The Un-Merry-Go-Round

"I wanted to write an extended composition dedicated to the memory of my father, Sam Holdsworth. He was a great musician and artist who once drew a cartoon he called "The Unmerry-Go-Round.” On the drawing was a carousel of caricatures depicting English political figures all seated on the wooden horses of a merry-go-round. "The Unmerry-Go-Round" is what I decided to call a story I thought of. In the story an honored, high-ranking astronaut type must decide whether he should embark on a mission which will take him a great distance and bring him back to Earth in a distant future. The astronaut, Colonel Som, decides to accept the mission and leaves his friends and family behind, knowing they will be gone when he returns. Christopher Hoard, who writes speculative fiction, wrote a brief story sketch to match the sections of the music. The movements of this piece are intended to reflect the feelings and experiences of Colonel Som. I asked him to keep the story vague (against his inclinations) so that the listener would be encouraged to form pictures in his mind based upon the idea of the story and the musical passages."

"The Unmerry-Go-Round” was recorded in the summer of 1984 and mixed later in December after IOU completed their third U.S. tour with original members Gary Husband and Paul Williams and bassist Gary Willis replacing Jimmy Johnson. The same rhythm section recorded on the studio version of this fifteen minute instrumental, which features an extended drum solo by Gary Husband. Allan's long-time friend, keyboardist Allan Pasqua, who more recently recorded and toured with Santana and Bob Dylan among others, played keyboards on "The Unmerry-Go-Round." Holdsworth and Pasqua, once members of Tony Williams New Lifetime, hope to work together again in the future.

RFTUC, p. 78. �