CD Fan Review
Guitar
great Allan Holdsworth sadly may be gone, but he is certainly not
forgotten, especially thanks to the two-disc Eidolon: The Allan
Holdsworth Collection and the 12-CD box set The Man Who
Changed Guitar Forever! The Allan Holdsworth Album Collection.
As
I had not listened to or kept track of Holdsworth for over a decade,
I was shocked to read of his passing – and just as shocked to read
it on the front page of Yahoo News. For someone as on the fringes of
the mainstream as Holdsworth was, the decent print and online media
coverage of his death has been somewhat heartening.
Although
I had lost touch with Holdsworth's happenings in recent years, I
immediately recalled the irresistible, Oriental guitar-and-synth hook
of "Tokyo Dream," one of the highlights of the 28-track
Eidolon compilation and obviously one of the most memorable
Holdsworth tunes for me.
There
are plenty of other great cuts on the album, which like the box set
both was overseen by Holdsworth and came out just a week before he
left us. Actually, all the songs, most of them instrumental, are
great, as they all feature Holdsworth's virtuosic guitar and synthaxe
playing.
But
in terms of overall composition, hooks, and general awesomeness, my
top ten tracks are as follows: "The Sixteen Men of Tain,"
"Eidolon," "Tullio," "Sphere of Innocence,"
"Dodgy Boat," "City Nights," "Tokyo Dream,"
"Temporary Fault," "The 4.15 Bradford Executive,"
and "Curves."
Although
70 is too young to go, and it would have been nice to have Holdsworth
with us for a little longer, at least he made it to 70. In his final
years, the distinctively eagle-faced Holdsworth looked like a cuddly,
lovable old grandpa, which by all accounts he was.
Holdsworth's
was a life well lived and well played.
Well
played, Mr. Holdsworth. Well played.
