Devil Take the Hindmost

"Devil Take The Hindmost" is a track from "Metal Fatigue". It contains perhaps the most well known and highly praised of Allan's guitar solos. The recording was first heard when an abbreviated version was included on a flexi-disc in Guitar Player Magazine in 1985, along with a transcription by Steve Vai.

The melody line itself is relatively simple in Holdsworthian terms. The theme for a large part consists of triads, but the harmony is made more complex by Allan playing through a pitch shifter set a fourth below. See an explanation here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zE_ZxEYZhtY, and a transcription at http://liviolamonea.it/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Devil-take-the-hindmost.pdf.

The solo is manly played over a G minor vamp. Solo Flights (Devil Take The Hindmost transcription, Guitar Player 1985)

The song would serve as a relief from the many harmonically complex tunes in Allan's live set, and was a concert regular from the time it was released.

The title refers to a bicycle race. At the end of every lap or every set number of laps the last rider to cross the line is eliminated from the race. When just a handful of riders remain, they sprint for the finish.