ATAVACHRON

I remember buying this around the same time that Lee Ritenour released "Earth Run." Each disc features a new instrument, the synthaxe, a guitar styled synth controller. "Earth Run" sounded like a guy playing a synth where guitar parts should have been. Atavachron sounds like nothing you've ever heard. I was grabbed right off and played the LP constantly for weeks, until the vinyl began to wear and the pops and clicks became annoying. Atavachron changed the way I listened to Allan Holdsworth and music in general. I had to put away the "Guitar God" image and adopt a view of Allan as a composer. I believe this disc helped me grow as a listener. I had to dig deeper to understand what is being played, to tell the difference between Alan Pasqua's beatiful keyboard and this new contraption, the synthaxe. I found the new instrument to be exciting and unique. Allan was playing flute tones in guitar space. Wow!

On the whole, there is a sameness to the production that can be tiresome, but some of the tunes are still played live, the melodies evolving and fresh. Each piece is a standout to me, except for the last track, which doesn't fit and I regularly skip.

Allan has been working on the remastering of his releases, but some of the master tapes of this disc have been damaged and are beyond repair. A couple of tracks are on the new Best Of: Against the Clock compilation came from this disc. Maybe he'll re-record them, ala, Tokyo Dream? Wouldn't that be great!

This is a landmark album, but be sure to do some homework before you attempt it.