Customer Reviews

Against The Clock: The Best Of Allan Holdsworth

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4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I like the selection of tracks on this collection. However the sound quality is impaired compared to some of the originally released versions of these tracks. The mastering engineer used too much compression/limiting when assembling this collection. The sound lacks subtlety and texture as a result. (Try comparing the "Spokes" track with its original version on the Secrets CD)

Don't get me wrong - this is great music by a great musician. It's just that it could have been sonically better. Non audiophiles are unlikely to notice.

I will have to admit up front that I am not, and never have been a fan of fusion music. The only fusion album that I ever listened to and enjoyed thoroughly was Jeff Beck's "Blow by Blow".

Still, I find Allan Holdsworth to be an intriguing guitarist. As this compilation demonstrates, he consistently plays with great beauty and precision. On the face of it, Holdsworth's music seems deeply introverted and meditative. Evidently he's a bicyclist--one composition is titled "Spokes", and another titled "Sunday" features the sounds of a derailleur shifting. Bikers are often loners, and that is the suggestion I get from these compositions.

My favorite tracks are "How Deep is the Ocean" which is fairly 'boppish', and "Sphere of Innocence", a really gorgeous tune that is similar in feel to the music on Joni Mitchell's "Hejira" album.

Holdsworth really seems to be more concerned with being a musician than with just being a great guitarist. The plangency of his playing at times reminds me of the work of Toots Thielemans, the great jazz harmonica player. Strange to say that of an electric guitarist, but Holdsworth really does come at things from a different angle than most.

This collection is probably best taken in small doses. A little of it goes a long way.

You just might be able to get me to say that Allan Holdsworth is the best there is. Yesterday, today and probably tomorrow too. Yes, I know about Jimi and Stevie Ray, B.B. and Duane. I don't know, I've just never heard anything quite like Allan. Why isn't he better known? It seems like it's just other guitarists who know him and they're frustrated because they try to reproduce the same sounds and can't. I'm sure being regarded as a "jazz fusion" player doesn't help either. Maybe if we called it "instrumental rock", it would draw a bigger crowd? Probably not. Allan may be doomed to be revered by other musicians and guitarheads like me while the rest of the world gets it's fill of the teenaged sensation of the week or the flavor of the month rap star. Record comapnies really don't have a clue as to why sales are down, do they? Could it be the crap they try to force down the throat of the general public?

Allan Holdsworth is a genius. He's not really a guitarist, but rather an excellent soloist who happens to play the guitar. His biggest influence is John Coltrane, to prove my point. But regardless, Holdsworth is an excellent instrumentalist who has contributed to groups and artists such as U.K., Bruford (the group led by legendary drummer Bill Bruford), and even legendary jazz fusion drummer Tony Williams.

'The Best of Allan Holdsworth: Against the Clock' proves that Holdsworth was not just a great side musician and session player, but rather that he could truly hold his own as a solo artist. This set does just that. It features 26 of the tracks that made Allan great, and while there is more to Allan than what is available on this compilation, if you are a casual or new fan to his criminally underrated work, than this set is absolutely necessary. It will hopefully get you more interest in this man's work, and will encourage you to dig deeper.

Here, you get songs from many classic albums, including the Chad Wackerman (former drummer of Frank Zappa) composition 'Peril Premonition' (from 1989's 'Secrets' album), 'Pud Wud' (from the 1987 'Sand' album -- the album where Holdsworth truly mastered the synthaxe), 'Sphere of Innocence' (from the less-than-pleasing 1992 album 'Wardenclyffe Tower') and the full-length 6:21 version of 'Mr. Berwell' (from the 1986 album 'Atavachron,' the first album of Holdsworth's to feature the synthaxe, later a fixture in his albums). For these reasons, this disc is essential.

While it is missing some (most notably the leadoff track from 1985's classic 'i.o.u' album, 'The Things You See When You Haven't Got Your Gun') essential tunes, this is still the definitive collection to have if you are a casual or new Holdsworth fan looking to get their feet wet. So, if you like great jazz fusion and progressive rock, take a chance and purchase 'The Best of Allan Holdsworth: Against the Clock.' If you like this, go out and buy 'i.o.u' and 'Atavachron' immediately.

I strongly recommend this album. It will get you wondering why this man never reached the success of some of his contemporaries, including his former bandmate Bill Bruford. It's great jazz fusion, and if you like great soloing, you'll love Allan Holdsworth.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

Frank Zappa, Steve Vai, Joe Satriani, Bill Bruford, Pat Metheny, Frank Gambale, Joe Bonamassa, Eric Johnson, Chad Wackerman, Santana, Larry Coryell, Steve Khan, Jean Luc Ponty, Tony Williams, Miles Davis, Gary Moore, John Mclaughlin etc etc

Question:What do these musicians have in common?

Answer: They admire the work of Allan Holdsworth.

Allan Holdsworth is one of the most influential but ignored guitarist/composers from the UK. Musicians in the know often rank him amongst the best of the UK guitar players of the last 45 years (and yes i am talking about Clapton, Beck, Page and Mclaughlin) He has been a lone voice swimming against a tide of tired trends both compositionaly and technique wise.

If you've already got the solo albums buy this anyway. All the tracks have been remastered to 24 bit quality from the original masters by the man himself. The sound is splendid, the dynamic range is broader and you can hear the bass more distinctly. You find yourself finding things ,nuances and detail you couldn't quite pick out before.

If you decide to buy the whole album it is split into 1)guitar and 2) synthaxe + 2 bonus guitar tracks especially recorded for this edition. The first bonus is an improv with jimmy johnson, & chad wackermann called "lets throw shrimp" its tight and fast and the interplay is almost telepathic. The second track is the old standard "shenandoah" this is a beatifully rendition and is one of the most evocative and emotional pieces he has ever recorded. This track shows critics that Holdsworth is an emotional and accessible player.

There are obviously tracks that are favourites that don't appear on here, but the cds are filled up so theres over 2 hours of music on here spanning his entire career as a solo artist and a couple of solo tracks from his gordon beck collaborations. The synthaxe cd is very good and has some of his most evocative musings here.

Holdsworth is ahead of his time and an uncompromising musician and composer. That being said this is not difficult music, but does require some work (as does all truly good music) it is in fact very accessible. Enter here without any preconceptions and you will be moved emotionally. Unusually unlike many modern instrumenal virtuoso's Mr Holdsworth has a phenomenal tone and technique but also has a lot to say musically and compositionally. Distance v desire is a deeply moving piece, as is "all our yesterdays" and "secrets." Buy this with confidence wether you are already an Holdsworth fan or just wish to explore this ignored musician and neglected composer.

To get the full benefit of the remasters i would definitely recommend buying the cd version.

These tracks are slowly re emerging on remastered cd album releases. This is a great introduction to the work of Holdsworth, the guitarist readers of Musician magazine voted among the top 5 great guitarists of all time.

I suppose the secret's now finally out: Holdsworth is really one of the top guitarists in the world, ever. Anyone with an interest in guitar who Rock legends like EVH, Satriani and Malmsteen have openly admitted that in terms of technique they can't compete. But that doesn't really matter. Holdsworth is distinguished by his beautiful music. He has a voice all of his own.

So: if you are a young guitarist hooked on serious technique and you haven't heard Holdsworth - I envy you. I first played Metal Fatigue at the age of 17 and it was one hell of a shock; it made me look at the guitar differently, and for me also it took the wind out of the sails of almost all guitarists known for their technique.

But as I say the main deal is that Holdsworth is a unique musical communicator; the complexity of his harmonies and melodies is closer to modern classical or complex jazz than rock or most fusion.

Bottom line is, 20 years after first hearing this genius, I am still growing in appreciation of his staggering talents.

"Against the clock", the last studio collection with some of the best songs of Allan Holdsworth. Choosen by himself, the songs of this 2CD pack were divided in GUITAR side and SYNTHAXE side containing this last one, two new tracks: "Let's Throw Shrimp" and "Shenandoah" showing once again, the magnificient virtuosism of this humble guitar man. The album is well balanced with songs with more Fusion and Traditional Jazz stations (SECRETS, WARDENCLYFFE TOWER, NON TOO SOON, SIXTEEN MAN OF TAIN, FLAT TIRE) and forgetting almost all the material of his hard edged side that was born with him (!?)(I.O.U., ROAD GAMES, METAL FATIGUE, HARD HAT AREA)...

Produced by Allan Holdsworth, the unique vocal songs were "All Our Yesterdays" and "Against The Clock"; moreover this recording contains the Japan version of "Tokyo Dream" that really sounds like a recent song by the edited parts and a different guitar solo lacked of its rockish side. There ain't guitar tracks like City nights, Proto-Cosmos or Three Sheets To The Wind. But without a doubt, you'll enjoy this soft new songs colletion of the most influential guitarist of all times...Good Luck!

Allan's compositions(through his music) flow smoothly. An incredible string and mind bending experience that transcends the boundaries of reality and merges the discontinuities of space-time into the rhythm of existence. I was spellbound and speechless at the atomic clock grade timing combining the excellence of melody on piano with the rustic innocence of the bass sound. Listening to Mr. Holdsworth transforms the state of mind and floats it in the sky of possibilities.

This double-album is a pretty good compilation of Allan's stuff, but I felt like some of the songs could've been switched. I missed e.g. Letters of Marque, Panic Station and Metal Fatigue. I never listened much to Bo peep, Let's throw shrimp or Mr. Berwell.

Other than that though, it's a great album. It shows Allan's musicianship in both guitars and with the synthaxe. Devil Take the Hindmost, Looking Glass and Tokyo Dream might be (imo) the best guitar-centric songs (though the Looking Glass backing melody is played with a synthaxe), and Eidolon really makes you see the completely different side of Allan's playing. The song is haunting and unique, and the name Eidolon is quite fitting, as that's what I see the "synthaxe-Holdsworth" to be in comparison to "guitar-centric Holdsworth".

Overall a great compilation, and a great way for new fans of Holdsworth to get exposed to the full extent of his music.

I bought this album because I was once a fan of Holdsworth's work back when he was with the British band Soft Machine. No longer having my old collection of vinyl, I decided to take a chance on this CD. Disappointing. His style has obviously changed in the intervening years...and personally, I find this album unlistenable. I can only describe the contents as jazz-fusion muzak, fitting for a fancy sushi restaurant in downtown Tokyo. The only glimmer of quality are the female vocals on disc 2.
Overall, a definite thumbs down. Review by Michael Zimmermann (not Svadhina Devi).