A

cat with Holdsworth

Jay Dorrance
EN YEARS AGO Allan Holdsworth
was just another guitarist recor-
ing at Warner Brothers studios with a
ng forgotten band. On September 28,
arner Brothers will release Hold-
worth's second album for the label
oadgames with his band I.O.U.
In between albums for Warner's he's
come one of the most respec-
and sought-out guitarists on the
cene and according to Frank Zappa,
ohn McLaughlin, Alex Lifeson and,
ddie Van Halen (among others), the-
ost influential stylist of the '80s.
In the past decade he was heard on'
ver 20 albums, recording with artists:
s diverse and acclaimed as Bill
uford, Tony Williams, Jean-luc Pon-
y, Gordon Beck, Jon Stevens & Soft
achine. Why, then, was he unable to.
egotiate a pact with a major record
bel until Van Halen interceded? I
sked Holdsworth about this and other
hings as he was finishing up the new
Ibum.
Daily: Do you feel you have to change
r compromise your style to reach a
arger audience?
Holdsworth: Well we're hoping to do
that with this album, it has more of a
rock feel to it. We're not holding back,
we're going for it.
aily: Now that you're living in
lifornia, are you planning to stay?
Holdsworth: No, I'm here on a work
rmit which expires in September, but
'm going to try and renew it, as we've
ot some extra work now - the tours
oing to take longer than originally
lanned.
Daily: Well, as far as the future, you
ied in with Warner Bros. for seven
albums.
Holdsworth: If they want it to be, but
ey can drop me at any time. All
ecord deals are like that.
Daily: Could you have committed for
fewer LPs, say four or five?
Holdsworth: Well, no, the actual deal

itself is really good and if we do real
well I can go back to the company to
renegotiate and spend a little more
money recording the next album. I also
get royalties but we're going to have to,
sell a hell of a lot of records because we
went over budget recording the last
one.
Daily: Did you think of putting on
some big name players on the album?
Say like Eddie Van Halen just to push
sales?
Holdsworth: No, I don't think I would
feel right if I did that. It would be
hypocritical on my part although in the
future I would like to play with Eddie.
At this point it would be counterproduc-
tive to my career. The only songs the
radio stations would play would be the
ones with Eddie playing on them.
Daily: Do you think this is the album
that's going to break you?
Holdsworth: I have no idea. I think
when people hear the album they'll
realize how much time we put into the
sound, I spent my own money making
sure the masters were just right. I
spent a lot of money but I feel it was
worth it getting the right sound.
Daily: I noticed on the original I.O.U.
album, and then when I saw you in
N.Y.C. back in 1982 that your playing
has changed quite a bit with a lot more
glissandos and chords. Was this
because it was your first chance to play
-the way you want, not forced to solo
constantly?
Holdsworth: I've always worked in
someone else's band so I've never
really been able to play the way I wan-
ted to. I've never been able to show the
melodic side of my playing. In
Buford's band Bill never wanted me to
play chords, he thought they sounded
better from the keyboard.
Daily; But the keyboardist in the
band, Dave Stewart, could play some
fine leads too.
Holdsworth: Yeah, I think so. You see
I try not to stay in one place, I want my
playing to progress. I want to keep
developing harmonically. Stylistic


Allan Holdsworth, along with I.O.U., can be seen Monday evening at St. An-
drew's Hall in Detroit.

things and technical things are only the
means to make something happen.
There's all kinds of people who are
technically incredible but they're not
that good because they didn't come up
with it. I'm trying to develop my chords
and scales all the time but I think
people put too much stock in playing
fast and not enough in musical feeling.
Daily: So what's in the immediate
future?
Holdsworth: Well, I can't really
predict until I see what happens with
this record. But the signs have been
really good. We've sold out just about
every date on the tour and the last
record sold over 30,000 copies with no
promotion except the cover story on
Guitar Player.

A llan Holdsworth's I.O. U. will
be playing at St. Andrew's Hall (431
E. Congress, Detroit) Monday,
Sept. 12 at 9 p.m. Tickets are $6 at
Schoolkids Records and at the door.

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Jackie clothes 'Ralph'

GREENVALE, N.Y. (AP) A bus
driver's uniform worn by Jackie
Gleason in the 1950s TV series "The
Honeymooners" has arrived at C.W.
Post College here for display by a fan
club headed by a college employee.
Peter Crescenti, co-president of
RALPH - the Royal Association for the
Longevity and Preservation of the
Honeymooners - said Friday that the
club paid $650 at an auction earlier this
year for a uniform worn by Gleason's
character, Ralph Cramden.

But the uniform never was turned
over and the club sued.
When Gleason heard about the
problem, he sent another of the unifor-
ms he wore during the long-running
comedy series.
Crescenti said the uniform, a zipper
jacket and trousers with a 51-inch
waist, will be exhibited around Long
Island and next March will be the cen-
terpiece of the first Honeymooner's
Convention on the Post campus.

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... rescues RALPH

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