Wardenclyffe Tower is the seventh studio album by guitarist Allan Holdsworth, released in 1992 through Restless Records (United States) and JMS–Cream Records (Europe), and in 1993 through Polydor Records (Japan);[1] a remastered edition was reissued in 2007 through Eidolon Efformation,[2] containing three bonus tracks (alternative versions of "Tokyo Dream" from 1983's Road Games and "The-Unmerry-Go-Round" from 1985's Metal Fatigue) which were previously only available on the Japanese release.[3][4]
| Wardenclyffe Tower | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1992 | |||
| Studio | Front Page Recorders, Costa Mesa, California; Music Grinder Studios, Track Record Studios, Mad Hatter Studios, Los Angeles; The Brewery in North County, San Diego | |||
| Genre | Jazz fusion | |||
| Length | 43:12 | |||
| Label | Restless | |||
| Producer | Allan Holdsworth | |||
| Allan Holdsworth chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Alternative cover | ||||
.jpg) Japanese edition | ||||
| Alternative cover | ||||
.jpg) 2007 remastered edition | ||||
The album's title is a reference to the Wardenclyffe Tower, or Tesla Tower, designed by inventor Nikola Tesla in 1901 and located in Shoreham, New York.[5] "Zarabeth" is named after a character in the Star Trek episode "All Our Yesterdays".
Critical reception
edit| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [1] |
Daniel Gioffre at AllMusic awarded Wardenclyffe Tower 1.5 stars out of 5, describing it as "formless" and "not very compelling", and being of value to Holdsworth completists rather than casual listeners. He nonetheless noted "Against the Clock", "Dodgy Boat" and the title track as highlights.[1]
Track listing
editAll tracks are written by Allan Holdsworth, except where noted
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "5 to 10" | 5:36 |
| 2. | "Sphere of Innocence" | 5:58 |
| 3. | "Wardenclyffe Tower" | 8:44 |
| 4. | "Dodgy Boat" (Steve Hunt) | 5:37 |
| 5. | "Zarabeth" | 6:31 |
| 6. | "Against the Clock" (lyrics: Naomi Star) | 4:58 |
| 7. | "Questions" (Chad Wackerman) | 4:07 |
| 8. | "Oneiric Moor" | 1:41 |
| Total length: | 43:12 | |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 9. | "Tokyo Dream" | 5:05 |
| 10. | "The Unmerry Go Round Part 4" | 3:01 |
| 11. | "The Unmerry Go Round Part 5" | 1:58 |
Personnel
edit- Allan Holdsworth – guitar, SynthAxe, mixing, producer
- Naomi Star – vocals
- Steve Hunt – keyboard (tracks 1, 2, 4, 5)
- Gordon Beck – keyboard (tracks 9–11)
- Chad Wackerman – drums (tracks 1, 3, 5, 7, 9–11), keyboard (track 7)
- Gary Husband – drums (tracks 2, 4), keyboard (track 3)
- Vinnie Colaiuta – drums (track 6)
- Jimmy Johnson – bass
- Joel Schnebelt – spoken vocals
- Robert Feist – engineering
- Gordon Davis – mixing
References
edit- ^ a b c Gioffre, Daniel. "Wardenclyffe Tower - Allan Holdsworth". AllMusic. RhythmOne. Retrieved 8 September 2014.
- ^ "Wardenclyffe Tower by Allan Holdsworth". CD Baby. Retrieved 8 September 2014.
- ^ "Allan Holdsworth – Wardenclyffe Tower +3". Discogs. Retrieved 8 September 2014.
- ^ Prasad, Anil (2008). "Allan Holdsworth - Harnessing momentum". Innerviews. Retrieved 8 September 2014.
- ^ Musical Maps: allanholdsworthwardenclyffetower
External links
edit- Wardenclyffe Tower at therealallanholdsworth.com (archived)
- Allan Holdsworth "Wardenclyffe Tower" at Guitar Nine