Fast Impressions (album)
"Fast Impressions" is a 1986 album by Jon St. James. This album is different to “Transatlantic”, as the music is still heavily sequenced, but all instrumental in a curious pop/new age vein, with lots of guest performers. Allan plays a nice melody and solo on “Rainy Taxi”, plus he appears on “Fast Impressions”. He also received co-writing credits. Jon St. James has written about the creation of the album in a blog post, which you can read below.
"Rainy Taxi" has been reissued as a single digitally under the name "Dali's Rainy Taxi". The album as a whole has not been reissued on LP, CD or streaming services since its original release.
Track listing
| Song Title | Composer | Instruments | Duration (min:sec) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fast Impressions | Holdsworth/ St. James | Guitar and SynthAxe | 3:55 |
| Rainy Taxi | Holdsworth/St. James | Guitar | 6:12 |
Jon St James on "Fast Impressions
Jon St. James has written a few forum posts about working with Allan:
https://www.thegearpage.net/board/index.php?threads/allan-holdsworth-tribute-video.2220738/
The following is a slightly edited version of Jon's posts on this thread, with all of the relevant comments collated.
Allan was an amazing guy to hang out with on multiple levels. first off his talent was from another galaxy !!! he was very funny and so self deprecating. sometimes it was difficult to work with him because he could hate everything he played one day and then the next day love it . Once he played six or seven of the most amazing solos I ever heard in my life then proceeded to walk over to the 24 track machine and engage record on all the tracks he played and erase them. :( He announced that he was a **** guitar player and no one would ever hear the crap he just recorded dropped his guitar on the floor and stormed out of the studio without his gear! Then he could come back on another day and be totally into what he was playing. He was a tortured genius.
... once time after several beers we played "Crossroads" [the live version by Cream, ed. note] together Late at night in my studio, I played rhythm guitar of course LOL Allan knew every note of Clapton‘s live version except he expanded it to interstellar depths . . it was amazing !!!! wish I had recorded that but Alan would have erased it anyway-never heard Alan play like that again. It sounded something like Holdsworth meets Clapton Eric Johnson and Steve Hillidge times 1000,
...Well I’ll never forget . . a couple days after we recorded Allan’s solo he called me and asked if he could put the track on his new album and he would pay me for the track. I was totally honored by his request but decide to keep it on my album. Boy oh boy there’s a couple do overs I would like in life , that’s one and the biggest is turning David Bowie down to put one of my songs on his album which was Lets Dance . .BIG MISTAKE. anyway Allan would record multiple solos probably 6 to 8 tracks until he was happy. He didn’t really like comping or punching in unless he made what he considered a mistake. I made him a cassette of the track in advance and he worked out a sketch of a solo at home. When we recorded his solos were entirely differentand each pass. . they were all amazing but he made me erase all except the one we used. He spent a couple hours getting his tone the way he wanted it. He was a total take control guy with his sound and I believe he used a Strat style guitar with one pick a Marshall head and an enclosed cabinet with a microphone inside. I remember very clearly I had to talk him into using guitar and it took a few beers to do that. Allan was really fixated at that time on using his synth guitar which he played on another one of my tracks.
...Best times with Allan were in and around the studio, it was difficult to hang out with him when he was getting ready for a show because he was 100% focused on rehearsing his music. After his shows was equally difficult because Allan was surrounded by adoring guitarists, which always made him uncomfortable and typically he would have his head down apologizing for putting on such a terrible performance!!!
...Recorded on 2 inch 24 track. Allan played solos over my finished track. A sidenote I had a pair of Yamaha studio monitors I believe they were called in NS 40m they were like in NS 10s but with two woofers. I never like the sound of them but Alan loved them and bought them from me. . he was still using them in 2017!
...He was using a strat style guitar with a single pick up don’t remember the brand he had lots of bodies necks and pick ups at his home and tinkered. I believe it was a Marshall 50 head through an enclosed speaker cabinet that had a mic inside. Don’t remember any pedals. Alan would endorse lots of gear that he didn’t necessarily use, kind of like Barney Kessel!
...So true he was ahead of his time but he was also a man in another time. He was a Renaissance man and enjoyed things like bicycles and craft beers but he refused to compromise his art, hence his exit from the band UK. Allan was his own worst enemy as far as success in a monetary way goes . . money was just a means of survival to him. Sometimes he would have to sell his gear to continue his career . I think he had some opportunities to commercialize and perhaps cash in but that was not Allan.
...I believe Allan was confident in his skills but incredibly humble. He was proud of his guitar design collaborations and his mastery of the Synth Axe. However it seemed like Allan was reaching for something he didn’t think he had yet achieved. When in fact he had already broken barriers and reached musical heights never before seen on the guitar. His constant self deprecation after performances was impossible to understand when he had just given a marvelous performance. Only he knew where he was trying to go with his playing. That’s my take.
...Strat style guitar with one pickup. Don’t remember the brand may have been Charvel or Ibanez but Alan had many kicking around. Marshall 50 head into an enclosed cabinet with a mic inside. No pedals that I can remember. Played his solo six or seven times straight through then chose the last one . . he made me erase all the others and they were all amazing but Allan said they were crap!!!!
...As far as pop music goes Allan had a great opportunity with the band UK but he and Bruford wanted to go on much more progressive direction. Wetton I think was into the rock$tar thing so Allan bowed out. He would’ve been creatively stifled.
Links
"Fast Impressions": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XkFsrwafRuk
"Rainy Taxi": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VHToHKpu72U
"Dali's Rainy Taxi" (2021 reissue): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NSvWXzRBOpg
Discogs: https://www.discogs.com/master/147722-Jon-St-James-Fast-Impressions
