Customer Reviews

Wardenclyffe Tower

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Holdsworth is an enigma. He's never really had the talent for writing music with universal appeal-- even the most accessible of his songs seems to fall, either gradually or all-too suddenly, into an other-worldly tangent, far from the beaten path. But interestingly enough, this is exactly what makes him a priceless gift to the seasoned musician who has "heard it all". I am a composer, pianist, and violinist. I've spent years studying not only classical scores but also jazz and world music. The first I heard of Holdsworth was back when I.O.U. was released. It was a breath of fresh air! His approach to jazz-fusion composition and his sense of melody were exotic and wonderful. I've watched him evolve over the years into what could only be described as a consummate guitar virtuoso.

Let's put aside the fact that Holdsworth threw away the acoustic sound nearly 20 years ago-or the fact that he has an unhealthy obsession for horn-like Synthaxe sounds which (let's be honest) make most of the dead, great jazz saxophonists roll over in their grave. It's not the "sound" that makes Holdsworth so great. It's his heart. On Wardenclyffe Tower, though I found myself shaking my head several times at his choice of instrumentation, I was also simultaneously jumping out of my skin at the raw emotions he was baring. A perfect example is in "Zarabeth". For those of you that don't know, Zarabeth is the name of a woman who lived in ancient times. Her story is told in a Star Trek episode as Spock goes back in a time portal and loses his "logic". He grows emotions and falls in love with Zarabeth and, as the story goes, eventually gives her a child. The pain of this story is when Spock must return through the time portal and leave Zarabeth behind, forever separated from her. I've never been a fan of Star Trek, but I can certainly say that "Zarabeth" perfectly captures the emotions of these two lovers. The song begins with a lilting melody supported by rich chordal guitar voicings. There is immediately the sense of a woman in the music, and Holdsworth's solo entrance is clearly the man entering the scene. Throughout the guitar solo in Zarabeth, Holdsworth paints a beautiful, deeply heartfelt picture of a man's feelings for a woman (Zarabeth). There is such a powerful feeling of love when Holdsworth hits the lowest note on his Baritone guitar and builds up from there one of the greatest melodies of his career. For anyone with a well-trained ear (and a wide-open heart), there is clearly more here than clever guitar work-there is all the makings for what will some day be a classic, regardless of what musical category it falls into.

Zarabeth is not the only gem, however, on this album. The next to last track, Questions, written by Chad Wackerman is another excellent example of Holdsworth's sensitivity to rhythm, form, and lyricism, tied together with an enormous amount of heart and feeling. Wardenclyffe Tower is still marred, in my opinion, by improper use of keyboards and Synthaxe. In the album Secrets, Holdsworth uses the Synthaxe to great affect, weaving a supreme extension of "theme and variations" on the title track. In Wardenclyffe Tower, however, it sounds as if he is trying to play a horn like a keyboard (with a guitar). WT's title track, though containing interesting rhythmic ideas, still comes off a little mechanical, losing the organic feeling that was beautifully developed in the previous track "Sphere of Innocence".

As with everything else Holdsworth produces, however, there are diamonds in the rough of this album. And that makes it an absolutely priceless fusion classic in my book.

Everything about this CD is perfect! The songs are hauntingly melodic and extremely inviting. The production is top notch. Holdsworth seems particularly inspired on this album. His solos here are simply frightening. My favorite Holdsworth to date!

Unfortunately, Amazon has incorrectly linked the reviews for Wardenclyff Tower to this page. This page is for the 2007 remastered version of Secrets.

As to the CD itself, there also seems to be some misinformation:

1.) This remastered version of Secrets is one of two "Reissue Series" CD's that Holdsworth has released.

2.) Secrets IS remastered, but has no additional bonus material.

3.) Wardenclyff was also re-released with 3 extra tracks and new artwork, but is NOT remastered.

One of the three extra tracks on Wardenclyff is the Japan version of "Tokyo Dream". That track appears in remastered form on the "Against The Clock" compilation.

The mastering on this edition of Secrets is identical to that on Against The Clock, and in both cases, is excellent and worth purchasing, if you are interested in the best audio versions of Holdsworth.

Both Secrets and Wardenclyff were issued in glossy gatefold-style glossy digipaks. The are no plastic trays for the discs, and there are no booklets. All album credits are on the inside of the digipak cover.

So declares the irate "jazz fan" Joel Schnebelt at the close of the opening track of Holdsworth's first 90's solo release. And yes, it is jazz...but not quite. As with most of Holdsworth's other releases, a rock influence pervades the album, seizing every opportunity it can to make itself felt. The percussion on the album demonstrates how blurred that line between jazz and rock is. Gary Husband insists on making things swing, but Chad Wackerman and Vinnie Colaiuta beg to differ. The differing styles do not get in the way of the album itself, though.

As for Holdsworth's playing, yes there are a number of "frightening" solos. But much of this album finds Holdsworth eschewing his trademark virtuosity in favour of a softer, slower, more lyrical approach (similar to Pat Metheny). It pays dividends on "Sphere of Innocence," the title track and "Oneiric Moor" and shows a side of Holdsworth that we rarely see. It's a welcome change of pace.

As nearly always, Holdsworth is a better player than composer, although "Dodgy Boat" in terms of its writing, approaches the material he wrote with Bill Bruford. Vocalist Naomi Star adds some variety to "Against the Clock" and Jimmy Johnson is his usual dependable self on bass guitar.

All in all, this is a stimulating release that boded well for Holdsworth as he entered the 1990's.

AH's late-'80s work is obviously a little more atmospheric and jazzy than much of his earlier material, and this pattern continues with 1992's "WT". It has to be said though, this album contains a good portion of guitar solos, and the use of this Synth-axe controller makes it even less palatable, because the sounds and styles one can create with this instrument are quite limited. Holdsworth occasionally keeps the listener at a distance with his high-speed noodlings, and that's really a bit unfortunate, since the compositions on "WT" are on the whole much stronger and more focused than those of subsequent albums like "Hard hat area" or "The 16 men..". Similar to the previous "Secrets" album, the sound is very clean and three-dimensional, the song material is mostly instrumental, with one vocal-oriented track and several samples of environmental sounds. One thing I find very interesting about "WT" is that the music often drifts into a cinematic ambiance, and the album's second half even has an air of suspense and paranoia. Beginning with the decent "5 to 10", things flow as Holdsworth's typically soaring guitar solos go along with the appealing rhythm bed, but the break-up at the end of the song is really amazing: Suddenly you can hear a toilet flushing and an angry young man kicks in, declaring, "I hate jazz!". "Sphere.." is the album's most accessible track, almost an adult-alternative song with beautiful, crystal-clear guitar chords and, oh well, a palatable solo by Holdsworth. One of the album's highlights is the multifaceted 8 3/4-minute title track, beginning with intriguing 'space-age soundscapes' and then alternating more rock-inclined guitar playing and long solo excursions. "Dodgy boat" and "Zarabeth" are not so interesting; unless you're a guitar fetishist, skip those tracks and you'll be fine. "Against the clock", featuring vocals by Naomi Star, comes up with shimmering, mysterious keyboard textures and an outstanding drum solo by Colaiuta. "Questions", a composition by Wackerman, is quite similar, with its echoed keyboard chords and the uncanny atmosphere. But the most gripping moments are saved for last, with the beautifully eerie textures of "Oneiric moor". Holdsworth relies only on extensive delay and reverb effects to spread the guitar sound, creating a wonderfully melodic and intense piece of ambient music which closes the album on an unpredictable note. There are people - like Robert Fripp, David Cunningham, or Seefeel - who fill up an album's length with this sort of processed guitar music, and what does Holdsworth do? He thinks that a little over 90 seconds were enough. What a missed opportunity! All in all, it would be absurd not to recommend an album with three decent, four good, and one incredible track on it; "WT" explores the possibilities of the jazz fusion genre and the nods to contemporary electronica make the whole affair quite listenable for me. One of Holdsworth's best efforts.

You've been raised on super groups, avant garde, fusion and psychedelia; you are looking for the next group of guitar musicians to take you to the next level.....so waiting to guide you are Jeff Beck, John Mclaughlin, Terje Rypdal, John Abercrombie, Pat Metheny, ....... and (sigh) the ultimate chopmeister, Allan Holdsworth. It has been said he is happier in his live outings, but in this 1992 studio album, everything he had developed to that point; the blistering solo runs, the immaculate chord progressions, as well as command of the guitar technology available at that time, ...... all are beautifully captured for you in a hi-fibre wholemeal diet. Regardless of classifications, (is this intelligent guitar-rock, jazz-fusion, progressive or cross-genre...... and who really cares?), ..... the musicians on this CD are waiting to assist in your musical evolution, and take you to that next ... or next ... and possibly even next level.

It is really no more than proficient contemporary musicianship combined with quality recording......every now and then albums like this happen.

It's been years since I've listened to this CD. I am literally brought to tears when I hear Allan's haunting solo on Sphere of Innocence. I cannot fathom where his creativity comes from. It's like trying to figure out where outer space ends and what lay on the other side. It is a complete mystery. His technique is perfect, and as always, NOBODY has better guitar tone than Allan. He is simply one of the Earths gifts.
Thank you from the bottom of my heart, Allan and the guys.
- Michael

Well, the cover isn't much to write home about--Holdsworth covers usually aren't. But the music is great. Holdsworth has always paralled Pat Metheny in letting the technology help him overcome the fact that guitars in jazz don't exactly pack the wallop keyboards and horns do. I first heard him in the hit song "In the Dead Of Night" by U.K. and it took me a listen or two before I realized that the solo wasn't a synth--it was guitar. It's taken the much-maligned fusion movement--in the hands of masters like Metheny and Holdworth--to bring the ole six-stringer out of the rhythm section. As you'll hear in this album. In the opener "5 to 10", Holdsworth none too subtly cautions us to avoid preconceptions about "jazz" when a "curious passerby" breaks up the end of that take by asking about what he's hearing. He has to be told it's jazz before he can condemn it: "Hey, whadda you guys playin'?...Jazz? Is that what you call that? I HATE Jazz!". I like what ECM Records said in the liner of one of their samplers, though: "We call it MUSIC".

This album is great and it has a very funny moment at the end of the first track:

"Hey !
(sound of toilet flushing)
Hey !
What are you guys Playing ?
JAZZ ??
Is that what you call that ?
I HATE Jazz !!"

I think all Jazz musicians can relate to that !

Allan Holdsworth is a guitar player who has always and will continue to be a tangent away from all the others out there. This album has some beutiful compositions and whilst not all his records stand out, this one certainly is one of his better. But then again, commercialisation has never been his concern. Thats what makes his music so unique.