Even if the only thing he had ever played in his life was the first 5 minutes of this video, he would still be the greatest guitarist ever. Untouchable.
Untouchable implies original. Nothing can't be replicated. This is the primary problem with music. Almost all players are not interested in art; that is, the interface between consciousness and reality as expressed through a medium. Most music is dull, stale and depressing.
I was in tears reading all the comments... we all have one thing in common, we were all touched by Allan and revered him dearly. He will be missed. And if he's in another planet I'm sure they'll be blown away, too!
Probably on electric guitar, he seems to be axiomatically accepted as the greatest, as appraised by his peers. I read that Allan thought his own acoustic playing was relatively poor.
@@brewbeer5569 Yeah, he was highly critical on his acoustic abilities, still, the few pieces he played, especially with Gordon Beck, sound amazing to my ears.
@@brewbeer5569 allan hated his own playing. i met him three times and talked to him at length , once. the third time i saw him was in LA, at the baked potato. he totally was angry at the drummer for being an hour late, who was playing the song 'fred' while texting his girlfriend with one hand, and allan totally got lost during the chords for the solo. i was sitting five feet away from allan. he turned towards me and said 'sorry' for his solo, lol!
@Dillon Taylor in terms of legato playing...there are no guitar player (except Marshall Harrison and Brett Garsed) who have such warm and fluent sound (like sax and horns). In terms of composition, there is a reason why Satriani, Vai, Van Halen, Garsed, Shawn lane, Govan, Zappa etc. stated that Allan is/was at least 40 years ahead of his time.
The greatest great guitarist living or dead.. simply unbelievable.. I have to add.. we are blessed that this man exists as the artist he is and will always be...........
I got into guitar players when I started to play the guitar. Started with players like Iommi, Page, Hendrix got to EVH then to Zakk Wylde, Dimebag Darrell to Chuck Schuldiner to Buckethead to Eddie Hazel, Jennifer Batten, Shawn Lane and dozens of different and special players and now, after years, my journey has taken me to Allan Holdsworth. All I can say is "Wow!". A lot of players have blown me away but Holdsworth has changed my view on music like no one has ever done before. There's something so special about this music. Taste in the end, I guess. Thanks for uploading ! This is great !
I'm glad I'm not alone. Satriani is an absolutely amazing player and I would never express any disrespect whatsoever, but I just don't find myself "wanting" to listen to him very often. I'm the same with Malmsteen - a virtuoso and an astounding player, but after a few minutes, I'm done.
Ok so I imagine people think shredding, weird outside, legato, stretches with single note lines that sound like nothing else, stretched out chords etc, when they think of Allen’s playing but the emotional expression is off the charts and isn’t talked about enough.
@@diegoarana5862 I stopped after Calc 2 in college, but I always heard at the time it was harder than Calc 3. Never heard it compared to differential equations. After a while you forget it almost completely anyway I guess unless you become a physicist.
Trying to describe Allan’s music is like trying to describe a psychedelic trip. There aren’t any words to describe the alien feeling and there’s absolutely nothing else to equate it to. I see the words hyperdimensional and transdimensional used a lot to describe Allan’s music and playing, and I think that’s the perfect description for it. He’s one of kind, and though I didn’t come across his music until a few years after he passed away (I’m currently 20 years old so I would have been 14 when he passed), I am heartbroken by his loss. From the hundreds of stories I’ve read about fan interactions with him, not only was he an incredible musician, he was also an incredible human being. I’m thankful that so many of his live performances have made it to the internet for us to enjoy and admire forever. Thank you Allan for everything
First song just says it all. The guy is in his own class. There are cats that can play jazz/fusion/rock that are amazing, but Allan is just beyond them. It will be a long time until someone can top this level. He left a mark on this planet, RIP Sir Holdsworth.
allan was great, but only because of his tone and some of his chordal and scalar ideas. however, the random, chaotic , endlessly non repeating approach to music is maddening. even bach, who is clearly intellectually superior to allan's music, used theme and repetition, a LOT> that was allan's main drawback, refusing to use theme and variation. i know that his music sounds very random to normal listeners, only fusion nerds who don't require theme and repetition love his soloing.
@@jimmythebold589Allan's note selection isn't random, it's premeditated. He could hear the changes and was always attentive to them. He just had a different approach to SEEING scales, primarily as one, and all the notes having the same value/carrying the same weight. The maestro didn't annotate all the possible note combinations for nothing! When you begin to listen to more of Allan, you'll see that he's actually quite diatonic, surprisingly. You'll also find certain trends after some time, and his preferences in outside playing (like messiaen mode 7). I implore you to listen to the flat tire album if you haven't, you'll see Allan's brilliance in the field of composition really shine there. Anywho, no, it's not random. Allan just had a different philosophy when it came to music, and his approach was unlike anyone else.
i totally agree with bill bacon and johnnyG99x, this is not of this earth. I've heard and seen Gambale, Henderson, and heard Govan and Altura of the "new generation fusion players", but this is above all. Absolutely mind blowing. Allan has been my favorite since the Tony Williams Lifetime days. He's the absolute king of guitar.
the guy from history channel was right. there are aliens among us. Allan is one of them. Amazing and complex, and yet sounds so fresh, never boring. Hope he lives hundreds of years.
AMAZING! I got to meet Alan in Berkeley Ça. In 1982. The I.O.U. tour before Jeff Berlin joined him on bass. He was very nice and down to earth. He gave me a few of his Coors beers. He love that beer! He was also depressed, said he was tired of starving, trying to make it in music. I still have the album he signed (IOU). He was very nice to me. I slept in the park that night, the BART was closed by the time I got done. I was in the Marine Corps then, didn’t have a car. It was totally worth it. I got to hang out with him and he signed the album that I bought in the back of the hall for 5 bucks.
Hahahaha, I am laughing because I keep finding Allan videos on UA-cam and swearing blind that "This is absolutely his best performance yet" ... and then I find another... and another. This one is INSANE!!! His fingers, holy crap. Where the hell is he finding these notes? And at that speed?!! What the blazes is going on hahahaha?!!!!
Holdsworth's is the only music I want to listen to right now. Along with Beethoven's late quartets. Completely original, formally rigorous , always responsive, sui generis, not quite atonal. Free.
Dave Carpenter was the best Bass player with Allan bar none! Riff for Riff Tit for Tat Comet for Comet!!! I'm a fan since Softmachine days!!! Rest in Peace AL and Dave!!!
I was partial to Jimmy Johnson because he was the yin to Allan's yang. Dave Carpenter was amazing, but three guys here with over the top chops and very little space I don't find quite as enjoyable as the music with J. Johnson.
This is my favorite full show of holdsworth on the internet. All of his most recognizable licks r in this one. That alternate picking with the other finger is so ridiculous haha. His descending HW scale shapes r so good. He sits in a tone and modulates it several times before moving on and changes his key center to make the rhythm section mean something else. His awarness of context is godly.
Rest In Peace Allan. I was 19 when I saw the Road Games tour with Berlin and Wackerman at a small jazz club here in Tempe. On acid. I also saw Metal Fatigue and Sand. Again in 2007. These were perspective-shifting experiences for me.
Oh, my dear God... I came to this after two days of listening to Allan. And my jaw hit the floor during the first three minutes. How in the world? This is too much even for him.
I only heard the first 2 minutes and I had to pause it to say that those runs gave me the runs...what in the world...my mind and my shorts are completely blown.
OUTSTANDING Allan-and it's fantastic to hear him in this trio setting with Dave Carpenter (RIP) and the always excellent Joel T.. RIP Allan..True genius.
After repeated listenings and heated inner dialogue I hereby declare this the most astounding Holdsworth footage on UA-cam. Everyone is kicking unbelievable ass. Allan is playing viciously, Dave is taking no prisoners and soloing beautifully while Joel’s soulful drumming gives the whole thing a subtle edge
Allan is incomparable... He's himself, and no one else. His music is the definition of innovation, and differs much from Eric and Coltrane. Eric was indeed very influenced by Allan's haunting cleans, and Allan has been inspired by Coltrane's spectacular phrasing and key changes... But Allan is just Allan, beautiful isn't it?
@capoleader3793 The recording industry still isn't ready for Allan's talent. Instead they pigeonholed this brilliant jazz free-improviser as "metal"; A group of his demos released as "Velvet Darkness". Bill Bruford's Feels Good to Me - opening track "Beelzebub". Bruford's One of a Kind - opening track, "Hells Bells". Allan's "Metal Fatigue" album: 3rd track "Devil Takes The Hindmost". etc etc etc
By 1:30, he's already surpassed everybody else. The harmonic sense, the tone, the legato phrasing, the chord voicings, the blinding speed and intervallic leaps. There are many wonderful guitarists, but the one thing they all have in common is that they are all in complete awe of Holdsworth. It's been that way since he first appeared in the mid 70's, he seemed to come from another world. I would also point out that he died flat broke, because the shallow, idiocracy of a world we live in couldn't understand his genius. Where was all this love when he was alive, maybe many of us wouldn't have had to contribute to Go Fund Me to help pay for his funeral. Infuriating. We need to love our great musicians more when they're still alive, as gratifying as all the love is to see after Allan passed. I cried for weeks and still do when he plays those slow heart melters.
This is one of the first videos I ever saw of Allan about 17 years ago. I had just found Meshuggah and thought Fredrick Thordendal was the weirdest alien of a guitar player with the best tone I ever heard... then I found The Godfather, thanks to Meshuggah for putting their influences inside the booklet of their DEstroy Erase Improve album. It’s all connected. Meshuggah changed my metal life, Allan changed my guitar life
It's always fresh what he plays, you can percieve how he really takes improvising as an adventure in phrasing. No pattern here, no predictable notes, it's pure music, pure expression, that constantly flows from his magnificent talent.
Some profound truth in your statement. Those who enjoy solitude are just fine with it. So many things to find and enjoy in the self without need of validation from others. Allan’s music is something special and can be very personal, hence enjoyed in solitude.
Allan was frickin' amazing. I can't even think music fast enough to keep up with him, but when I just close my eyes and enjoy, just wow. And, as Steve Vai said, 20 years from now people MAY start to comprehend where Allan was coming from. Just pure genius.
The end is pure magic. Could listen to it for centuries. Allan is playing in the plureality, some transdimensionnal thing, therefore we're catching only 10% of his music, but these ten are already wonderful, to say the least. Such a chance to have crossed his music on the way.
@@joluijten6313 Yes, I mean understanding, processing, being able to reuse some tips or lines or chords or writing/rythmic intelligence... Happy the man who is @ ten %. Really not sure I reached 5 actually.
I have struggled to listen much since he died. I feel so sad when I do. However, i love his smiles to "the chaps" here as he ia clearly enjoying the night. The maestro.
This is a man who used his prodigious technique purely as a means to express his incredible music. That's the secret. In the end it's all about the musical journey and with Allan it was an unforgettable ride.
Not of this earth--- many other greats--- but there will never again be another ALLAN HOLDSWORTH,,,,, if i am correct, this is the 2000 time of SIXTEEN MEN,,, just top of his game a million%
dave carpenter was sooooo good. what a hugely underrated and invisible player,. his solo on letters is nuts. and i love how he's perfect for a trio, the only bassist allan played with who played walking lines and chords at the same time.
I was so fortunate to see Allan at least 6 different times in the Los Angeles area, but i don't think I've ever seen him perform without a tremolo bar..of course he didn't need one, not like some players these days..lol..miss you Allan.
Allan is a true musical trailblazer! I feel so fortunate to have been able to have witnessed his genius on a number of occasions from the late 70s until shortly before his passing.
His economy in motion when playing makes it look effortless & that the sign of a true talent... I'll honestly admit I had never heard of Alan until he worked with Level 42 but just with what he played on " A Kinder Eye " blew me away & I had to track this guitarist down & what a guitarist... It's amazing the amount of unbelievable talent we had & still have through the music they brought to life & I've had my share of seeing amazing guitarist's/drummers/bass players/saxophone & other horn players & of course the instrument we're all born with but only so many are born with a god given gift to sing... As for myself I was in the backing singing section whole playing bass guitar while my late brother sang our song's & played lead & rhythm guitarist I'd playing the backing 1 octave up from what he was singing & I was happy to do this as I never wanted the limelight of the lead singer but oddly enough neither did my late brother & both of us were in 2 separate bands that were doing great until certain members called it a day (for many reasons) like getting married/a promotion at work... But as I stated to the players in the band I was playing in at the start I informed them I was willing to sacrifice having a family & being settled down until I had made it in the Music Industry & then settled down but I don't blame them & wished them well as chasing your dream leaves no time for family matters until you've gotten signed & made good money buy for every band Signed , 100 bands just as good or better than those who got sighed didn't , but I don't regret it... We were offered a contract to sign with a record company but I wanted to see the contract first & on reading there was no way I was signing that contract even though I had the other members of the band egging me on to sign it but I saw too many Red Alert areas that would finacially cripple us yet our Manager could take proceeds of our money out of the Bank as he fitted that into the contract... I could name many but I want & just say that if your hoping to make it in music now , which is a pale imitation of itself , you need to be very careful & check what your signing is in both the band & the mangers favour & not completely the latter's... When I think back on the sheer innumerable amount of solo acts & bands that were either already signed & doing well or just got signed & were gradually rising their way up & if someone had told me by the end of the 90s music would all be but dead as compared to how it always was I would have thought you had lost the plot but unfortunately it happened & I'm still trying to come to grips with this as we all thought the Music Industry of old would never die but sadly it did but what sweet unforgettable memories I have & it's the younger generations I feel bad for as they barely have any great amount of (predominantly) so acts... I wish they could have cherry picked who to go & see Live whether it was solo acts or bands like those in my generation & older & though I'm 55 (4 days ago) believe me when I say that when you reach each new decade in your life its not as bad as people think & I know teenagers will think I'm a walking zombie but those of my age & older will know what I'm talking about as your age is only a number & not a state of mind & to those same teenagers may you reach to my age & older & trust me when I say it'll happen sooner than you think... lol We will always have the memories of so many great great but sadly in 50 years who can stand there & state the same!.. Thank You for your style of playing & working with various artists & leaving us with such great music & memories... RIP Alan Holdsworth In light of this still ongoing coronavirus and it's variants stay safe and healthy wherever you are in this world... .....
Best I've ever heard from Allan live, if Letters of Maque is any indication (all I've heard so far). According to drummer Gary Husband , Allan's intense issues started around 2000, so glad this exists. The chords in Letters of Marque, brilliant as they are, are probably far more accesible to most non-Holdsworth fans. AND, bonus, they're the sound of the 80's - even IF Allan got them together clear back in the 70's. Enough of them creeped in from himself, Jan Hammer and others, to make the chords in Letters of Marque, part of the soundtrack of the 80's, of all things. What a great show. If there's a legimate site to buy a cleaner (video) copy of the show, someone direct me. Amazing and highly enjoyable- rather the acquired taste that some of Allan's music (and I'm no music theory slouch) can be.
Amazing line up. Joel really nails Allan's stuff. Got my Holdsworth fix today. I introduced his music to a new set of ears today. Her response to Metal Fatigue was wow , thats a guitar ? Hes great. Its so cool sounding. No wonder why you like it. There's no way to tell someone actually how much and why I DO. I guess it strikes its own chord within me. I does. Allans interpretation of melody is such a gift. It sounds like success and thriving achievements pre and post.
I believe there are many ways of approaching listening to the Holdsworth musical experience, as many as there are sincere music lovers. But you could suppose that, hypothetically, there are two large groups: Those who in the first ten bars decide to cancel listening and move on to something else, and then there are those who receive the initial knock out but resist because they are attracted by the "gravitational force" of Allan and his group. Logical incomprehensibility is part of that force, a reality with different densities. I clarify that I am not high at the moment.
I only found out who Alan was by accident about a year ago. I saw him appearing on videos with so many musicians boasting a higher profile with the general public. Then I learnt nearly every world renowned electric guitarist idolises/idolised him. Virtually nobody can decipher the augmentation to all the known scales Alan devised to create an incredible, very innovative outside sound. I've never worked out why in a country like the USA one of the academic institutions never offered him some academic role to impart his unique knowledge to others? Instead he died with very little money. In his own country , England, he is virtually unknown, apart from when he played with Soft Machine. Even highly world renowned technical fusion guitarists John McLaughlin, Frank Gambale, Pat Metheny and George Benson, can't work out what he did/does in this video and others! McLaughlin said to Alan he'd steal everything he played, but could work out barely anything Alan did! Gambale almost fell of the stage and stopped playing when he played in the same group as Alan, he was so amazed at what he played . Benson considered Alan was in class on his own, with no peers whatsoever. I've read so many globally renowned guitarists adulated Alan - Al Dimeola, John Schofield, Joe Satriani, Shawn Lane, Robert Fripp, Joe Satriani, Steve Vai, Tom Morello, Eddie Van Halen, Jakko Jakksych, plus about 50 others of similar stature - which makes Alan close to the most revered musician I've known of. This video encapsulates how brilliant Alan was. I wish the footage had a bit more clarity and provided close ups of his playing all the time though. Alan was such a modest bloke and yet was sometimes dissatisfied with his progress as a guitarist.
As a corollary, I could add that virtually all other musicians on other instruments he played with also adulated Alan - Bill Bruford, Pat Mastelotto, Dave Carpenter, Gary Husband.
Even if the only thing he had ever played in his life was the first 5 minutes of this video, he would still be the greatest guitarist ever. Untouchable.
Only Steve Howe can touch him.
Untouchable implies original. Nothing can't be replicated. This is the primary problem with music. Almost all players are not interested in art; that is, the interface between consciousness and reality as expressed through a medium. Most music is dull, stale and depressing.
To be honest, all the evidence you need is in the first 1:25. Nobody can touch him, he's clearly the successor to Coltrane, a Mozart of our time.
Yes,...I just caught my breath and time stopped some time after1m50.....!!!
Agreed
I was in tears reading all the comments... we all have one thing in common, we were all touched by Allan and revered him dearly. He will be missed. And if he's in another planet I'm sure they'll be blown away, too!
The greatest guitarist of all time.
Probably on electric guitar, he seems to be axiomatically accepted as the greatest, as appraised by his peers. I read that Allan thought his own acoustic playing was relatively poor.
coolest-lookin' guitar, anyway, haha
@@brewbeer5569 Yeah, he was highly critical on his acoustic abilities, still, the few pieces he played, especially with Gordon Beck, sound amazing to my ears.
@@brewbeer5569 allan hated his own playing. i met him three times and talked to him at length , once. the third time i saw him was in LA, at the baked potato. he totally was angry at the drummer for being an hour late, who was playing the song 'fred' while texting his girlfriend with one hand, and allan totally got lost during the chords for the solo. i was sitting five feet away from allan. he turned towards me and said 'sorry' for his solo, lol!
Personnaly i résist 5 minutes and after i give up ( sorry for My poor english) i prefer Eric Johnson or Larry Carlton
It's like trying to understand the universe. Incomprehensible but perfect, beautiful & touches your soul.
I don't understand anything that he's playing, and at the same time it makes perfect sense.
The clearest most consise point about this incredible man.
Its a little bit like getting tossed overboard into a stormy sea. BTW, this music was brought to you by Coors beer.
John McLaughlin said something very similar!
What an astute comment.
ALLIEN HOLDSWORTH
1 Zones
2 Letters Of Marque
3 Gas Lamp Blues
4 House Of Mirrors
5 Above And Below
Awesome bass solo on Letters of Marque.
By far the best guitarist of all time. He's like an alien from another planet playing stuff no one has ever heard or will ever hear from anyone else.
He was and will staying Musical God forever. RIP Allan Holdsworth :'-(
An alien from another planet? :P
@Dillon Taylor you are clearly not at the level to understand this type of music.
@Dillon Taylor in terms of legato playing...there are no guitar player (except Marshall Harrison and Brett Garsed) who have such warm and fluent sound (like sax and horns). In terms of composition, there is a reason why Satriani, Vai, Van Halen, Garsed, Shawn lane, Govan, Zappa etc. stated that Allan is/was at least 40 years ahead of his time.
@@kalposavec674 What is so good about satriani I can't get it can you give me some albums ?
The greatest great guitarist living or dead.. simply unbelievable.. I have to add.. we are blessed that this man exists as the artist he is and will always be...........
Very meaningful words, Bill.
And very sad that he's passed
@@danielcorn1434 we don't last forever on planet earth my friend, but you know we have the legacy of AH on his records 😎
I got into guitar players when I started to play the guitar. Started with players like Iommi, Page, Hendrix got to EVH then to Zakk Wylde, Dimebag Darrell to Chuck Schuldiner to Buckethead to Eddie Hazel, Jennifer Batten, Shawn Lane and dozens of different and special players and now, after years, my journey has taken me to Allan Holdsworth. All I can say is "Wow!". A lot of players have blown me away but Holdsworth has changed my view on music like no one has ever done before. There's something so special about this music. Taste in the end, I guess. Thanks for uploading ! This is great !
What happened to Satriani in the mix?
You might hate me for this but Satriani's style (although he really is an amazing player) has never really gotten me
Doktor Jekyll van Hyde Got it. No worries
Cheers :)
I'm glad I'm not alone. Satriani is an absolutely amazing player and I would never express any disrespect whatsoever, but I just don't find myself "wanting" to listen to him very often.
I'm the same with Malmsteen - a virtuoso and an astounding player, but after a few minutes, I'm done.
Ok so I imagine people think shredding, weird outside, legato, stretches with single note lines that sound like nothing else, stretched out chords etc, when they think of Allen’s playing but the emotional expression is off the charts and isn’t talked about enough.
This is what differential equations sound like on the guitar.
Calc 2 was harder imo
I'm not sure what gives me more anxiety holdsworth or math
More like the gene proteins of covid19
Nah, this is almost algebraic geometry territory. :)
@@diegoarana5862 I stopped after Calc 2 in college, but I always heard at the time it was harder than Calc 3. Never heard it compared to differential equations. After a while you forget it almost completely anyway I guess unless you become a physicist.
Trying to describe Allan’s music is like trying to describe a psychedelic trip. There aren’t any words to describe the alien feeling and there’s absolutely nothing else to equate it to. I see the words hyperdimensional and transdimensional used a lot to describe Allan’s music and playing, and I think that’s the perfect description for it. He’s one of kind, and though I didn’t come across his music until a few years after he passed away (I’m currently 20 years old so I would have been 14 when he passed), I am heartbroken by his loss. From the hundreds of stories I’ve read about fan interactions with him, not only was he an incredible musician, he was also an incredible human being. I’m thankful that so many of his live performances have made it to the internet for us to enjoy and admire forever. Thank you Allan for everything
First song just says it all. The guy is in his own class. There are cats that can play jazz/fusion/rock that are amazing, but Allan is just beyond them. It will be a long time until someone can top this level. He left a mark on this planet, RIP Sir Holdsworth.
allan was great, but only because of his tone and some of his chordal and scalar ideas. however, the random, chaotic , endlessly non repeating approach to music is maddening. even bach, who is clearly intellectually superior to allan's music, used theme and repetition, a LOT> that was allan's main drawback, refusing to use theme and variation. i know that his music sounds very random to normal listeners, only fusion nerds who don't require theme and repetition love his soloing.
@@jimmythebold589Allan's note selection isn't random, it's premeditated. He could hear the changes and was always attentive to them. He just had a different approach to SEEING scales, primarily as one, and all the notes having the same value/carrying the same weight. The maestro didn't annotate all the possible note combinations for nothing! When you begin to listen to more of Allan, you'll see that he's actually quite diatonic, surprisingly. You'll also find certain trends after some time, and his preferences in outside playing (like messiaen mode 7). I implore you to listen to the flat tire album if you haven't, you'll see Allan's brilliance in the field of composition really shine there. Anywho, no, it's not random. Allan just had a different philosophy when it came to music, and his approach was unlike anyone else.
i totally agree with bill bacon and johnnyG99x, this is not of this earth. I've heard and seen Gambale, Henderson, and heard Govan and Altura of the "new generation fusion players", but this is above all. Absolutely mind blowing. Allan has been my favorite since the Tony Williams Lifetime days. He's the absolute king of guitar.
he also uses hybrid picking, wow. I m wondering how he would sound with a hollow body without any effects
Concordo plenamente!
the guy from history channel was right. there are aliens among us. Allan is one of them. Amazing and complex, and yet sounds so fresh, never boring. Hope he lives hundreds of years.
I was justing seeing Govan, and thinking... he is unbelievably amazing, but Allan is so much ahead of everyone else...
so sad last time i wrote a comment Allan was alive and now he is gone, but thankfully he left his legacy for us to enjoy
AMAZING! I got to meet Alan in Berkeley Ça. In 1982. The I.O.U. tour before Jeff Berlin joined him on bass. He was very nice and down to earth. He gave me a few of his Coors beers. He love that beer! He was also depressed, said he was tired of starving, trying to make it in music. I still have the album he signed (IOU). He was very nice to me. I slept in the park that night, the BART was closed by the time I got done. I was in the Marine Corps then, didn’t have a car. It was totally worth it. I got to hang out with him and he signed the album that I bought in the back of the hall for 5 bucks.
Hahahaha, I am laughing because I keep finding Allan videos on UA-cam and swearing blind that "This is absolutely his best performance yet" ... and then I find another... and another. This one is INSANE!!! His fingers, holy crap. Where the hell is he finding these notes? And at that speed?!! What the blazes is going on hahahaha?!!!!
Amazing rhythm section here, thought it was Gary Husband on drums but no - Joel Taylor. And not to mention a late Dave Carpenter on bass.
Holdsworth's is the only music I want to listen to right now. Along with Beethoven's late quartets. Completely original, formally rigorous , always responsive, sui generis, not quite atonal. Free.
Dave Carpenter was the best Bass player with Allan bar none!
Riff for Riff Tit for Tat Comet for Comet!!!
I'm a fan since Softmachine days!!!
Rest in Peace AL and Dave!!!
I was partial to Jimmy Johnson because he was the yin to Allan's yang. Dave Carpenter was amazing, but three guys here with over the top chops and very little space I don't find quite as enjoyable as the music with J. Johnson.
Evan Marien it's better ...
This is my favorite full show of holdsworth on the internet. All of his most recognizable licks r in this one. That alternate picking with the other finger is so ridiculous haha. His descending HW scale shapes r so good. He sits in a tone and modulates it several times before moving on and changes his key center to make the rhythm section mean something else. His awarness of context is godly.
Rest In Peace Allan. I was 19 when I saw the Road Games tour with Berlin and Wackerman at a small jazz club here in Tempe. On acid. I also saw Metal Fatigue and Sand. Again in 2007. These were perspective-shifting experiences for me.
Oh, my dear God... I came to this after two days of listening to Allan. And my jaw hit the floor during the first three minutes. How in the world? This is too much even for him.
I only heard the first 2 minutes and I had to pause it to say that those runs gave me the runs...what in the world...my mind and my shorts are completely blown.
Lol!
Lmao!
OUTSTANDING Allan-and it's fantastic to hear him in this trio setting with Dave Carpenter (RIP) and the always excellent Joel T.. RIP Allan..True genius.
Rufus Philpot
No fucking way dude
I fucking loved your work on the Planet X albums!
Holdsworth is a true Genius/Virtuoso, who's playing is out of this world.
After repeated listenings and heated inner dialogue I hereby declare this the most astounding Holdsworth footage on UA-cam. Everyone is kicking unbelievable ass. Allan is playing viciously, Dave is taking no prisoners and soloing beautifully while Joel’s soulful drumming gives the whole thing a subtle edge
It's like John Coltrane and Eric Johnson in one. The world still isn't ready for Alan's talent. Truly remarkable
Allan is incomparable... He's himself, and no one else. His music is the definition of innovation, and differs much from Eric and Coltrane. Eric was indeed very influenced by Allan's haunting cleans, and Allan has been inspired by Coltrane's spectacular phrasing and key changes... But Allan is just Allan, beautiful isn't it?
@capoleader3793 The recording industry still isn't ready for Allan's talent. Instead they pigeonholed this brilliant jazz free-improviser as "metal";
A group of his demos released as "Velvet Darkness".
Bill Bruford's Feels Good to Me - opening track "Beelzebub".
Bruford's One of a Kind - opening track, "Hells Bells".
Allan's "Metal Fatigue" album: 3rd track "Devil Takes The Hindmost".
etc etc etc
By 1:30, he's already surpassed everybody else. The harmonic sense, the tone, the legato phrasing, the chord voicings, the blinding speed and intervallic leaps. There are many wonderful guitarists, but the one thing they all have in common is that they are all in complete awe of Holdsworth. It's been that way since he first appeared in the mid 70's, he seemed to come from another world. I would also point out that he died flat broke, because the shallow, idiocracy of a world we live in couldn't understand his genius. Where was all this love when he was alive, maybe many of us wouldn't have had to contribute to Go Fund Me to help pay for his funeral. Infuriating. We need to love our great musicians more when they're still alive, as gratifying as all the love is to see after Allan passed. I cried for weeks and still do when he plays those slow heart melters.
The jazz/fusion legato GOAT. No one will every do this better than him.
You are wrong! When humans have developed 8 fingers we will be in with a chance!!
Better than telly
What
Humans have 10 fingers lol
Inevitably, someone will come along that will change the game again, but they wont sound like Allan.
This is one of the first videos I ever saw of Allan about 17 years ago. I had just found Meshuggah and thought Fredrick Thordendal was the weirdest alien of a guitar player with the best tone I ever heard... then I found The Godfather, thanks to Meshuggah for putting their influences inside the booklet of their DEstroy Erase Improve album. It’s all connected. Meshuggah changed my metal life, Allan changed my guitar life
Oh - my - dear - g...I mean Allan Holdsworth. Transcendental, deep, spiritual, defies description...beyond beautiful
It's always fresh what he plays, you can percieve how he really takes improvising as an adventure in phrasing. No pattern here, no predictable notes, it's pure music, pure expression, that constantly flows from his magnificent talent.
My God- imagine... thinking and playing and sounding that fluent. Its inspiring and humbling- as Allan would have it. Untouchable...
absolutely amazing! i am convinced this music is for people who enjoy solitude :D
why do you say that?
Yeah, I get you.
Some profound truth in your statement. Those who enjoy solitude are just fine with it. So many things to find and enjoy in the self without need of validation from others. Allan’s music is something special and can be very personal, hence enjoyed in solitude.
We are lucky to have lived in the same time as this man
The greatest guitarist is no more among us. So sad, so devastating. We can be glad to have his legacy. RIP Allan. He will be the king of guitar.
Two of those guys are not with us anymore :-(
I think Allan was in his top form during this period. He really was an amazing player.
Allan was frickin' amazing. I can't even think music fast enough to keep up with him, but when I just close my eyes and enjoy, just wow. And, as Steve Vai said, 20 years from now people MAY start to comprehend where Allan was coming from. Just pure genius.
out of this world, seriously ...
Probably about as close to his Sixteen Men of Tain tone as you'll hear live.
FEROCIOUS!
I have the bootleg where someone yells “Ferocious!!!” Are you referencing that? Are you him?? Haha we are such geeks for this Master!
MaXaNoMaLoUs
Someone during Zone yells “Ferocious” before the outro
Not an Alien from another planet.
He's a Human coming back from the 27th century through the time portal Athavacron ! ;-)
R.I.P. Allan, you are immortal anyway :(
Just amazing!Allans chordal,rhythmic, and melodic concepts light years beyond anyone.RIP,Master
The greatest musician ever existed. We miss you a lot Maestro, God of Music!
Dave Carpenter solo 8:13 - 12:23
I used to have this DVD, but somehow lost it. Thanks for putting this up. Allan at his most furious...
Often imitated, never replicated. Jaw dropping.
The final chord at 6:24 simply blows me away every time I listen to that!! Lovely and deep
The end is pure magic. Could listen to it for centuries. Allan is playing in the plureality, some transdimensionnal thing, therefore we're catching only 10% of his music, but these ten are already wonderful, to say the least. Such a chance to have crossed his music on the way.
@@joluijten6313 Yes, I mean understanding, processing, being able to reuse some tips or lines or chords or writing/rythmic intelligence... Happy the man who is @ ten %. Really not sure I reached 5 actually.
I have struggled to listen much since he died. I feel so sad when I do.
However, i love his smiles to "the chaps" here as he ia clearly enjoying the night.
The maestro.
THE MASTER
Hey Thomas or should I say Peter Gabriel 😂 I see you comment under every AH vid and I must say you have a great ear for good music. Peace ✌️
This is a man who used his prodigious technique purely as a means to express his incredible music. That's the secret. In the end it's all about the musical journey and with Allan it was an unforgettable ride.
Not of this earth--- many other greats--- but there will never again be another ALLAN HOLDSWORTH,,,,, if i am correct, this is the 2000 time of SIXTEEN MEN,,, just top of his game a million%
dave carpenter was sooooo good. what a hugely underrated and invisible player,. his solo on letters is nuts. and i love how he's perfect for a trio, the only bassist allan played with who played walking lines and chords at the same time.
Allan is just from another planet …
Got to get some albums by this genius first time I’ve listened to him Wow just Wonderful
Welcome! Get 16 Men Of Tain
That version of Gas Lamp Blues is amazing - and seque waying into House of Mirrors just puts the icing on the cake!
6 years up, no thumbs downs!👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾🙏🏾
I was so fortunate to see Allan at least 6 different times in the Los Angeles area, but i don't think I've ever seen him perform without a tremolo bar..of course he didn't need one, not like some players these days..lol..miss you Allan.
Thanks for posting, i was at this show and was so impressed with Joel's drumming!
what a powerband ,It touches my heart deeply..thanks for posting
Holdsworths chord phrasing melts my soul on everything but especially on letters of marque. Thanks for posting this jem of a performance!
Beautiful drumming on this one!!
The best Allan Holdsworth band! Simply amazing!
Stellar performance on all fronts !
The greatest ever! ♥
RIP Allan Holdsworth
damn that was a year ago already? Really was such a shame, will always be missed
Such a huge loss
Allan is a true musical trailblazer! I feel so fortunate to have been able to have witnessed his genius on a number of occasions from the late 70s until shortly before his passing.
This is just fantastic. Jazz!
The greatest. Truly wondrous and inspiring. My musical hero gone, but a legacy unmatched for eternity.
His economy in motion when playing makes it look effortless & that the sign of a true talent...
I'll honestly admit I had never heard of Alan until he worked with Level 42 but just with what he played on " A Kinder Eye " blew me away & I had to track this guitarist down & what a guitarist...
It's amazing the amount of unbelievable talent we had & still have through the music they brought to life & I've had my share of seeing amazing guitarist's/drummers/bass players/saxophone & other horn players & of course the instrument we're all born with but only so many are born with a god given gift to sing...
As for myself I was in the backing singing section whole playing bass guitar while my late brother sang our song's & played lead & rhythm guitarist I'd playing the backing 1 octave up from what he was singing & I was happy to do this as I never wanted the limelight of the lead singer but oddly enough neither did my late brother & both of us were in 2 separate bands that were doing great until certain members called it a day (for many reasons) like getting married/a promotion at work...
But as I stated to the players in the band I was playing in at the start I informed them I was willing to sacrifice having a family & being settled down until I had made it in the Music Industry & then settled down but I don't blame them & wished them well as chasing your dream leaves no time for family matters until you've gotten signed & made good money buy for every band Signed , 100 bands just as good or better than those who got sighed didn't , but I don't regret it...
We were offered a contract to sign with a record company but I wanted to see the contract first & on reading there was no way I was signing that contract even though I had the other members of the band egging me on to sign it but I saw too many Red Alert areas that would finacially cripple us yet our Manager could take proceeds of our money out of the Bank as he fitted that into the contract...
I could name many but I want & just say that if your hoping to make it in music now , which is a pale imitation of itself , you need to be very careful & check what your signing is in both the band & the mangers favour & not completely the latter's...
When I think back on the sheer innumerable amount of solo acts & bands that were either already signed & doing well or just got signed & were gradually rising their way up & if someone had told me by the end of the 90s music would all be but dead as compared to how it always was I would have thought you had lost the plot but unfortunately it happened & I'm still trying to come to grips with this as we all thought the Music Industry of old would never die but sadly it did but what sweet unforgettable memories I have & it's the younger generations I feel bad for as they barely have any great amount of (predominantly) so acts...
I wish they could have cherry picked who to go & see Live whether it was solo acts or bands like those in my generation & older & though I'm 55 (4 days ago) believe me when I say that when you reach each new decade in your life its not as bad as people think & I know teenagers will think I'm a walking zombie but those of my age & older will know what I'm talking about as your age is only a number & not a state of mind & to those same teenagers may you reach to my age & older & trust me when I say it'll happen sooner than you think... lol
We will always have the memories of so many great great but sadly in 50 years who can stand there & state the same!..
Thank You for your style of playing & working with various artists & leaving us with such great music & memories...
RIP Alan Holdsworth
In light of this still ongoing coronavirus and it's variants stay safe and healthy wherever you are in this world...
.....
Amazing. Pure genius and a one of a kind performance.
What a great band. Love Allan!
Holy Shit!!! These musicians are mind-blowing!!! Absolutely amazing!!! I MUST find this on DVD!! I thoroughly enjoyed that performance - WOW!!!!
this is beyond amazing!!!! tis rare that virtuosos have a complete confident and unique personality.
The solos are never boring and in the same time It sounds good in every key.........................
Understated gentleman genius
awesome
Best I've ever heard from Allan live, if Letters of Maque is any indication (all I've heard so far). According to drummer Gary Husband , Allan's intense issues started around 2000, so glad this exists.
The chords in Letters of Marque, brilliant as they are, are probably far more accesible to most non-Holdsworth fans. AND, bonus, they're the sound of the 80's - even IF Allan got them together clear back in the 70's. Enough of them creeped in from himself, Jan Hammer and others, to make the chords in Letters of Marque, part of the soundtrack of the 80's, of all things.
What a great show. If there's a legimate site to buy a cleaner (video) copy of the show, someone direct me.
Amazing and highly enjoyable- rather the acquired taste that some of Allan's music (and I'm no music theory slouch) can be.
I just discovered another 30,897 licks I can steal. I'll get back to you in year 2745 and let you know how I'm progressing. FUCK!!!!. AH is a machine.
+Randy Fricke Defo at the height of his powers during the early 2000s!!!!
Amazing line up. Joel really nails Allan's stuff. Got my Holdsworth fix today. I introduced his music to a new set of ears today. Her response to Metal Fatigue was wow , thats a guitar ? Hes great. Its so cool sounding. No wonder why you like it. There's no way to tell someone actually how much and why I DO. I guess it strikes its own chord within me. I does. Allans interpretation of melody is such a gift. It sounds like success and thriving achievements pre and post.
Paul Czech - I actually LOVED from 0:00-40:35 :)
Jonas Bylund That's the part I like too !
Jonas Bylund first time I saw Allan was with Paul... Small world
I believe there are many ways of approaching listening to the Holdsworth musical experience, as many as there are sincere music lovers. But you could suppose that, hypothetically, there are two large groups: Those who in the first ten bars decide to cancel listening and move on to something else, and then there are those who receive the initial knock out but resist because they are attracted by the "gravitational force" of Allan and his group. Logical incomprehensibility is part of that force, a reality with different densities. I clarify that I am not high at the moment.
Alan is a Like to a quantum physicist Like getting dragged backwards through the universe R I p Awesome
That AH solo on Letters of Marque is fucking gold
Mind-boggling!
Ecxelente!!!
Amazing stuff! Yamaha DG amps! Lovely...got one at home : )
Holy Shit...this is awesome, even for HIM!!!
I only found out who Alan was by accident about a year ago. I saw him appearing on videos with so many musicians boasting a higher profile with the general public. Then I learnt nearly every world renowned electric guitarist idolises/idolised him.
Virtually nobody can decipher the augmentation to all the known scales Alan devised to create an incredible, very innovative outside sound.
I've never worked out why in a country like the USA one of the academic institutions never offered him some academic role to impart his unique knowledge to others? Instead he died with very little money. In his own country , England, he is virtually unknown, apart from when he played with Soft Machine.
Even highly world renowned technical fusion guitarists John McLaughlin, Frank Gambale, Pat Metheny and George Benson, can't work out what he did/does in this video and others!
McLaughlin said to Alan he'd steal everything he played, but could work out barely anything Alan did! Gambale almost fell of the stage and stopped playing when he played in the same group as Alan, he was so amazed at what he played . Benson considered Alan was in class on his own, with no peers whatsoever.
I've read so many globally renowned guitarists adulated Alan - Al Dimeola, John Schofield, Joe Satriani, Shawn Lane, Robert Fripp, Joe Satriani, Steve Vai, Tom Morello, Eddie Van Halen, Jakko Jakksych, plus about 50 others of similar stature - which makes Alan close to the most revered musician I've known of.
This video encapsulates how brilliant Alan was. I wish the footage had a bit more clarity and provided close ups of his playing all the time though. Alan was such a modest bloke and yet was sometimes dissatisfied with his progress as a guitarist.
As a corollary, I could add that virtually all other musicians on other instruments he played with also adulated Alan - Bill Bruford, Pat Mastelotto, Dave Carpenter, Gary Husband.
love these guys of course but I just keep thinking that I could have played just as well on drums and got to hang with Holds. Thanks for posting!
You must be really fucking good if you think you can match Joel Taylor, specially in this gig where you was totally on fire.
so That's how it's supposed to sound. Yes Joel Taylor!!! Exquisitely Holdsworth
No sabia hasta ayer que habia muerto en el 2016 que gran compositor siempre innovador y virtuoso de su instrumento.
MARAVILHOSO ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !
Brilliant
He just passed away in Vista, Ca! Great loss....
GENIUS RIP Allan !
Impressive! Genius!