Allan Holdsworth (Music UK 1983): Difference between revisions
From Allan Holdsworth Information Center
Created page with "Allan Holdsworth Music U.K., November 1983 Max Kay When I saw Allan Holdsworth on a very grey day in Kingston Surrey in the middle of 1981 he was feeling well shall we say..." |
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Max Kay | Max Kay | ||
When I saw Allan Holdsworth on a very grey day in Kingston Surrey in the middle of 1981 he was feeling well shall we say not at his best? He'd grown tired of the fight and intimated that it wouldn't take an awful lot more before he threw in the towel. He'd become disillusioned with the business to the point of thinking about taking a job in a factory, leaving free his evenings to play what he liked. Allan refuses point blank to play music he doesn't feel, hence his dilemma. The last straw was an album he recorded in England called IOU, which featured singer Paul Williams who is now the only person from that band that's currently playing with Allan. Allan Holdsworth's troubles were not yet over, and he ended up having to press the album himself, and sell it on the door at his own gigs and by mail order. So far he's sold an astonishing 14,000! None of the major UK record companies were interested enough to pick up the album, although that situation is about to change. | When I saw Allan Holdsworth on a very grey day in Kingston Surrey in the middle of 1981 he was feeling well shall we say not at his best? He'd grown tired of the fight and intimated that it wouldn't take an awful lot more before he threw in the towel. He'd become disillusioned with the business to the point of thinking about taking a job in a factory, leaving free his evenings to play what he liked. Allan refuses point blank to play music he doesn't feel, hence his dilemma. The last straw was an album he recorded in England called IOU, which featured singer [[Paul Williams]] who is now the only person from that band that's currently playing with Allan. Allan Holdsworth's troubles were not yet over, and he ended up having to press the album himself, and sell it on the door at his own gigs and by mail order. So far he's sold an astonishing 14,000! None of the major UK record companies were interested enough to pick up the album, although that situation is about to change. | ||
Earlier this year he played a series of gigs in New York and Los Angeles, and he confided at the time, 'I may move and take my family out there to live.' Things at last were beginning to look good for Allan Holdsworth, and he finally decided to make the move to LA. When we met recently in his new home in California, situated about 15 miles from the Fullerton Fender factory, he was in a cheery mood and he told me why. 'I got the chance of some gigs here in the States, and I hadn't worked in England as a musician for about three years.' | Earlier this year he played a series of gigs in New York and Los Angeles, and he confided at the time, 'I may move and take my family out there to live.' Things at last were beginning to look good for Allan Holdsworth, and he finally decided to make the move to LA. When we met recently in his new home in California, situated about 15 miles from the Fullerton Fender factory, he was in a cheery mood and he told me why. 'I got the chance of some gigs here in the States, and I hadn't worked in England as a musician for about three years.' | ||
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The first IOU band split after a series of gigs in the New York area and the East Coast because of internal problems within the band. | The first IOU band split after a series of gigs in the New York area and the East Coast because of internal problems within the band. | ||
'It all got too much, one of the band thought everything that went wrong was my fault, and I just didn't need that pressure. With the old band I'd get on stage and not even want to play, I'd feel this evil vibe on stage. Paul is the only guy with me from the old band, and I recruited Chad Wackerman on drums, and Jeff Berlin on bass for the current line-up.' | 'It all got too much, one of the band thought everything that went wrong was my fault, and I just didn't need that pressure. With the old band I'd get on stage and not even want to play, I'd feel this evil vibe on stage. Paul is the only guy with me from the old band, and I recruited [[Chad Wackerman]] on drums, and [[Jeff Berlin]] on bass for the current line-up.' | ||
Atlantic Records have expressed an interest in releasing Allan's next record, which Holdsworth plans to record very soon. The Atlantic tie-up came about in an odd sort of way. | Atlantic Records have expressed an interest in releasing Allan's next record, which Holdsworth plans to record very soon. The Atlantic tie-up came about in an odd sort of way. | ||
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Such as? | Such as? | ||
'Steve Topping is a fine player and so is Eric Johnson.' | '[[Steve Topping]] is a fine player and so is Eric Johnson.' | ||
When the new album is in the can Allan Holdsworth's IOU will play a string of dates in the US and I queried Allan whether we might see the Halen/Holdsworth partnership on the same bill? | When the new album is in the can Allan Holdsworth's IOU will play a string of dates in the US and I queried Allan whether we might see the Halen/Holdsworth partnership on the same bill? | ||
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Do you, I ventured, see yourself as a latter day Mahavishnu, whose music is not as accessible as some of today's three chord wonders? | Do you, I ventured, see yourself as a latter day Mahavishnu, whose music is not as accessible as some of today's three chord wonders? | ||
'I don't believe that people have to understand anything to enjoy it. Even guys I know who don't know anything about music, will hear maybe John Coltrane and go 'God, what is that?' But at the same time they know something is happening, but they don't have to understand anything. All they have to do is be touched by it, and hopefully the better I get, the more I'll be able to communicate with people. I might not have been able to do that before, and there's a lot of different reasons. One of them is that I probably didn't wanna do that a few years ago anyway. I was probably happier trying to reach some goal to satisfy myself, whereas now I'd like to do both, which is even more of a challenge . . What I'm not prepared to do is to go out and do something just to make money in music, because if I do that then all my life will have been a waste of time. See that's what I was saying before, I'd rather go out and get a job doing something else . . driving a truck . . . and then come home and play the shit out of the guitar rather than go and play the guitar half-heartedly to a million people, and make a lot of money. | 'I don't believe that people have to understand anything to enjoy it. Even guys I know who don't know anything about music, will hear maybe [[John Coltrane]] and go 'God, what is that?' But at the same time they know something is happening, but they don't have to understand anything. All they have to do is be touched by it, and hopefully the better I get, the more I'll be able to communicate with people. I might not have been able to do that before, and there's a lot of different reasons. One of them is that I probably didn't wanna do that a few years ago anyway. I was probably happier trying to reach some goal to satisfy myself, whereas now I'd like to do both, which is even more of a challenge . . What I'm not prepared to do is to go out and do something just to make money in music, because if I do that then all my life will have been a waste of time. See that's what I was saying before, I'd rather go out and get a job doing something else . . driving a truck . . . and then come home and play the shit out of the guitar rather than go and play the guitar half-heartedly to a million people, and make a lot of money. | ||
'In the beginning when I started playing, I wanted an instrument that I could blow on and I've now found a way of getting something that I want out of the guitar. About 2 or 3 years ago I basically rediscovered the guitar, if you know what I mean, because I started to find a way of expressing myself through the guitar. In a way the instrument doesn't matter, it doesn't matter what it is really, whether it's a saxophone, a violin, anything, there's always a way of trying to find something from it. What I didn't want to do is sound like somebody else.' | 'In the beginning when I started playing, I wanted an instrument that I could blow on and I've now found a way of getting something that I want out of the guitar. About 2 or 3 years ago I basically rediscovered the guitar, if you know what I mean, because I started to find a way of expressing myself through the guitar. In a way the instrument doesn't matter, it doesn't matter what it is really, whether it's a saxophone, a violin, anything, there's always a way of trying to find something from it. What I didn't want to do is sound like somebody else.' | ||
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One of these instruments carries a Dave Storey (Kahler) tremelo (sic) which loads from the top, with no tremolo block in sight. Before he emigrated to the USA, Dave was England's answer to Floyd Rose, and his unique tremolo system. Ah well, England's loss, America's gain. | One of these instruments carries a Dave Storey (Kahler) tremelo (sic) which loads from the top, with no tremolo block in sight. Before he emigrated to the USA, Dave was England's answer to Floyd Rose, and his unique tremolo system. Ah well, England's loss, America's gain. | ||
'Dick Knight was the first guy to modify a Stratocaster type guitar for me, but what I love about the Charvels is the neck dimensions which make it an incredibly comfortable guitar for me to play. I play the Yamaha 335 type guitar over in the corner, I don't know what it's called, but it's a pretty good guitar. | '[[Dick Knight]] was the first guy to modify a Stratocaster type guitar for me, but what I love about the Charvels is the neck dimensions which make it an incredibly comfortable guitar for me to play. I play the Yamaha 335 type guitar over in the corner, I don't know what it's called, but it's a pretty good guitar. | ||
Allan's collection of instruments has grown since he left old Blighty, and he's added an old 1956 Gibson Super 300 to his stash. 'It needs a new bridge and needs refretting, it's unbelievable it's so light. I met a guy selling a D'Angelico at the time I bought this and the sound of this one was far superior. It needs bigger strings, I put these light gauge strings on because they were all I had. | Allan's collection of instruments has grown since he left old Blighty, and he's added an old 1956 Gibson Super 300 to his stash. 'It needs a new bridge and needs refretting, it's unbelievable it's so light. I met a guy selling a D'Angelico at the time I bought this and the sound of this one was far superior. It needs bigger strings, I put these light gauge strings on because they were all I had. | ||
