Road Games (album): Difference between revisions
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[[File:Roadgames.jpeg|right|200px]]"Road Games" is a 1983 album by Allan Holdsworth. In 1982, Allan moved permanently to California. Gary Husband and Paul Carmichael went back to England. [[Chad Wackerman]] was recruited via Frank Zappa, and [[Jeff Berlin]] had played with Allan in the Bruford band. At some point in the spring of '82, [[Eddie Van Halen]] brought producer [[Ted Templeman]] along to a Holdsworth gig. Eddie insisted Warner should sign Allan, and Templeman relented. However, Allan, Eddie and Ted had very different ideas on making the album. Allan wanted to record his tunes with his regular band, and did not want any guest artists at all on the album, including Eddie. Eddie wanted to play on the record and push the music in a more popular direction, he was a big fan of the U.K. album. Ted only signed Allan as a solo artist, and wanted a different band, with all star singers and musicians, including Eddie, and probably more commercial material too. This led to a very poor working relationship. | |||
Allan eventually won over regarding the repertoire and the band, and he suggested Jack Bruce could sing. This was acceptable to Templeman. However, Allan snuck Paul Williams' vocals on the title track, and Templeman threatened to pull the album when he found out. Eventually, the album was released. Due to the poor working relationship, Templeman and Van Halen were not involved creatively in the recording process. The tribulations led to Allan crediting some of the production to "circumstance". | |||
Even with all of the problems involved in its creation, "Road Games" is a classic work with some of Allan's most memorable tunes such as "Tokyo Dream" and "Three Sheets To The Wind". The musicianship is fabulous, and the album is well recorded and mixed, even with Allan's misgivings. See the entries for [[Ted Templeman]] and [[Eddie Van Halen]] for their perspective on the events. | |||
==Track listing== | |||
{|class='wikitable' | {|class='wikitable' | ||
|+ Allan Holdsworth: Road Games (1983) | |+ Allan Holdsworth: Road Games (1983) ([[Allan Holdsworth Discography|D]] - [[Allan Holdsworth Solo Albums|S]]) ([https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_nii333u9vUfoROc6WZDl_h2Y3OrsL-fuA YT]) | ||
! | ! | ||
!style="text-align:left;"|Track title | !style="text-align:left;"|Track title | ||
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'''Allan Holdsworth''': Guitar<br> | '''Allan Holdsworth''': Guitar, pedal steel on "Tokyo Dream"<br> | ||
'''Chad Wackerman''': Drums<br> | '''Chad Wackerman''': Drums<br> | ||
'''Jeff Berlin''': Bass<br> | '''Jeff Berlin''': Bass<br> | ||
'''Paul Williams''': | '''Paul Williams''': Lead vocals (2)<br> | ||
'''Jack Bruce''': | '''Jack Bruce''': Lead vocals (5, 6)<br> | ||
'''Joe Turano, Paul Korda, Paul Williams''': Backing vocals | |||
Recording dates:<br> | Recording dates:<br> | ||
Recorded at:<br> | Recorded at: Music Grinder Studios<br> | ||
Mixed at:<br> | Recording engineers: Gary Skardina, Jeff Silver, Jeremy Smith, Robert Feist<br> | ||
Produced by: | Mixed at: Music grinder, Amigo Studios<br> | ||
Mixing engineers: Mark Linett, Robert Feist<br> | |||
Produced by: Allan Holdsworth & Circumstance | |||
=Gear= | |||
''[Note: This info is based on quotes by Allan, reproduced below.]'' | |||
Allan Holdsworth used Charvel guitars for the "Road Games" album. Grover Jackson, the founder of Charvel, worked with Holdsworth to create custom guitars. According to the information provided, Grover Jackson made four Charvel guitars for Holdsworth. These guitars had a lighter body made of basswood, a neck dimension more like a Gibson, an aluminum DiMarzio bridge, and Seymour Duncan pickups with two rows of pole pieces for a symmetrical magnetic field. | |||
=Summary of quotes on "Road Games"= | |||
"Road Games" is a 1983 album by guitarist Allan Holdsworth. The album's production and release process were fraught with conflicts with the record company and disagreements about musical direction. Allan Holdsworth's meeting with Edward Van Halen led to his signing with Warner Brothers, but disputes arose over the album's content, including personnel and vocalists. Ultimately, compromises were made to release the album, resulting in mixed feelings about the final product. | |||
"Road Games" was released as a mini-album due to record company pressure, showcasing various jazz-rock styles. Despite the challenges, Holdsworth's exceptional guitar solos were a highlight. The experience left Holdsworth frustrated with the industry's focus on commercialism over artistic expression. He continued to face difficulties finding labels that supported his unique musical vision. | |||
In the end, "Road Games" reflects Allan Holdsworth's determination to maintain artistic integrity despite industry pressures and compromises. It stands as a testament to his commitment to creating music true to his vision rather than conforming to commercial expectations. ''[This summary was written by ChatGPT in 2023 based on the quotes below.]'' | |||
=Quotes by Allan on "Road Games"= | |||
==[[A Different kind of Guitar Hero (BAM 1983)]]== | ==[[A Different kind of Guitar Hero (BAM 1983)]]== | ||
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I think they wanted to push my music in a more commercial direction, but I was too stubborn to listen to them so they dropped me after that record. There are only six tracks on it because the record was never finished. It was a miserable period for me. I thought it was going to be great to be signed to a major label, but it turned out to be the exact opposite of what I expected. | I think they wanted to push my music in a more commercial direction, but I was too stubborn to listen to them so they dropped me after that record. There are only six tracks on it because the record was never finished. It was a miserable period for me. I thought it was going to be great to be signed to a major label, but it turned out to be the exact opposite of what I expected. | ||
=Quotes by Eddie Van Halen on Road Games= | |||
==Music UK September 1983== | |||
Weren't you also involved in producing an album for Allan Holdsworth? | |||
EVH: Yeah. We originally scheduled to go in (to record) when I got off tour but I wasn't exactly sure how long the tour would go. Anyway, Allan didn't want to wait, he was climbing the walls. He would only have to wait a month but he didn't want to, so he produced it himself. I think he made a big mistake because Ted Templeman (also scheduled to work on the project) could have made his ideas reach a lot more people. Allan is a fantastic guitarist but needs direction. Everyone does. I'm not trying to be holier than thou because I need it too. It's easy to get one-sided about something and you need an outside person or persons. | |||
==Guitar World 1990== | |||
GW: You were pretty involved with Holdsworth's career for a while there. | |||
VAN HALEN: Yeah, I got him signed to Warner Bros. because I just hated to see this guy who's so amazing selling guitars to stay alive. So I got him signed. I was supposed to co-produce the record with Ted Templeman and Donn Landee. Then I hate to say this-while we were on tour in South America he just didn't wanna wait like two weeks, you know? So he did it himself...and it ended up being just another Allan Holdsworth record. The guy needs direction, you know what I mean? We did a couple of demos before I went to South America, and one of the songs was great. So he blew it, I think. I really think I could have, well, not necessarily pulled him back, but steered him in a different direction, you know? I was just over my friend Steve Lukather's house, and he played me Allan's new record, and I tell you, I couldn't tell the difference between that and his other records. I don't wanna rag on the guy, because he's an incredible player and he's a good friend. I love him. He just needs direction, that's all. | |||
=Quotes by [[Ted Templeman]] on Road Games= | |||
==A Platinum Producer’s Life in Music== | |||
TT: “So the three of us came together for our first production meeting. Allan said, “I have a request. I don’t want you guys in the studio with me. Well, I want you guys to produce me but not be in the studio while I’m recording.” Ed looked panicked. He had talked this guy up to no end, and now he has made a totally insane request. So I told Allan, in my most diplomatic tone, that I wasn’t sure that was going to work for us.“ | |||
TT: “Ed then asked how Allan expected him to play on the record if he wasn’t going to be in the studio while Allan recorded? Allan then said, though he’d apparently been open to the idea initially, that he didn’t want Ed to play on the record.” | |||
TT: “After Allan left, Ed and I were both out of sorts. “Ted, what the fuck are we going to do?” I told Ed I’d try to talk some sense into him. Ed said, “Can you believe this guy? He’s nuts!” All we could do was shake our heads and laugh, because, honestly, it was so off the wall all you could do was laugh.” | |||
After this meeting, the situation turned even worse: | |||
TT: “He fought me every step of the way. We clashed on everything from his band lineup to his musical direction. My job as a producer was to expose his abilities to a wider audience and to sell albums for Warner Bros. He seemed to have no interest in doing any of the things that I thought might get us closer to that goal.” | |||
TT: “I left Holdsworth to his own devices in the studio much of the time, because working with him was so difficult. Warner Bros. released the project as an EP called Road Games. It sank without a trace upon release.” | |||
=Links= | |||
YouTube playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_nii333u9vUfoROc6WZDl_h2Y3OrsL-fuA | |||
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Road_Games_(EP) | |||
Discogs: https://www.discogs.com/release/1974495-Allan-Holdsworth-Road-Games | |||
[[Category:Discography]] | [[Category:Discography]] | ||
