Stupendous...if you really truly listen to that. the man is incapable of imitation, or repetition really. what is gobsmacking is that he struggled for years after this, and yet he just blew the Montreaux jazz fest apart. what is wrong with the recording industry, music business!
@axel9257 Malmsteen is enough for all of us...mortal and simple people..but this level of musicality and skill are from people like Howe Gambale Henderson Lane Mclaughlin Garsed and Guthrie of course...Malmsteen nah...he´s good but not otherwordly like these monsters
malmsteen. haha. sounds like a bunch of exercises one after the other with speed being the main objective. totally lacking feeling. just a bunch of scales coupled with arpeggios. holdsworth is the man.
@jcfbell3001 Malmsteen wouldn't have a prayer of playing this, and especially not playing any of Holdsworth's tunes from the 1980s. That's when the man started to get REALLY freaky.
To be fair, though, Holdsworth wouldn't have a prayer of playing Stanley Jordan's music, while Jordan could play Holdsworth rhythms and leads simultaneously.
Why are you clowns slagging off Malmsteen in a Holdsworth video? Can't you appreciate great talent without resorting to superficial comparisons as if you are comparing football teams? Art is subjective. I think you will find that amazing musicians such as these respect each other's abilities.
In the words of Frank Zappa: "Shut up and play your guitar!"
@philtower i'm not sure ut, i think that malmsteen, played on a tribbute album to alan,he loves him, so, why the hell everybody tries tocampare both palyers, their styules arec ompletely diferent,the oly thing in common is that both players play fast,i totally agree with you! thumbs up!!
@lamecasuelas2 You're right, Malmsteen did a cover of the UK song In The Dead of Night (have to say I much prefer the original though...). Malmsteen has said many times how much he admires Holdsworth's playing.
My apologies, I stand corrected. He's an awesome guitarist. I saw him just before he left for the states at Bracknell arts centre cellar bar, Only around 40-50 people could fit in there. He gave a stunning performance and this probably stands as one of the best gigs I ever saw.
Shredder should not be a negative term; obviously people who put in that much effort into playing fast and do it so effortlessly are very talented. It's only when the only thing they can do is play unmusical/nonsense ideas at lightening speed that it becomes an issue.
No one cares how fast you can play! It's how good you're tone is and how you make people feel!
The drummer is Robert Wyatt, one of the greatest innovators in jazz/rock around and still doing work that musicians listen to, despite quadraplegia suffered in 1973
Fucking sick! Allan Holdsworth is the fastest guitar player that has soul and emotion. He's pouring his heart and soul out into this solo. Only shredder that can do that is Buckethead.
Allan is truly a visionary when it comes to his approach to sound. He's invented chords, scales, music gear and he wanted to be a brewer :) sometimes the tunes sound like a complicated math equation translated into notes. good stuff! I remember seeing him live many years ago.
Throughout this even at the incredible speed you can hear the music - the notes- the feeling - and hes not hiding behind a processed sound - its live, its clear - and its great music. garywood65 myspace
You can call this "shred" if you want, but Allan himself would hate that label. His vocabulary and phrasing are essentially based on Coltrane's "sheets of sound" playing on the guitar. Both men have similar technical and musical abilities on their respective instruments which are second-to-none.
One man's meat is another man's poison. I would call this shredding. It is a definition that does not necessarily conotate something bad, but it does suggest an emphasis on a lot of notes. As for me, I hear more notes than emotion.
I could be wrong but I heared a fan coined the term 'shred' at a Malmsteen gig. Shred doesnt have to be negative I dont think but I can see why people might think so. I cant always get into Holdsworths playing but this is my favourite holdsworth clip ive seen so far
Having gotten to somewhat know Allan after hanging with him & his alternating bandmates, I'd say as fluid & innovative as this is, Allan himself would probably cringe if he revisited this. His perspective on things remains a mystery to me indeed.
COOLEST THING.....about this performance, beside AH playing that white SG, is that he using almost NO drive on the amp, it's just loud and clean. no where to hide. more pure that way, more like a sax solo. reminds me of wayne shorter, just a bit
Some criticize this for being to formulaic, but I still Love it. If you like this you may want to hear "Fred" when Allan was with tony Willams Lifetime. thats good stuff too!
Unbelievable! Awesome playing, I mean, think of what guitarists were playing back then. Holdsworth was so original regards to soloing. He just couldn't help but burn. No one else could do it! Even today, fusion guitarists try to do a watered down version of his ideas! I wouldn't say he got better, just more expansive. Thanks for the post. Never seen him with Soft Machine.
What an incredibly valuable opportunity to observe the early Holdsworth approach to guitaristic architecture. Those intimately familiar with "Believe It" will hear some extremely similar, perhaps verbatim, lines in this piece. The ability to WATCH what he's doing here, makes the almost impossible task of deciphering precisely his idiosyncratic approach to the fretboard much easier. Thanks, I have periodically struggled, and given up in frustration, with this since first seeing him in "75
When I first discovered Holdsworth in 78', I figured I had discovered the bomb. He was with Tony Williams band and he's just getting better and better, if you could believe that. Try to catch him on violin. He rocks on that too.
@janderson2000 well I'd beg to differ... I just think that most people equate shredding with distortion. but... that's my opinion. He's always been my favorite guitar player
@chyrd Most people actually equate shredding with fast alternate picking of somewhat mindless and repetitive patterns... Holdsworth's playing involves very little picking and the opposite of mindless patterns...
I wasn't referring to the style of music known as shred, with stuff like sweep picking and tapping and tons of delay and reverb, rather, Allan's amazing ability to play his signature legato lines at face-melting speed. I agree, Di Meola IS the original shredder, with his alternate picked minor arpeggios and whatnot
@janderson2000 hm yes, but whats a shredder? depending on how someone understands this term. if it`s in the negative way, well, you are probably absolutely right :D
@freakguitar1 Yeah, younger players think of it as a compliment. More seasoned players think of it as derogatory. Speed without finesse or melodic sense.
@janderson2000 hm okay. although that i would say the term "shredding" just means "playing fast and long runs over a lot of bars using modern techniques". so to me its not something bad. as long as people like shawn lane, paul gilbert, michael romeo, who DO melodies, etc are considered "shredders", it`s alright. if only rusty cooley type of playing means "shredding" then i don`t wanna be one and its sure a downrating for everyone :D
@Samsgarden We young ppl, (in our early twenties) love the feeling of playing fast and the idea that you have to practice a lot in order to play it. Its kind of a rare thing among musicians because most ppl don't play fast on their instruments unless they're jazzers.
@janderson2000 actually mclaughlin is the original shredder. he started shredding with miles davis. di meola came later, wiht the return to forever group
@janderson2000 well john owns totally these two guys both tecnically and "compositionally". have you ever heard some mahavishnu orchestra recordings or some shakty ones? he is the best acoustic and electric guitarist ever, imho, and he is a genial composer too!
@janderson2000 however, sloppy my ass. john mclaughlin was an original, brilliant musician. and obviusly when youre a musican, you cant say about another musican that he sucks. im not saying that Allan sucks, if you get me
@keo774 uh...I think you fail to realize John went out of his way to say this of Allan. He's saying what he is doing is so far advanced that it's beyond him, and he wishes he could do it. That's what the quote means. John's a great musician, but not on the level of Allan. John even says so. And yes, John is sloppy on the electric, but more precise on the acoustic, which is surprising. This is why I didn't call him the original shredder. Shredders are very precise, almost annoyingly so.
Neal Schon once said that AH was TOO good! Listen to 'Believe It' and 'Million Dollar Legs' both with the 'Tony Willams Lifetime' of which he was a member - sick tone and beautiful licks all around - my fave solo of AH's is on a tune called 'Wildlife' from the 'Believe It' record, beautiful stuff....
IOU is his first good album. Then go with Secret and maybe Atavachron, but my favorite is still "the Sixteen men of Tain". Some people will say "Metal Fatigue" too, but somewhat I don't like it.
@ChiZ712 - Be sure to include his work with other artists, including but not limited to Bill Bruford, UK, Gong, and Jean Luc Ponty. At ample volume, the final minute of the final track (The Struggle of the Turtle to the Sea, part 3) of JLP's Enigmatic Ocean features Allan producing what would be a career-defining moment for most artists.
Beyond incredible. Style, invention, jaw-dropping technique - it's all there.
Some posters have commented about being surprised at how much Allan is picking here, given that he is more known for his legato. It looks to me that this is mostly legato though, albeit super clean and strong to such an extent that it sounds like a lot of the notes are picked.
OHHHH MYYYY GODDDD! Guess who was at home practicing his ass off when all of his friends were out partying. That is some seriously inspirational shhtufff.
there's plenty of picking on this vid. more picking than I've possibly ever heard in a holdsworth solo...and it sounds good. but, also, notice that some of what sounds like picking is forceful hammering/pulloffs. either way, MAN, I would love to be able to play guitar on that level. most drummers are frustrated guitarists, I guess.
Shit... this guy.... I bet when he was born he already knew how to shred..
KenobiM11 2 months ago
he reminds me a little of jhon mclauglin
amazing guitar player
jazz is one step ahead than rock
theripper013ok 3 months ago
Stupendous...if you really truly listen to that. the man is incapable of imitation, or repetition really. what is gobsmacking is that he struggled for years after this, and yet he just blew the Montreaux jazz fest apart. what is wrong with the recording industry, music business!
ricklongden1 3 months ago
I've been stricly fender/ibanez for years but this video makes me want to try out a SG so bad !
SummoninVOoDooChilD 3 months ago
Holdsworth was and still is lightyears ahead of his time...
thecoldnovrain89 4 months ago
He's far too intelligent to be like Malmsteen.
callycat23 4 months ago
Awesome video.. Holdsworth is amazing. Can't believe the neck of that SG didn't start smoldering and burst into flames..
MOBRUL3S666 4 months ago
potentially the smoothest runs I've ever seen/heard at the beginning of this video!
Benwilson89 5 months ago
GUTHRIE GOVAN SAID: MALMSTEEN IS A GREAT PLAYER THATS ENOUGH FOR ANY GUITARRIST TO AT LEAST HEAR THE ART OF MALMSTEEN
axel9257 6 months ago
@axel9257 Malmsteen is enough for all of us...mortal and simple people..but this level of musicality and skill are from people like Howe Gambale Henderson Lane Mclaughlin Garsed and Guthrie of course...Malmsteen nah...he´s good but not otherwordly like these monsters
zappfripp87 4 months ago
This is amazing....wow
radgainesmaster 7 months ago
malmsteen. haha. sounds like a bunch of exercises one after the other with speed being the main objective. totally lacking feeling. just a bunch of scales coupled with arpeggios. holdsworth is the man.
fusionfreak2009 7 months ago
this is the most noodly ive heard AH
unclejunglebass 7 months ago
Undoubtly the most unique incredible player that an SG has never seen :-D
NoHellButInYourHead 8 months ago
Allan is not human.
Chriskkboongg 8 months ago
The drummer is the shit lol
moobert22 8 months ago
Who is Malmsteen?
Neidhardt84 8 months ago
pentatonic traces in Holdsworth playing :)
he totally dismissed those later on and until today
vspa22 8 months ago
This has been flagged as spam show
@jcfbell3001 Malmsteen wouldn't have a prayer of playing this, and especially not playing any of Holdsworth's tunes from the 1980s. That's when the man started to get REALLY freaky.
To be fair, though, Holdsworth wouldn't have a prayer of playing Stanley Jordan's music, while Jordan could play Holdsworth rhythms and leads simultaneously.
richcapo 8 months ago
I want to make love to my guitar just like Allan...
rololoo 9 months ago
even before he found his trade mark sound...amazing
LameGuitar 9 months ago
It's like fast Zappa...
Bass5el 9 months ago
@Bass5el ya hit the nail on the head
unclejunglebass 7 months ago
Lord of legato.
itsthearistocrat 9 months ago
hulk hogan on bass and krusty the clown on drums you cant pencil a better band
ARAUZ1625 10 months ago 5
Epic facial hair going on here..
MarkyMunkey 10 months ago
Why are you clowns slagging off Malmsteen in a Holdsworth video? Can't you appreciate great talent without resorting to superficial comparisons as if you are comparing football teams? Art is subjective. I think you will find that amazing musicians such as these respect each other's abilities.
In the words of Frank Zappa: "Shut up and play your guitar!"
philtower 10 months ago 28
@philtower i'm not sure ut, i think that malmsteen, played on a tribbute album to alan,he loves him, so, why the hell everybody tries tocampare both palyers, their styules arec ompletely diferent,the oly thing in common is that both players play fast,i totally agree with you! thumbs up!!
lamecasuelas2 8 months ago
@lamecasuelas2 You're right, Malmsteen did a cover of the UK song In The Dead of Night (have to say I much prefer the original though...). Malmsteen has said many times how much he admires Holdsworth's playing.
philtower 7 months ago
@philtower haha,thanks!1 so ,there you have fellas,any discusion is pointless
lamecasuelas2 7 months ago
damn right !
MrTendinitis 7 months ago
@philtower If it's subjective shouldn't we be able to compare it however we want? If you don't like it shut up and mind your own business.
Sunderlanding 2 weeks ago
My apologies, I stand corrected. He's an awesome guitarist. I saw him just before he left for the states at Bracknell arts centre cellar bar, Only around 40-50 people could fit in there. He gave a stunning performance and this probably stands as one of the best gigs I ever saw.
pictgroove4 10 months ago
It's a true story that someone took Yngwie to see Holdsworth in New York and Malmsteen was blown away by Allan's talents.
wikichris 11 months ago
This tune is from the album "Bundles", it's called "Land of The Bag Snake". Just in case someone wants to hear a more to-the-point version.
vachalia 11 months ago
Shredder should not be a negative term; obviously people who put in that much effort into playing fast and do it so effortlessly are very talented. It's only when the only thing they can do is play unmusical/nonsense ideas at lightening speed that it becomes an issue.
No one cares how fast you can play! It's how good you're tone is and how you make people feel!
GuitboxmanCG 11 months ago
Thiis guy is way unreal.
Countrychiddler 11 months ago
The drummer is Robert Wyatt, one of the greatest innovators in jazz/rock around and still doing work that musicians listen to, despite quadraplegia suffered in 1973
FlaggerX 11 months ago
@FlaggerX The drummer is John Marshall.
kingbiscuitnugget 11 months ago
@FlaggerX Robert is paralyzed from the waist down; thus making him a paraplegic. He still has use of his arms.
zkxv 10 months ago
When Holdsworth landed the Soft Machine gig, he was under 20 years old - how scary is that???
pictgroove4 11 months ago
@pictgroove4 no whats the scary thing about it that he started just 3-4 years ago
Kraeezeu 10 months ago
@pictgroove4
Uh that is not true… Holdsworth was born in 1946, and joined soft machine around 74/75 so at the youngest we was about 28 - 29… not under 20.
1kydde2 10 months ago
Phenomenal. Beats Pat Metheney into a cocked hat!
johnmrose2 11 months ago
Fucking sick! Allan Holdsworth is the fastest guitar player that has soul and emotion. He's pouring his heart and soul out into this solo. Only shredder that can do that is Buckethead.
TheFigueroa007 1 year ago
Thats just insanely good-makes you wonder why he didnt make more of an impact
thoomoo 1 year ago
@thoomoo seems like he made an impact on everyone commenting here.... by impact do you mean commercial success like some of the garbage played today?
tommy8247 11 months ago
I can't even begin to imagine the reactions people had to this guy back in the 70's.
Even now, this playing is completely outrageous.
ExtremeBogom 1 year ago
Allan is truly a visionary when it comes to his approach to sound. He's invented chords, scales, music gear and he wanted to be a brewer :) sometimes the tunes sound like a complicated math equation translated into notes. good stuff! I remember seeing him live many years ago.
dragonspine 1 year ago
Throughout this even at the incredible speed you can hear the music - the notes- the feeling - and hes not hiding behind a processed sound - its live, its clear - and its great music. garywood65 myspace
fieldfullofthistles 1 year ago
Yngwie Malmsteen on Speed (as in the drug ;)) = Allan Holdsworth
JonnieS700 1 year ago
You can call this "shred" if you want, but Allan himself would hate that label. His vocabulary and phrasing are essentially based on Coltrane's "sheets of sound" playing on the guitar. Both men have similar technical and musical abilities on their respective instruments which are second-to-none.
willsall88 1 year ago 2
whether you call him a shredder or not, he is a genius and IMO the best guitarist ever, no one blows me away like holdsworth
michaelthetaxidriver 1 year ago
hands without shadows....xd
5uscrofa 1 year ago
One man's meat is another man's poison. I would call this shredding. It is a definition that does not necessarily conotate something bad, but it does suggest an emphasis on a lot of notes. As for me, I hear more notes than emotion.
Anglagard1 1 year ago
@Anglagard1 Allan's playing is pure emotion. Emotion doesn't depend on how many notes someone is playing.
florafox 1 year ago
What year was this taken from?
4578a 1 year ago
Esss!! tropppo bravoooo!!
FMGuitarChannel 1 year ago
14 people don't understand canterbury
vickvaporu 1 year ago
His legato playing is second to none! Just stunning!
pikeasaurusrex 1 year ago
Why call him a shredder when he does not even actually use the pick much. I'd call him a hammer-on-er, if that makes sense lol
BoogieEngineer 1 year ago
he is the anti-malmsteen....
jcfbell3001 1 year ago 33
Comment removed
richcapo 10 months ago
@jcfbell3001 Please, he pretty much is Malmsteen just without distorition.
AlternateDiscord 9 months ago
@AlternateDiscord
ummmmm...no....
jcfbell3001 9 months ago
Personally I think if you listen to Serrana by Jason Becker thats the blueprint of #shred' as we know it today
MetalCrossUK 1 year ago
I could be wrong but I heared a fan coined the term 'shred' at a Malmsteen gig. Shred doesnt have to be negative I dont think but I can see why people might think so. I cant always get into Holdsworths playing but this is my favourite holdsworth clip ive seen so far
MetalCrossUK 1 year ago
Those moustaches are fucking beautiful...
AGAG789 1 year ago
what year I wonder? 72?
efzt 1 year ago
@efzt web sources state it was 74 - Floating world/bundles
charvelguy 1 year ago
Having gotten to somewhat know Allan after hanging with him & his alternating bandmates, I'd say as fluid & innovative as this is, Allan himself would probably cringe if he revisited this. His perspective on things remains a mystery to me indeed.
vgraham44 1 year ago
@vgraham44 Yep...he'd cringe... but he cringes at most stuff he did in the past regardless of its genius factor.
janderson2000 1 year ago
COOLEST THING.....about this performance, beside AH playing that white SG, is that he using almost NO drive on the amp, it's just loud and clean. no where to hide. more pure that way, more like a sax solo. reminds me of wayne shorter, just a bit
GONZORIPS 1 year ago 2
@GONZORIPS That's a good way of puttin it, imo! I so agree!
TheBloomberger 11 months ago
thats soooooooooo goooood, allan
Kraeezeu 1 year ago
Some criticize this for being to formulaic, but I still Love it. If you like this you may want to hear "Fred" when Allan was with tony Willams Lifetime. thats good stuff too!
sc00terful 1 year ago
@sc00terful The only formula that is happening here is Allan + guitar = genius
janderson2000 1 year ago
I think what Alan was really trying to say with this piece was "Transcribe THIS, bitches!"
TruthSurge 1 year ago
woa, didn´t knew my physics teacher played drums on a jazz band!
rod3067 1 year ago
Photoshopped.
doisdjoai 1 year ago
OMFG he was way better back in the day?
colmcq 1 year ago
does he ever bend?
blankplanet 1 year ago
@blankplanet 3:11 and a few other places. But what's that got to do with anything?
philtower 1 year ago
@blankplanet he bends multiple times during this solo
TyShredder 1 year ago
i want that guitar! that's the coolest sg i've ever seen. and holdsworth shirt is pretty cool as well.
mario21128 1 year ago
Holdsworth is a guitar god
florafox 1 year ago
is he improvising?
tarvmclentah 1 year ago
@tarvmclentah of course!
Timotheedle 1 year ago
@Timotheedle
:O thats rad!
tarvmclentah 1 year ago
@tarvmclentah yes
mario21128 1 year ago
love the strength in his picking hand. it seems very light and fluid. not so much legato.. just fluid i guess
BombsonBicycles 1 year ago
Unbelievable! Awesome playing, I mean, think of what guitarists were playing back then. Holdsworth was so original regards to soloing. He just couldn't help but burn. No one else could do it! Even today, fusion guitarists try to do a watered down version of his ideas! I wouldn't say he got better, just more expansive. Thanks for the post. Never seen him with Soft Machine.
gigwalnutz1 1 year ago
guitar wanking at its worst.
England5is5the5best 1 year ago
@England5is5the5best
Sure. Btw, where are you gigging at these days?
ajdunning63 1 year ago
This has been flagged as spam show
@ajdunning63 Up your mums arse.
England5is5the5best 1 year ago
Hendrix is rolling in his grave lol
ExtremeBogom 1 year ago
@ExtremeBogom Holdsworth and Hendrix are in two seperate categories of genius,
its like saying Van Gogh rolled over in his grave when Picasso came along. Its a nowhere argument.
KATAO333 1 year ago
@KATAO333
Ya, it was a joke mate. Get over it.
ExtremeBogom 1 year ago
What an incredibly valuable opportunity to observe the early Holdsworth approach to guitaristic architecture. Those intimately familiar with "Believe It" will hear some extremely similar, perhaps verbatim, lines in this piece. The ability to WATCH what he's doing here, makes the almost impossible task of deciphering precisely his idiosyncratic approach to the fretboard much easier. Thanks, I have periodically struggled, and given up in frustration, with this since first seeing him in "75
hanksteelbranch 1 year ago
When I first discovered Holdsworth in 78', I figured I had discovered the bomb. He was with Tony Williams band and he's just getting better and better, if you could believe that. Try to catch him on violin. He rocks on that too.
Buffbodz 1 year ago
i find it hilarious that after ratlidge left the band it had no original members
Adamboms 1 year ago
Where can I go to get the drummers haircut?
ExtremeBogom 1 year ago
@ExtremeBogom 1975.
bjc2 1 year ago
I'd say that Peganini was the original shredder actually. lol
dantheguitarman88 1 year ago
I'd say Al Di Meola was the original "shredder." Allan is waaaay too good to refer to him as a shredder.
janderson2000 1 year ago 32
@janderson2000 this isn't shredding?
chyrd 1 year ago
@chyrd No, it's not. It's fluid and melodic.
janderson2000 1 year ago
@janderson2000 well I'd beg to differ... I just think that most people equate shredding with distortion. but... that's my opinion. He's always been my favorite guitar player
chyrd 1 year ago
@chyrd Most people actually equate shredding with fast alternate picking of somewhat mindless and repetitive patterns... Holdsworth's playing involves very little picking and the opposite of mindless patterns...
janderson2000 1 year ago
@janderson2000 just a difference of opinions... it's not that big a deal.
chyrd 1 year ago
@janderson2000
I wasn't referring to the style of music known as shred, with stuff like sweep picking and tapping and tons of delay and reverb, rather, Allan's amazing ability to play his signature legato lines at face-melting speed. I agree, Di Meola IS the original shredder, with his alternate picked minor arpeggios and whatnot
WoWintosh 1 year ago
@janderson2000 maybe even les paul the first shredder but once again les is too good for that title
boogster123321 1 year ago
@janderson2000 Django Rheinhardt was before di Meola i think.
freakguitar1 1 year ago
@freakguitar1 Yep, but wouldn't think of calling him a shredder, either. Too good.
janderson2000 1 year ago
@janderson2000 hm yes, but whats a shredder? depending on how someone understands this term. if it`s in the negative way, well, you are probably absolutely right :D
freakguitar1 1 year ago
@freakguitar1 Yeah, younger players think of it as a compliment. More seasoned players think of it as derogatory. Speed without finesse or melodic sense.
janderson2000 1 year ago
@janderson2000 hm okay. although that i would say the term "shredding" just means "playing fast and long runs over a lot of bars using modern techniques". so to me its not something bad. as long as people like shawn lane, paul gilbert, michael romeo, who DO melodies, etc are considered "shredders", it`s alright. if only rusty cooley type of playing means "shredding" then i don`t wanna be one and its sure a downrating for everyone :D
freakguitar1 1 year ago
@freakguitar1 Yeah, I agree.
janderson2000 1 year ago
@janderson2000
;-)
What's this obsession today with shredders anyway?
I worry about this single minded obsession with speed.
Samsgarden 9 months ago
@Samsgarden We young ppl, (in our early twenties) love the feeling of playing fast and the idea that you have to practice a lot in order to play it. Its kind of a rare thing among musicians because most ppl don't play fast on their instruments unless they're jazzers.
TheFigueroa007 8 months ago
@janderson2000 actually mclaughlin is the original shredder. he started shredding with miles davis. di meola came later, wiht the return to forever group
keo774 9 months ago
@keo774 I suppose, but John was pretty sloppy when he played fast on electric...
janderson2000 9 months ago
@janderson2000 well john owns totally these two guys both tecnically and "compositionally". have you ever heard some mahavishnu orchestra recordings or some shakty ones? he is the best acoustic and electric guitarist ever, imho, and he is a genial composer too!
keo774 9 months ago
@keo774 Yes, I've heard Mahavishnu and Shakti. Nobody owns Allan, though. John says of Allan, "If I knew what he was doing, I'd steal it."
janderson2000 9 months ago
@janderson2000 however, sloppy my ass. john mclaughlin was an original, brilliant musician. and obviusly when youre a musican, you cant say about another musican that he sucks. im not saying that Allan sucks, if you get me
keo774 9 months ago
@keo774 uh...I think you fail to realize John went out of his way to say this of Allan. He's saying what he is doing is so far advanced that it's beyond him, and he wishes he could do it. That's what the quote means. John's a great musician, but not on the level of Allan. John even says so. And yes, John is sloppy on the electric, but more precise on the acoustic, which is surprising. This is why I didn't call him the original shredder. Shredders are very precise, almost annoyingly so.
janderson2000 9 months ago
Anyone knows the year of this performance?
marianogentile 1 year ago
Neal Schon once said that AH was TOO good! Listen to 'Believe It' and 'Million Dollar Legs' both with the 'Tony Willams Lifetime' of which he was a member - sick tone and beautiful licks all around - my fave solo of AH's is on a tune called 'Wildlife' from the 'Believe It' record, beautiful stuff....
rogersdrums 1 year ago
Wow! First stuff I've ever heard of Holdsworth's stuff that I liked. Great! Wonderful! It's very old, though. He plays such obscure shit now....
beeroosterm 1 year ago
@beeroosterm
you should listen and watch the concert live at the galaxy theatre in 2002.
rasputin510 1 year ago
@beeroosterm i thought youd given up on holdsworth lol. i think he has definately improved since this performance.
drewhet 1 year ago
@drewhet "Improvement" is a questionable term - I believe I've made my views clear on the matter...
beeroosterm 1 year ago
that is very impressive.
senna01 1 year ago
This shit rocks! Not so sure about his SynthAxe stuff... well, that kinda rocks too, but I sort of get lost in translation ;)
MrAintthatabitch 1 year ago
Wow. Amazing post.
Funny to think AH was a wee bairn once, but could still shred the daylights out of an axe.
Reminds me of when I saw him in 89 - he never plays the same two notes in sequence... all fricken night.....
Is this the Whistle Test?
TreyRoque 1 year ago
@TreyRoque Ummm....it says "Montreux Jazz" on the sign...
beeroosterm 1 year ago
Wow. Amazing post.
Funny to think AH was a wee bairn once, but could still shred the daylights out of an axe.
Is this the Whistle Test?
TreyRoque 1 year ago
hey gang, I'mma start listening to holdsworth, probably go from chronological order I guess. other than that, any standout pieces I should look up?
ChiZ712 1 year ago
@ChiZ712
IOU is his first good album. Then go with Secret and maybe Atavachron, but my favorite is still "the Sixteen men of Tain". Some people will say "Metal Fatigue" too, but somewhat I don't like it.
TheUnwisePhilosopher 1 year ago
@ChiZ712 - Be sure to include his work with other artists, including but not limited to Bill Bruford, UK, Gong, and Jean Luc Ponty. At ample volume, the final minute of the final track (The Struggle of the Turtle to the Sea, part 3) of JLP's Enigmatic Ocean features Allan producing what would be a career-defining moment for most artists.
moodlifter 1 year ago
@ChiZ712 wardenclyffe tower is really good
drewhet 1 year ago
such impeccable hair
GauchoLibre 1 year ago
is he on any Soft Machine albums??
seb2112 1 year ago
Holdsworth still sounds incredible
suta007 1 year ago
Allan is great. Al reins supreme.
dragonreborn888 1 year ago
holdsworth, robert fripp, jaan akerman, steve howe, steve hackett, steve hilliage all this guitarist were and are GUITAR GODS
Satiaraha 1 year ago
fuckkkkk the full video got taken down
maynardkeenan11 1 year ago
Drummer looks like a 70s james bond villain.
cerelilqt 1 year ago 16
@cerelilqt
Made me giggle
gitarmats 1 year ago
holy flying fuck....
ledzep30490 1 year ago
Great clip!!!!
matt89102 1 year ago
Holdsworth >>> Van Halen
Pighood 1 year ago
Awesome. Way ahead of its time!!
dave8007 1 year ago
This was...when? What year?
Boomslang93 1 year ago
@Boomslang93
1974. Holdsworth didn't last in Soft Machine. I saw them at that period.
gilouseb 1 year ago
Damn He's good! ALIEN!
viniciuscarvalho89 1 year ago
This has been flagged as spam show
Beyond incredible. Style, invention, jaw-dropping technique - it's all there.
Some posters have commented about being surprised at how much Allan is picking here, given that he is more known for his legato. It looks to me that this is mostly legato though, albeit super clean and strong to such an extent that it sounds like a lot of the notes are picked.
philtower 1 year ago
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philtower 1 year ago
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philtower 1 year ago
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philtower 1 year ago
Even Fredik Thordendal from Meshuggah (A extreme metal band), is fan of this guy, now i know why.
007Pogo 1 year ago 2
This is unreal. Allan must have been in his 20s and he is still outplaying everybody else.
OpulenceOfKnowledge 1 year ago
素直にジャズ・ギタリストだと認めたまえ！
tnuma001 1 year ago
OHHHH MYYYY GODDDD! Guess who was at home practicing his ass off when all of his friends were out partying. That is some seriously inspirational shhtufff.
WordofApollo 1 year ago
The 12 dislikes must either be pop music morons or jealous guitarists who can't even come close to Allan's command of the guitar.
DarthKazi 1 year ago 2
geeessuus, what was this 73?
YourMateJosh 1 year ago
ALLAND HOLDSWORTH CASATE CONMIGO QUIERO UNA FAMILIA CONTIGO LO QUIERO TODO YA ...HAHAHAHHAA,,, ALLAN= DIOS, Y ESO QE SOY AGNOSTICA
mauraenedina 1 year ago
so smooth,love it/////
48perkins 1 year ago
Unbelievable, young Alan is killin. He is an absolute monster.
orlandoCF1 1 year ago
Allan Holdsworth:The original shredder.
WoWintosh 1 year ago 28
@WoWintosh Yea, no doubt... Eddie Van Halen sights him as major influence in my guitar legends EVH magazine..
88mpny 1 year ago
@WoWintosh who's the original splinter?
Iamnotagainstdwarves 1 year ago
I miss the days we played with little distortion, just guitar and amp......
PAPABERDEKA 1 year ago 3
you know someone's good when they use their pinkie during solos
serpikris 1 year ago 3
this is so awseome, but they look like a bunch of fucked-up stoner hippies.
dwilmer7 1 year ago
@dwilmer7
Go watch MTV then!
widepass 1 year ago
there's plenty of picking on this vid. more picking than I've possibly ever heard in a holdsworth solo...and it sounds good. but, also, notice that some of what sounds like picking is forceful hammering/pulloffs. either way, MAN, I would love to be able to play guitar on that level. most drummers are frustrated guitarists, I guess.
AI35 1 year ago
( i wonder what year..exactly this was filmed/recorded )
OddMusicMan 1 year ago
Tone was similar to Gambale at that time....
999manman 1 year ago
@999manman Gambale was 16 years old when this concert was shot in 1974 so he was in high schoo :)
AtanasovPeter 1 year ago