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Eddie Van Halen once said that Holdsworth needs a direction to guide his playing which is why most of his stuff cannot be enjoyed by the most of us who cannot summon the patience to really get what he's doing.
So imagine my surprise when I found out that Holdsworth was a member of the funk jazz outfit Level 42 for a while and even played on an album of theirs called "Guaranteed"
So I did some research on that album and bought myself a copy and yes indeed, that scary legato can only come from one guy. Allan's playing on that album and on tour with that band forced him to play a little more conventional. And thus making his playing easier to enjoy.
Level 42 with Holdsworth during their promo tour in 1990
BUT Holdsworth is not seen in promo pictures of Level 42 and did not take part in the "Guaranteed" world tour 1991, Jakko M. Jakszyk taking his place. Which is too bad because touring with such a band like Level 42 would have meant that his playing would have reached a wider audience.
So imagine my surprise when I found out that Holdsworth was a member of the funk jazz outfit Level 42 for a while and even played on an album of theirs called "Guaranteed"
So I did some research on that album and bought myself a copy and yes indeed, that scary legato can only come from one guy. Allan's playing on that album and on tour with that band forced him to play a little more conventional. And thus making his playing easier to enjoy.
Level 42 with Holdsworth during their promo tour in 1990
BUT Holdsworth is not seen in promo pictures of Level 42 and did not take part in the "Guaranteed" world tour 1991, Jakko M. Jakszyk taking his place. Which is too bad because touring with such a band like Level 42 would have meant that his playing would have reached a wider audience.
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