Allan Holdsworth Discography

Allan Holdsworth discography: Original releases

UPDATE: As of Nov 2023, the discography has been overhauled. All entries now contain images, track listings, YouTube or other streaming links, album overviews and summaries based on Allan's quotes. I've also written a Guide to discography entries. If you're primarily interested in Allan's work as a solo artist, click here: Allan Holdsworth Solo Albums. See notes below for the criteria used in making this discography.

Album artist	Album name	Year	Role	Performance
1960s and 70s
Igginbottom	Igginbottom's Wrench [1]	1969	Band member	Guitar, vocals, composer
Ian Carr	Belladonna [2]	1972	Band member	Guitar
Tempest	Tempest [3]	1973	Band member	Guitar, vocals, violin, composer
Soft Machine	Bundles [4]	1975	Band member	Guitar, composer
The New Tony Williams Lifetime	Believe It [5]	1975	Band member	Guitar, composer
The New Tony Williams Lifetime	Million Dollar Legs [6]	1976	Band member	Guitar
Allan Holdsworth	Velvet Darkness [7]	1976	Solo artist	Guitar, violin, composer
Gong	Gazeuse! [8]	1976	Band member	Guitar, violin, steel guitar, composer
Bruford	Feels Good To Me [9]	1977	Band member	Guitar
Esther Phillips	Capricorn Princess [10]	1977	Session, 1 track	Pedal steel guitar
Jean-Luc Ponty	Enigmatic Ocean [11]	1977	Band member	Guitar
John Stevens	Retouch [12]	1977	Band member	Guitar, composer
Gong	Expresso II [13]	1978	Session, 4 tracks	Guitar
U.K.	U.K. [14]	1978	Band member	Guitar, composer
John Stevens	Touching On [15] [16]	1978	Band member	Guitar, composer
Bruford	One Of A Kind[17] [18]	1979	Band member	Guitar, composer
Gordon Beck	Sunbird [19]	1979	Band member	Guitar, violin
Pierre Moerlen's Gong	Time Is The Key [20][21]	1979	Session, 2 tracks	Guitar
1980s
Allan Holdsworth, Gordon Beck, Jeff Clyne, John Stevens	Conversation Piece [22][23] [24]	1980	Band member	Guitar, composer
Soft Machine	Land Of Cockayne [25]	1981	Session	Guitar
Allan Holdsworth & Gordon Beck	The Things You See [26]	1981	Band member	Guitar, vocals, composer
Allan Holdsworth	I.O.U. [27]	1982	Solo artist	Guitar, violin, composer
Allan Holdsworth	Road Games [28]	1983	Solo artist	Guitar, composer
Jean-Luc Ponty	Individual Choice [29][30]	1983	Session, 2 tracks	Guitar
Jon St. James	Transatlantic [31] [32]	1984	Session, 2 tracks	Guitar
Allan Holdsworth	Metal Fatigue [33]	1985	Solo artist	Guitar, composer
Rege Burrell	Victim Of Emotion [34]	1985	Session, 1 track	Guitar
Allan Holdsworth	Atavachron [35]	1986	Solo artist	Guitar, SynthAxe
Soma	Soma [36] [37]	1986	Session, 5 tracks	Guitar
Jon St. James	Fast Impressions [38] [39]	1986	Session, 2 tracks	Guitar, SynthAxe
Krokus	Change Of Address [40]	1986	Session, 1 track	Guitar
Allan Holdsworth	Sand [41]	1987	Solo artist	Guitar, SynthAxe, composer
Stanley Clarke	If This Bass Could Only Talk [42]	1988	Session, 1 track	Guitar
Stuart Hamm	Radio Free Albemuth [43]	1988	Session, 1 track	SynthAxe
Allan Holdsworth	Secrets [44]	1989	Solo artist	Guitar, SynthAxe, composer
Alex Masi	Attack Of The Neon Shark [45]	1989	Session, 1 track	SynthAxe
Strange Advance	The Distance Between [46] [47]	1989	Session, 2 tracks	Guitar
Jack Bruce	A Question Of Time [48] [49]	1989	Session, 2 tracks	Guitar, SynthAxe
Allan Holdsworth & Gordon Beck	With A Heart In My Song [50]	1989	Band member	Guitar, SynthAxe, composer
Gordon Beck	Dreams [51]	1989	Producer	Producer only
Carl Verheyen	No Borders [52]	1989	Session, 1 track	SynthAxe
Various Artists	Guitar's Practicing Musicians [53]	1989	Session, 1 track w/ Jeff Watson	Guitar
1990s
MVP	Truth In Shredding [54]	1990	Band member	Guitar, SynthAxe
Steve Tavaglione	Blue Tav [55]	1990	Session, 1 track	Guitar/SynthAxe
Andrea Marcelli	Silent Will [56]	1990	Session, 3 tracks	Guitar/SynthAxe
Level 42	Guaranteed [57]	1991	Band member	Guitar
Chad Wackerman	Forty Reasons [58]	1991	Band member	Guitar
Paz	Love In Peace (Amour Empaz) [59]	1991	Session, 1 track	Guitar
Jeff Watson	Lone Ranger [60]	1992	Session, 1 track	Guitar
Andrea Marcelli	Oneness [61] [62]	1992	Session, 2 tracks	Guitar/baritone guitar
Allan Holdsworth	Wardenclyffe Tower [63]	1993	Solo artist	Guitar, SynthAxe, composer
Allan Holdsworth	Wardenclyffe Tower +3 [64]	1993	Solo artist	Guitar, SynthAxe, composer
Various Artists	Come Together [65]	1993	Session, 1 track	Guitar
Chad Wackerman	The View [66]	1993	Session, 6 tracks	Guitar
Allan Holdsworth	Hard Hat Area [67]	1993	Solo artist	Guitar, SynthAxe, composer
Allan Holdsworth	Just For The Curious	1993	Solo artist	Guitar, composer
Gongzilla	Suffer [68] [69] [70] [71] [72]	1995	Session, 4 tracks	Guitar
Allan Holdsworth	None Too Soon [73]	1996	Solo artist	Guitar, SynthAxe
Anders Johansson, Jens Johansson & Allan Holdsworth	Heavy Machinery [74]	1996	Band member	Guitar
Gorky Park	Stare [75]	1996	Session, 1 track	Guitar
Allan Holdsworth	I.O.U. Live	1997	Solo artist	Guitar, composer
Steve Hunt	From Your Heart And From Your Soul [76]	1997	Session, 1 track	Guitar
2000s
Allan Holdsworth	The Sixteen Men Of Tain [77]	2000	Solo artist	Guitar, SynthAxe, composer
Allan Holdsworth	Flat Tire [78]	2001	Solo artist	Guitar, SynthAxe, composer
Allan Holdsworth	All Night Wrong[79]	2002	Solo artist	Guitar, SynthAxe, composer
Allan Holdsworth	The Sixteen Men Of Tain - Special Edition[80]	2003	Solo artist	Guitar, SynthAxe, composer
Soft Machine	BBC Radio 1971-1974 [81]	2003	Band member	Guitar
Soft Works	Abracadabra [82]	2003	Band member	Guitar, composer
Atlantis	Pray For Rain [83]	2003	Session, 1 track	Guitar
Allan Holdsworth Group	Then! [84]	2003	Solo artist	Guitar, composer
Derek Sherinian	Mythology [85] [86]	2004	Session, 2 tracks	Guitar
K2	Book Of The Dead [87]	2004	Session, 4 tracks	Guitar
Riptyde	Sonic Undertow [88][89] [90] [91]	2004	Session/featured soloist	Guitar
David Hines	Nebula [92] [93]	2005	Session, 2 tracks	Guitar
Allan Holdsworth	Against The Clock [94] [95]	2005	Solo artist	Guitar, SynthAxe, composer
Tempest	Under The Blossom: The Anthology [96]	2005	Band member	Guitar
Soft Machine	Floating World Live [97]	2006	Band member	Guitar, violin, composer
Bruford	Rock Goes To College [98]	2006	Band member	Guitar
Planet X	Quantum [99] [100]	2007	Session, 2 tracks	Guitar
Jean-Luc Ponty	The Acatama Experience [101]	2007	Session, 1 track	Guitar
Dan Carlin & Friends	Prowlin’ [102]	2007	Session, 1 track	Guitar, SynthAxe
Chris Buck	Progosaurus [103]	2008	Session, 1 track	Guitar
Holdsworth, Pasqua, Haslip, Wackerman	Blues For Tony [104]	2009	Band member	Guitar, composer
Danny Thompson, Allan Holdsworth, John Stevens	Propensity [105][106]	2009	Band member	Guitar, composer
Snew	Highway Star [107]	2009	Session, 1 track	Guitar
Paul Korda	Early Years [108]	2009	Session, 1 track	Guitar
Eric Keyes	No One Knows My Thirst [109]	2009	Session, 1 track	Guitar
2010s
Gary Husband	Dirty And Beautiful Volume 1 [110]	2010	Session, 3 tracks	Guitar
Corrado Rustici	Deconstruction Of A Postmodern Musician [111]	2010	Session, 1 track	Guitar
Level 42	Living It Up	2010	Session, 1 track	Guitar
Gary Husband	Dirty And Beautiful Volume 2 [112]	2012	Session, 1 track	Guitar
Chad Wackerman	Dreams Nightmares And Improvisations [113]	2012	Band member	Guitar, SynthAxe, Starr Switch
Soft Machine	Switzerland 1974[114]	2015	Band member	Guitar, composer
U.K.	Ultimate Collector's Edition	2016	Band member	Guitar, composer
Allan Holdsworth	Tales From The Vault [115]	2016	Solo artist	Guitar, SynthAxe, composer
Allan Holdsworth	Eidolon [116]	2017	Solo artist	Guitar, SynthAxe, composer
Allan Holdsworth	The Man Who Changed Guitar Forever [117]	2017	Solo artist	Box Set
MSM Schmidt	Life [118] [119]	2017	Session, 2 tracks	Guitar
Allan Holdsworth	Live In Japan 1984 [120]	2018	Solo artist	Guitar, composer
Peter Lemer	Jet Yellow [121]	2019	Session, 1 track.	Guitar
Allan Holdsworth	Warsaw Summer Jazz Days '98 [122]	2019	Solo artist	Guitar, composer
2020s
Holdsworth/Warleigh/Mathewson/Spring	Warleigh Manor [123]	2020	Group member	Guitar, violin, composer
PAZ with The Singing Bowls of Tibet	Live In London '81: The Ron Mathewson Tapes Vol. 2 [124]	2020	Group member	Guitar
Allan Holdsworth	Frankfurt '86 [125]	2020	Solo artist	Guitar, SynthAxe, composer
Lockwood/Beck/Holdsworth/Jenny-Clark/Romano	The Unique Concert [126]	2020	Group member	Guitar, composer
Soft Works	Abracadabra In Osaka [127]	2020	Group member	Guitar, composer
Allan Holdsworth	Leverkusen '97 [128]	2021	Solo artist	Guitar, composer
Allan Holdsworth	Leverkusen 2010 [129]	2021	Solo artist	Guitar, composer
Nucleus	Live At The BBC (Nucleus album)	2021	Session	Guitar
Allan Holdsworth	Jarasum International Jazz Festival 2014 [130]	2022	Solo artist	Guitar, composer
Holdsworth, Pasqua, Haslip, Wackerman	Proto-Cosmos (live album) [131]	2022	Band member	Guitar, composer
Christy Coobatis	The Dreamer (single) [132]	2023	Session	Guitar

(Note: A first draft of compilations is found here: Allan Holdsworth discography: Noteworthy compilations)

A note on the YouTube links

In March 2020, YouTube links were added to the discography. YouTube was chosen as it is presumably the most widely available resource available to audiences all over the world. I have tried to locate officially licensed versions where available. I have tried to link to full album playlists where this seemed most pertinent, and to single tracks where this seemed most pertinent, but you may need to do some extra clicking to get to Allan's tracks. In some single cases, I have made links to other platforms. I hope you enjoy. It is in the nature of YouTube that links change and videos get deleted, so I expect some links to be out of order in time. The official "channel" named as "Allan Holdsworth Topic" is found here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCiyDXNsExWcKTDv_EsBJ_Dw

Discography notes

There are many ways of doing a discography. For this version, the following applies:

The listing includes music released officially on vinyl, compact disc and digitally. Though some records were released officially, their legality was contested by Allan, and some were withdrawn from the market, such as reissues of “Velvet Darkness”. More information on this will eventually appear in the articles.

Outright bootlegs will not be listed. Films and books will go on a separate list. Allan in the capacity of producer, engineer or other tasks will go on a separate list (with some notable exceptions.)

The list is categorized by artist, album name, year of release, Allan’s role, and by the type of performance, as follows:

• Artist and album name are listed as it appears on the cover. This means that ”Belladonna”, for example, is listed as an Ian Carr release, and not Nucleus.
• The albums are listed chronologically on the year of original release. The chronology is sometimes dubious, but is intended to show the records roughly in the order they were released.
• Allan is listed according to whether he appears as a band member, a session musician, or a solo artist. These definitions are somewhat subjective, but as a general rule, albums with only one or two tracks will count as sessions. On these albums, the number of tracks where Allan appears is listed. Where Allan appears throughout the album he will generally be listed as band member. He is listed as a solo artist on recordings released in his own name alone.
• For the performance category, Allan is listed as to whether he contributed with guitar, SynthAxe, violin or vocals. Albums featuring his compositions are also noted.

The list does not contain albums with re-releases and compilations of previously released material, except where the new releases also contain previously unreleased music. That means that the Tempest anthology “Under The Blossom” is listed, for example, as it contains previously unreleased recordings from the BBC. Also, “Wardenclyffe Tower +3” is listed as a separate release. An exception is made for the 2017 box set.

Updates, errors and omissions: A discography will usually be based on some subjective criteria, which may also be revised. This is by no means an "official" discography. Allan disowned several of the albums listed here. This discography is an attempt to list albums that were released "normally": That is, they have been entered into public records. The most important point here is that they EXIST. Even though Allan vehemently hated "Velvet Darkness", the story of the album needs to be told. Most of these albums have or have had some sort of distribution. A few of the later albums only have digital releases. The point here is that you may disagree with the list as it is presented here. You are of course free to make your own list based on your won criteria. I have tried to be up front on the criteria I've used here.

BBC sessions

Allan did a number of sessions for the BBC. These have been heavily bootlegged, but never officially released, with some exceptions. Here is a list of known unreleased sessions: Allan Holdsworth BBC sessions.

Unreleased albums

Allan made numerous references to albums that he was working on that were not finished. One of these projects was referred to as Snakes And Ladders.

Allan recorded a full album's worth of guitar parts for Soma's second album. At present, this album remains unreleased, but bootleg copies of rough mixes circulate. More information can be found on the Soma page.

Non-appearances

Allan is credited on some works where he does in fact not appear:

Speed: Allan is credited as soloist on the soundtrack for the movie "Speed". Apparently, the score composer was a fan, and commissioned some work from Allan. He delivered some SynthAxe material, which was ultimately not used in the final film. It may have had to do with some technical issues. http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0390380/?ref_=nv_sr_2

Steve Morse Band: Stand up. Allan was slated to appear on Steve Morse's album "Stand Up", but for some reason he was not able to deliver his tracks in time. Curiously, the cassette tape cover was already sent to the printer when this happened, and thus the cassette cover lists Allan as appearing on "English Rancher". https://www.discogs.com/Steve-Morse-Band-Stand-Up/release/8933270

Also, there has been a persistent rumour that Allan played on Donovan's "Hurdy Gurdy Man". This rumour has been disproved by Allan himself and his associates. It's probably worth an article of itself, though.

Other discographies

There are a number of sites that present Holdsworth discographies. Below, I have included links to some of these, with a few comments.

Wikipedia Discography: The Wikipedia discography is at the time of writing divided up into "Solo albums", which are subdivided into studio, live and collaborations, and the third main category is "With other artists", with the latter ordered in a format it took me some time to figure out. It starts with the group Igginbottom and lists their 1969 album. Then, it moves chronologically until we come to Soft Machine. All of Allan's albums with the Softs are then listed chronologically, before Allan's albums with Tony Williams are listed chronologically. I find this format confusing. Furthermore, due to its policy on "notability", Wikipedia does not list all albums featuring Allan. Most critically, some albums released posthumously are not listed as a result of this policy.

Discogs Discography: Discogs is a user-submitted site, which means it contains a lot of entries, but which also means that it's prone to errors. That said, Discogs is probably the main source used for the discography on this site. It allows sorting and filtering by many criteria. The link provided lists appearances chronologically, much like the present discography. However, it includes compilations, which makes it somewhat confusing to me. The site lists some outright bootlegs, which I find to be a drawback. You can search for other things than appearances, such as listings for production. With a little clicking around, you can find complete lineups for recordings, composer credits and lots of other stuff. There are some minor errors, but overall, this is my favorite.

I spotted the following errors: Allan is listed as appearing on Steve Morse Band's "Stand Up". The wrong track is listed on Masi's "Attack Of The Neon Shark". Allan is listed on "Hurdy Gurdy Man".

AllMusic Discography Allmusic is similar to Discogs in many respects. From what I understand, the listings are editorial, which should ideally mean less errors. However, this is not necessarily the case. For example, AllMusic lists Dononvan's "Hurdy Gurdy Man", although the claim that Allan played on this record has been refuted (which I should probably write about!). It also lists Allan as playing on a Kip Winger album, which I have no other info on. The credits also mix appearances, songwriting, production and everything else into one list. That said, it's a good source, especially for cover versions, although not all the composer listings are correct.

Allan Holdsworth - A Listening Guide

Tribute albums and covers

There has been released several tribute albums to Allan, and here is a short list:

• Gary Husband: The Things I See (Interpretations Of The Music Of Allan Holdsworth)
• Allan's Legacy: The Nineteen Men Of Tain
• Above and Below: The Music of Allan Holdsworth
• Y.O.U. (tribute album)

Additionally, there have been recorded several cover versions or interpretations of Allan's tunes. This website does not have the ambition to list them all, but a few notable ones are:

• https://www.discogs.com/release/9883161-Prism-1977-Live-At-Sugino-Kodo
• https://www.discogs.com/release/6681637-Refuge-Trio-Refuge-Trio
• https://www.discogs.com/release/13592153-The-Trio-Of-Stridence-Auditur-Periculosum
• https://www.discogs.com/release/11219052-Kjetil-Jerve-Tim-Thornton-5-Anders-Thor%C3%A9n-Circumstances
• https://www.discogs.com/release/19045534-Logan-Kane-Nonet-NopeScience