Allan Holdworth, one of the great British guitar virtuosos, has taken an oblique path in which he has collaborated with the giants of the Canturbury school, with the monsters of Heavy Metal, and with the visionaries of jazz-rock. Educated as a clarinet and saxophone player, he pioneered the application of those techniques to stringed instruments. It was not this experimentation which defines him, but rather his unique, fluid, free-form style, often using abstruse scales, in which his notes sometimes fall like like a cloudburst.

His first major assignment came when, while still a member of the Blue Mink, Holdsworth played the distorted riff on Donovan's Hurdy Gurdy Man (1968).

His career began in Igginbottom, where he released Wrench (1969) in Sunship with leader Alan Gowen, and later with Nucleus, Soft Machine and U.K. In 1975 he joined Tony Williams' Lifetime, and shocked the jazz world with his incendiary guitar work on Believe It (1975). His first solo album, Velvet Darkness(CTI,1976), with Good Clean Filth, and I.O.U. (Crack Moon, 1982), with The Things You See, showcased his technique.

His technique continued to evolve, culminating in in a spectacular series of records for small ensemble which continue the tour de force of soloist Jeff Beck. Holdsworth's fusion matured with Metal Faticue (,1983), particularly with Devil Take The Hindmost and Metal Fatigue, even if those records were marred by their vocal parts.

Il suo primo lavoro d'eccezione fu il riff distorto registrato per il singolo Hurdy Gurdy Man (1968) di Donovan.

Inizio` la carriera negli Igginbottom, che registrarono Wrench (1969), e nei Sunship con il tastierista Alan Gowen, e poi milito` nei NucleusSoft Machine e negli UK. Nel 1975 si uni` ai Lifetime di Tony Williams, e terrorizzo` il mondo del jazz con i suoi assoli incendiari su Believe It (1975).

I suoi primi album solisti, Velvet Darkness (CTI, 1976), con Good Clean Filth, e I.O.U. (Luna Crack, 1982), con The Things You See, erano semplici vetrine della sua tecnica.

La sua evoluzione culmino` in una serie di spettacolari dischi per piccolo ensemble che proseguono i tour de force solisti di Jeff Beck. La fusion di Holdsworth giunse a maturazione su Metal Fatigue (Enigma, 1983), in particolare in Devil Take The Hindmost e Metal Fatigue, anche se il disco e` rovinato dalle parti vocali.

Atavachron (Enigma, 1986) brought mixed news. The good news is that all tracks except one are instrumental (his vocal tracks are a real curse). The real good news is that his orchestrations often duel with Frank Zappa's in terms of eccentricity and randomness. The bad news is that Holdsworth embraced an electronic guitar-like instrument called "synthaxe", which allows him to produce symphonic sounds but also overloads the arrangements (Non Brewed Condiment). It is not a coincidence that simpler pieces such as Funnels and Looking Glass sound more vital. The expressionistic sound-painting of Dominant Plague

That format was improved on the six pieces of Sand (Relativity, 1987) and reached a baroque sort of peak on Secrets (Intima, 1989), whose subtle and sophisticated compositions (City Nights) are soothing the way "soft jazz" used to be without ever sounding moronic.

The guitarist mostly abandoned the synthaxed and returned to a rocking sound with Wardenclyffe Tower (Restless, 1992). Subsequent albums Hard Hat Area (Polydor, 1993), None Too Soon (Polydor, 1996), with the title-track and Gordon Beck on piano, Heavy Machinery (Heptagon, 1996), a trio with Anders Johansson and Jens Johansson, The Sixteen Men Of Tain (Polydor, 1999), with Above And Below, and Flat Tire-Music For A Non-Existent Movie (Megazoidal, 2001), continued to display his skills and a unique vision of genre decomposition.

All Night Wrong (Favored Nations, 2003) was Holdsworth's first live album.

Against the Clock (Alternity, 2005) is a career retrospective.

Il mini-album Road Games (Warner, 1983) segna il ritorno a un sound piu' forte ma il materiale era debole ed irregolare. Atavachron (Enigma, 1986) porto' varie news. Quella buona e' che tutti i pezzi eccetto uno sono strumentali (quelli vocali sono una sciagura). Le orchestrazioni sono spesso all'altezza di quelle di Frank Zappa per eccentricita' e irregolarita'. Quella cattiva e' che la "synthaxe", strumento elettronico simile alla chitarra, permette a Holdsworth di produrre suoni sinfonici ma sovraccarica gli arrangiamenti (Non Brewed Condiment). Non e' un caso che pezzi semplici come Funnels e Looking Glass suonino piu' vitali. Il formato fu perfezionato per i sei pezzi di Sand (Relativity, 1987) e raggiunse l'apice barocco su Secrets (Intima, 1989), le cui composizioni sottili e sofisticate (City Nights) sono altrettanto calme del "soft jazz" senza essere deboli. Il chtarrista abbandono' quasi del tutto la "synthaxe" e torno' ad un suono piu' rock con Wardenclyffe Tower (Restless, 1992). Gli album successivi, Hard Hat Area (Polydor, 1993), None Too Soon (Polydor, 1996), con la title-track e Gordon Beck al piano, Heavy Machinery (Heptagon, 1996), un trio con Anders Johansson e Jens Johansson, The Sixteen Men Of Tain (Polydor, 1999), con Above And Below e Flat Tire-Music For A Non-Existent Movie (Megazoidal, 2001), continuarono a mostrare bravura e la visione peculiare della decomposizione di genere.