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If you ever want to have an interesting conversation about music, talk to a non guitarist about Allan. There’s more fans of his that are horns players etc than you might think.
We guitar players can get caught up in all the ‘ooh can’t he play fast?’ stuff
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12-25-2022 05:50 AM
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Is it true that Allan had another business other than music - brewery owner?
This allowed him to be musically independent and produce his own ideas...guitarist-big fan of AH told me about it.
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I know he brewed but no idea if this was a viable business.
Originally Posted by kris
Is it true that Allan had another business other than music - brewery owner?
This allowed him to be musically independent and produce his own ideas...guitarist-big fan of AH told me about it.
the story I heard is he couldn’t get any traditional English beer in LA so had to brew it himself. I doubt there’s huge demand for English ale in the US - based on the fact that Americans like most people in the world seem to find the idea of warm beer pretty much incomprehensible - but maybe was able to sell to the expats.
He was ahead of the curve in self producing his albums, cutting out the need for labels. This forced some compromises on how his albums were recorded (most often tracked rather than live in a room with a band) but it allowed him a lot of freedom. We all know how it panned out when Eddie Van Halen set him up with a label haha.
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There was a long-running thread on another forum about his financial circumstances, which were thought to be dire. Since no contributor was his accountant or bank manager, I paid it no heed.
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Interestingly, when he played in Level 42, I don't think he played much rhythm guitar.
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Level 42??? They were a pop funk band. I’d be amazed if Alan ever played with them.
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iirc he replaced the wonderful Allan Murphy who died far too young, just for an album and a few gigs. Originally Posted by Rob MacKillop
Level 42 - Allan Holdsworth Information Center
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For example: Originally Posted by Rob MacKillop
Level 42 - Allan Holdsworth Information Center
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Haha jinx!
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Well, I never. Thanks for enlightening me.
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Two guys at the height of their powers and what heights. I used to crank this so both ponty and holdsworths solos reverberated around the house. Sorry, this was sort of on topic when I started.
Last edited by Brian859; 12-25-2022 at 05:21 PM.
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It does seem strange but the connection was fellow Yorkshireman and longtime collaborator, Gary Husband who was playing drums for Level 42 during that period.
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By the way, what does mofos mean?
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Gordon did duo albums with every great player. Originally Posted by Christian Miller
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Mofo Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster Originally Posted by Rob MacKillop
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My younger self in the 1980s was amazed, like many, by his often dizzyingly liquid soloing. I also recall being intrigued by his innovative approach to chordal work and cluster based harmony. I had the albums with UK and some with the others noted herein, not to mention several of his own records. But with all due respect to the artist and his legacy, this mofo hasn’t listened to any of that stuff since the 1980s. It’s not enjoyable, simply not my cup of tea.
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Seems a not very nice thing to say about him or his mother. Originally Posted by grahambop
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‘He is a bad mofo’ in this case means ‘he is an excellent guitarist and a jolly decent chap’. Originally Posted by Rob MacKillop
I suggest reading Miles Davis’ autobiography for a thorough grounding in the various uses of this term!
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Indeed. That is a very readable book, capturing Miles's idiolect quite nicely. I also recall him complimenting Bird & Diz as being 'so terrible'. Originally Posted by grahambop
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The old use of terrible as ‘inspiring terror’?
I would probably describe them more as awful myself
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They were both very bad indeed.
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I listened to that album several times the other day. The epitome of Jean-Luc Ponty’s career, and one of the best albums of the fusion era. Originally Posted by Brian859
It is unfortunate that Holdsworth only played on that one JLP album. He seemed to play on one of just about everyone’s album at the time. The interplay between Stuermer and Holdsworth and Ponty was a thing of beauty.
Stuermer to my ear plays more blues-based, like Santana or even McLaughlin. Holdsworth is just sui generis. There doesn’t seem to be any filter between the fantastic notes in his brain and his fingers.
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It's his harmony that I find unbelievably astonishing. Totally amazing, original concepts.
I've been failing to play this properly for over 10 years.
Here is Derryl Gabel playing it very well.
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