96 Allan Holdsworth – Part 1

The first of a two-part appreciation of Allan Holdsworth, a favourite of both Hugh Lynch and myself.  Edison Rex suffering from his piece of BT Internet wet string drying out, and with a very poor and intermittent connection, could not host the show.  This accounts for why mine was the only voice from the team that you heard – apart from the jingle, that is.

Preshow began with a Tony Williams Lifetime track, from one of Allan’s happiest collaborations, then a track from one of his albums as a sideman with French electric violinist Jean-Luc Ponty, before playing the title track from what must be the only studio bootleg album, Velvet Darkness.  Holdsworth and bandmates performed some warm-ups and run-throughs, and were just ready to record the album when the producer said “Right, we’ve got enough tracks for the album now, thank you and goodnight”!  We finished with some of Allan Holdsworth’s earliest recorded work, with his band of Yorkshire mates ‘Igginbottom (covering the Beach Boys, of all things) and with jazz fusion trumpeter Ian Carr’s Nucleus.

The last track in the postshow is a relatively rare example of Holdsworth’s work on accoustic guitar.

Preshow

Million Dollar Legs Tony Williams Lifetime  Million Dollar Legs 1976
Enigmatic Ocean Jean-Luc Ponty  Enigmatic Ocean 1977
Velvet Darkness Allan Holdsworth  Velvet Darkness 1977
California Dreamin’ ‘Igginbottom  ‘Igginbottom’s Wrench 1969
Sweet Dry Biscuits ‘Igginbottom  ‘Igginbottom’s Wrench 1969
Hector’s House Ian Carr With Nucleus  Belladonna 1972

The Show

Hazard Profile Part 1 Soft Machine  Bundles 1975
Wildlife Tony Williams Lifetime  Believe It 1975
Joy Filled Summer Tony Williams Lifetime  Million Dollar Legs 1976
What You Do to Me Tony Williams Lifetime  Million Dollar Legs 1976
Expresso Gong  Gazeuse! 1976
Night Illusion Gong  Gazeuse! 1976
Esnuria Gong  Gazeuse! 1976
Soli Gong  Expresso II 1978
Nostalgic Lady Jean-Luc Ponty  Enigmatic Ocean 1977
Sample And Hold Bill Bruford  Feels Good To Me 1977
Hell’s Bells Bill Bruford  One of a Kind 1979
The Abingdon Chasp Bill Bruford  One of a Kind 1979
In The Dead Of Night UK  UK 1978
Second Summer Allan Holdsworth & Gordon Beck  Sunbird 1979
The Things You See (When You Haven’t Got Your Gun) Allan Holdsworth & Gordon Beck  The Things You See 1980
Arabesque Pierre Moerlen’s Gong  Time Is The Key 1979
Sly Monkey Soft Machine  Land Of Cockayne 1981

Postshow

Shadows Of Gong  Gazeuse! 1976
Sleepy Gong  Expresso II 1978
Five G Bill Bruford  One of a Kind 1979
Forever Until Sunday Bill Bruford  One of a Kind 1979
Diminished Responsability Allan Holdsworth and Gordon Beck  The Things You See 1979