history / edit

Artist

Shortcut Code: [a254012]
Data Quality Rating: Needs Vote
55 submissions pending
Add to List

Shopping

Search for this:
 eBay .uk
 Amazon .uk .de
X 89 For Sale

Jump To

edit genres sort

Discography

Releases:
Velvet Darkness (Album) (3 versions)   CTI Records ... 1976
Road Games (12", MiniAlbum)   Warner 1983
Road Games (12", MiniAlbum)   Warner Bros. Records 1983
Devil Take The Hindmost (Flexi, 7", S/Sided, Squ)   Guitar Player Magazine, Eva-Tone Soundsheets 1985
I.O.U. (Album) (3 versions)   Enigma Records (3) ... 1985
Metal Fatigue (2 versions)   Enigma Records (3) 1985
Atavachron (Album) (2 versions)   CREAM Records (3) ... 1986
Untitled (Flexi, 7")   Guitar Player Magazine, Eva-Tone Soundsheets, Eva-Tone Soundsheets 1986
Sand (Album) (3 versions)   Relativity ... 1987
With A Heart In My Song (CD, Album)   JMS Records 1988
Secrets (CD, Album)   Restless Records, Intima Records 1989
Secrets (LP)   Intima Records 1989
Wardenclyffe Tower (Album) (2 versions)   Restless Records ... 1992
Just For The Curious (CD)   Warner Bros. Records, Warner Bros. Records 1993
Hard Hat Area (Album) (2 versions)   Restless Records ... 1994
None Too Soon (Album) (2 versions)   Belle Antique ... 1996
I. O. U. Live (CD, Album)   Cleopatra 1997
The Sixteen Men Of Tain (Album) (2 versions)   CREAM Records (3) ... 2000
All Night Wrong (Album) (2 versions)   Columbia ... 2002
Appears On:
Belladonna (LP, Album)   Vertigo 1972
Tempest (Album) (3 versions)   Island Records ... 1973
Believe It (Album) (2 versions) Fred, Mr. Spock Columbia 1975
Bundles (Album) (5 versions)   Harvest ... 1975
Capricorn Princess (3 versions)   Kudu ... 1976
Gazeuse! (Album) (7 versions)   Virgin ... 1976
Triple Echo (3xLP, Comp, Mono) Hazard Profile (Part 1) Harvest, EMI Records 1977
Expresso II (Album) (6 versions) Heavy Tune, Sleepy, Soli Virgin ... 1978
Feels Good To Me (LP, Album, RE)   E'G Records, Polydor 1978
Feels Good To Me (LP, Album, RE)   Polydor 1978
U.K. (Album) (7 versions)   Polydor ... 1978
One Of A Kind (Album) (3 versions)   E'G Records ... 1979
Sunbird (LP, Album)   JMS Records 1979
Time Is The Key (Album) (6 versions) Arabesque Intro, Arabe... EMI Electrola ... 1979
Individual Choice (4 versions)   Atlantic ... 1983
Trans-Atlantic (Album) (2 versions) Playback, Soldier Of Love EMI America 1984
Fast Impressions (Album) (2 versions) Fast Impressions, Rain... Enigma Records (3) 1986
Radio Free Albemuth (Album) (2 versions) Radio Free Albemuth Relativity 1988
A Question Of Time (LP, Album)   Epic 1989
A Question Of Time (CD, Album)   Epic 1989
Attack Of The Neon Shark (Album) (3 versions) Under Fire Enigma Records (3) ... 1989
The Distance Between (CD, Album)   Current, Line Music GmbH 1990
The Untouchable (CD)   Castle Music 1990
Forty Reasons (CD, Album) Fearless, House On Fir... CMP Records 1991
Guaranteed (Album) (4 versions)   RCA ... 1991
CMPler 2 (CD, Comp) Holiday Insane CMP Records 1992
Million Dollar Legs (CD, Album)   Sony Records 1992
Rock Legends (4xCD, Comp + Box) Up And On Castle Communications, Castle Communications, Castle Communications, Castle Communications, Castle Communications, Castle Communications, Castle Communications, Castle Communications, Castle Communications 1992
The Collection (Comp) (2 versions)   Columbia 1992
>Re-Touch & Quartet< (CD, Album) Re-Touch Konnex Records 1993
The View (CD, Album)   CMP Records 1993
Speed (Original Motion Picture Score) (Album) (2 versions)   Milan Records ... 1994
Land Of Cockayne (CD, Album)   One Way Records (USA) 1996
Stare (CD, Album)   Союз 1996
'Igginbottom's Wrench (Album) (2 versions)   Air Mail Archive ... 2000
Solar Plexus / Belladonna (2xCD, Album, RE)   BGO Records 2002
BBC Radio 1971 - 1974 (2xCD)   Hux Records 2003
Book Of The Dead (CD, Album)   ProgRock Records 2004
Live In Boston (CD, Album, Pap)   Isol Discus Organization 2007
Enigmatic Ocean (CD, Album)   Atlantic  
Unofficial Releases:
None Too Soon (CD, Album)   Not On Label (PN Series)  
edit

YouTube Videos

▸ show all 1 review

Reviews & Discussion

Review by the_electrician Sep 30, 2007
Allan Holdsworth is widely regarded as the most sophisticated and expressive Jazz/Rock/Fusion guitarists of all time, and rightly so, given the influence he has had over so many modern guitar players. From Eddie Van Halen to Joe Satriani to Shawn Lane to John MacLaughlin, too many of the greatest modern guitar players to list, all have cited Holdsworth as a major influence and inspiration in their craft. Holdsworth is an innovator who dreams up fiendish and delightful chord progressions and melodies, and then proceeds to improvise over these ethereal and outlandish changes in a way which lets you know that he is actually completely omniscient regarding all of the formulations and permutations of notes at his disposal. The notes he chooses to play come at you from angles which constantly surprise and delight your ears, mind and heart. His technical prowess is simply astounding - his greatest technical achievement is to fool you into thinking that what he does is anything less than impossible by way of inflecting and articulating his playing as if it's easy (for him).

Holdsworth also pioneered and championed the use of the synth-axe - a guitar like instrument which is actually an extremely sophisticated midi synth controller. This instrument allowed Holdsworth to explore the sounds he was originally drawn to make, those of the wind instruments, especially the saxophone. He was aided in this endeavour by the use of a breath midi controller, and the ability to manipulate notes with the synth-axe in ways which are impossible, or near to impossible, on a normal guitar. Unfortunately, the synth-axe is no longer being produced or serviced, however this means that Holdsworth has returned to the guitar, and continues to explode the boundaries of the possible and the conceivable, not just for the guitar, but for modern music.

Lists