I'd love to see a film about holdsworth. Musical genius goes on his own lonely path. Is adored by his peers. Never comprises or backs down. Will be remembered in the halls of musical history and widely acknowledged in 200 years.
@@MixolydianMode Easy brother, I think it's just one of them sportsguitarists with all the lists under their beds and all, making ritual appraisal noises ... not to worry he'll soon exhaust himself i wager o.O
He had that "natural grumpy" face but, actually, he was the sweetest man and a cheerful, loyal companion. We can see here, while he's playing, that very serious look (because he was tremendously serious about his passion for music) but then he stops and the moment after his face break out to a catching smile and a joke about his playing that "sucks"... whaaaaat?? Holy shit! 😱😱 A gigantic artist, a sweet soul, a true, humble gentleman. 💖
Allan is so introverted and intellectual that I'm so glad he found an outlet for his feelings and thought in his music! While he speaks of his father with some reverence and certainly modeled his father's pursuit of music and practical maker skills, there is a sense that his father may have been someone aloof himself or distant in some way, perhaps with his own depressive personality. Allan seemed always so hard on himself and almost never satisfied with his performance, as though he sought an acknowledgement that was beyond his reach. I hope he has found peace now.
I sat 6 ft from his hands at The Horn in Houston. Unreal. We talked after. Humble guy, highly approachable, and should be at the top of the heap in rankings by rags like Rolling Stone. Genius is often overshadowed by hype.
The irony and pain in Holdsworths eyes about not getting a saxophone kills me but he became easily top 3 greatest guitar players to ever live! You can still see he really wants to go back in time and play saxophone!
Yes! His eyes are heavy. Big sensitive brain in there,. He seemed really uncomfortable in his skin. I rtermemebr seeing him give a clinic at Carvin and he his hands were shaking. I think it was DT's I think he needed to drink to deal with his anxiety..poor guy. kills me. I miss him. Him and Jeff Beck are HUGE losses for me
I was lucky enough to spend some pre-gig time with Allan before one of his shows. I recall he was almost crippled by stage fright... so much so his hands were shaking uncontrollably. He self medicated with alcohol on that occasion which I'm certain was his ritual. I just thought, "For goodness sake you're Allan Holdsworth, why are you scared?". His mastery of the electric guitar was superhuman.
@@xianshep This is why in my personal opinion, his in-studio live performance on his REH instructional DVD is his greatest recorded performance. I've listened to it literally countless times, over and over. It's Allan at the absolute pinnacle of his powers, and I think part of the reason the performance is so incredible is because there is _no audience._ Seriously, check it out. It's absolutely stupifyingly incredible.
His music is indescribable. A true force of nature itself. Beyond the technical facilities the emotional heft of his songs are otherworldly. He is one of the very few high level players that can literally wrench a tear from my eyes. That to me is something special...
I had the pleasure of meeting Allan backstage in 1987. Even though he was not in a great mood because he had technical problems that night with his Synthaxe, he was very nice to my friend and I. He also took a photo with us. I cant say enough nice things about Allan. He was a genius no doubt and a very nice, down to earth man. RIP Allan.
The second that you convince yourself that you're the best, your learning stops. Anyone great at any job, is always very critical of themselves. Allan was a gift to the world and the world thanks him. I was lucky enough to see I.O.U. in 1983 at The Bottom Line in NYC. Rest in peace and thanks for leaving us with all the great music to keep your spirit alive for ever.
A good friend of mine and guitar technician is a spitting image of Holdsworth. His birth name is Kevin but is affectionately known to a larger number of people as Allan. Seeing these old interviews is like seeing an old friend haha what a pleasure. Thanks for everything, Allan. Cheers.
Great human and a true visionary..never compromised or strayed from HIS music,,what a gift it is to be such an individual in sound, playing, ideas and composition..the list is short with those types of musicians..UK was the 1st time I heard of him, after that, I checked out all his stuff, he made some great records in the 80's, Atavachron, Sand, Secrets etc etc..Met and got to hang out with him after a gig in 2014 I believe when he was on tour with Virgil Donati and Jimmy Haslip..one would be hard pressed to meet a nicer guy..we drank together most of the night/morning until I had to split as I made my way (very slowly) home by bicycle...Mostly talked about bikes, music of course (asked about ALL his records/players he played with), previous gigs I'd seen of his in various parts of the world and family..He was kinda going through a tough time with a divorce in progress and his X taking him to the cleaner's..he was planning to enter rehab after the tour finished and returning home to California..I thanked him for the chance to spend time with him and commented how much his music meant to me and the lasting impression it has made..we planned to re-connect the next time he'd pass through my general area and he even passed his # along if by chance, I ever found myself in S. Cal..unfortunataly this never happened..what a great guy..he is missed..
He was so hard on himself. Which is partly what pushed him to the amazing level he was at. I just wish he knew how much his fans loved what he did. Maybe he did :)
So grateful for extended moments like these with Allan. He is so truly missed. No other musician like him. Before or after. What a wonderful, humble human. Especially being one of the most formidable musicians ever. I cherish the moments over the years I had the opportunity to meet and speak with him. He was the real deal. Rest easy maestro. ❤️
His fluidity of movement, his enormous vocabulary, and his lightning speed and dexterity, made this man a deserving legendary figure amongst amplified guitar aficionados. His ability to manipulate and juggle musical theory put him in the same paragraph as the Medieval Master J.S. Bach.
Allan was such a humble man and at the same time a legit musical genius. I believe that his music and musical harmony will be studied and, hopefully, appreciated more.
What a class guy. For some reason, Allan has really come into focus for me of late. One of the greatest of all time. I had no idea he was regarded by great guitarists as one of their main influences. How many of them spoke of him with wonder, that the things he did were done by him first. That this man had to sell his gear at least once to make ends meet is beyond mind boggling. How did he not get the recognition he deserved? God Bless you, Allan.
Agreed. 1 in 10 Billion is no exaggeration when it comes to Allan Holdsworth. I hope that one day, we catch up to him and fully appreciate the incredible art he left us
Being in my early 20s in the 80s was a great thing. I remember my friends and I going to the Backstage in Ballard (in Seattle) to see Allan who'd we'd never heard of and were just blown away. It was such a great time to be young: a few friends going out on a Friday night fordinner, a few drinks, and see some really fantastic music. Music was everywhere and tickets were cheap.
Allan was recognised as a great man by guitarists when he was alive, but it's only now he's gone that 'ordinary' people (!) are discovering his music. It's sad, but that kind of posthumous recognition happens with a lot of thoughtful, shy, intensely creative types - whether they're composers, musicians, artists, writers, or even philosophers. It's nice that his music lives on, still instantly recognisable from the very first chord. And what a delightful, humble, down-to-Earth man he was. "Eeeh, tha's done all right for a Yorkshire lad. Bradford, eh? Aye, tha'll do fer me!" :-) I'm grateful to the many RUclips peeps who are uploading videos of Allan's work and bringing him to a world audience. Thanks to all. ♥
If he was a sax player there’s a good chance you’d never have heard of him. Here in NYC professional horn players are at a very high level, and they’ve fully assimilated the language of both bebop and Trane (something we guitarists only dream about). Holdsworth is about the only guitar player I’ve ever heard who has that Coltrane thing in his playing, though not much bebop language.
@@icecreamforcrowhurst Interesting perspective. Please name some of those players. I'll measure their creativity in soloing and composition to Allan's. AH's soloing as a guitarist is up at the top with or even surpasses saxophone masters. So, in my opinion, when he applied that same instinctual, intellectual, and innate creativity to saxophone, well... you know the rest. As for never hearing about him, probably true. Different era. Jazz had its place in the day. Not so much anymore. And, as a guitar player, Allan remains relatively unknown when compared to his talent. The most popular guitar names ALL look up to Allan anyway.
Just a genius guitarist. I am constantly humbled by his greatness. I discovered him in the mid-1980s because Eddie Van Halen, who was my idol at the time, kept mentioning him in interviews. I have been playing for 43 years, yet that is the kind of bar that will be always unattainable to me, even if I had the chance to practice ten hours a day, every day for ten years....
Listening to Mr. Holdsworth for 25+ one can actually hear a maturity in where he is playing from and where it lands.. The overall layout.. Thank You Allan Holdsworth for making the soundtrack of my life and helping me through it all.. 🌞
I recall the moment I discovered Allan. I was in a dorm at Berklee in '76 and heard this incredible guitar coming from a room across the hall. It was a drummer, listening to Tony Williams LIfetime. I was stunned. Now...Allen is gone...but his recordings remain. It's such a shame Warner did not work with Allen....Letting him do his thing, and put some marketing behind it.
Lots of guitarists can play "fast," but I've always said that Holdsworth's playing was not only fast, but had a deep feeling to it that many others' playing lacks (I won't mention names!). To hear him describe how his first experiencing of music was how it made him FEEL makes perfect sense.
I just re-discovered this genius ... I regret missing out ... I Am enlightened after what I had seen, heard and experienced from this Grand Master of guitar; an inspiration for a Lifetime... Thank You.
I still have this old Carvin DVD. It was great, interviews with these amazing musicians and a look at how stuff was built at the time. Plus it was free! I miss Carvin 😕
If you’re a musician by trade, Alan’s personality is actually very familiar. He’s like most of us. Insecure a bit introverted, never happy with his own performance. Temperamental, and funny. And of course big hearted. One of my favorite things about being a musician is that I get to work with guys like that. Alan ascended to the absolute top of the pyramid. But he still was one of the guys at heart. Gotta love him.
What a wonderful human being. INCREDIBLE ability coupled with humility worthy of a ZEN master. Allan, we miss you but you will be FOREVER in our hearts through your musical creations. THANK YOU for having graced this miserable planet. CHEERS....
I ran into holdsworth before a show at the Iron Horse in Northampton Massachusetts. He was coming out of the bathroom and I said, oh my God, Alan I can’t believe I got a ticket to the show because I just returned from Vietnam where I was teaching and I told him how psyched I was to see him play again. He looked at me like a man suffering from terrible depression and he said well I hope you feel that way after the show. I told him I was going to feel the same way I feel after all of his shows. Over the moon.!!!!!!! my brother served as his guitar tech for two shows this is a High Point
Complete and unique monster. His influence is on pretty much everything we love. I remember hearing UK for the first time and his playing was so haunting and beautiful. I think we’re learning his playing was more diatonic than we expected within the chord changes. RIP
Enigmatic ocean was big for me in 8th 9th and 10th grade I would always go back to it and listen again Great stuff On another note I saw Allen Holdsworth at the palace court in 1984 Small club great show chad wackerman was playing drums
Only just heard about Allan today in a Vai interview... I can already tell that I'll be listening to everything I can find from him for the next few months. He was incredible!
I cant thank you enough for this upload. Allan is my all time Master of the master's master musician. The quintessential genius and the creator and channeler of this divine language of his. His humble personality and playful quips are exactly what you would expect from a Leo born. He has the mind, heart and soul of a genuine noble. This sort of achievement transcends time as we know it. Most of the crop just want their cut of the pie and dance to the tune of what is in demand for the day. Allan is such a musician that defies logical explanation, no one is going to best him, technically or musically. Plenty musicians who have perfect pitch, playing multiple instruments and a commercial career, all that is good in both musical and business context and is also admirable for sure, but even then Allan leaves everyone in the dust far behind with his contribution and abilities. Everyone would wish they have the 10 percent of his genius, and of course none of the hardwork that went behind it. You can only sweat so much. Allan is a musical savant and a miracle. Far beyond just excelling within certain parameters, he is a universe in his own. RIP Allan, I love you and I wish to meet you sometime in future, for now your music takes me to that source. Thank you so much.
Why do you write as if it's a race to be won of some kind? Music and musicians are so often viewed competitively, yes some musicians are truly great, and Alan is one of them.
@@cameronpatrickscott Great musicians are not necessarily ‘one of a kind’, excellent musicians of all genres exist and existed. What Allan did was create an entirely new vocabulary of music compositions, theories and patterns that don’t have any precedent. He did not just excel in the genre of his times or revel in the club of similar composers of the era, rather he set the trend and groundwork for the conception and development of an entirely new process of creating and performing music, and in that he is peerless. Do you see the parallels I am putting on your table? See it for yourself.
His harmonic approach to music was so unic....when I heard that he passed away I felt so sad...R.I.P Allan..you gave to music & harmony new elements, tremendous treasure for us the younger musicians to study for a lifetime....
It's interesting how often he mentions when someone was nice to him & how much it meant. Truly brilliant "other" people can struggle to function in the world & are often misunderstood. It was other brilliant folks who recognized him for who he was & treated him as a peer & friend.
I’m a professional musician with close to 60 years in the business. Joe Pass (who I studied with in the early 70’s) and John McLaughlin are my two biggest role models. Once at a McLaughlin concert at the Golden Bear in Huntington Beach I saw John arriving with the band and I had to shake his hand and convey to him what an inspiration he was and later on I also 😊saw Alan Holdsworth sitting in the audience during the concert. I wanted to introduce myself to him but chickened out.
WOW! What an amazing interview... although it could have been way longer! Allan was simply both a wonderful guitarist and musician - and even the interviewer had some very relevant and interesting questions and remarks!
VERY unique player. I like all his albums from Atavachron till he passed. Excellent engineer/producer too, the sound quality of his records is amazing.
According to John Paul Jones, who booked, arranged and played bass on the '68 "Hurdy Gurdy Man" sessions, Alan Parker was the electric (lead) guitarist.
A fantastic interview and revealing insights into one of the greatest and original guitarists ever to play the instrument!!! Some outstanding guitarists may be able to imitate Allan but he will never be duplicated! Taking a line from the movie Highlander, "There can only be one."
@@cheothegeo2742 And Steve Vai, John Petrucci, Shawn Lane, Fredrik Thordendal, Misha Mansoor, Tosin Abasi, Alex Lifeson, Joe Satriani, Yngvie Malsteem, Per Nilsson, Guthrie Govan, Joe Bonamassa et al
Even if i wasnt a fan of his playing which i absolutely am,i absolutely love how down to earth he is. Theres so many people who say such and such is so down to earth but you can tell they still think of themselves as someones. This is literally that sound guy you meet down the pub and have a craic on to then end up having 10 more,absolutely brilliant lovely fella
I've heard people playing on RUclips that sound like Holdsworth and they come close, but there's nothing like the real thing. I understand how he constructs everything, but I'll never be able to play like him. I love how his solos and chords always transposes from major to minor (or whatever), it sounds so sad and mysterious.
I saw Allan in Boston. The club probably had 100 people all there to see him. He didn't come out for what seemed an awfully long time. Someone nearby said Allan sometimes had emotional issues. Finally he came out with Gary husband and Jimmy Johnson to perform the men of twain album. I'm glad I was able to see them. It was a unique musical experience.
how on earth did I miss this sublime guitarist all these years? It took a word from Victor Wooten to turn me on to him. DAMN he is amazing. AND incredibly intersting to hear his story.
His solo on In The Dead Of Night, from the UK first album is a masterpiece.There are still many guitarists of today who can not play anything of that quality, and that was from 1969
@@westrig180 Yes! 1978 more like it. But 1969? No way because UK band never existed at the time and Allan Holdsworth wasn't even known and was probably just learning then.
Saw UK's one and only So Cal gig. I know he wasn't happy in that band, but it was the single best prog concert I ever saw. His playing and that music put each in context, if you follow. Inside enough to comprehend, out there enough to exceed all expectations. Chills. They OPENED for Al DiMeola. It was cold-blooded murder. The crowd cheered on and on after their set. Oh, to see that again!
That UK album is so great, interlaced with Allan's harmony. At the time I thought it was otherworldly, and it is that. Later after IOU it became apparent where the next level harmony came from.
I Would have loved to have met up with him in a pub , can imagine talking to him for hours , and with plenty of laughs ..Glad i got to see him live in Penzance , Cornwall .
They might not have ever admitted it, but I’ll bet lots of great players of many genres ( Paige, Clapton, McLaughlin, Zappa, Van Halen, etc etc) just shrank and their jaws dropped when they heard Allan Holdsworth play. He basically reinvented the instrument to use in his own universe.
I'd love to see a film about holdsworth. Musical genius goes on his own lonely path. Is adored by his peers. Never comprises or backs down. Will be remembered in the halls of musical history and widely acknowledged in 200 years.
Minimum 50 years
A movie about his life would be awesome. (Not just a documentary, but a real movie 🍿)
Every Time I hear Allan perform (or speak for that matter)...I learn something new....Every time. A humble man...and a priceless musician
So unique, had the pleasure of seeing him with Wackerman and haslip. It was a 2 1/2 hour show. I was confused the whole time 🙂
Instablaster...
What a top bloke...no ego.. just a down to earth genius! ....criminal he's not recognised as one of the best ever by a wider audience
I wonder too why that is.
mixolydian mode Cause he is not even in top 50, a decent player still
@@Hhhlll7778 You must be kidding.
A lot of guitarists name check him. He is a musician, not a pop star or celebrity. I suppose thats the difference.
@@MixolydianMode Easy brother, I think it's just one of them sportsguitarists with all the lists under their beds and all, making ritual appraisal noises ... not to worry he'll soon exhaust himself i wager o.O
He had that "natural grumpy" face but, actually, he was the sweetest man and a cheerful, loyal companion. We can see here, while he's playing, that very serious look (because he was tremendously serious about his passion for music) but then he stops and the moment after his face break out to a catching smile and a joke about his playing that "sucks"... whaaaaat?? Holy shit! 😱😱 A gigantic artist, a sweet soul, a true, humble gentleman. 💖
dawg he looked like the count lmao
He was a Yorkshire lad. As is John McLaughlin. Both absolute geniuses on guitar. RIP Allan Holdsworth ❤
The king of Guitar, no one touches, harmonic, sensibilities, and improvisation skills and composition he had it all RIP maestro
He was, by a wide margin, the best of the best.
Nobody comes close. Nobody
@@johnshl1345Yes nobody.....He is the one and only one...
@@johnshl1345 dudes stop being childish fanboys. there are tons of amazing musician and guitarists out there..
@@Eri4Jpbut obviously not in their age.
Allan is so introverted and intellectual that I'm so glad he found an outlet for his feelings and thought in his music! While he speaks of his father with some reverence and certainly modeled his father's pursuit of music and practical maker skills, there is a sense that his father may have been someone aloof himself or distant in some way, perhaps with his own depressive personality. Allan seemed always so hard on himself and almost never satisfied with his performance, as though he sought an acknowledgement that was beyond his reach. I hope he has found peace now.
well said
Typical behaviour of parents in our pre-WWII Britain.
uploader! Grateful to have seen him in the late eighties
@@abirdynumnum9612 See what you mean but not really anything typical about this genious...
When you hear his fathers playing, you hear the huge influence the man had on him
I sat 6 ft from his hands at The Horn in Houston. Unreal. We talked after. Humble guy, highly approachable, and should be at the top of the heap in rankings by rags like Rolling Stone. Genius is often overshadowed by hype.
The irony and pain in Holdsworths eyes about not getting a saxophone kills me but he became easily top 3 greatest guitar players to ever live!
You can still see he really wants to go back in time and play saxophone!
Yes! His eyes are heavy. Big sensitive brain in there,. He seemed really uncomfortable in his skin. I rtermemebr seeing him give a clinic at Carvin and he his hands were shaking. I think it was DT's I think he needed to drink to deal with his anxiety..poor guy. kills me. I miss him. Him and Jeff Beck are HUGE losses for me
I was lucky enough to spend some pre-gig time with Allan before one of his shows. I recall he was almost crippled by stage fright... so much so his hands were shaking uncontrollably. He self medicated with alcohol on that occasion which I'm certain was his ritual.
I just thought, "For goodness sake you're Allan Holdsworth, why are you scared?". His mastery of the electric guitar was superhuman.
Damn. Imagine how much better he would've been if relaxed.
Insane juxtaposition!!!
@@xianshep This is why in my personal opinion, his in-studio live performance on his REH instructional DVD is his greatest recorded performance. I've listened to it literally countless times, over and over. It's Allan at the absolute pinnacle of his powers, and I think part of the reason the performance is so incredible is because there is _no audience._ Seriously, check it out. It's absolutely stupifyingly incredible.
@@lex.cordis I'm not a Holdsworth Head by any means, but thanks for the recommendation!
@@xianshep Fair enough!
His music is indescribable. A true force of nature itself. Beyond the technical facilities the emotional heft of his songs are otherworldly. He is one of the very few high level players that can literally wrench a tear from my eyes. That to me is something special...
I had the pleasure of meeting Allan backstage in 1987. Even though he was not in a great mood because he had technical problems that night with his Synthaxe, he was very nice to my friend and I. He also took a photo with us. I cant say enough nice things about Allan. He was a genius no doubt and a very nice, down to earth man. RIP Allan.
The second that you convince yourself that you're the best, your learning stops. Anyone great at any job, is always very critical of themselves. Allan was a gift to the world and the world thanks him. I was lucky enough to see I.O.U. in 1983 at The Bottom Line in NYC. Rest in peace and thanks for leaving us with all the great music to keep your spirit alive for ever.
Well said sir
I LOVED that record. played it over and over when I was a kid
This man is the "John Coltrane" of guitar and a special kind of person
to quote robben ford.
Allan said he asked his dad for a saxophone, so his dad bought him a guitar...... and the rest is History!!!!
A good friend of mine and guitar technician is a spitting image of Holdsworth. His birth name is Kevin but is affectionately known to a larger number of people as Allan. Seeing these old interviews is like seeing an old friend haha what a pleasure.
Thanks for everything, Allan. Cheers.
I don't pretend to understand his runs or the level of musicianship he is on... but I've never heard more beautiful noodling in all my life.
Could not have said it better.
I too can tell it is skilful; I just need my music to be more "tuneful" than AH's. Interesting man all the same.
Great human and a true visionary..never compromised or strayed from HIS music,,what a gift it is to be such an individual in sound, playing, ideas and composition..the list is short with those types of musicians..UK was the 1st time I heard of him, after that, I checked out all his stuff, he made some great records in the 80's, Atavachron, Sand, Secrets etc etc..Met and got to hang out with him after a gig in 2014 I believe when he was on tour with Virgil Donati and Jimmy Haslip..one would be hard pressed to meet a nicer guy..we drank together most of the night/morning until I had to split as I made my way (very slowly) home by bicycle...Mostly talked about bikes, music of course (asked about ALL his records/players he played with), previous gigs I'd seen of his in various parts of the world and family..He was kinda going through a tough time with a divorce in progress and his X taking him to the cleaner's..he was planning to enter rehab after the tour finished and returning home to California..I thanked him for the chance to spend time with him and commented how much his music meant to me and the lasting impression it has made..we planned to re-connect the next time he'd pass through my general area and he even passed his # along if by chance, I ever found myself in S. Cal..unfortunataly this never happened..what a great guy..he is missed..
Thank you for sharing this with us.
respect is oozing out of the interviewer,,props to him! as for alan, what a GREAT person (never mind his virtuosity)...RIP...
The fact that Alan went his own way is great, but that he could pull such beautiful phrases off so masterfully and emotionally was awesome.
He was so hard on himself. Which is partly what pushed him to the amazing level he was at. I just wish he knew how much his fans loved what he did. Maybe he did :)
The guitar virtuoso genius from another galaxy, discover and brought to mainstream awareness by none other than Eddie Van Halen. RIP Guitar Gods.
Enigmatic Ocean is a monumental piece of work. That was my first exposure to Holdsworth.
Wow. His mind is like a constant stream of musical ideas. He can pick up the guitar and start improving and create captivating melodies endlessly.
So grateful for extended moments like these with Allan. He is so truly missed. No other musician like him. Before or after. What a wonderful, humble human. Especially being one of the most formidable musicians ever. I cherish the moments over the years I had the opportunity to meet and speak with him. He was the real deal. Rest easy maestro. ❤️
His fluidity of movement, his enormous vocabulary, and his lightning speed and dexterity, made this man a deserving legendary figure amongst amplified guitar aficionados. His ability to manipulate and juggle musical theory put him in the same paragraph as the Medieval Master J.S. Bach.
The best interview of Allan, so good. We're so lucky that such a great musician gave us so much.
Picturing Allan hanging out with Tony Williams. The conversations they must have had.
Indeed, a genius and a gentleman. 'love that man!!!
Lovely bloke Allan and a fellow Yorkshireman, met him a few times and he's up there with Johnny McLaughlin, another fine guitar playing Yorkshireman.
Allan was such a humble man and at the same time a legit musical genius. I believe that his music and musical harmony will be studied and, hopefully, appreciated more.
What a class guy. For some reason, Allan has really come into focus for me of late. One of the greatest of all time. I had no idea he was regarded by great guitarists as one of their main influences. How many of them spoke of him with wonder, that the things he did were done by him first. That this man had to sell his gear at least once to make ends meet is beyond mind boggling. How did he not get the recognition he deserved? God Bless you, Allan.
He was well ahead of his time. Microscopically rare these days.
like a rare protist?
Agreed. 1 in 10 Billion is no exaggeration when it comes to Allan Holdsworth. I hope that one day, we catch up to him and fully appreciate the incredible art he left us
Ive never heard his music ive just recently heard of him, but you can tell just from this interview that hes a really nice humble guy
Being in my early 20s in the 80s was a great thing. I remember my friends and I going to the Backstage in Ballard (in Seattle) to see Allan who'd we'd never heard of and were just blown away. It was such a great time to be young: a few friends going out on a Friday night fordinner, a few drinks, and see some really fantastic music. Music was everywhere and tickets were cheap.
RIP Allan. I can sing (sort of) all of his solos from Metal Fatigue, heard it for the first time in 1986, have not stopped since...
A great person and a guitarist from another planet altogether. A phenomenal musician.
Allan was recognised as a great man by guitarists when he was alive, but it's only now he's gone that 'ordinary' people (!) are discovering his music.
It's sad, but that kind of posthumous recognition happens with a lot of thoughtful, shy, intensely creative types - whether they're composers, musicians, artists, writers, or even philosophers.
It's nice that his music lives on, still instantly recognisable from the very first chord.
And what a delightful, humble, down-to-Earth man he was.
"Eeeh, tha's done all right for a Yorkshire lad. Bradford, eh? Aye, tha'll do fer me!" :-)
I'm grateful to the many RUclips peeps who are uploading videos of Allan's work and bringing him to a world audience. Thanks to all. ♥
And he came reluctantly to guitar - wonder what kind of sax player he would have been. Wow.
a r tompkins I reckon he probably would’ve figured out how to blow chords on it.
@@jonp3890 My first thought. "I never wanted to be a sax player. I really wanted to play the guitar." Hah.
Allan Holdsworth as a saxophonist would have been a genius - up there with Coltrane, I'm sure. Absolutely.
If he was a sax player there’s a good chance you’d never have heard of him. Here in NYC professional horn players are at a very high level, and they’ve fully assimilated the language of both bebop and Trane (something we guitarists only dream about). Holdsworth is about the only guitar player I’ve ever heard who has that Coltrane thing in his playing, though not much bebop language.
@@icecreamforcrowhurst Interesting perspective. Please name some of those players. I'll measure their creativity in soloing and composition to Allan's. AH's soloing as a guitarist is up at the top with or even surpasses saxophone masters. So, in my opinion, when he applied that same instinctual, intellectual, and innate creativity to saxophone, well... you know the rest.
As for never hearing about him, probably true. Different era. Jazz had its place in the day. Not so much anymore. And, as a guitar player, Allan remains relatively unknown when compared to his talent. The most popular guitar names ALL look up to Allan anyway.
Just a genius guitarist. I am constantly humbled by his greatness. I discovered him in the mid-1980s because Eddie Van Halen, who was my idol at the time, kept mentioning him in interviews. I have been playing for 43 years, yet that is the kind of bar that will be always unattainable to me, even if I had the chance to practice ten hours a day, every day for ten years....
Listening to Mr. Holdsworth for 25+ one can actually hear a maturity in where he is playing from and where it lands.. The overall layout.. Thank You Allan Holdsworth for making the soundtrack of my life and helping me through it all.. 🌞
I recall the moment I discovered Allan. I was in a dorm at Berklee in '76 and heard this incredible guitar coming from a room across the hall. It was a drummer, listening to Tony Williams LIfetime. I was stunned. Now...Allen is gone...but his recordings remain. It's such a shame Warner did not work with Allen....Letting him do his thing, and put some marketing behind it.
Absurd that Warner would give Allan a contract, then try to make him go commercial.
@@jfo3000 EVH recommended him to warmer, thats why.
I'd say Allen's the best guitarist that's ever graced the planet
possibly in the top 1 for sure haha
I think he fills the jazz/fusion side and Danny Gatton fills in the rest. Both are inspirations to the greats of today.
I love how English he is. Just one of very very greatest of all time, a top lad and legend. R.I.P no one will ever be anywhere near this guy
Lots of guitarists can play "fast," but I've always said that Holdsworth's playing was not only fast, but had a deep feeling to it that many others' playing lacks (I won't mention names!). To hear him describe how his first experiencing of music was how it made him FEEL makes perfect sense.
I had the distinct honor of shaking his hands when he played at Mexicali in NJ.. will forever treasure the moment..
I just re-discovered this genius ... I regret missing out ...
I Am enlightened after what I had seen, heard and experienced from this Grand Master of guitar; an inspiration for a Lifetime... Thank You.
A monster guitar player.
I still have this old Carvin DVD. It was great, interviews with these amazing musicians and a look at how stuff was built at the time. Plus it was free!
I miss Carvin 😕
If you’re a musician by trade, Alan’s personality is actually very familiar. He’s like most of us. Insecure a bit introverted, never happy with his own performance. Temperamental, and funny. And of course big hearted. One of my favorite things about being a musician is that I get to work with guys like that. Alan ascended to the absolute top of the pyramid. But he still was one of the guys at heart. Gotta love him.
What a wonderful human being. INCREDIBLE ability coupled with humility worthy of a ZEN master. Allan, we miss you but you will be FOREVER in our hearts through your musical creations. THANK YOU for having graced this miserable planet. CHEERS....
I ran into holdsworth before a show at the Iron Horse in Northampton Massachusetts. He was coming out of the bathroom and I said, oh my God, Alan I can’t believe I got a ticket to the show because I just returned from Vietnam where I was teaching and I told him how psyched I was to see him play again. He looked at me like a man suffering from terrible depression and he said well I hope you feel that way after the show. I told him I was going to feel the same way I feel after all of his shows. Over the moon.!!!!!!! my brother served as his guitar tech for two shows this is a High Point
Complete and unique monster. His influence is on pretty much everything we love. I remember hearing UK for the first time and his playing was so haunting and beautiful. I think we’re learning his playing was more diatonic than we expected within the chord changes. RIP
GREAT GUITARIST with unique style that can be recognised at once!!!
Enigmatic ocean was big for me in 8th 9th and 10th grade
I would always go back to it and listen again
Great stuff
On another note I saw Allen Holdsworth at the palace court in 1984
Small club great show chad wackerman was playing drums
Only just heard about Allan today in a Vai interview... I can already tell that I'll be listening to everything I can find from him for the next few months. He was incredible!
I cant thank you enough for this upload. Allan is my all time Master of the master's master musician. The quintessential genius and the creator and channeler of this divine language of his. His humble personality and playful quips are exactly what you would expect from a Leo born. He has the mind, heart and soul of a genuine noble. This sort of achievement transcends time as we know it. Most of the crop just want their cut of the pie and dance to the tune of what is in demand for the day. Allan is such a musician that defies logical explanation, no one is going to best him, technically or musically. Plenty musicians who have perfect pitch, playing multiple instruments and a commercial career, all that is good in both musical and business context and is also admirable for sure, but even then Allan leaves everyone in the dust far behind with his contribution and abilities. Everyone would wish they have the 10 percent of his genius, and of course none of the hardwork that went behind it. You can only sweat so much. Allan is a musical savant and a miracle. Far beyond just excelling within certain parameters, he is a universe in his own. RIP Allan, I love you and I wish to meet you sometime in future, for now your music takes me to that source. Thank you so much.
Why do you write as if it's a race to be won of some kind? Music and musicians are so often viewed competitively, yes some musicians are truly great, and Alan is one of them.
@@cameronpatrickscott Great musicians are not necessarily ‘one of a kind’, excellent musicians of all genres exist and existed. What Allan did was create an entirely new vocabulary of music compositions, theories and patterns that don’t have any precedent. He did not just excel in the genre of his times or revel in the club of similar composers of the era, rather he set the trend and groundwork for the conception and development of an entirely new process of creating and performing music, and in that he is peerless. Do you see the parallels I am putting on your table? See it for yourself.
Berlin Blast fair point.
tbh best guitarrist ever.... I mean damn.... if this isn't what a guitar is supposed to sound like then idk what is.
It's supposed to sound like a horn according to Allan
Are you kidding me...? 🤦♂️
Holdsworrh was the fucking man.. no one played like him. Later I think people started biting his style but he really is a one of a kind legend.. rip
The first time i i've listened to AH i was terrified yet excited! One of a kind musician and guitarist.
So Warner screwed over Jaco and Holdsworth. Let geniuses do their thing for goodness sake!
I couldn’t have said that better myself
Sadly, geniuses usually don’t make money for them. 🤷♂️😪
In the Dead of Night on the UK record has the greatest guitar solo in the history of recorded music.
I agree with that completely.
His harmonic approach to music was so unic....when I heard that he passed away I felt so sad...R.I.P Allan..you gave to music & harmony new elements, tremendous treasure for us the younger musicians to study for a lifetime....
Beautiful in so many ways ...
all this musical complixity we have the most humble musician what a joy just listening to him talk .
Such a phenomenal player! You know when Shawn idolizes you you're doing something right. R.I.P to two of the greatest.
What a superb record of the great man’s history, from the man himself! A unique talent. RIP and God bless him.
It's interesting how often he mentions when someone was nice to him & how much it meant. Truly brilliant "other" people can struggle to function in the world & are often misunderstood. It was other brilliant folks who recognized him for who he was & treated him as a peer & friend.
I’m a professional musician with close to 60 years in the business. Joe Pass (who I studied with in the early 70’s) and John McLaughlin are my two biggest role models. Once at a McLaughlin concert at the Golden Bear in Huntington Beach I saw John arriving with the band and I had to shake his hand and convey to him what an inspiration he was and later on I also 😊saw Alan Holdsworth sitting in the audience during the concert. I wanted to introduce myself to him but chickened out.
He was a genius!!
WOW! What an amazing interview... although it could have been way longer! Allan was simply both a wonderful guitarist and musician - and even the interviewer had some very relevant and interesting questions and remarks!
VERY unique player. I like all his albums from Atavachron till he passed. Excellent engineer/producer too, the sound quality of his records is amazing.
According to John Paul Jones, who booked, arranged and played bass on the '68 "Hurdy Gurdy Man" sessions, Alan Parker was the electric (lead) guitarist.
Allan was the un spoken about guitarists favourite. They all knew he was the best and still is
Epic vid! Getting to meet and film Holdsworth Changed my life for the better
Thank you for this, he deserves more notoriety, love hearing his story!
A fantastic interview and revealing insights into one of the greatest and original guitarists ever to play the instrument!!! Some outstanding guitarists may be able to imitate Allan but he will never be duplicated! Taking a line from the movie Highlander, "There can only be one."
The effect of parenting on children cannot be overstated. Alan had exposure to the arts and the creative process early on.
Frank Zappa said he was a favourite of his
and eddie van halen.... and gary moore...
@@cheothegeo2742 And Synyster Gates
Shit, everybody who is anybody has cited Holdsworth as a fave
Zappa would know!
@@cheothegeo2742 And Steve Vai, John Petrucci, Shawn Lane, Fredrik Thordendal, Misha Mansoor, Tosin Abasi, Alex Lifeson, Joe Satriani, Yngvie Malsteem, Per Nilsson, Guthrie Govan, Joe Bonamassa et al
Allan Holdsworth and Gary Moore seems to always get overlooked on various best guitarist list.
Allan way better
He was awesome! I love different, and that is exactly what he was and brilliant.
He took the guitar to the outer limits. So many different ways to play the guitar. All to be appreciated.
Funny guy and epic guitarist! Thanks Allan!
Phrasing of his is unlike anyone else ever! Magical
"That's beautiful man." "It SUCKS. Leave it in."
Even if i wasnt a fan of his playing which i absolutely am,i absolutely love how down to earth he is. Theres so many people who say such and such is so down to earth but you can tell they still think of themselves as someones. This is literally that sound guy you meet down the pub and have a craic on to then end up having 10 more,absolutely brilliant lovely fella
Playing in Heaven now with Hendrix , Zappa , S.R.V , Eddie V. Halen ,R.I.P ...
no offence to all the guitarist you mentioned , but its a shame to put allan there among them , he is in another league
@@deepakbisht4558 I like them all too , but he is the much better player .
@@deepakbisht4558wrong
Fantastic, just a guitar Jedi master, one of the best ever
Alien Holdsworth
Andre Kuhnen ...interesting name for a band, maybe, lol. But it would have to be an extremely capable band.
Truly out of this world.
He was definitely a man who possessed skills not seen on this planet, so the comment is a fair one.
I've heard people playing on RUclips that sound like Holdsworth and they come close, but there's nothing like the real thing. I understand how he constructs everything, but I'll never be able to play like him.
I love how his solos and chords always transposes from major to minor (or whatever), it sounds so sad and mysterious.
I saw Allan in Boston. The club probably had 100 people all there to see him. He didn't come out for what seemed an awfully long time. Someone nearby said Allan sometimes had emotional issues. Finally he came out with Gary husband and Jimmy Johnson to perform the men of twain album. I'm glad I was able to see them. It was a unique musical experience.
a truely great humble but yet intence complex genious . there will never be another guitar god like allen
how on earth did I miss this sublime guitarist all these years? It took a word from Victor Wooten to turn me on to him. DAMN he is amazing. AND incredibly intersting to hear his story.
I dunno, you got caught up listening to Meshuggah or something?
His solo on In The Dead Of Night, from the UK first album is a masterpiece.There are still many guitarists of today who can not play anything of that quality, and that was from 1969
1978
@@westrig180 Yes! 1978 more like it. But 1969? No way because UK band never existed at the time and Allan Holdsworth wasn't even known and was probably just learning then.
Saw UK's one and only So Cal gig. I know he wasn't happy in that band, but it was the single best prog concert I ever saw. His playing and that music put each in context, if you follow. Inside enough to comprehend, out there enough to exceed all expectations. Chills. They OPENED for Al DiMeola. It was cold-blooded murder. The crowd cheered on and on after their set. Oh, to see that again!
That UK album is so great, interlaced with Allan's harmony. At the time I thought it was otherworldly, and it is that. Later after IOU it became apparent where the next level harmony came from.
DiMeola probably said afterwards that Allan's technique relied too much on LEGATO ...lol. This story put a smile on my face. U.K was KILLER
I Would have loved to have met up with him in a pub , can imagine talking to him for hours , and with plenty of laughs ..Glad i got to see him live in Penzance , Cornwall .
comment 182. Thank You Mr. Holdsworth!!
Genius humble and sadly no longer with us
RIP Allan
They might not have ever admitted it, but I’ll bet lots of great players of many genres ( Paige, Clapton, McLaughlin, Zappa, Van Halen, etc etc) just shrank and their jaws dropped when they heard Allan Holdsworth play. He basically reinvented the instrument to use in his own universe.
i can describe how much i love this true divine spirit
Excellent interview ... R.I.P Mr Holdsworth.
Most original musician ever and i agree with you marin what a top bloke.
Around 4:30 is huge. Allan’s music is very emotionally expressive …. I get the same reaction listening to him
Somewhere between a violin and a saxophone is Allan, but beyond guitar 🎸 How the world misses you.