Allan Holdsworth /Tokyo & Osaka,Japan 1985

The news of the death of Allan Holdsworth, whose unique playing style influenced many musicians, including Van Halen, arrived on April 16, 2017. As a memorial item for this great guitarist, the live performance at Nakano Sun Plaza on March 13 and the live performance at Osaka Welfare Pension Hall on the 18th from his 1985 Japan tour was recorded in full from a high-quality audience master that could be considered A-rank at the time. First of all, it was still his second visit to Japan at the time, before he had introduced the syntax, and he was playing jazz-rock style performances using the Ibanez AH-10 signature guitar, and it was a powerful four-piece band with the best lineup of Jimmy Johnson, Chad Wackerman, and Gordon Beck. The sound space occupied only by musical sounds makes it seem like a sound check without an audience, and the sound quality of the Osaka performance in the latter half of the show was such that even the subtle nuances of picking could be felt. The sound was colorful and intense with Simmons’ electric drums, Jimmy Johnson played talkative phrases that were different from his later supporting performances, and especially in “Road Games”, he played the backing guitar solo, and Holdsworth responded with a tremendous phrase. Gordon Beck was also the driving force behind this ensemble, and his approach was on a different level from the previous keyboardists who were dedicated to supporting. By the way, Holdsworth’s style at the time was still an extension of jazz rock, adding some odd time signatures to 8 beats and interpreting jazz in his own way, which was a style that was different from the so-called West Coast fusion, but Gordon added a jazzy taste, and the ensemble became different from what had been done before. Among them, the most wonderful track is “Letters Of Marque”, which features solos by each member. Based on Jimmy’s smooth melody bass, Gordon plays a completely jazz-style neat solo, and Holdsworth’s solo, which takes over, uses a lot of relaxed phrases, but then goes into a burst of playing mode, dancing legato phrases and firing off sharp solos with a rock beat. At the time, this Tokyo performance was made into a video, but there were many songs that were not included on it, so this limited memorial item is a must-see for fans, as it can be heard in this quality and complete. Disc 1 : 1. The Things You See 2. White Line 3. Road Games 4. Panic Station 5. Member Introduction 6. Letters Of Marque (incl. Drum Solo) 7. Shallow Sea 8. Home 9. Keyboard Solo 10. Stop Fiddlin’ 11. Material Real 12. Metal Fatigue 13. Tokyo Dream [Live at Nakano Sun Plaza, Tokyo, Japan 13th March 1985] Disc 2 : 1. The Things You See 2. White Line 3. Road Games 4. Panic Station 5. Member Introduction 6. Letters Of Marque(incl. Drum Solo) Disc 3 : 1. Shallow Sea 2. Home 3. Keyboard Solo 4. Stop Fiddlin’ 5. Three Sheets To The Wind 6. Material Real 7. Metal Fatigue 8. Devil Take The Hindmost 9. Tokyo Dream [Live at Koseinenkin Kaikan, Osaka , Japan 18th March 1985] Allan Holdsworth – Guitars / Jimmy Johnson – Bass / Chad Wackerman – Drums / Paul Williams – Vocals / Gordon Beck – Keyboards