This guitarist knows his chops........ and then some
There is little more exciting than listening to a musician who knows where he is going, knows his chord progressions, and is comfortable from there to embark on fluid but disciplined lead breaks; even better when the band keeps up...... Jimmy Johnson on bass and Chad Wackerman ride shotgun on this 2002-released live ride. Allan Holdsworth possesses a solid armoury of guitar technique, and has tastefully garnished it over the years with experimental use of synthaxe and pedal to achieve some blissfully complex licks as well as superbly stretched ambient jazz fusion moments. Small wonder that he is held in such regard by both rock and jazz guitarists alike. The material holds up well under the onslaught.

When the live recording is open and dynamic, the excitement increases. Live recordings have been problematical in earlier times, but this one captures the sweat and tears very well.

All Night Right!
AH is many things: A cult icon; An innovator par excellence; A FREAKISHLY talented guitarist! But what endears him to me above all else is most evident on this long awaited live album. His music is just heart-rendingly beautiful.

Yes, he's a shred-master, but that's hardly the point. He can play so fast that individual notes are barely distinguishable, and to the uninitiated this can make his solos seem frantic. The trick is to hear this 'note density' in the same way as one would experience a high resolution digital photo. You don't grouse because the pixels are too small to identify individually, you revel in the clarity of the image.

To continue the analogy, the 'soundscapes' Holdsworth paints on this album are gorgeous beyond words, once you find the proper perspective. It's well worth the effort.

5 STAR PERFORMANCE & 3 STAR RECORDING/MIXING/MASTERING
A very amazing performance, but as often happens with Holdsworth's records, the sound is not very warm, rather cold and compressed. If Holdsworth's records were mixed/mastered differently with much warmer and fuller fat sound, all his EXCEPTIONAL music will become even more EXCEPTIONAL.

flawless technique, forgot about the music
I should say at the outset, I am a big fan of Holdsworth's '70's work. With a little maturity I've realized that artists often need to exercise restraint. Holdsworth is now "free" to do what he wishes and the music suffers. This is technically flawless, but I hear no music. I recommend his work with Gong and Bruford. Those albums contain good "songs". I also feel compelled to remark on another review. Steve Morse often employs pinch harmonics, I don't know if that what was meant by false. Morse hardly uses any effects. Holdsworth is drowning in effects. Neither is good or bad, just noting the difference. The other reviewer stated otherwise. Joe Satriani hardly ever taps, so that's not where his speed comes from and may use power chords here and there in the background to his songs but that's about it. Back on track, skip this album.

All Night Wrong
I have always read about the guitar exploits of Allan Holdsworth but I had never heard him play, so I asked for a Holdsworth CD for Christmas.
I have listened to this CD in it's entirety on three occasions over the past two weeks and I have to say that I was not impressed. This is a live album and Holdsworth, although technically proficient on the guitar, is extremely boring here. I was expecting lightning fast jazz licks, but instead he sounds like he is playing an electric keyboard instead of a guitar. I would say that this CD is for extreme jazz fans only.