Allan Holdsworth
“Against the Clock”
In my realm of understanding, I know a lot about lesser known
artists and not enough about the ones that reach legendary status. Isn't it
ironic, don't you think? I guess I draw a distinction between talent and fame.
I tend to go primarily with aptitude and skill over name recognition. You could
say I'm not up on commercial radio, hype, the popular brands, or American
idols. With that said, there is no better reason for me to find out more about
this super-talented and yes, legendary, guitarist named Allan Holdsworth.
My attention was first grasped when I started hearing about
this artist from the progressive rock community. He's a member of so many
accomplished groups such as
To begin my studies, I decided there was no better place to
start than his most recent "best of" collection called Against The Clock.
The liner notes to the lecture include a dozen fascinating
quotes, which include the high praise of Bill Bruford
to the humble commentary of Eddie Van Halen. With
referrals from such renowned specialists, I had to delve deeper into the
syllabus. Trust me, these artists are not giving out
misleading sponsorship. After hearing this album, I'm sure you'll agree with
their comments.
I really like the artwork on the disc, which is the face of
an antique clock. It's clever as it is a cross of the old and the new. By the
old, I mean the clock, not Allan. By the new, I'm referring to the media, the
art, and the modern mix.
The coursework is divided into two sessions. The first volume
goes over guitar while the second deals with what Allan refers to as a Synthaxe. The course outline represents nine albums from
1985's Metal Fatigue to 2001's Flat Tire. 1984's
Games is represented by an
alternate Japanese version of "Tokyo Dreams." This particular subject
is covered in the opening of the first lesson. After an abundance of charming
compositions, the class lets out after two short, but sweet, bonus tracks.
My favorite tracks include…
"Rukukha" is upbeat and
flashy. It shows off the swiftness of Allan's nimble fingers. The speed doesn't
take away from its allure, which is why it's one of my favorite tracks.
The track to follow, "Low Levels High Stakes," is a
combination of classical and jazz with a light touch of progressive influences.
It also proves the technical prowess of his piano player and bassist.
Take The Hindmost" is relaxing and melodic.
"Home" is sweet and pretty. The bass on "Peril Premonition"
struts with a little stagger while the guitar whizzes through the atmosphere
like an atomic rocket. "Mr. Bewell" is the
liveliest, jazziest, and craziest piece on the album and it's also the most
unique. "Looking Glass" takes us down the rabbit hole into a weird
and whimsical world. "Pud Wud"
goes practically nuts at times.
The listener will finish this first disc with one eyebrow
raised and a head filled with melodic equations and musical theory to commit to
memory. When we get to the other side, we encounter sounds that are a little
more synthetic. As a result, the second session interests me most for all its
eccentricities.
"MacMan" is a very
strange one indeed. The Synthaxe here sounds more
like a keyboard than a guitar. The title track "Against The
Clock" is much different than the others, not so much in the instrumental sense,
but rather due to the fact it is the first track with vocals. On this song, Rowanne Mark guides us with her saintly-sounding passages.
She also returns much later in "All Our Yesterdays" where she sings
like a high-pitched pixie. She starts us in the greenest of forests before tom
toms and
Gary Husband from the Muffins is featured on
"Postlude." It's another wacky track that also tops my favorites.
"Eidolon" is very similar in nature and it just happens to be the
last of the lively bunch.
"Sundays" sputters around the bases, "Let's
Throw Shrimp" limps through third, and "Shenandoah" slides into
home base. With the bases loaded, the album finishes with some last minute
scores to take the ballgame. I especially like the panache of the very last
song. It's like a player who tips his cap and waves to the crowd for that final
freeze frame. You could say the album finishes like the closing credits to an
inspirational movie.
The supporting cast is tremendous. While the keyboards and
bass are well above average, the drumming on this album is absolutely
extraordinary. Couple this with the fact Allan Holdsworth
is leading the crew and you wind up with some incredibly sublime pieces
plastered throughout the albums inner walls. Even though I prefer song-oriented
and melody-driven music, I can safely say that any fan of fusion will surely
rejoice in this release.
From the onset, even the most inexperienced audiophile can
ascertain that this is high-quality instruction from an experienced professor.
The compositions on the whole are incredibly deep and introspective. As the
album progresses, we get varying pieces that take us in many different
directions. Allan's style has a breadth that reminds me of Petrucci's
more classical and jazzy pieces. All the tunes are great and the only true
description of this album is "best of" artist, "best of"
class. He definitely earns the distinction of magna cum laude among his musical
peers.
If Allan's trying to meet a deadline, he's really in no hurry
to do so as this collection takes a little more than two hours to traverse. It
happens over the course of 26 separate topics, most around the four or five
minute range. Not sure why this is against the clock. The pieces sound fresh,
youthful, and refined. They don't appear to be rushed and I didn't check the
time once while it was playing.
A lot has been crammed into this advanced course. I'll need
to review the material many times over before I could possibly appreciate every
detail. I might be ready for a quiz, but I still have a lot to learn before the
finals. From this point on, I'll be on the lookout for this legendary artist.
Many more study sessions will be scheduled to review the rest of Allan's
impressive handiwork.
Rating: 4.25/5
More about Against The Clock: The
Best Of Allan Holdsworth:
Track Listing: Disc
One: Tokyo Dream (Japan version) (5:03) / Sphere Of Innocence (5:56) / Ruhkuhan (5:31) / Low Levels High Stakes (9:02) / How Deep
Is The Ocean (5:28) / Nuages (5:38) / Devil Take The
Hindmost (5:34) / Home (5:26) / Peril Premonition (4:42) / The Sixteen Men Of Tain (6:23) / Mr. Berwell (6:08)
/ Looking Glass (4:25) / Pud Wud
(6:40)
Disc Two: Spokes (3:29) /
Distance vs. Desire (5:14) / Macman (3:59) / Against
The Clock (4:54) / Eeny Meeny
(4:37) / Secrets (4:20) / Bo Peep (3:41) / Postlude (5:32) / All Our Yesterdays
(5:24) / Eidolon (4:30) / Sundays* (3:55) / Let's Throw Shrimp* (3:26) /
Shenandoah* (3:15)
* new tracks
Musicians:
Allan Holdsworth - guitar, synthaxe
Gordon Beck - keyboards
Dave Carpenter - acoustic bass
Billy Childs - keyboards
Vinnie Colaiuta - drums
Kirk Covington - drums
Steve Hunt - keyboards
Gary Husband - drums
Jimmy Johnson - electric bass
Gary Novak - drums
Alan Pasqua - keyboards
Skuli Sverrisson - electric
bass
Bob Wackerman - electric bass
Chad Wackerman - drums
Tony Williams - drums
Gary Willis - electric bass
Contact:
Website:
www.therealallanholdsworth.com
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Discography
·
Velvet Darkness (1976)
·
I.O.U. (1982)
·
Road
Games (1983)
·
Metal
Fatigue (1985)
·
Atavachron (1986)
·
Sand (1987)
·
Secrets (1989)
·
·
Hard
Hat Area (1994)
·
Against
The Clock: The Best Of Allan Holdsworth (2005)
·
None
Too Soon (1996)
·
I.O.U.
Live (1985) (1997)
·
The
Sixteen Men Of Tain (1999)
·
Flat
Tire (2001)
·
All
Night Wrong (2002)
·
Live
- Then! (2003)
"Devil