Tony Williams Lifetime- with Allan Holdsworth- Live 1976

[crazybxdon1]

@MintionkeHF It's funny that you mentioned Ollie because I guy from The Revolver record store on 8th street NYC suggested a Live Tempest CD (back in '94) which featured Oliie and Allan. I think Ollie is left-handed so both were on opposite sides of the stage trading.. FLURRIES!!!!! I know.."sick!"

Wow! I'm going to checkout your suggested vid right after I send this response.

[crazybxdon1]

Do you have any live Tempest? I would love to see Allan play " The Gorgon" live. Whew!

[crazybxdon1]

as far as potential influences go, Larry Coryell on Steely Dans' Royal Scam did some interesting pull-offs (like what Eddie featured on the begining of "Fools") and that album came out in 1975. One other thing: the begining of Hot For Teacher!?! Listen to the begining of Billy Cobham's( former drummer of Mahavishnu's Orchestra) "Quadrant 4" with Tommy Bolin on guitar. I can't prove if he or Alex heard that song from the seventies or not , but clearly an influence.

[bogeybast]

Having long ago worn out the grooves on the Believe It & Million Dollar Legs lps I just bought them both on 1 new CD @ Barnes & Noble for $5. Pardon the plug; no offence intended, but please! $5 for 2 classic fusion recordings? Tell me where else to find such a deal.

[crazybxdon1]

Arguably Holdsworth's best solo (on the LP)! Even after considering Velvet DarKness, Metal Fatigue, and Soft Machine inventory.

Holy crap! as I'm typing this posting I'm hearing Allan's solo....My GOD!!!! Van Halen, Malmsteen,Vai,Satriani,Stump, and Nevermore's guitarist, all need to bow before him.

thank you so much for posting this song! Whew!!!

[jonsilence]

@crazybxdon1: I've heard everything Allan has recorded, as well as a ton of live stuff from all periods, and I've never heard anything as SICK and BALLS OUT as the flame-throwing shredfest he unleashes here. I saw Van Halen make their all-originals 1976 debut at the Starwood shortly after this Lifetime recording; I said to Eddie afterward "You're obviously a Holdsworth fan", to which he replied "Who??" At that time he'd never heard of Holdsworth & didn't discover him until around '78.

[crazybxdon1]

@jonsilence I love Eddie but over the years i've come to realize that he may not have been completely honest with regards to his influences. His whole approach to his two finger style was to emulate the ridiculous sounds Allan was doing with just one hand. Most of Allan straight electric playing (non-synthaxe) could be heard from his tempest days to Velvet Darkness ('71-'76) there's no way a young axeman could not have been exposed to THAT!

[crazybxdon1]

@jonsilence ! while other seemingly threw up their hands in amazement and frustration to what they heard from Allan, I'm sure that's one of the things that separated Eddie from the rest: perseverance,pure dedication, and the genius to put all those elements together with kickass rhythm. I dont know why, but his rhythm guitar playing with the occasional pinch-harmonics and buzzes and short runs is to die for!

[crazybxdon1]

@jonsilence

Anyway, NO ONE was sounding like Allan, the staple sound atthe time was still some form of Hendrixian sound; that's why people were blown away by Eddie because unless you were a fusion nut you wouldn't have been accustom to hearing those wall of notes. and when Eddie threw in those bombs and harmonics!?!? holy crap!.

[MikeHF]

@crazybxdon1 Actually there was a guy before Allan playing those legato flurries and wang bar bends. His name was Ollie Halsall. Allan sighted him as a huge influence. He even used the same SG guitar at one point. Allan copped the legato style from Ollie. I didnt believe it till I heard it. Listen to the band "Patto" and the tune "Give It All Away" . Its on You tube. Be prepared to be blown away as this tune is from 1971!!!!!!!

[ceezbgacom]

@crazybxdon1 Thanks for posting. I'm envious of anyone who got to see this lineup live.

[Ken1Nickels1]

I saw this lineup in Chicago with Tony on his yellow kit and Alan Holdsworth, playing like a downhill skier on crack. Tony likes to challenge the players by assuming the beat but playing every possible thing around it. When he took it too far and the band unraveled into chaos. I saw the look in his eye and it was a casual "Fuck it!" He hit the snare a couple of times and brought everyone back from the brink to carry on. There has never been a more exciting drummer than Tony Williams.

[jonsilence]

@Ken1Nickels1: LOVE your story bro! I'm envious because I never saw the Lifetime with Holdsworth. Closest I got was the Million Dollar Legs tour with Marlon Graves who had taken over for Allan. Next time I saw Tony was in '77 at the Golden Bear with a new Lifetime--all unknowns--and during the end vamp of 'There Comes a Time' there was a trainwreck when the band couldn't count in unison and hold down the fort while Tony took it out. Hear it for yourself on YouTube under my videos.

[Ken1Nickels1]

@jonsilence Wow, that's an old song. I can't even remember what records it's on. Nice! To play with Tony you better know how to count. :-0

[KhalDrogo76]

@Ken1Nickels1 reason #1 why i still love to play the drums; and Tony was the man who showed me that door....the band may not like it but F em!

[dantean]

Sterile.

[jonsilence]

@dantean: Vous montrez votre ignorance!

[watchyourmusic1]

I truely love Early Mahavishnu-

but Holdsworth gets my vote as the more Advanced player of this period.....Check out TEMPEST

[eb3be66]

Loving the fuzz bass....ooh yeah.....

[71rubies]

Holdsworth was cool, but I think McLaughlin had far more technical skill during the early seventies. Cobham and Williams were both amazing, and I don't think that they should be compared to each other in regards to their fusion drumming. Williams was better at quieter jazz than Cobham.

[slimturnpike]

@Fjord76 not sure in what way you find holdsworth 'giant steps' ahead of mclaughlin, to take one example. IMO mclaughlin's sense of harmony is more advanced than holdsworth's. both have speed but i hear more sophistication, less mere muscle memory, in mclaughlin's single-note lines. both are monster players for sure. i don't think it's critically valid to say either is giant steps ahead of the other. just different.

[slimturnpike]

man that's a badass vest the bassist is wearing ;)

[videolover61]

@slimturnpike

In the words of Jimi Hendrix: "Strange and beautiful."

[shpilk]

awesome .. i'm enthralled ..

[331paradiddle]

I love this group. Tony Williams was a force of nature. RIP

[lionlr1]

Today I see Tony Newton on expert village and I say what happened.

[lionlr1]

Tony Newton is playing bass here. He was a monster back then!!!!

[lionlr1]

TONY 

[theblackbeast33]

Thanks jonsilence this indeed a sick performance !!! I know these songs pretty well from the studio recording this is just awesome shit !!!! wow !!! Holdsworth and Williams rules !!!

[MontegoMX]

This guy was everything in one drummer...

[jonrwert]

buddy rich on salvia

[jonrwert]

oh my...around 5:00 on...most people don't understand that Tony was a "rock drummer" all the way..as well as everything else he brought to the table. damn, from around 5:20, just playing the shit out of the groove like it's 1999.

and the drum solo

[jonrwert]

oh, it gets NASTY 'round 3:23!!!

[FireLineStudios]

Marlon was one of my best friends growing up in The Heights.

Can't find any online presence for him though...hmmmm

[FireLineStudios]

@FireLineStudios And , yes... I did a bit of local "roadie" work with Marlon when he joined Tony's band. Spent a bunch of time at Tony's place on 141st during rehearsals.

Good times.

[PetarAtanasov87]

@Fjord76 Wild?Please write in your youtube Chick Corea-bitches brew and you will see some crazy stuff.

[PetarAtanasov87]

@Fjord76 ofcourse its not the same they are not some copy machines.

[metamorphosis67]

@Fjord76 Yeah but the Emergency album has terrible sound and production, just awful, and is almost unlistenable as a result. McLaughlin hates both that album and "Devotion," not because of the performances but because the sound quality of the recordings were so botched.

[MikeNichols50]

Holdsworth really cuts loose here...I have to admit that he was a bit restricted in [the band] UK...unfortunately Holdsworth remains somewhat of a cult figure on the guitar...he was far ahead of his time in the 70s....

[dr05guitar]

sick bass

[DarthKazi]

Tony Williams with Alan Holdsworth is some of the best music ever made.

[PetarAtanasov87]

@Fjord76 really? Chick Corea top 40??? you are an imbecile.

[MikeNichols50]

@PetarAtanasov87 - I noticed your comment got alot of "negative votes"...but I do empathize with the spirit of your comments...Mahavishnu & RTF [especially with Al DiMeola] were probably more commercially successful but their musicianship is/was nevertheless top-notch...

[PetarAtanasov87]

@MikeNichols50 i can't believe people give thumbs down....Al Di Meola is commercial but that is not the point.Chick Corea made that band and do you think Chick Corea is commercial lol.I still can't believe someone said Chick Corea is commercial it's like someone saying Holdsworth is commercial.

[MikeNichols50]

@PetarAtanasov87 - Exactly... Sometimes the word "commercial" gets thrown around too easily...

The Rolling Stones & Madonna are commercial, yet somehow that same label doesn't sound right if it is attached to RTF... And... Corea disbanded that version of RTF after "Romantic Warrior"...he certainly could have continued mining that [electric] vein if his motives were simply driven by profit...but he didn't...

[PetarAtanasov87]

@MikeNichols50 Did you hear the record to the stars?It's such a great record makes me cry of joy.And there is some scary stuff on the tune alan corday

[jonsilence]

This is Holdsworth playing, not Marlon Graves.

[bxlunar]

Marlon Graves is SICK on the guitar!!!

[vgraham44]

I've hung with Allan on a few occasions. He seems somewhat disillusioned these days.I know hes a harsh critic of himself, but damn, there was nobody playing like this back in the 70's when he exploded onto the scene.

[playguitarlars]

This is from the IOWA 76 Bootleg.

[cmccabe07921]

OK THIS KICKS SERIOUS ASS WHERE THE HELL DID U GET THIS? GREAATTTTTT STUFF!!!

[oskarveliky]

@cmccabe07921 I have this entire concert. Send me an email. jaroslav.reichel@seznam.cz

[alexgabriel1979]

One of the best fusion band in 70's....great heroes

[PANDOSING]

This stuff is like finding moon rocks in a public park

[prutters]

Allan may look like a human being but i´m not sure if he is...his playing is definitely from another planet:) Thanks for upload..!

[petecockcroft]

Bass-Player joined Gary Moore's G-force.

Allan told me that he sold his Guitar to get the Air-ticket home after the dis-banding of this group.

So glad Alan Pasqua remained a friend and collaborator.

[PhuckHue2]

GREAT!