ATAVACHRON

1. "Non Brewed Condiment" (3:39) Allan's first SynthAxe presentation leaves us all wondering which is guitar and which is synthesizer? Mind-blowing yet only an okay song. (One that does not stand up too well to the tests of time.) (8.667/10)

2. "Funnels" (6:10) same response and verdict as the previous song. Chad Wackerman's drumming tries too hard and Jimmy Johnson's normally-enjoyable bass play just feel as if they're in different universes--from both Allan and each other. (8.33/10)

3. "The Dominant Plague" (5:41) ridiculous chord play from the ridiculous sounding SynthAxe. How can Jimmy and Chad be expected to play over this stuff? The "old" 'Allan makes an appearance for a nice solo in the fourth minute. (8.25/10)

4. "Atavachron" (4:45) Allan's SynthAxe chord sequence at least establishes a nice melody with its pleasant (non- grating) sound. Gary Husband's drums and Jimmy Johnson's bass fit a little better with this kind of straightforward, one-directional music. Another more tuned-percussive sound is MIDI-ed through Allan's Axe in the second round. Some old Allan soloing in the fourth minute (something we can grasp and sink our teeth into). Still, not a great or very engaging song. (8.5/10)

5. "Looking Glass" (4:31) Tony Williams! If that doesn't give one high expectations I don't know what does! And true to the hype, Allan gives Tony front and center for the first 90 seconds while he and the band carefully support from the wings. Then "old Allan" takes a turn in front, delivering a stunning solo while Tony continues to deliver his magic from beneath. Jimmy Johnsons and Billy Childs are just lucky to be in the same room. Easily the best, most accessible and impressive song on the album. Great chord play throughout. (9/10)

6. "Mr. Berwell" (6:21) thunder greets the listener before sensitive solo SynthAxe (sounding like Pat Metheny's guitar chorus effect ramped up and fast-vibrato-echoed to the max). The full-band support team enters at 1:28 in a BRUFORD/DAVE STEWART kind of way before "old Allan" begins soloing over the top. I think an overdub of Allan's Axe is beneath, creating the chordal base, as the tempo changes from fast to slow (though Gary Husband's frenetic drumming would bely another reality), back and forth a couple times before another section starts out. I'm not sure whether the support chords are Allan's SynthAxe and the "keyboard" solo over the top Alan Pasqua's electric piano or vice versa (or all Allan)--such is the confusion created by the MIDI effect. (I remember playing an awesome piano-and- trumpet dual solo with a MIDI-ed saxophone syphoned through my brother's Mac in 1991. Listening to the tape of it you'd never know it was a saxophone that created the sounds.) (8/10)

7. "All Our Yesterdays" (5:25) vocalist Rowanne Marks sound so much like Gayle Moran! At 2:25 tuned percussion (MIDI-synth drums?) and SynthAxe begin to trade punches, but, wait! Which is which? Interesting but not so much as a pleasant listening experience; more as an experimental exercise. Then to return to the atmospheric, almost operatic motif of the opening to let Rowanne sing to the song's finish. What a Jeckyll and Hyde experience! (8.75/10)

Total time 36:32

The musics generated by Allan through his new toy are just far too foreign for our ears to take in and process--even now, 38 years on. Saved by the individual performances of Tony Williams, Rowanne Marks, and "old Allan" Holdsworth.

B-/3.5 stars; interesting from an historical perspective but hardly the type of music I would recommend to any prog loving music collector. Half the time I'm not even sure it's music!

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