Live In Japan 1984 (album)
"Live In Japan 1984" is a live album by Allan Holdsworth. The album was released posthumously in 2018, and is a CD/DVD package, approved by Allan's estate. The album contains the same video and audio as the previously released "Tokyo Dream" laserdisc, and the unauthorized 1997 release "I.O.U. Live". See those entries for more info. The video and audio has been remastered for the current release.
Judging from the sources, it appears that the video was shot in May 1984 for a TV broadcast in Japan. Subsequently, a company released the concert on the laserdisc format in 1984. Allan protested this release, as he claims it was a breach of contract. The laserdisc format soon disappeared, so the concert was officially out of print. However, it was heavily bootlegged and traded on audio and VHS tapes. In 1997, Pangea Music released a CD version, co-produced by singer Paul Williams. This created a considerable rift between Allan and Paul. Allan was able to pull the CD off the official market, and the concert was once again relegated to bootlegs.
After Allan's passing, Manifesto came to an agreement with Allan's estate to release the album officially. Whatever misgivings Allan himself may have had about it, the album displays Allan's talent to the full. Chad Wackerman had been recruited to the band for the Road Games album, while Jimmy Johnson had joined the band relatively recently. The band plays some tunes from "IOU", some from "Road Games", and some from the at the time unreleased "Metal Fatigue" album. Johnson in particular fits the band like a glove, and would remain one of Allan's bass players of choice for many years and many albums.
Regretfully, the intro to "Letters Of Marque" is missing from the master tape, but the performances, sound and video have aged extremely well.
Track listing
| Track title | Composer | Length | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Tokyo Dream | Holdsworth | 6:58 |
| 2. | Road Games | Holdsworth/Williams | 4:25 |
| 3. | White Line | Holdsworth/Brown | 7:02 |
| 4. | Panic Station | Holdsworth/Williams | 4:11 |
| 5. | Letters Of Marque | Holdsworth | 6:43 |
| 6. | Home | Holdsworth | 5:42 |
| 7. | Devil Take The Hindmost | Holdsworth | 5:27 |
| 8. | Material Real | Holdsworth/Williams | 7:42 |
| 9. | Metal Fatigue | Holdsworth/Williams | 5:03 |
| 10. | Where Is One | Holdsworth | 8:00 |
| 11. | The Things You See (When You Haven't Got Your Gun) | Holdsworth | 7:28 |
| 12. | Was There? | Holdsworth/Williams | 6:30 |
Allan Holdsworth: Guitar
Jimmy Johnson: Bass
Chad Wackerman: Drums
Paul Williams: Vocals
Links
YouTube playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_nc1vpSnTDbywaByEA6yublcAzJhqaZfx8
Discogs https://www.discogs.com/release/12981206-Allan-Holdsworth-IOU-Live-In-Japan-1984
Friends of Dan podcast: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hYgd4vOsFpQ
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Live_in_Japan_1984
Available on Amazon.
