FUSION
Allan Holdsworth – The Man Who Changed Guitar Forever! [2017] (12 x CDs)
This twelve‑disc box set from Manifesto Records gathers every major solo album Allan Holdsworth recorded between I.O.U. (1982) and Then! (2003), remastered from the original tapes and presented with a forty‑page booklet. It is less a retrospective than a complete map of a musical language that few others could speak. Across these recordings, Holdsworth’s guitar becomes a voice without boundaries, bending harmony and time until they feel fluid rather than fixed.
The early discs show him refining the vocabulary that first startled listeners in the late seventies. I.O.U. and Road Games balance angular phrasing with lyrical warmth, while Metal Fatigue and Atavachron introduce the SynthAxe, the instrument that allowed him to translate his harmonic imagination into new textures. The sequence moves naturally through Sand and Secrets, where the tone becomes more atmospheric, almost orchestral, yet still unmistakably human. Each album feels like a chapter in a single conversation between technique and emotion.
By the time the listener reaches Wardenclyffe Tower and Hard Hat Area, the music has become pure architecture. Chords unfold like shifting light, rhythms dissolve into motion, and the guitar ceases to sound like a guitar at all. The later discs, None Too Soon, The Sixteen Men of Tain, Flat Tire, and Then!, reveal a musician still searching, still questioning, still capable of surprise. The remastering restores clarity without taming the intensity; the sound remains alive, unpredictable, and deeply personal.
Holdsworth’s influence runs through generations of players, yet his work resists imitation. This box set captures the full arc of that journey, from the disciplined precision of his early recordings to the expansive freedom of his later years. It stands as both monument and reminder: the guitar was never the same after Allan Holdsworth. (B)
Special thanks to Capt. Hatemonger ...for sharing this ...
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Track lists
CD01
01 Allan Holdsworth - The Things You See 5:51
02 Allan Holdsworth - Where is One 5:38
03 Allan Holdsworth - Checking Out 3:39
04 Allan Holdsworth - Letter of Marquee 7:02
05 Allan Holdsworth - Out From Under 3:34
06 Allan Holdsworth - Temporary Fault 3:17
07 Allan Holdsworth - Shallow Sea 6:04
08 Allan Holdsworth - White Line 4:41
CD02
01 Allan Holdsworth - Three Sheets to the Wind 4:13
02 Allan Holdsworth - Road Games 4:14
03 Allan Holdsworth - Water on the Brain Pt. ll 2:48
04 Allan Holdsworth - Tokyo Dream 4:04
05 Allan Holdsworth - Was There? 4:09
06 Allan Holdsworth - Material Real 4:41
CD03
01 Allan Holdsworth - Metal Fatigue 4:56
02 Allan Holdsworth - Home 5:33
03 Allan Holdsworth - Devil Take the Hindmost 5:36
04 Allan Holdsworth - Panic Station 3:36
05 Allan Holdsworth - The Un-Merry Go Round 14:08
06 Allan Holdsworth - In the Mystery 3:48
CD04
01 Allan Holdsworth - Non-Brewed Condiment 3:41
02 Allan Holdsworth - Funnels 6:13
03 Allan Holdsworth - The Dominant Plague 5:44
04 Allan Holdsworth - Atavachron 4:44
05 Allan Holdsworth - Looking Glass 4:36
06 Allan Holdsworth - Mr. Berwell 6:24
07 Allan Holdsworth - All Our Yesterdays 5:24
CD05
01 Allan Holdsworth - Sand 5:25
02 Allan Holdsworth - Distance vs Desire 5:17
03 Allan Holdsworth - Pud Wud 6:43
04 Allan Holdsworth - Clown 5:13
05 Allan Holdsworth - The 415 Bradford Executive 8:28
06 Allan Holdsworth - Macman 4:00
CD06
01 Allan Holdsworth - City Nights 2:33
02 Allan Holdsworth - Secrets 4:22
03 Allan Holdsworth - 54 Duncan Terrace 4:34
04 Allan Holdsworth - Joshua 5:59
05 Allan Holdsworth - Spokes 3:32
06 Allan Holdsworth - Maid Marion 7:17
07 Allan Holdsworth - Peril Premonition 4:45
08 Allan Holdsworth - Endomorph 4:18
CD07
01 Allan Holdsworth - 5 to 10 5:36
02 Allan Holdsworth - Sphere of Influence 5:58
03 Allan Holdsworth - Wardenclyffe Tower 8:44
04 Allan Holdsworth - Dodgy Boat 5:38
05 Allan Holdsworth - Zarabeth 6:31
06 Allan Holdsworth - Against the Clock 4:58
07 Allan Holdsworth - Questions 4:04
08 Allan Holdsworth - Oneric Moor 1:42
09 Allan Holdsworth - Tokyo Dream 5:05
10 Allan Holdsworth - The Un-Merry Go Round Pt. 4 3:01
11 Allan Holdsworth - The Un-Merry Go Round Pt. 5 1:58
CD08
01 Allan Holdsworth - Prelude 1:35
02 Allan Holdsworth - Ruhukah 5:32
03 Allan Holdsworth - Low Level, High Stakes 9:05
04 Allan Holdsworth - Hard Hat Area 6:06
05 Allan Holdsworth - Tullio 6:02
06 Allan Holdsworth - House of Mirrors 7:47
07 Allan Holdsworth - Postlude 5:29
CD09
01 Allan Holdsworth - Countdown 3:09
02 Allan Holdsworth - Nuages 5:41
03 Allan Holdsworth - How Deep is the Ocean? 5:29
04 Allan Holdsworth - Isotope 5:42
05 Allan Holdsworth - None Too Soon (Part 1) 7:44
06 Allan Holdsworth - Norwegian Wood 5:55
07 Allan Holdsworth - Very Early 7:41
08 Allan Holdsworth - San Marcos 3:24
09 Allan Holdsworth - Inner Urge 6:12
CD10
01 Allan Holdsworth - San Onofre 5:48
02 Allan Holdsworth - 0274 7:45
03 Allan Holdsworth - The Sixteen Men of Tain 6:26
04 Allan Holdsworth - Above and Below 3:08
05 Allan Holdsworth - The Drums Were Yellow 5:58
06 Allan Holdsworth - Texas 5:44
07 Allan Holdsworth - Downside Up 7:06
08 Allan Holdsworth - Eidolan 4:36
09 Allan Holdsworth - Above and Below (Reprise) 4:08
10 Allan Holdsworth - Material Unreal 2:13
CD11
01 Allan Holdsworth - The Duplicate Man (Intro) 1:51
02 Allan Holdsworth - The Duplicate Man 4:41
03 Allan Holdsworth - Eeny Meeny 4:48
04 Allan Holdsworth - Please Hold On 3:59
05 Allan Holdsworth - Snow Moon 8:04
06 Allan Holdsworth - Curves 5:35
07 Allan Holdsworth - So Long 5:31
08 Allan Holdsworth - Bo Peep 3:46
09 Allan Holdsworth - Don't You Know? 9:11
CD12
01 Allan Holdsworth - Zone 1 4:08
02 Allan Holdsworth - Proto Cosmos 5:42
03 Allan Holdsworth - White Line 9:39
04 Allan Holdsworth - Atavachron 4:42
05 Allan Holdsworth - Zone ll 5:30
06 Allan Holdsworth - Pud Wud 8:05
07 Allan Holdsworth - House of Mirrors 4:26
08 Allan Holdsworth - Non-Brewed Condiment 5:46
09 Allan Holdsworth - Zone lll 7:40
10 Allan Holdsworth - Funnels 7:11
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Music weaves itself into the fabric of our emotions, dances through the corridors of memory, and whispers to the soul of who we are. Sharing these stories deepens the connection, turning the experience into something timeless and profound.
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Thanks Capt Hatemonger. I looked for these for a long time! Thanks BB!
ReplyDeleteHi Barbus8,
DeleteGreat to hear you finally tracked these down, the Capt. really delivered with this one. And thank you for the kind words. Holdsworth’s work can be elusive, so it’s always satisfying when someone gets the full set in one go. Enjoy the deep dive.
Cheers.
A surprise in a blog full of surprises. Frank Marino, a revered guitar player himself and rather selective with compliments, called Holdsworth's guitar playing "of technical perfection". And he played with Gong in the 70s I believe, always good in my book. To be honest, I don't know his music that well, so I guess I'm in for quite a ride. Thanks very much to the Capt and by extension to our host, the one and only BB. Take care, grtz.
ReplyDeleteHi J_M,
DeleteThat’s a great way to put it. When someone like Frank Marino, who knows the instrument inside out, calls Holdsworth’s playing “technical perfection,” it tells you just how far beyond the usual boundaries he really was.
If you don’t know his music well, you’re in for something special. This box set really shows the full arc of his ideas, from the early fire to the later, more fluid explorations. It’s a ride, but a rewarding one.
Thanks to the Capt. for the spark, and thanks to you for the kind words.
Cheers.
Thanks very much for the Holdsworth boxed set, BB. I'm not overly familiar with his work but know of him through, i think, Gong (?), so that's recommendation enough for me. All the best to you & Capt. Hatemonger.
ReplyDeleteHi Richie,
DeleteYou’re right, Gong is where a lot of people first clocked his name, and it’s a pretty solid recommendation in itself. Holdsworth’s playing sits in its own universe, so coming to it fresh can be a real eye‑opener. Hope the box set gives you a good ride through all those phases.
Cheers.
๐๐ ๐ฝ๐ช๐ฉ๐ฉ๐๐ง๐๐ค๐ฎ & ๐พ๐๐ฅ๐ฉ. ๐๐๐ฉ๐๐ข๐ค๐ฃ๐๐๐ง!
ReplyDelete๐ผ๐ก๐ฉ๐๐ค๐ช๐๐ ๐ฃ๐๐๐ฉ๐๐๐ง ๐ ๐๐ฏ๐ฏ ๐ฃ๐ค๐ง ๐ง๐ค๐๐ , ๐๐ช๐ฉ ๐ ๐๐ช๐จ๐๐ค๐ฃ ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ช๐จ๐ ๐ค๐ ๐๐ฉ๐จ "๐๐๐ฃ๐๐ช๐จ", ๐๐ฉ ๐๐๐จ ๐๐ฉ๐จ "๐ฅ๐ก๐๐๐" ๐๐ฃ ๐ข๐ฎ ๐๐ค๐ก๐ก๐๐๐ฉ๐๐ค๐ฃ ๐ค๐ ๐๐ช๐๐ฉ๐๐ง๐๐จ๐ฉ๐จ.
๐ผ๐ก๐ฉ๐๐ค๐ช๐๐ ๐ฉ๐๐๐ฃ๐ ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐ฎ๐ค๐ช, ๐ ๐ฌ๐๐ก๐ก ๐ฃ๐ค๐ฉ ๐๐ค๐ฌ๐ฃ๐ก๐ค๐๐ ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐ค๐๐๐๐ง ๐๐๐๐๐ช๐จ๐ ๐ ๐๐๐ซ๐ ๐ฉ๐๐๐ข ๐๐ก๐ก ๐๐ฃ๐๐๐ซ๐๐๐ช๐๐ก๐ก๐ฎ, ๐๐ช๐ฉ ๐ ๐ฌ๐๐ก๐ก ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐ ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐ค๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ค๐ง๐ฉ๐ช๐ฃ๐๐ฉ๐ฎ ๐ฉ๐ค ๐จ๐๐๐ง๐ ๐จ๐ค๐ข๐ ๐๐๐ซ๐๐จ, ๐ฌ๐๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐ค๐ฅ๐ ๐ฌ๐๐ก๐ก ๐๐ค๐ข๐ฅ๐ก๐๐ข๐๐ฃ๐ฉ ๐จ๐ค๐ข๐ ๐๐ค๐ก๐ก๐๐๐ฉ๐๐ค๐ฃ.
https://pixeldrain.net/l/Kg2wJ8Gr
♪♫ ๐๐๐๐๐ง๐๐จ, ๐พ๐๐๐๐ง๐จ & ๐๐๐จ๐ฅ๐๐๐ฉ, ๐๐๐๐๐๐ก. ๐๐
Hi Michel,
DeleteHoldsworth really does sit in that rare space where genre lines stop mattering, when the playing reaches that level, it earns its place in any guitarist’s collection. And since you already have all the albums individually, your offer to share some live material is a generous touch. I’m sure a few people will appreciate the chance to fill in gaps.
Thank you for the kind message, and for always adding something of your own to the mix.
Cheers.
๐๐ ๐ฝ๐ช๐ฉ๐ฉ๐๐ง๐๐ค๐ฎ!
Delete๐๐๐๐ฎ ๐๐ก๐ง๐๐๐๐ฎ ๐๐๐ซ๐ ๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐๐ค๐ฌ๐ฃ๐ก๐ค๐๐๐จ, ๐ฌ๐๐๐ฉ ๐ข๐ค๐ง๐ ๐๐๐ฃ ๐ ๐๐จ๐ ๐๐ค๐ง... ๐๐๐๐ฎ ๐ฌ๐๐ง๐ "๐ก๐ค๐๐ ๐๐" ๐๐ฃ ๐ ๐๐ก๐๐๐ ๐๐ค๐ญ ๐ฌ๐๐๐ฉ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐ฉ๐ค ๐๐ ๐๐๐จ๐๐ค๐ซ๐๐ง๐๐ ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐จ๐๐๐ง๐๐, ๐ฌ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐จ ๐ฌ๐๐ฎ ๐ฉ๐๐๐ฎ ๐ฌ๐๐ง๐ ๐ข๐๐๐.
๐๐ฃ๐☺๐ฎ ๐ผ๐๐.
♪♫ ๐๐๐๐๐ง๐๐จ, ๐พ๐๐๐๐ง๐จ & ๐๐๐จ๐ฅ๐๐๐ฉ, ๐๐๐๐๐๐ก. ๐๐
Thanks for these live concerts, @Mich58. Excellent!
DeleteHi zm!
DeleteThank U very "Mich" 4 thanking. It is a rare thing in our time (the first of 107 downloads...).
Enj☺y.
♪♫ Regards, Cheers & Respect, Michel. ๐๐
Wow... so there is more to come...!
DeleteHi Zm!
DeleteI didn't say that, only that you were the first of 108 who downloaded it to thank me for this "offer", but if you insist there's another one at the same link, at the end.
♪♫ Regards, Cheers & Respect, Michel. ๐๐
๐๐ฎ ๐จ๐๐ฃ๐๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ฅ๐ค๐ก๐ค๐๐๐๐จ ๐ฉ๐ค ๐ฝ๐ช๐ฉ๐ฉ๐๐ง๐๐ค๐ฎ ๐ฌ๐๐ค ๐ฌ๐๐จ ๐ง๐๐๐ก๐ก๐ฎ ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐๐๐ง๐จ๐ฉ ๐ฉ๐ค ๐ฉ๐๐๐ฃ๐ . (~_๐ค)
DeleteSaw him play in Detroit in the the 80s and 2009 to 2012,Also saw him in the original UK lineup at Grosse Pointe Theater. Went and saw him in Chicago in 2014 at Reggies. He was very cordial and signed my copy of UK lp. He was a true joy to watch play. He is sorely missed. Thanks for the post.
ReplyDeleteHi James,
DeleteThose are some incredible memories. Seeing Holdsworth across so many eras and having him sign your UK LP… that’s a treasure. He always seemed quietly gracious with fans, even while playing at a level most people could barely comprehend.
Thank you for sharing your history with him, and I’m glad the post brought some of that back.
Cheers.
BB - Thanks for this. I too have been looking for this fo a while. One question, three albums (Atavachron, Sand and Secrets) are duplicated. are they supposed to be something else?
ReplyDeleteThey're just duplications. It's a 12xCD set, and removing the duplicates still leaves 12.
DeleteHi Bud_e_luv_bomb,
DeleteThanks for letting me know.
There should only be 12 albums if there are duplicates, please remove the ones that are duplicated.
Cheers.
Great post. Mr Holdsworth was, somehow, part of my musical educarion during the 80's. My first contact (besides Gong) was during "Metal Fatigue" LP issue.
ReplyDeleteHi zm,
DeleteThanks for sharing that. Holdsworth shaped so many musical journeys, and Metal Fatigue was a powerful introduction, such a defining moment in his sound. Great to hear he was part of your own musical education.
Cheers.
Really nice memories...!
Delete