Soft Machine – Bundles [w Allan Holdsworth 1975]

Above is a clip of Allan Holdsworth playing with Soft Machine around the time their album Bundles was released in 1975. The clip is an extended improvised solo from the song Hazard Profile Pt I, and it shows virtuoso Allan Holdsworth at the very top of his game. If you have never heard of Allan Holdsworth, then you have now. Allan Holdsworth wanted to play the saxophone as a child, but his dad bought him an electric guitar instead and the rest is history. He is known for his fluid phrases and expertly quick runs up and down the fretboard. The fascinating thing about his playing is the way he emulates the saxophone greats such as John Coltrane, his idol. His clean, yet slightly overdriven melodic lines drip off his guitar like oil. He creates a ‘wall of sound’ which is often heard in Coltrane’s playing, which is a barrage of runs and scale patterns played over chord changes, which sound like dribble at first, that is until you open your ears just a little bit more and let the pure energy of each note resonate within you. Allan Holdsworth is never ‘noodling’ about on his guitar, every note has been expertly chosen and played, with all the emotion and fire beneath it that you would expect from a musician of his calibre. This is Allan Holdsworth’s best playing to date… also note his white Gibson SG because it’s fucking awesome.

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TRACK LISTING:

1. Hazard Profile Pt 1 – 9:18
2. Hazard Profile Pt 2 – 2:21
3. Hazard Profile Pt 3 – 1:05
4. Hazard Profile Pt 4 – 0:46
5. Hazard Profile Pt 5 – 5:29
6. Gone Sailing – 0:59
7. Bundles – 3:14
8. Land of the Big Snake – 3:35
9. The Man Who Waved at Trains – 1:50
10. Peff – 1:57
11. Four Gongs, Two Drums – 4:09
12. The Floating World – 7:12

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Alternatively, if you want to support the artists (which you should!), you can buy the album here; obviously the choice is yours to make.