Allan Holdsworth ~ England

Metal Fatigue (1985)

I remember the slow brains of the day trying to advertise this as a metal album. They saw the title, and that it was on Enigma (one of the leading metal labels of the era), and made a ridiculous assumption from there. Holdsworth?? He's a lot of things, but never a metalhead. Dummies. Instincts told me to avoid this title in college, and so I did. If not for the collection I acquired in January, I may never have bothered to hear it. The music here is precisely what I would expect a mid 80s fusion album to sound like. Slickly produced, lacking any kind of edge or groove. As already stated below, I'm not much of a fan of Holdsworth's songwriting (the vocal tracks go nowhere), and while he may be technically proficient, his style comes across as academic to me. He really should have been on ECM at this stage, a label that is far more representative. The album has its fans, witness the gushing reviews on RYM. The overall ratings, however, remain rather average. The silent majority I submit. For this kind of guitar fusion from this era, I prefer David Torn or Terje Rypdal (both on ECM as it turns out). Certainly not a bad effort, and I wouldn't suggest so, just not in my wheelhouse.

Source: 1985 Enigma (LP)

8/13/26 (review)   

Velvet Darkness (1976)

I fully admit to not really being a "Holdsworth guy". I realize he was a good guitarist but his music usually leaves me wanting more. I get more satisfaction from Eric Johnson, at least he makes the effort to write a tune. When I found this debut album - on CTI no less - I figured it was worth a try (especially since I got a great deal on it). This is more like it. Really heavy fusion, just the way I like it. Raw and dirty, the exact opposite of how I would characterize Holdsworth. It came as no surprise to me to learn later that Holdsworth regretted the album, saying they were only rehearsals and not authorized for release. Once a tin ear always a tin ear. His next endeavor was the band UK, who released an excellent debut, and he whined incessantly about that too. The lesson? If Holdsworth was unhappy then I might like it! To be fair, I haven't heard that many of his albums, and the ones I did, go back to the 80s when I was in college. I'm up for hearing them all, though I'll keep expectations in check.

Back to Velvet Darkness. The album is only about 30 minutes long and that includes three acoustic interludes. The other five are the heavy pieces. One of them features Holdsworth on violin, and he's quite good at that too. Bet he doesn't think so.

Ownership: 1976 CTI (LP). Gatefold. Acquired in 2024.

6/7/24 (review)

Atavachron (1986)

Picked this one up in Austin for $1. Perfect nick. There was a lot of fusion like this in the middle 80s. Not a big fan of the Synthaxe, which is all over this thing. The tones and production are off-putting, though I suspect the material would hold up better in an analog setting. Overall it's a pleasant listen, but nothing I need to hold onto. 

Source: 1986 Enigma (LP)

7/14/23 (review)

Also own: I.O.U.

Previously owned: Heavy Machinery (w/ Anders Johansson and Jens Johansson)

7/14/23 (new entry)