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.
𝙃𝙞 𝘽𝙪𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙗𝙤𝙮 & 𝘾𝙖𝙥𝙩. 𝙃𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙢𝙤𝙣𝙜𝙚𝙧!
ReplyDelete𝘼𝙡𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝 𝙣𝙚𝙞𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙅𝙖𝙯𝙯 𝙣𝙤𝙧 𝙧𝙤𝙘𝙠, 𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙖 𝙛𝙪𝙨𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙗𝙚𝙘𝙖𝙪𝙨𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙞𝙩𝙨 "𝙜𝙚𝙣𝙞𝙪𝙨", 𝙞𝙩 𝙝𝙖𝙨 𝙞𝙩𝙨 "𝙥𝙡𝙖𝙘𝙚" 𝙞𝙣 𝙢𝙮 𝙘𝙤𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙤𝙛 𝙜𝙪𝙞𝙩𝙖𝙧𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙨.
𝘼𝙡𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙮𝙤𝙪, 𝙄 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙙𝙤𝙬𝙣𝙡𝙤𝙖𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙤𝙛𝙛𝙚𝙧 𝙗𝙚𝙘𝙖𝙪𝙨𝙚 𝙄 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙢 𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙞𝙣𝙙𝙞𝙫𝙞𝙙𝙪𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙮, 𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙄 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙩𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙤𝙥𝙥𝙤𝙧𝙩𝙪𝙣𝙞𝙩𝙮 𝙩𝙤 𝙨𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙇𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙨, 𝙬𝙝𝙞𝙘𝙝 𝙄 𝙝𝙤𝙥𝙚 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙥𝙡𝙚𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙘𝙤𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣.
https://pixeldrain.net/l/Kg2wJ8Gr
♪♫ 𝙍𝙚𝙜𝙖𝙧𝙙𝙨, 𝘾𝙝𝙚𝙚𝙧𝙨 & 𝙍𝙚𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙘𝙩, 𝙈𝙞𝙘𝙝𝙚𝙡. 🖖😎
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.
𝙃𝙞 𝘽𝙪𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙗𝙤𝙮!
Delete𝙏𝙝𝙚𝙮 𝙖𝙡𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙮 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝟲𝟱 𝙙𝙤𝙬𝙣𝙡𝙤𝙖𝙙𝙨, 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙄 𝙖𝙨𝙠 𝙛𝙤𝙧... 𝙏𝙝𝙚𝙮 𝙬𝙚𝙧𝙚 "𝙡𝙤𝙘𝙠𝙚𝙙" 𝙞𝙣 𝙖 𝙗𝙡𝙖𝙘𝙠 𝙗𝙤𝙭 𝙬𝙖𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙤 𝙗𝙚 𝙙𝙞𝙨𝙘𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙙 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙨𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙚𝙙, 𝙬𝙝𝙞𝙘𝙝 𝙞𝙨 𝙬𝙝𝙮 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙮 𝙬𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙢𝙖𝙙𝙚.
𝙀𝙣𝙟☺𝙮 𝘼𝙇𝙇.
♪♫ 𝙍𝙚𝙜𝙖𝙧𝙙𝙨, 𝘾𝙝𝙚𝙚𝙧𝙨 & 𝙍𝙚𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙘𝙩, 𝙈𝙞𝙘𝙝𝙚𝙡. 🖖😎
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. 🖖😎
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. 🖖😎
𝙈𝙮 𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙘𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙖𝙥𝙤𝙡𝙤𝙜𝙞𝙚𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝘽𝙪𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙗𝙤𝙮 𝙬𝙝𝙤 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙮 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙛𝙞𝙧𝙨𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙠. (~_𝙤)
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