IGGINBOTTOM'S WRENCH

As the 1960s ceded into the freewheeling 1970s, the decade ended with the big bang of musical experimentalism that culminated in the year 1969. This was the very year the fledgling genres of progressive rock and early heavy metal were coming of their own but also arising from the fertile cauldrons of creativity that the uninhibited decade had yielded were all kinds of bizarre musical concoctions emanating from the fertile minds of musicians set free to go wherever their imaginative instincts would allow. The world of jazz fusion also blossomed during this period with Frank Zappa and the Mothers Invention and Miles Davis leading the pack from two opposite sides of the camp. The world of psychedelia had also veered into a multitude of directions finding a whole new camp of bizarre artists unleashing some of the most unclassifiable music of all time.

One such band was the bizarrely named 'IGGINBOTTOM which is historically most relevant as the launching pad for the fruitful and vibrant career of jazz guitarist Alan Holdsworth. This fusionist quartet from Bradford, England that featured Holdsworth on guitar and vocals along with drummer Dave Freeman, bassist Mick Skelly and secondary guitarist / vocalist Steven Robinson delivered one of the strangest albums of the year with its sole release 'IGGINBOTTOM'S WRENCH which took early jazz fusion into a strange little world that has never really been replicated thus making this a little isolated experiment quite the anomaly. With a mix of fiery jazz virtuosity steeped in late 60s psychedelia seemingly inspired by the earliest Soft Machine releases, 'IGGINBOTTOM's sole release featured ten idiosyncratic tracks that blurred the line between the immediacy of the pacifying world of vocal jazz with more energetic outbursts of instrumental virtuosity.

Pretty much a long forgotten relic from the past, 'IGGINBOTTOM'S WRENCH was original released through Dellam Records but has thankfully been reissued several times throughout the decades. Despite the strange alienating nature of the album, Holdsworth's extraordinary guitar skills were already present in these early days which caught the attention of jazz saxophonist Ronnie Scott who apparently offered the right connections to bring 'IGGINBOTTOM's secluded stylistic approach into the recording studios. As wildly unhinged as Captain Beefheart yet as restrained as Pharaoh Sanders, 'IGGINBOTTOM sounded like no other off-kilter vocal counterpoints in tandem with clean-toned clusters of guitar chords in opposition that suddenly and unexpectedly break into frenetic instrumental workouts existing somewhere between the worlds of jazz, rock and Canterbury infused psychedelia yet intangible and out of reach of any true comparisons. While seemingly vacuous and lacking focus, the unpredictability of the album's unfolding is what makes it so captivating.

Steeped equally in catchy vocal melodies and avant-garde jazzy instrumental angularities, 'IGGINBOTTOM'S WRENCH really does qualify as one of the stranger albums to emerge in 1969 which is saying a lot for a year that spawned such weirdo offerings as Captain Beefheart's "Trout Mask Replica," Pink Floyd's "Ummagumma" or Frank Zappa's "Uncle Meat." While lingering in the obscurity bins for decades, this album is of particular interest to Holdsworth fans whose propensity for crafting complex chord progressions, unusual tones and timbres and unorthodox musical scale forms, forged an utterly unique sound already firing on all pistons on this sole 'IGGINBOTTOM release. These colorful and quirky contributions elevate the freakazoid effect into a veritable ecstatic flow of jazz fusion proficiency that coupled with the utterly unpredictability of the album's procession offers one of the most whacked out weirdo music releases of the entire 1960s. This album pretty runs the gamut of tender melodic vocal runs to fully fueled hard bop bass grooves and and an endless supply of hitherto unthinkable jazzy guitar technical runs that in some ways remind me of Robert Fripp's approach in the most avant-garde moments of King Crimson.

This is definitely one of those difficult music listening experiences but very rewarding for those seeking out the most bizarre concoctions that the early prog and fusion years had to offer. While an insular fleeting moment in Holdworth's career, this album displayed his uncanny talents at this early stage which propelled him to the top ranks of 70s fusion guitarists. You can think of this one as the jazz fusion counterpart to Captain Beefheart's "Trout Mask Replica." The jittery guitar chord clusters erupt without warning and meander through unthinkable angular guitar wizardry yet the album remains for the most part cool and contemplative with tender subdued vocal styles accompanied by soft tones and reassuring timbres while the undercurrent ferociously generates crazy zigzagging rhythms with seemingly invented musical scales to accompany. Definitely one of the most unique albums of all time that stands alone and relatively unknown from the fertile musical wellspring that was unleashed in 1969. Personally i find this album captivating as it clearly showcases an entire new musical language that unfortunately was never spoken again. Highly recommended to those who love the ultimate musical freedoms that intertwine complexities with unrestrained experimentalism. Avant-garde to the max!