I.O.U. in Bloomington, MN

After the train-wreck disaster of
Holdsworth
's first solo release, the infamous
Velvet Darkness
, it wasn't until three years later that he reconsidered doing a real solo release versus the earlier ripoff of an authorized studio mishmash product he suffered. So in 1979 he recorded
I.O.U.
on a wing and a prayer and loans (ergo, an IOU recording project). With his very successful stints with other groups in the intervening time period, such as
UK
and
Bruford
,
's guitar prowess and name were clearly on the map.
now needed to be the leader he clearly was and thus release an official solo record. The real
Allan Holdsworth
unleashed is at last revealed on
in his original compositions and well-crafted soloing, versus being merely part of a group and forced to stay within certain boundaries of other bandmates' design.
, as a solo release, is high-quality
jazz fusion
interplay, offering emotive compositions, ethereal guitar atmospherics, complex chordal progressions, and intense legato explosions of guitar that set the standard for many guitarists to come. There is no acoustic guitar this time, but a wee bit of
on violin appears in one song. ~ John W. Patterson