Tony Williams Lifetime- with Allan Holdsworth- Live 1976

Rare live recording of the Tony Williams Lifetime with Allan Holdsworth doing 'Inspirations of Love' from their Million Dollar Legs album. Holdsworth left the band shortly after the album was recorded and was replaced for the subesequent tour by guitarist Marlon Graves. Live recordings of the Holdsworth lineup from this period are scarce. Holdsworth's solo starts at about 3:30.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Tony Williams
• Tony Williams Lifetime
• Allan Holdsworth
• Alan Pasqua
• Tony Newton
• Inspirations of Love
• Soft Machine
• Million Dollar Legs
• jazz fusion
• progressive rock
• instrumental
• guitar
• drums
• keyboards

[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.

[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.

[dantean]

Sterile. 

[jonsilence]

@dantean: Vous montrez votre ignorance!

[jonsilence]

This is Holdsworth playing, not Marlon Graves.

[ceezbgacom]

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

[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!

[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.

[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!!!!!!!

[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.

[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!.

[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 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!