The Sixteen Men of Tain
Allan Holdsworth
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0274 | Allan Holdsworth | 7:45 | $0.99 | View In iTunes |
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The Sixteen Men of Tain | Allan Holdsworth | 6:26 | $0.99 | View In iTunes |
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Above and Below | Allan Holdsworth | 3:08 | $0.99 | View In iTunes |
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The Drums Were Yellow | Allan Holdsworth | 5:57 | $0.99 | View In iTunes |
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Texas | Allan Holdsworth | 5:44 | $0.99 | View In iTunes |
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Downside Up | Allan Holdsworth | 7:06 | $0.99 | View In iTunes |
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Eidolon | Allan Holdsworth | 4:37 | $0.99 | View In iTunes |
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Above and Below (Reprise) | Allan Holdsworth | 4:06 | $0.99 | View In iTunes |
| Total: 8 Songs |
Album Review
Coming on the heels of some rather mediocre efforts, The Sixteen Men of Tain is startlingly superb. Holdsworth has stripped away the distracting banks of keyboards and allowed his soaring, gliding guitar to shine through in a way it hasn't since the 1980s. Even the Synthaxe, Holdsworth's signature guitar synthesizer, sounds organic and immediate, not to mention far less prevalent than on previous albums. Dave Carpenter's acoustic bass is a radical departure (check out his solo on the title track), as are Walt Fowler's two guest appearances on trumpet. "The Drums Were Yellow," a burning guitar/drum duet tribute to the late Tony Williams, is also a first. Gary Novak's drumming is appropriately complex and riveting on this and six other tracks. (Holdsworth's old compatriot Chad Wackerman sits in for "Downside Up.") In short, this album is full of fresh ideas and unadulterated improvisational brilliance — just when it was beginning to seem that Holdsworth's best work was behind him. ~ David R. Adler, Rovi
Customer Reviews
Write about the album, not your general guitar thoughts.
I love this album, but I'm so tired tired of reading so called reviews that have nothing at all to do with an album.
Great album
Holdsworth's career has taken some stylistic turns, and with Sixteen Men of Tain there is a more jazzy feel overall, with acoustic bass and trumpets in various songs and more Jazz-oriented drumming by Gary Novak when compared to Chad Wackerman or Gary Husband from previous efforts. However, Holdsworth's basic style of compositions that provide showcases for his and his collaborators improvisations is the same, with some amazing results. I love this album as Holdsworth's playing seems to become even more subtle with time. On this effort, his playing technically is brilliant, but more importantly continues to surprise and amaze with the chord changes and the ideas he brings out. Less 'heavy' than albums like Metal Fatigue and Road Games, this is a great album for closing your eyes and listening to a virtuoso at the top of his game.
Liquid thought...
...is the best way I can describe this work. On "The Sixteen Men of Tain" (as with all of his work), Holdsworth transfers his thoughts into notes with an ease that I can only hope to realize one day. There are consumate musicians on this recording, playing music that quite frankly will only be appreciated by other musicians and people who sincerely take the time to listen. When I listen to musicians of this caliber, playing at a level that would dumbfound most musicians, I truly believe that I am listening to the next step in our artistic evolution. If you listen to this and think it sounds like gibberish, I feel sorry for you.
Biography
Born: August 6, 1946 in Bradford, Yorkshire, England
Genre: Jazz
Years Active: '70s, '80s, '90s, '00s, '10s
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- $7.92
- Genres: Jazz, Music, Rock, Prog-Rock/Art Rock, Singer/Songwriter, Folk-Rock, Psychedelic
- Released: Mar 2000
- ℗ 2004 Allan Holdsworth
