The Man Who Changed Guitar Forever: The Allan Holdsworth Album Collection box set coming in April

I have the original Intima too and it sounds great.

 

He's been my favorite guitar player bar none for decades. I look forward to anything Holdsworrh related, but. As I worry about with every new release, will I burned by the mastering? Also, will this be a set for a Holdsworth completist? I believe I have everything.

 

There's a tracklist on Amazon.co.uk suggesting that there are no bonus tracks: not even those previously released (for example, on Wardenclyffe Tower). Given that one of the discs is Road Games, which is only 24 minutes long and would have easily have fit on another disc (especially since most of his albums come in well within 40 minutes) this would have to fall significantly in price before I took the plunge.

 

I would vote for 'Sphere of Innocence' on the same album. A beautiful track.

 

I will only buy this box if the sound is improved. Otherwise, it costs too much money for the same material.

 

What's not to love about Holdsworth. Metal Fatigue is a my all time favorite, and U.K. my second choice. Sixteen Men of Train is really good, and his work with Jens & Anders Johanson should not be forgotten either. If I didn't already have so much of his stuff in my collection I'd buy these box sets in a heartbeat.

 

I have to wonder who the target audience is for this thing. I am sure that anyone that listens to him these days has probably been with him for a long time and probably has most, if not all of his work. He is the kind of player that draws in obsessively that have to hear every note (like me). I am definitely not buying this as I still feel like buying the other reissues (Wardenclyffe, Secrets, the others on MoonJune) over the years was not a good use of money. I welcome any thoughts once this is out, of course.

 

I was thinking the same thing. It's not for me. Not for you. Not for a newcomer. What we'd be all over would be new material.

 

Exactly and Ill also add that even as much as I like Allan's material it was and always has been niche. It might not be even that if Eddie Van Halen did not mention who his favorite guitarist was back in some mid 80's article.

I have all Allan's albums, including the ones with Gordon Beck - not included in the new comp - and all of them post 1993 suffer from Dynamic Compression and in some cases is extreme. The exception to that is the excellent sounding and dynamic Road Games 1st issued on CD by Gnarley Geezer in 2002 then re-issued by Global in 2003. It was a no-frills effort so ironically they did not spend enough money to have the mastering ruined. One almost exception is the nice sounding 1997 Cleopatra release, IOU Band Live which Allan disavows and claims is pirate issue - even though legally it's not. The point I'm making is I'm not going spend money unless it's an improvement over what I already have. I am open minded in that I won't dismiss this release until I have data and more importantly samples to evaluate. If I feel they are good I will purchase the set.

 

Ricks, you're right, of course, but, I don't think I'll hold my breath for sensible remastering.

 

I love "Road Games". I don't care for Alan's later synthaxe stuff. Can anyone recommend Holdsworth (or other artist's) albums that sound like "Road Games"?

thanks.

 

Metal Fatigue and I.O.U. come the closest. Both are excellent.

 

In fact, Metal Fatigue and I.O.U. are both much better albums than Road Games.

 

I'm a big fan of Metal Fatigue and Road Games.
I realize that many Holdsworth fans love I.O.U. but after listening to it several times, I just cannot find memorable songs on it.

 

Only stuff of his I really dig is when he was with Tempest.

 

This could be the ideal opportunity to pick up Allan's works at long last, as I keep meaning to check out his solo albums. I've only listened to the first U.K. album and Level 42's 'Guaranteed' where he played some fine solo work all over that record. Additionally, his contributions to Derek Sherinian's 'Mythology' and Planet X's 'Quantum' records while minimal were still brilliant.

I'll wait for reviews of the boxset sound quality wise first before buying otherwise I'll track down the albums separately.

 

No Hi-Res?

 

Allan Holdsworth is one of the most important musicians ever. He is right up there with the greatest composers of all time, Bach, Beethoven, Coltrane (who obviously was his number one influence), Miles Davis, Copeland, Zappa, etc. There is not a guitar player alive who doesn't site him as an influence of some sort. More like inspiration, because NOBODY can play like he does. His harmonic sense, and his legato technique are beyond advanced, he is simply a genius, a prodigy, and as the boxset states, "The Man Who Changed Guitar Forever."

I don't remember preordering anything in my life, but I have already preordered this boxset. I have faith the mastering will be excellent, and there are quite a few albums in this set I don't own (his later nineties stuff mostly, and Road Games which has always been a very expensive import). I'm just so grateful something like this is finally being made available. Holdsworth will go down in history as one of the greatest to ever pick up the instrument. They'll be studying his playing a 100 years from now, and I think this boxset will be a piece of that history. I'll post up my impressions after I've given it a spin a couple of times ...

By the way, if you can't tell by my post, I am a musician/guitarist myself.

 

Appreciate your post, but I fear your faith in the mastering may be misplaced

 

Yeah, in this time in history, it really is hard to have faith in the mastering. And, the fact that a lot of his later releases were heavily limited, makes me very wary of this having sensible mastering. If, however, it does somehow end up being sensitive and additive to quality, I would buy the box despite already owning all the albums. I would love to purchase a remaster that was worth the remastering.

 

Huge Holdsworth fan here, have been following him since the beginning when he did 'Igginbottom's Wrench. I have most of his early stuff on vinyl and listen often. So much good stuff and he has played with many incredible musicians. Metal Fatigue is probably my favorite album, but this by far is my favorite track ;

 

Saw him 3-4 years ago with Chad Wackerman on drums in front of around 100 folks. As I was walking in, Holdsworth was having a smoke out front before the show by himself. Chatted for five minutes. What a player and good dude.

 

Does he have any ardent fans who aren't guitarists?

 

I'm not.

 

I want to ask a serious question as someone who has never heard a song by AH in my life. In fact, I've maybe heard his name a few times in the last 44 years in passing remarks or magazines or something - but I'm always looking for new music, styles and artists to appreciate.

So, given I've never heard any of his music - can anyone here suggest some of his songs - that would help me understand why this new set is called "The Man Who Changed Guitar Forever"

Thanks!