNET), where I have gained more useful musical
information in the past two years than can be imagined.
Another good source of information for me has been the INFOCD
digest on the Internet (INFOCD@cisco.nosc.mil). I have found a good
number of sources for hard-to-find musical items on both of these
lists, and I recommend them to anyone trying to locate information
of a musical nature.
As you might recall in Atavachron #1, I asked everyone who was
interested in participating in putting together a discography (and
sources for CDs, etc.) to send in some mail, telling about the items
and sources they know about. I just wanted to repeat that invitation
for the benefit of our newest subscribers (who will also be receiving
the list of releases known to me at this time). This information will
be filed here at Atavachron and will be updated as soon as new
information comes in. The file will be available to anyone who
requests it via e-mail to Atavachron@morekypr.morehead-st.edu .
Since we're on this subject, I'd like to add that I received the
latest bi-weekly update of In House Music's catalog from the INFOCD
list last night. In it, there was a listing for the MVP CD, _Truth
In Shredding_ , which is the Allan Holdsworth/Frank Gambale
collaboration. Previously, I had only known of one other source
for this CD, and I was led to believe by that source that it was
only available as an import. Their price for it was $27.99; In House
Music has it listed for $11.73 (plus $2.50 s&h). The address for
In House Music is:
In House Music
Suite 61, 281 Huntington Ave.
Boston, MA 02115
<70474.3046@CompuServe.com> (a request to this address will get
you their catalog via e-mail and add
you to their update list)
* Disclaimer: I have no affiliation with In House Music or any
* other mail order company.
Going back to the "rambling" part again... :)
For anyone who has Holdsworth information to share - please do!!
For starters, I think those of us who have heard his music might want
to relate to the list how they've come across Holdsworth's playing,
and possibly make suggestions for first-time Holdsworth listeners,
etc. Perhaps hearing about *your* experiences will help others to
become familiar with his music by providing a frame of reference.
Hearing about sources for information that you have discovered would
also be great... suggestions on magazines and other periodicals,
specific articles or books - all of these would be helpful and
welcome. Don't worry about trying to keep up with the "quota buster"
notes I send in... there are several people here who can attest to
my annoying long-windedness (as well as my persistence on some
topics). :) If there is a question or a topic you'd like to see
discussed, bring it up! That's what we're here for. :)
Thanks for listening,
Jeff Preston
Owner and moderator of Atavachron
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Date: Sat, 9 Nov 91 03:00:00 EST
From: atavachron@morekypr
Subject: Atavachron #5
To: Jeff Preston
Date: Fri, 8 Nov 91 09:51:47 EST
From: david@shadow.ait.com (David Kuznick)
Subject: How I got into Holdsworth
Being the progressive-rock nut that I am, I first heard Holdsworth
when he was with UK. I like them a lot so I started tracking
Holdsworth down. Now I have to admit that so far I am not crazy about
his solo stuff. I have the list's namesake (though I haven't heard it
in a long time) and I just recently got Sands. Don't get me wrong; I
like his stuff but don't love it. Maybe some of you will be able to
change my mind.
David Kuznick
david@ait.com
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Date: Fri, 08 Nov 91 10:00:24 EDT
From: Ken Hylbert
Subject: Hello!
On Fri, 08 Nov 91
Jeff Preston writes:
> For anyone who has Holdsworth information to share - please do!!
>For starters, I think those of us who have heard his music might want
>to relate to the list how they've come across Holdsworth's playing,
>and possibly make suggestions for first-time Holdsworth listeners,
>etc. Perhaps hearing about *your* experiences will help others to
>become familiar with his music by providing a frame of reference.
>Hearing about sources for information that you have discovered would
>also be great... suggestions on magazines and other periodicals,
>specific articles or books - all of these would be helpful and
Good point Jeff. I am a very new listener to Holdsworth, and I could
really use some pointers. What are some of his better works? Any help
would be greatly appriciated.. Thanks.
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Date: Mon 11 Nov 91 09:00:00 EST
From: atavachron@morekypr
Subject: Atavachron #6
To: Jeff Preston
Date: Sat, 9 Nov 91 15:06:27 PST
From: adac!wizard!farrar@uunet.UU.NET (richard farrar)
Subject: Allan on Tour!
He is supposedly on the right coast now, slowly making his way out here.
I have heard rumors that he will play in the SF Bay Area around the end
of January 1992. I have only seen him once in concert, in March '90.
Probably the best band/musicians/music I have ever seen live. The band was
four piece, Chad Wackerman on drums, Billy Childs on keys, and Jimmy
Johnson on bass. I was really psyched to see Jimmy, because the papers
had advertised Ralphe Armstrong on bass. About the show:
Quite a varied set list, he played "Proto-Cosmos", the Alan Pasqua tune on
"Believe It" by Lifetime, which was quite a surprise. Also, he did not play
a single song off of _Secrets_. I have never seen an artist, except for maybe
the Dead, who did not play a song off of their new album. It didn't bother
me too much.
Here is the setlist to the show I saw.
Setlist 3/11?/90
================
???? - missed the first song
Proto-Cosmos
White Line
Three Sheets to the Wind
Non-Brewed Condiment
Pud Wud (only SynthAxe tune)
Devil Take the Hindmost!!!!!!!
Looking Glass (great Chad solo/intro)
Funnels
That's all I can remember.
Notes:
======
This band was tremendous. The songs were really stretched out, giving each
musician lots of room. I was particularly impressed by Chad, who was
definitely the crowd pleaser that night. Jimmy had an incredible solo during
Pud Wud. If I could get a double CD of this band live, I would probably trade
all of my other Holdsworth albums for it if I had to. Devil Take the Hindmost
was the highlight of the evening for me. They just went off into the
nether regions of improvisation, really remarkable to behold. Blah, blah, blah
Albums
======
1) Atavachron - and not because it is the name of the list
2) Believe It/Lifetime - okay, Tony Williams is one of my faves, too
3) Metal Fatigue
4) Sand
5) IOU
7) Secrets
8) Velvet Darkness
9) Road Games (only because it's so short)
I don't necessarily like every song he's ever done. In fact, I think some of
his stuff is not very good. But when he's on . . .
Rich
farrar@adac.com
". . . cheap reprints of the World's Twelve Worst Books: Froggy and Fritz
(politic), Care of the Baby (infantilic), 50 Meals for 7/6 (culinic), Was
Jesus a Sun Myth? (historic), Expel that Pain (medic), Infant's Compendium of
the Universe (cosmic), Let's All Chortle (hilaric), Canvasser's Vade Mecum
(journalic), Love-letters of Mother Assistant (erotic), Who's Who in Space
(astric), Songs that Reached Our Heart (melodic), Pennywise's Way to Wealth
(parsimonic)."
-James Joyce, _Ulysses_
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Date: Sat, 9 Nov 91 12:57:45 PST
From: benson@star.ENET.dec.com
Subject: Holdsworth discography update
I have a couple of additional appearances to add to the discography.
First, you have no label listed for "John Stevens, Conversation Piece."
My copy is on View, a German label in Berlin.
He also played on "re touch", also with John Stevens, on the same label.
This came out in 83, after both "Touching On" and "Conversation Piece."
He plays on two songs on a record called "Fast Impressions" by Jon St. James,
on Enigma. This came out in '86. I wouldn't recommend seeking this out
unless you're a Holdsworth completist. I'm not too crazy about the above,
either.
The most interesting addition is his appearance on a disc called
"Guitar's Practicing Musicians," on a label called Guitar Recordings.
He's not even listed on the outer cover, though. He plays a couple of
solos in a song credited to "Rodo Lana," whose guitarist is Jeff Watson.
The song is a cover of (get this) "Play that Funky Music." It's bizarre
(and great) to hear Holdsworth playing in that context. Watson's no slouch,
either. There's lots of hot guitar on the disc. Paul Gilbert's cover of
"El Becko" and "The Shakes" by Blues Sareceno are probably my favorites.
I don't recommend "Guitar's Practicing Musicians, Vol II," though. It's
a much more bland "shredfest" (Just made that term up).
Tom
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From: atavachron@morekypr
Subject: Atavachron #7
To: Jeff Preston
[Moderator's note: Charles sent these as personal e-mail to me,
but I felt that they were relevant to the list-at-large. He has
granted his permission for me to post them here. -J.P.]
-=O=-
Date: Mon, 11 Nov 1991 08:04 CST
From:
Subject: A.H. Citations
In your note from last Friday you "hinted" that I might have access to some
powerful bibliographic utilities that I could peruse to find citations for A.H.
Well, checking INFOTRACK and the Grove Dictionary of Jazz, I was able to find a
few:
Milkowski, B. "Allan Holdsworth's New Horizons" _Down Beat_ v.52 (Nov.
1985), p. 19. [includes discography]
"Allan Holdsworth: Reaching for the Uncommon Chord" (book review) _Down
Beat_ v.52 (Nov. 1985), p. 61.
"Metal Fatigue" (review) _Down Beat_ v.52 (Sept. 1985), p. 35.
Mulhern, T. "Allan Holdsworth, Lee Ritenour: SynthAxe" _Guitar Player_
v.20 (June 1986), p. 109.
If I can think of any other places to search, I will.
When I was in Austin on Friday, I spotted "Gong II" on vinyl. I thought I
would doublecheck with you before I bought it (A.H. was on about half the
tunes). I forgot to check my file of Atavchron before starting this note --
was that one that you had not been able to locate?? Let me know -- I'll be in
Austin again on Friday.
I did pick up "One of a Kind" (for $5.99 :*) ) while I was at the store.
Also got Stevie Ray Vaughan's "The Sky is Crying" -- but that's another topic,
and I'll probably post that to ALLMUSIC.
I'll talk to you in more detail later -- just wanted to get the citations to
you right away.
Charles ("information specialist?? -- nah, just a librarian")
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Date: Mon, 11 Nov 1991 08:20 CST
From:
Subject: Ooops, I forgot
In the paragraph on A.H. in the Grove dictionary appeared the following: "In
the late 1970s he worked with the avant-garde rock bands Gong and UK, and also
performed and recorded with the Spontaneous Music Ensemble (1977) and Jean-Luc
Ponty." ^^^^^^^^ ^^^^ ^^^ ^^^^^^^^^^^ ^^^^^ ^^^^^^^^ ^^^^^^
I don't remember hearing about this particular project -- or was I just
asleep when it was mentioned??
Charles ("information'r'us")
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Date: Monday, 11 November 1991 3:33pm ET
From: David.Motes@emc2-tao.fisc.com
Subject: Allan Holdsworth Info
For Allan Holdswoth novices.....
A.H. in the seventies...
I first came accross A.H. around 1973 when I got the TEMPEST album.
Tempest was a band featuring A.H. on guitar and Jon Hiseman on drums.
I have heard that Tempest was Jon Hisemans attempt to recreate CREAM.
Anyway the guitar work was light years ahead of anything at that time.
The CD is available and if you like what used to be called hard rock
(not heavy metal) you should get this album.
The only pre-Tempest work I have heard of is an album called
Iggenbotten's(sp) Wrench. It is supposedly the first album A.H.
is on. It is available as an import, I have not heard it.
In the early 70's the Jazz-Rock fusion style of music was getting
started and A.H. appeared with several fusion groups.
GONG- Gong was a band lead by percussionist Pierre Morlen
A.H. is on 3 Gong albums Gauzeus(sp), Expresso II, and
Time is the Key.
Gauzeus is the album I usually see mentioned as THE Gong
album with A.H. to have. Of course I do not have it.
It is available as an import and I recently ordered it.
Expresso II is the other Gong album on which A.H. has a presence.
I would consider this album to be only good if it were not for
the first song on side 2. (I do not remember names of songs and
I may be off because I only listen to a tape I made of the album)
This song is one of the hottest songs A.H. is on. Pierre Morlen
plays vibes and there are three solos (guitar, vibes, keyboard)
on the same theme. A real fusion masterpiece. Available on import.
Time is the Key - A.H. is credited with being on 3 songs
but I only heard him on 1. Pretty good album though.
Soft Machine - Bundles Typical classy rock band tries to do jazz album.
If you like that kind of thing (I do) its a great
album. One of the longest A.H. solos on record as well.
Avail on import.
New Tony Williams Lifetime - Believe it - If you are looking for an
album to get with A.H. on it this is it. Ignore
the first song on the album and wear the rest of it out.
Great drums, incredible guitar, interesting keyboard (mostly
fender rhodes).
New Tony Williams LIfetime - Million dollar legs - not any where near
as good as Believe It. Some good stuff.
Allan Holdsworth - Velvet Darkness - The first solo by A.H.
This is going to be one of those
albums you either love or dislike. Great musicianship
but not as musical as Believe It. Has a harsher sound.
Available in the Columbia Masterworks series. CD has
alternate takes and contains over 60 minutes of music.
If you see it on sale or used get it. If you are an
A.H. fan you already have it.
U.K. - U.K. pre-ASIA band with A.H., Bill Bruford, John Whetton.
Not a bad album but it was totally eclipsed by the release
that same year of....
Bruford - Feels Good To Me - A.H. and Bill Bruford team up for one of
the great albums of all time. This album has it all.
Great guitar and percussion, great bass by Jeff Berlin,
weird vocals and lyrics by Annette Peacock (2 or 3 songs).
Bruford - One of a Kind - Another great album. If you are looking
for a place to start collecting A.H. this is a good place
to start. One of the best albums he has been on and
the music is really accessable.
Well that about covers A.H. in the 70's.. He also appeared on
Jon Luc Ponty albums and others but the above are the major appearances.
How about someone else covering A.H. in the 80's???
I noticed I use the term album a lot I guess that dates me. Please
substitute CD. Also I am trying to knock this off at work so please
excuse any misspellings, etc.
I am interested in corresponding with anyone interested in 70's
fusion (Bruford, Isotope, Coloseum II, Go, Brand X, etc.).
David Motes
David.Motes@emc2-tao.fisc.com
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Date: Tue, 12 Nov 91 03:48:28 EDT
From: PRESTON@morekypr
Subject: Concert rumors and additions to the discography file
>Date: Sat, 9 Nov 91 15:06:27 PST
>From: adac!wizard!farrar@uunet.UU.NET (richard farrar)
>Subject: Allan on Tour!
>He is supposedly on the right coast now, slowly making his way out here.
>I have heard rumors that he will play in the SF Bay Area around the end
>of January 1992. I have only seen him once in concert, in March '90.
I don't know if this is entirely up-to-date information or not,
Rich... he just finished a tour at the end of October. He started
in early September, and hit most of the New England area, the Midwest
and a couple of spots down south. He didn't play any West Coast dates
on this tour (dubbed the "Tour de Ranch"), which I thought was odd
considering the support he found in Los Angeles right before he got
_I.O.U._ released on Luna Crack. But then I remembered that he lives
in southern California (and his management is there, as well), so he
may do sporadic weekend gigs out west, at his leisure.
As for the January 1992/Bay Area, that sounds very likely - he has
a new release due out on Restless in January, and it makes sense that
he would start a tour out there after its release.
>Probably the best band/musicians/music I have ever seen live. The band was
>four piece, Chad Wackerman on drums, Billy Childs on keys, and Jimmy
>Johnson on bass. I was really psyched to see Jimmy, because the papers
>had advertised Ralphe Armstrong on bass. About the show:
Yes, I was similarly impressed by the show I saw back in September
of this year. The lineup was not what I had expected, though... instead
of Jimmy Johnson, a fellow named Skuli Sverrisson was playing bass.
Chad Wackerman and Steve Hunt were along on drums and keyboards,
respectively. Great show (even if the club was a tiny little grease
pit... gee, I wonder if that had anything to do with Holdsworth's
road manager refusing to let me bring a camera in?)... in all, it was
about two hours of killer fusion blowing from start to encore.
>Quite a varied set list, he played "Proto-Cosmos", the Alan Pasqua tune on
>"Believe It" by Lifetime, which was quite a surprise. Also, he did not play
>a single song off of _Secrets_. I have never seen an artist, except for maybe
>the Dead, who did not play a song off of their new album. It didn't bother
>me too much.
I was also surprised by the appearance of "Proto-Cosmos", but I've
spoken with others who say that he almost always opens with this tune.
Odd that he'd open with a tune not his own, but oh well. :) I believe
he did play "City Nights" from _Secrets_ on this tour, but I can't
confirm... I'm still not that familiar with the material from that
CD.
>Pud Wud (only SynthAxe tune)
He actually *had* the SynthAxe on tour when you saw him?? Wow... he
left it at home (or wherever) on this last tour, using only the three
Steinburgers (one with a long, 30-fret neck!). It was interesting to
hear Hunt doing the SynthAxe lines while Holdsworth did accompanying
chords and doubled lines... the set list for the show I saw was very
similar to the one you posted.
> If I could get a double CD of this band live, I would probably trade
>all of my other Holdsworth albums for it if I had to.
Then maybe I should mention the availability of a Laser Video Disc
titled _Tokyo Dreams: Allan Holdsworth Live In Japan_ . I have only
found one source for this to date (G.E.S., Kew Gardens, NY), and it
is a Japanese import 12" LV disc. I didn't think to ask how much it
was, since the rare Holdsworth CDs this guy had were rather steep
($27.99+).
Rumor has it that the same tour this footage was taken from was
also recorded on 48-track digital tape, and was to be used for
releasing a live album. But supposedly Holdsworth "wasn't happy"
(as usual) with his playing on any of the tracks, so they lie in
someone's vault somewhere even as we speak. That might also explain
why this LD is only available in Japan...
>I don't necessarily like every song he's ever done. In fact, I think some of
>his stuff is not very good. But when he's on . . .
That's a fair assessment of my opinion, as well. Although this may
be a terrible admission for the list owner to make, I much prefer his
pre-SynthAxe work... and in particular think his best playing has been
on other artists' albums (gasp). :) I have often said that I thought
he was a better player than a composer, but his compositions have a
light to shed all their own.
>Date: Sat, 9 Nov 91 12:57:45 PST
>From: benson@star.ENET.dec.com
>Subject: Holdsworth discography update
>I have a couple of additional appearances to add to the discography.
>First, you have no label listed for "John Stevens, Conversation Piece."
>My copy is on View, a German label in Berlin.
>He also played on "re touch", also with John Stevens, on the same label.
>This came out in 83, after both "Touching On" and "Conversation Piece."
>He plays on two songs on a record called "Fast Impressions" by Jon St. James,
>on Enigma. This came out in '86. I wouldn't recommend seeking this out
>unless you're a Holdsworth completist. I'm not too crazy about the above,
>either.
[...]
Thanks for the additions, Tom... I have added this information to
the discography file.
As an aside, in Christopher Hoard's book, _Reaching For The Uncommon
Chord_ , Allan seemed almost outraged at the thought that anyone would
buy these John Stevens releases... does anyone know what circumstances
led him to be so disgusted by these? I recently bought _Touching On_
on CD (Konnex, German import), and could find nothing unpleasant about
the playing on it (although it was a tad too free-jazz for my usual
tastes).
Hey... 23 subscribers as of 11/12/91... we're on a roll! :)
Jeff Preston (Mr. Atoz, maybe?) :)
Owner and moderator of Atavachron
========================================
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From: atavachron@morekypr
Subject: Atavachron #8
To: Jeff Preston
Date: Tue, 12 Nov 91 14:43 EST
From:
Subject: caveat
>From: David.Motes@emc2-tao.fisc.com
> In the early 70's the Jazz-Rock fusion style of music was getting
> started and A.H. appeared with several fusion groups.
> GONG- Gong was a band lead by percussionist Pierre Morlen
> A.H. is on 3 Gong albums Gauzeus(sp), Expresso II, and
> Time is the Key.
Gong had quite a long history which included a rather drastic change
of musical direction. Pierre Morlen was the leader of the second phase
during which the band was definately instrumental fusion. During the
first phase, the leader was Daevid Allen and the musical style was
tripped out psychedelic with lyrics about the Pot Head Pixies from
the Planet Gong and such. Wonderful stuff but far removed from the
fusion of later Gong. Daevid Allen and Steve Hillage were the guitarists
for the first phase. Excellent guitarists in their own right, their
styles are quite different from Holdsworth's. Just to make things
interesting, the liner notes for the early albums used pseudonyms for
the musicians, often changing from album to album. If the personnel
listing looks like "real" names, it is probably the fusion Gong. If,
however, the bass player is listed as Bloomdido Bad de Grass, it is
from the early period.
> Soft Machine - Bundles Typical classy rock band tries to do jazz album.
I do have to disagree with that depiction of the Soft Machine. When your
vocalists are Kevin Ayers (first ablum) and Robert Wyatt (first through
third), you are hardly typical. Now if "classy" were replaced with
"eccentric"... By the third album they had become a jazz band, Wyatt's
one vocal number (the last vocal the band would do) being the only
vestige of their rock days. "Bundles" was about their eighth album,
so they'd had some practice playing jazz by then.
> U.K. - U.K. pre-ASIA band with A.H., Bill Bruford, John Whetton.
Spelling correction: John Wetton. And Eddie Jobson was also in the
band. Holdsworth and Bruford were only on the first album.
John McIntyre
Physics - Astronomy Dept
Michigan State University
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Date: Wed, 13 Nov 91 03:08:36 EDT
From: PRESTON@morekypr
Subject: The '70s
>Date: Monday, 11 November 1991 3:33pm ET
>From: David.Motes@emc2-tao.fisc.com
>Subject: Allan Holdsworth Info
> I first came accross A.H. around 1973 when I got the TEMPEST album.
> Tempest was a band featuring A.H. on guitar and Jon Hiseman on drums.
> I have heard that Tempest was Jon Hisemans attempt to recreate CREAM.
> Anyway the guitar work was light years ahead of anything at that time.
> The CD is available and if you like what used to be called hard rock
> (not heavy metal) you should get this album.
I just heard this for the first time today, and although I'm not
that crazy about the vocals on it, it's a pretty solid album. The best
description I can muster for it is that it sounds sort of like a cross
between old Deep Purple, Iron Butterfly and definitely has some Pink
Floyd-ish elements to it. This is the second album I've heard in the
last 30 days or so that I would consider "atypical Holdsworth"...
interesting to hear from the standpoint of the context he plays in
alone.
> The only pre-Tempest work I have heard of is an album called
> Iggenbotten's(sp) Wrench. It is supposedly the first album A.H.
> is on. It is available as an import, I have not heard it.
Neither have I. Has anyone here heard this, and if so would you
care to share your thoughts on it?
> Bruford - One of a Kind - Another great album. If you are looking
> for a place to start collecting A.H. this is a good place
> to start. One of the best albums he has been on and
> the music is really accessable.
This is the one that I always recommend to first-time Holdsworth
listeners. Although the music isn't exactly Top-40 material (heh),
I agree that these tunes are "accessable". This has some of my
favorite Holdsworth playing on it.
> Well that about covers A.H. in the 70's.. He also appeared on
> Jon Luc Ponty albums and others but the above are the major appearances.
These are the albums where I first heard Holdsworth... _Enigmatic
Ocean_ by Jean-Luc Ponty; _U.K._ by U.K. and Bruford's _One of a Kind_
were my first "exposure" LPs, although I can't honestly remember in
what order. They all still hold up in my book.
Anyone care to take up David's invitation on the 1980s? :)
Jeff Preston
Owner and moderator of Atavachron
========================================
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Date: Thu 14 Nov 91 07:45:00 EST
From: atavachron@morekypr
Subject: Atavachron #9
To: Jeff Preston
Date: Wednesday, 13 November 1991 10:51am ET
From: David.Motes@emc2-tao.fisc.com
Subject: caveat caveat
>
John McIntyre writes:
>
>
> Gong had quite a long history which included a rather drastic change
> of musical direction. Pierre Morlen was the leader of the second phase
> during which the band was definately instrumental fusion. During the
> first phase, the leader was Daevid Allen and the musical style was
> tripped out psychedelic with lyrics about the Pot Head Pixies from
> the Planet Gong and such. Wonderful stuff but far removed from the
> fusion of later Gong. Daevid Allen and Steve Hillage were the guitarists
> for the first phase. Excellent guitarists in their own right, their
> styles are quite different from Holdsworth's. Just to make things
> interesting, the liner notes for the early albums used pseudonyms for
> the musicians, often changing from album to album. If the personnel
> listing looks like "real" names, it is probably the fusion Gong. If,
> however, the bass player is listed as Bloomdido Bad de Grass, it is
> from the early period.
The only GONG albums I have ever seen have had Pierre Morlen on them.
They are very percussion oriented and I would recommend any of them.
Thanks for the info on the other incarnation. Sounds like some
interesting music.
>
> > Soft Machine - Bundles Typical classy rock band tries to do jazz album.
>
> I do have to disagree with that depiction of the Soft Machine. When your
> vocalists are Kevin Ayers (first ablum) and Robert Wyatt (first through
> third), you are hardly typical. Now if "classy" were replaced with
> "eccentric"... By the third album they had become a jazz band, Wyatt's
> one vocal number (the last vocal the band would do) being the only
> vestige of their rock days. "Bundles" was about their eighth album,
> so they'd had some practice playing jazz by then.
I was depicting the album not the band. Every Soft Machine album
is different which is what makes them so interesting.
By Classy (I realize that was a stupid term to use) I mean
good musicians trying to expand. But the album still sounds like a
rock band trying instrumental music. The drummer is definitely a rock
drummer and a lot of the album is riff oriented as opposed to
improvisational. Some of the playing is almost cautious.
I will stand by my depiction of the album which I
feel is a very good album and the main reason it is very good
is because of Allan Holdsworth.
>
> > U.K. - U.K. pre-ASIA band with A.H., Bill Bruford, John Whetton.
>
> Spelling correction: John Wetton. And Eddie Jobson was also in the
> band. Holdsworth and Bruford were only on the first album.
OK, OK I knocked off the note in 15 minutes during lunch.
The U.K. album with A.H. is the best in my opinion.
Anyway, thanks for the comments...
David.Motes@emc2-tao.fisc.com
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Date: Wed, 13 Nov 91 11:01:45 PST
From: adac!wizard!farrar@uunet.UU.NET (richard farrar)
Subject: Re: Atavachron #7
>Tempest was a band featuring A.H. on guitar and Jon Hiseman on drums.
Jon Hiseman plays on some Jack Bruce solo albums from the early seventies, and
so does John McLaughlin. Who is the bass player on the Tempest album? Jack?
> A.H. is on 3 Gong albums Gauzeus(sp), Expresso II, and
> Time is the Key.
When did these albums come out?
> Soft Machine - Bundles Typical classy rock band tries to do jazz album.
When did this album come out?
>titled _Tokyo Dreams: Allan Holdsworth Live In Japan_ . I have only
What year was this filmed? Who plays with him? Where can I get it?
> Alex Masi Attack of the Neon Shark Metal Blade/WB
> Nucleus Belladonna Vertigo
> Soma Soma Occidental
If anyone has more information on the above (what year, artist info,
worth it/not worth it), please let me know.
I recently picked up the MVP: Truth in Shredding CD. It is quite good. I
really like the concept: present day fusion musicians do covers of older
fusion and jazz songs. The only Frank Gambale I have heard is with the
Chick Corea band, and he doesn't really get to go nuts with them, but he makes
up for it here. Allan plays very well too. It's interesting to hear him in
a more straight jazz context. I can't wait for MVP II. I wish I could offer
suggestions for songs to cover, like "Red and Orange" and "Etherreggae" by
Jan Hammer or "Resolution" by Coltrane. Oh well.
Does anyone have any information on the upcoming Holdsworth release?
Rich
farrar@adac.com
....!adac!wizard!farrar
========================================
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From: atavachron@morekypr
Subject: Atavachron #10
To: Jeff Preston
Date: Thursday, 14 November 1991 1:19pm ET
From: David.Motes@emc2-tao.fisc.com
Subject: RE: Atavachron #9
>
> >Tempest was a band featuring A.H. on guitar and Jon Hiseman on drums.
> Jon Hiseman plays on some Jack Bruce solo albums from the early seventies, a
> so does John McLaughlin. Who is the bass player on the Tempest album? Jack
>
Mark Clark(e?) plays bass on both Tempest albums. He also sings on the
second. Allan Holdsworth was replaced by Olly Halsall (of PATTO) fame
on the second. Paul Williams was the vocalist on the first Tempest album,
he also appears on I.O.U., Metal Fatigue, Road Games(? my memory is
fading)..
John McLaughlin and Jack Bruce were in the first Tony Williams Lifetime
one of the first jazz rock fusion bands. A.H. in the NEW version...
Jon Hiseman went on to form Coloseum II with Gary Moore, another great
fusion group from the 70's.
> > A.H. is on 3 Gong albums Gauzeus(sp), Expresso II, and
> > Time is the Key.
> When did these albums come out?
Late 70's???
>
> > Soft Machine - Bundles Typical classy rock band tries to do jazz album.
> When did this album come out?
1975
> I recently picked up the MVP: Truth in Shredding CD. It is quite good. I
> really like the concept: present day fusion musicians do covers of older
> fusion and jazz songs. The only Frank Gambale I have heard is with the
> Chick Corea band, and he doesn't really get to go nuts with them, but he mak
> up for it here. Allan plays very well too. It's interesting to hear him in
> a more straight jazz context. I can't wait for MVP II. I wish I could offe
> suggestions for songs to cover, like "Red and Orange" and "Etherreggae" by
> Jan Hammer or "Resolution" by Coltrane. Oh well.
>
He has an album called Thunder from Down Under which I listened to twice
and was kind of bored with. I cannot recommend it.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Date: Fri, 15 Nov 91 01:37:32 EDT
From: PRESTON@morekypr
Subject: Holdsworth LV and other questions
>Date: Wed, 13 Nov 91 11:01:45 PST
>From: adac!wizard!farrar@uunet.UU.NET (richard farrar)
>Subject: Re: Atavachron #7
>>titled _Tokyo Dreams: Allan Holdsworth Live In Japan_ . I have only
>What year was this filmed? Who plays with him? Where can I get it?
I think this was filmed during 1989 sometime. As for the band, I
can only guess that it was Jimmy Johnson, Gary Husband and maybe Steve
Hunt... but that's just a guess.
I know of only one place that has this outside of Japan:
G.E.S.
81-20 138th St.
Kew Gardens, NY 11435
(718) 268-4939
I cannot recommend this source since I have never used it, but I
did talk to someone there on the phone about a month ago. I was a
little wary of ordering anything right away, simply because of the
prices the guy quoted me (this is the place that said that the MVP
CD was only available as a Japanese import - his price: $27.99).
The fact that he really pushed me to order the Igginbottom's Wrench
CD, saying that there were only 1500 made, didn't help assure me
of his credibility, either.
>> Alex Masi Attack of the Neon Shark Metal Blade/WB
>> Nucleus Belladonna Vertigo
>> Soma Soma Occidental
>If anyone has more information on the above (what year, artist info,
>worth it/not worth it), please let me know.
I don't know much about Alex Masi... I have heard one of his releases,
and it was an all-out Metalfest, complete with squealy horsie-noises,
whammy-dives, etc. etc., the-whole-bag-of-tricks. One friend of mine
has described him as "the Italian Steve Vai", while I have also heard
that this is not the only thing the guy is into. I think Dero here
might be able to shed more light on Masi (hint hint)... :)
The Nucleus LP was recently sent to me by an Atavachron subscriber,
but it's not really a Nucleus release... it's by Ian Carr, who was in
Nucleus. If you were using the "n.n." Fusion Guage (tm), the style of
this would fall almost precisely in the middle of Bruford (on the rock
end) and the John Stevens CD _Touching On_ (on the jazz end). Some of
the material on _Belladonna_ reminds me a little bit of later Miles
Davis (_You're Under Arrest_ , etc.). Holdsworth has some astounding
soloing on this one.
Soma - ha! Good luck! I've seen this mentioned in just about every
Holdsworth discography since the early '80s, but have yet to run across
a single sentient being who can claim to have seen or heard it.
>I recently picked up the MVP: Truth in Shredding CD. It is quite good. I
>really like the concept: present day fusion musicians do covers of older
>fusion and jazz songs. The only Frank Gambale I have heard is with the
>Chick Corea band, and he doesn't really get to go nuts with them, but he makes
>up for it here. Allan plays very well too. It's interesting to hear him in
>a more straight jazz context. I can't wait for MVP II. I wish I could offer
>suggestions for songs to cover, like "Red and Orange" and "Etherreggae" by
>Jan Hammer or "Resolution" by Coltrane. Oh well.
Wow... that's a surprise - I had heard that Holdsworth had said in
an interview somewhere that "Frank and I got together and played a
bunch of fast fusion tunes", etc., so I figured it was in the classic
Gambale/Elektric Band vein. In any case, I received notification via
e-mail that my copy of this CD is on its way now from In House Music
in Boston, so I will have more to say about this next week, I suppose
(never at a loss for words here, nosirree!). :)
Not to wander far from the subject, but Gambale is truly a monster
live with Elektric Band. I have one of his solo CDs, _Thunder From
Down Under_ , which has a few high points ("Humid Being", "Leave Ozone
Alone"), but otherwise has some almost irritatingly imitation Brazilian
period Pat Metheny-esque tunes all over it.
>Does anyone have any information on the upcoming Holdsworth release?
The only thing I know is what Allan said on stage back in September
(which was that it would be out in January), and what I got from his
management (which said it would be released on Restless Records). He
also claimed that the tune "House of Mirrors" would be on this album
(a tune that he has done live since 1988 or '89). I am betting that
there will be little or no SynthAxe on this one, since the SynthAxe
folks have stopped producing them and as far back as May of 1990,
Holdsworth was complaining about the functionality of the units he
had at the time.
Going from the fact that he did the last Level 42 album (_Guaranteed_,
which I have *yet* to find, and *know* it has been released), and from
hearing him and the band perform Chad Wackerman's tune "Tell Me" (from
Wackerman's new release on CMP, _Fourty Reasons_) in concert several
weeks ago, I'm wondering if Holdsworth might not be contemplating a
return to the rockier, funkier music that introduced me to his playing
so many years ago. For me, this would be a good thing indeed. I would
be tempted to solicit contributions for an Allan Holdsworth memorial
somewhere if only he would record another album of the quality of _One
of a Kind_ with Bruford and Berlin. :)
Well, that's my $0.02 (more like $1.50, huh?)... :)
Jeff Preston
Owner and moderator of Atavachron
========================================
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From: atavachron@morekypr
Subject: Atavachron #11
To: Jeff Preston
Date: Fri, 15 Nov 91 09:43:58 EST
From: Dero
Subject: Question about Alex Masi
A question regarding Alex Masi was brought up, with regard to
Holdsworth. Since this is being directed at the digest audience I will
make the post brief, since this is not the Masi digest.
First, Alex Masi is not Italy's Steve Vai. The only comparison between
the two styles that could even be made is that they both have a fetish
for weirdness. I mean this in a complimentary tone and with the
highest regard.
Second, a comment was made that Masi employed all of a guitarist's bag
of tricks on the recording that was heard. I would have to argue this
point. Masi's use a tremelo system, tapping, special outboard effects,
and mindless arpeggios is sparse. Vai and Satriani use far more tapping,
tremelo, and effects to ahcieve their intentions than Masi ever has.
(This is not to say that I think this means either Vai or Satriani are
poor musicians. In fact, I love the way they employ these techniques.)
Even Holdsworth's use of the Synthaxe (tm) MIDI'd out to various sound
modules far exceeds anything Masi has ever done with the texture of
guitar sound. (Again, this is not to say that I think Holdsworth's
sounds are any less than Masi. I believe Holdsworth's use of these
sounds are great! Also, I am not suggesting either that Masi's little
use of sound sculpting makes his music any less than Holdworth's music.
They are simply two different approaches.)
As far as Masi's playing is concerned, his over all style is very unique.
His phrasings are as identifiable as Holdsworth's. A reason I believe
that Allan appeared on Masi's record. Masi runs the gambit of styles.
His works include overtones of Blues, Rock, Metal, Country, Classical,
and Funk. There are ballads, snappy tempos, "happy" tones, "serious"
tones, acoustic whispers, and shredding passages. There are strong melody
lines, layered rhythms/melodies, and interesting rhythm passages. Like
Holdsworth, Masi's rhythm and melody can get very complex, spanning
several bars, with variations on these ideas appearing in solo passages.
And like Holdsworth, Masi's music has a very sophisticated sound to it.
It is very cerebral and not all together comfortable. By comfortable I
mean there requires some work on the listeners part to appreciate the
depth of what is being conveyed. It simply doesn't roll out of your
stereo system like a TOP 40 piece! Also, Masi's use of odd sounding
solo phrasings and odd rhythm structures in those phrases draw another
bridge to Allan's playing. Again, another reason why I believe that
Allan appears on a Masi recording.
Finally, Masi is NOT a riff maniac. His playing is both controlled and
spontaneous. It is the result of serious exploration and momentary
inspiration.
For anyone interested in listening to Masi, I would suggest picking up
his solo efforts, which are all instrumental. (Well, one release has one
Rock-vocal piece on it.) The titles are:
Alex Masi - Attack of the Neon Shark (Features A.H. track.)
" " - Vertical Invader
Label = Metal Blade Records / dist. W.B.
Unless you enjoy Rock/Metal oriented music I would not recommend Masi's
first 2 releases, which are band efforts and go under the name MASI.
I prefer the instrumental material myself. But then again I love
instrumentals.
Hope this helped. -Dero
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Date: Tue, 19 Nov 91 02:43:48 EDT
From: PRESTON@morekypr
Subject: _Guaranteed_ , etc.
I was wondering - has anyone in the U.S. seen the Level 42 release,
_Guaranteed_ yet? I have been told by people in Canada and the U.K.
that it is out in the stores there, but no one that I've talked to
so far has seen it here in the States (in case anyone is wondering,
this has Holdsworth on guitar throughout).
I just got the MVP (Mark Varney Project) CD, _Truth In Shredding_
yesterday from In House Music, so I will probably post a review of
it later in the week. I need time to fully digest it, but so far it
strikes me as very much of a Frank Gambale project (after all, he
did produce and arrange all the tunes on here).
I'd also like to repeat my request for help in compiling mail
order sources for Holdsworth material... I have the following as
of today:
ABCD Port Chester, NY
In House Music Boston, MA
The Laser's Edge Hoboken, NJ
Music-By-Mail Brooklyn, NY
Wayside Music Wheaton, MD
The complete addresses and titles carried are available by request
to Atavachron@morekypr.morehead-st.edu .
For those of you playing the home version, we now have 29 folks
subscribed. :) Postings *are* welcome... :)
Jeff Preston ("Mr. Atoz")
Owner and moderator of Atavachron
========================================
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Date: Sat 23 Nov 91 05:00:00 EST
From: atavachron@morekypr
Subject: Atavachron #12
To: Jeff Preston
Date: Thursday, 21 November 1991 1:34pm ET
From: David.Motes@emc2-tao.fisc.com
Subject: Mail order source, Discography additions
I ordered the Gong CD Gazeuse and the Chad Wackerman CD Fourty Reasons
from Audiophile Imports in Pikesville, MD. and just received them.
I have managed to listen to Gong twice. It is a great CD, very percussion
oriented (a lot of vibes, tympani, etc). A.H. does his usual great guitar
including some acoustic. The guitar work is similar to the work
on Velvet Darkness. Also one of the songs on Velvet Darkness is on this cd,
the only similarity is the main riff, this version has a fairly long drum
solo and a flute solo as well as acoustic guitar solo. (I dont remember
the name of the song though). It ranks just below Believe It and
One of a Kind....
I have listened to Chad Wackerman once. It is in the same vein as
Sand and Secrets, not as much Synthaxe though. I will have to
listen to it some more before I can fully report on it..
Its comparing apples and oranges, but right now I prefer the Gong
album....
Audiophile Imports
P.O. BOX 32247
Pikesville, MD 21208
301-484-7752
I am not affiliated with them in any way. I can tell you I sent
them a money order for the above cd's and I received the cd's
about 2.5 weeks later...
Here are some things from the flier I received with my cds.
Silent Will - featuring Andrea Marcelli - debut album with
A.H., Mike Stern, John Patitucci
All GONG cds with A.H.
A british import cd containing BOTH TEMPEST albums. A.H. on the first.
Igginbottom's Wrench - Igginbottom A.H.'s first group
A.H./Gorden Beck - The things you see/Sunbird - Apparently
this is 2 albums on one cd. things is a duet
Sunbird a group.
BUndles - Soft machine
Ian Carr/Nucleus - Belladonna
Strange Advance - The Distance Between - A Canadian Rock band (ala Saga)
A.H. on 2 cuts...
All BRUFORD albums..
Also..
Several Live albums with Frank Gambale,
A lot of Jaco Pastorius, Gary Moore, Percy Jones, Jonas Hellborg
Prices range from 11.99 - 34.99.....
Anybody know anything about a Canadian Band called UZEB?????
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Date: Sat, 23 Nov 91 04:52:36 EDT
From: PRESTON@morekypr
Subject: The Mark Varney Project: _Truth In Shredding_
I've been listening to this CD for most of the week, and I must
say that even after repeated listenings I am still somewhat
disappointed with it, overall. It's not that the playing is shabby
- it isn't. It's not that the tunes are below par - they're not.
There's just something in here that doesn't *feel* completely right.
Maybe it's just me, but my initial instincts tell me it has
something to do with the arrangements of the tunes... having never
heard the original versions of the six cover tunes on here, it's
hard to say that with any authority, but the overall feel is just a
little too "schmoozy" for my tastes, for some reason.
_Truth In Shredding_ contains seven tunes - six covers and one of
Frank Gambale's originals - all of which were arranged by Gambale.
Of the covers, two were written by Michael Brecker, two by Wayne
Shorter, one composition apiece from Randy Brecker and Chick Corea
(surprise), so there's no lack of good material. Holdsworth has a
solo on each tune, either on guitar or SynthAxe, and except for a
short acoustic guitar part in "The Fall", he clearly has all of the
best guitar moments on the disc. This is not to say that Gambale
falls short of the mark; as a player, he has a faultless technique,
but on this disc I couldn't hear much conviction or sincerity in his
playing. As a technician, he is something to behold, I suppose.
Not surprisingly, the "softer" tunes have an almost Elektric Band
quality to them ("Humpty Dumpty", which is the Corea tune, and "The
Fall"). While I enjoy most of Elektric Band's material, the
treatment given here is a bit stiff. It's very odd to hear
Holdsworth soloing over these somewhat constricted melodies.
My personal favorites are "Not Ethopia" (M.Brecker) and "New
Boots" (F.Gambale). These two have a much looser feel to them, and
of course have the better Holdsworth solos on them as well.
It's interesting to note that Holdsworth is credited with the
mixing of _Truth In Shredding_ ... not only that, but I was
surprised to see that they gave the city address for The Brewery,
which if I'm not mistaken is Holdsworth's home studio. For the
curious, it would appear that Mr. Holdsworth resides in Tustin,
California.
Overall, on a scale of 10 (10 being highest), I could only give
_Truth In Shredding_ a 6. While I admire Frank Gambale as a guitar
player, I would much rather hear his work with Chick Corea Elektric
Band, and as an arranger, he could definitely use some improvement,
IMO.
Jeff Preston ("Mr. Atoz")
Owner and moderator of Atavachron
=======================================
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* To have your posting distributed in the next issue of Atavachron, *
* send your posting to: Atavachron@morekypr.morehead-st.edu . All *
* comments made here are the views of the individual contributors *
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Date: Wed 27 Nov 91 13:30:00 EST
From: atavachron@morekypr
Subject: Atavachron #13
To: Jeff Preston
Date: Mon, 25 Nov 1991 16:23:53 EST
From: mcintyre@msupa.pa.msu.edu
Subject: Holdsworth source
From the classified ads in the November issue of Guitar Player:
"Many Holdsworth rarities and hard-to-find CDs
G.E.S. Compact Disc Service, Inc.
8120 138St
Kew Gardens NY 11435
(718)268-4939
FAX (718) 268-4947"
Disclaimer: I know nothing about these people beyond what the ad says.
John McIntyre
Physics - Astronomy Dept
Michigan State University
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Date: Tue, 26 Nov 91 18:05:16 +1100
From: jimt@mullian.ee.mu.OZ.AU
Subject: Allan Holdsworth Discography
Hi Jeff,
you may want to add the following album to your Allan Holdsworth discography:
Allan appears as a guest on Stanley Clarke's "If This Bass Could Talk" album.
He plays a mean solo in "Stories To Tell". Sorry, I don't know the record
label (I only have a recording of the album :) ).
Regards, Jim.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jim Trivellas.
Department of Electrical & Electronic Engineering.
School of Information Technology & Electrical Engineering.
The University of Melbourne, Parkville 3052, Victoria, Australia.
|
|
| Telephone: +61 3 3446663
***** Email: jimt@mullian.ee.mu.oz.au
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_|_____*****************_____|_
_|_|_____*****************_____|_|_
| | ________*************________ | |
| | ***** | |
| The SPID |
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* To have your posting distributed in the next issue of Atavachron, *
* send your posting to: Atavachron@morekypr.morehead-st.edu . All *
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* only. *
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