I didn't know guy used had Alembic in his music...

[hendixclarke]

Allen Holdsworth
 
I loved Road Games back in the 80's
That's a bad as Alembic too!
 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ro26GZlg52A

[olieoliver]

Some VERY tasteful bass playing too. Love the sound and the groove. Veryy cool.
 
OO

[elwoodblue]

Jimmy Johnson comes around here frequently.
Thanks for the link.

[JimmyJ]

Thanks for spotting that ancient clip hal.  And thanks OO.  Allan's music is indeed special and with Paul's singing at that time it was an even crazier mix of musical styles (!!).  I didn't play on the Road Games album, that was Jeff Berlin lighting that on fire.  I joined the band shortly after that.  
 
The weirdest thing about this Japanese video is that I'm playing a graphite necked fretted instrument...  I think this became my fretless bass after that trip, strange that I can't remember.  Maybe someday Mica can see if 80-1467 started it's life with frets?  OR, it could be what became the backup fretless, 82-2252.  C'mon Jim, get your facts straight!
 
Jimmy J

[white_cloud]

Road games changed my perception of how music should be - it was incredible. I had been a Jeff Berlin fan for a time when he played with Bill Bruford but this was something else!
 
My admiration for Jeff Berlin led me to Allan Holdsworth which in turn led me to Jimmy J - music can be funny in the way that one thing can lead to another in this way!
 
Jeff has always had a really negative reputation (he takes a lot of abuse on youtube etc) but for me I love the guys playing, just listen to the solo on water on the brain -- says it all for me! I consider Jeff to be one of the seminal electric bass soloists of all time.
 
Road games - the unfinished masterpiece!
 
John.

[georgie_boy]

Brilliant!

[pauldo]

Nice solo Jimmy - very expressive.

[David Houck]

This is a great video of Jimmy and his Alembic.  Great tone, nice playing, and very nice solo!

[hendixclarke]

That was my favorite cut: Panic Station was melodic, with hint of edge. This song shows a a very good example of what I call: A Directional Pump, or Groove.  
 
Its hard to interpret this music because it touches so many nerves in my brain. All I know, is I like this open feeling of such space. It's Angelic, peaceful, and very serene with a serious message on vocals. SO GOOD IT'S BAD!!!  
 
Road Games oh my GOD, I burned so many needles playing that album and many basses players including myself were using bass chorus to give that bass fullness and resonances.  
 
The only thing I didn't like about Panic Station was; I felt it was too short.  
 
I wanted to keep hearing the melody which drove the main theme. In other words, all great sounds never last long enough.
 
 
Thank you JJ, for joining this thread. Your playing sound, opens my mouth in Lock position with amazement, skin with Goose Pimples and a serge's of warmth, down my spine which validates my ears are still working good from all those years... It still sound good!
 
Hal-

[terryc]

Awesome bass sound, sounds fretless to my ears.
Great groove with a superb drum rhythm. just wish I had a quarter of jimmy j's talent..even a 1/8 would do!  
I remember when Alan Holdsworth was with Level 42 back in the 90's. Although he played some great solos with them I though he didn't fit with the band as to the direction they were going.

[JimmyJ]

Allan's use of the harmonizer in Panic Station makes for some particularly open sounding chords that are a blast to play on.  Sometimes the chords can make the solo and I feel very lucky to have had the opportunity to play over these.
 
Yes John, it is great how music can lead you around.  My first exposure to Allan was the Tony Williams album Believe It which kind of melted my brain...  And yes also to your Jeff Berlin comments, he is one of those guys who makes you think about hanging up the bass when you hear how effortlessly he can play through chord changes.  Crazy good.
 
Thanks George, Paul, Dave and Hal.  Directional Pump?  Sounds more like one of my Too Many Notes grooves.  Haha!  Always fun to play in a trio setting because there is so much space - but I do tend to fill it up!
 
Terry, that bass definitely had frets at the time.  I know because I've never taken a fretless on tour and certainly didn't bring more than one bass on that trip..  But now I think this was the '82 series-I which has since shed it's frets and rarely appears in public...  
 
Oh and talk about music leading to unusual connections - Allan's appearance with Level 42 (which I thoroughly enjoyed) came about because Gary Husband was playing drums in that band and many years earlier had been a member of Allan's IOU.  And there's Mark King with his Alembic so we've come full circle!
 
Cheers to all!
Jimmy J
 
(Message edited by jimmyj on May 09, 2009)

[hendixclarke]

Alan Holdsworth solo's always sound like his guitar is complaining... It's bothersome after a while of listening. I love his cords when holding the rhythm, but his solos almost sound like an out of tune violin at times. I still dig him, but taping notes puts me to sleep.

[terryc]

Did you know that Alan Holdsworth was in Soft Machine in 1974/75.
The album he played on was 'Bundles', before that Soft Machine were a sax/keys, bass and drum psychedlia jazz outfit.
I think it was one of Alan's first album appearance but tell me if I am wrong.

[David Houck]

A quick check suggests that Holdsworth's appearances on Tony Williams' Believe It and Soft Machines's Bundles were both in 1975.  Prior to that, he was a member of Tempest and appears on their first album Tempest from 1973.  Prior to that, he was the guitar player on Ian Carr's Belladonna album from 1972.  In 1971 he is credited on John Stevens' Re-Touch & Quartet.  And before that he was a member of 'Igginbottom's Wrench which released it's only album 'Igginbottom's Wrench in 1969.  This album may be Holdsworth's first album appearance.

[David Houck]

Here is the opening cut, Gorgon, from the Tempest album.