JOHN McLAUGHLIN vs ALLAN HOLDSWORTH | with The Super-i-ometer 

"I would steal what he's doing, if I could figure out what he's doing." (John McLaughlin speaking about Allan Holdsworth)

Holdsworth was from another planet. Incredible player.

It’s amazing that 3 of the greatest guitarists of all time, Holdsworth, McLaughlin, and Bill Nelson, are all from Yorkshire.

When Andy starts each video, shouting at me in what I take to be a Midlands Brit accent, I instantly experience a great inner relaxation.

Tony Williams, Alphonso Johnson, Jack Bruce, Michael Walden, Jean Luc Ponty, Billy Cobham, Wayne Shorter, Ralph Armstrong, Stanley Clarke, Vinnie Coliaiuta and Gary Husband have all played with both JM + AH

More than any other guitarist John McLaughlin gives the impression of making his inner world manifest with his guitar playing: a visionary, all-consuming, fiery, passionate, transcendent, ardent, spiritual yearning.

Love these episodes. The Super-i-ometer has to stay!

What is very interesting about those two is the influence of Coltrane that both had within their music. As far as technical prowess, Holdsworth , but spirituality within his music, Mclaughlin. Wait a minute, Tony Williams played with both of those guys also. You know that.

The speed picker v the legato monster. Each one really admired the other.

This is going to be epic. I hope the Super-i-ometer's cooling system holds out.

AH - All day, all night long. Why are people so obsessed with picking vs. legato (hammers/pull-offs)? It comes down to the "music" - the harmony/melody/rhythm!

No contest....I get tired of McLaughlin after about 17 seconds. Holdsworth reigns supreme!

I'm definitely a Holdsworth guy (and 4.5 5o 5.5 isn't half a point). Love his playing, Allan loved my late little brother's playing and was very kind to him during his illness and in asking that Brian's band open for him when he played here. Both great, of course.

Hilarious and entertaining tribute to two masters! 🤣😆🤣👏👏👏

I agree with the Super-i-ometer...except I would have given Holdsworth an extra 5 points just for being Allan Holdsworth! 😂😂

Holdsworth would actually have a beer with people after the show... depending on the venue. Had a couple at the Birchmere with Allan and several other folks. Regular dude.

Secrets by Holdsworth is mega, if Endomorph doesn’t move you then there’s something wrong 🤣

Love them both. Hard to pick one over the other. I very much agree that any album the Allan is on with a band brings the band to a new level. Bundles is so epic, but so is Birds of Fire.

I've seem both of them dozens of times in concert and their ability to shred is awesome. For me however, when it comes to playing a very slow soul tugging melody, Holdsworth can bring me to tears.

Careful Andy…this may tax and overload the SupriorOmeter. Be ready to pull the plug before the flames consume it!

ABSOLUTELY keep using the Superiometer. It might be the only thing keeping us all sane at this point.

hahahahaaaa Love the intro Andy, great show, you are a madman. Keep up the good work.

First time I heard Holdsworth my mind was blown and my jaw was on the floor. I had never heard anyone play like that. I love his music too. I can't say the same about McLaughlin but I'll never discount his playing and ability. The guy played with Miles Davis! I still really like Mahavishnu Orchestra.

JM's tone on his post-Mahavishnu album 'Electric Guitarist' also deserves a shout out and is perhaps my favourite. Not so in-your-face as Mahavishnu, more brooding and soulful, but it's got this amazing concentration and power (eg the track 'Every Tear from Every Eye' or 'New York on My Mind').

The Super-i-ometer doesn't lie -- Holdsworth rules and always has -- great fun video Andy!

The album behind you is monumental. JM all the way.....

I mean, John McLaughlin is an absolute legend. I've seen the guy on at least a half-dozen different occasions, and in different contexts. But compared to Holdsworth ... It's like a candle compared to the sun.

The other night I couldn't sleep, so I put on Holdsworth album - Wardenclyffe Tower. I fell asleep right away.

I liked your attempt at a comparison between these two guitar titans. You did a very credible job of comparing them and also of making it entertaining. I have to respectfully say, though, that I think you went about the comparison in a bit of a flawed way. I'll grant you that they're best known for their massive contributions to fusion; however, McLaughlin is a lot more versatile. Specifically, McLaughlin is equally adept and important for his acoustic playing as he is for his electric work. Holdsworth simply is not. There isn't nearly as much acoustic playing from Holdsworth and what there is of it is not as masterful. In addition, McLaughlin was a pioneer in what would become known as World Music--in terms of influence with the Mahavishnu Orchestra and then all-out with Shakti. He also showed that he had no difficulty playing in a classical idiom with his guitar concerto, which had been commisioned. In other words, Holdsworth's playing within the Holdsworthian style was mind-blowing, but he was not as stylistically accomplished as McLaughlin.

Thanks for all you do Andy.

I have to give #4 -- Composing -- to Allan Holdsworth. There is such depth there, such breadth, such stunning beauty, such multi-layered harmonic brilliance and melodic wizardry and rhythmic exploration. I LOVE JM! I used to blast "Dawn" in 10th grade over and over -- those wild wide ascending chords! It's close, but the more I learn music (now age 62), the more I appreciate Allan's place as an utterly unique painter of sound.

Thank you Andy and best wishes always. This episode brought out a big a smile for me. What a load of fun but personally Allan Holdsworth wins!

Per Chat GTP: Both John McLaughlin and Allan Holdsworth are highly respected and influential guitarists, but they have different styles and musical contributions, making it challenging to definitively say who is "better." Their guitar-playing styles cater to different preferences and genres: - **John McLaughlin** is known for his pioneering work in jazz fusion and his role in bands like the Mahavishnu Orchestra. His playing is characterized by intricate, fast-paced, and often highly technical guitar work. He's considered a virtuoso in the fusion and jazz genres and has made significant contributions to the development of fusion music. - **Allan Holdsworth**, on the other hand, was known for his unique approach to the guitar, often described as legato playing. He was a master of harmonies and had a distinctive sound in the realms of progressive rock and fusion. Holdsworth's work was highly innovative and influential in the world of guitar playing. The question of who is "better" between these two guitarists largely depends on personal musical tastes and preferences. Some may prefer the technical brilliance and energy of John McLaughlin's fusion style, while others may appreciate Allan Holdsworth's innovative and unique approach to the instrument. Both are considered guitar legends in their respective genres, and their contributions have had a lasting impact on the world of music. Good summary Andy?

I got to see the One Truth Band at a great venue, the State St. Theatre in Santa Barbara California. I think it was 78 ?

Captain Andy - I think the Super-i-ometer is an awesome concept - even when one's expectations are confounded in the process - that's what makes it fun to watch. And, there are endless possibilities for "conflict" - this is definitely your "thing"!

#9 -- Great to Crap ration -- You got it!! Holdsworth is pure magic! He always raise the level of any band he plays with, and every one of his solo records (including Flat Tire) is a masterpiece, as you've said!

Secret Super-i-ometer eh? I think we should be told the Abba v King Crimson result ;)

Great and very interesting video. One thing that many may not think is so important is that John's playing contains more dynamics, which is also easier with the plectrum than if you play as much legato as Allan. Also, there are often melodies in John's compositions that are easier to remember. I'm just thinking of Lotus Feet, Meeting of the Spirits etc. I sometimes miss that with Allan, though I guess he has a different approach there too. To the point you bring it up for me with the John Coltrane influence which is very deep and in different ways with both guitarists. With the tone I'm split opinion with Allan, he is great very cosmic and ingenious but also always similar and the last sensitivity is missing something for me. Jerry Garcia is technically not as good, but he sometimes plays very sensitive, soulful and subtle, for example in quiet jam passages, which touches me very much and I miss again with Allan. John sometimes has the sensitive, but different. But I think both play on an unreached planet.

Funny! I love them both.

The next super i ometer has to be Jimi Hendrix v Jeff Beck. Come on Andy... make it happen!

Damn you are too funny! We all know art is hard to quantify. Thx for the enteraintment! FUN! haha!

The videos you see (when you haven’t got your gun) 👍

I would say JM has been very influential but the Legato style is the one that you hear the most, to this day. As for composition, I'd say JM by a mile. From Mahavishnu mark1 to Apocalypse, to Shakti, to the European Jazz of The Translators, then writing for the organ trio to the Jazz Prog of The Heart of things (missed loads out). With AH mostly it's plucked chord melody then the blowing then back to the melody. Not always maybe, but a hell of a lot.

This video is hilarious to me. Love them both and find it difficult to say who’s better.Keep the rickety ol super -I -o meter LOLits a great gadget.Awesome video and thanks.

Love them both, like Andy says, who heard first, where you were in your life, 'deep' music discussions with your mates...it all factors in. Mclaughlin for me....just

I’m going to see John next week he is in USA touring with Shakti 😊

More Superiometer! I've gone mad with the power of objectivity!

Two amazing guitarists, both born in West Yorkshire, just up the road from each other, four years apart. Yet their styles are not just different from each other, but can seem like calibrated opposites: McLaughlin’s playing is generally modal, rhythmically specific, and often staccato, with an almost mandolin-like right hand. Holdsworth’s tends to be chromatic, with lots of rubato-like blurring of the pulse, and a near-infinite legato. McLaughlin’s playing is nimble, precise, “al dente”, while Holdsworth’s is cloudy, smudged, enigmatic, constantly in flux; it’s no surprise that McLaughlin’s solos are far easier to write down than Holdsworth’s. What do they have in common? Apart from the obvious jazz influences, both are influenced by 20th century classical music (If I had to pick a composer they both like, I’d guess Béla Bartók). Both like the violin; many of McLaughlin’s bands have included violinists, they both worked with Jean-Luc Ponty, and Holdsworth even played the violin a bit himself. Both have sought to extend the possibilities of the guitar with technology; McLaughlin early on used ring modulators and frequency shifters, and Holdsworth famously used the SynthAxe.

For a long time I only really knew Holdsworth from (of all places) Chad Wackerman's solo albums. But his playing always lingered with me. Started getting deeply into guitar-based fusion about two years ago and really came to understand what a titan he truly is.

I have a question. What’s up with the Neil Sedaka album?

Hey Mate ... Appreciate what you've tryed to do here , but in all honesty l can't pick one over the other . Both guitarists contributions are Historically over the top & an advancement to the field of guitar playing , but so different than each other & for that l could never rate one above the other & nor did l ever think & feel that it was or is a competition between the 2 . Always just liked them both ... end of story !! ..........❤️🎸🎸❤️

Given all the heavy use the superiometer is getting lately, you might consider using synthetic oil next time it needs a change

My mind say Allan, my guts say McLaughlin. Both are my favourite guitarists.

#6 Influence. Holdsworth's influence is now (and for many years now) exponentially GROWING!

I love McLaughlin, but I was thunderstruck by Holdsworth.

Wonderful video, thanks for sharing. This would be an easy one for me, I have pretty strong preferences. Nice ending.

Andy, this was a great show, keep the f... superior o meter ,,, love your description of their solos ... on Live Evil and other stuff from Miles, John was at his best .... and Alan, when he played with other bands. They were both at their best, when they were challenged ... having their own band , both of them mellowed out ...

McLaughlin v. Holdsworth...ladies and gentlemen introducing the epitome of the concept of "splitting hairs" ! 🤣😂

The automatic transcriptions make me laugh, with punchlines such as: "...McLaughlin sold lots of records with the marriage doctor..." "...I think well that came out of the marriage doctor Holdsworth..." "...most people who like holes..." "...I got that directly from Malvern Holdsworth I didn't get it from Messi..."

Another great video Andy

Love the Super-i-ometer.

My uncle played with Jean luc (Joaquin Lievano) for 4 albums after Allan, large shoes to fill , I like Holdsworth slightly better but thats just a preference i believe John was and is the Original when it comes to kicking off the whole movement ! and more diverse .

A true clash of the titans.

Hilarous!

Both are equal. But very different. Holdsworth was a self-taught, totally unconventional player with a very unique view of the fretboard who did not read music. McLaughlin, on the other hand, was very influenced from the musical family in which he grew up and learned guitar in a much more traditional conservatory style manner. His ability to sight read helped him make a living as a session player in London from a very early age. His interest in Carnatic music and konnakol time signatures helped him develop one of the most instantly recognizable styles in the entire pantheon of great players, targeting semitones from the eastern scale with a very unusual vibrato. Holdsworth indeed has a stronger influence that resonates to this day through extreme players including those of the djent world like Pliney. Holdsworth was always very insecure about his inability to alternate pick and read music. I studied both alternate picking and legato. I use a fusion of both. I do neither as well as Holdsworth or McLaughlin. I remember when I was a small child, about four, watching Mahavishnu on American public television at my grandparents' house. The whole family was watching this concert, absolutely mesmerized. I knew even then there was something very unusual about this music, about this player with the double neck and his interplay with Jerry Goodman's electrified violine and the rest of the band. McLaughlin was the first guitarist to make an impression on me as a true master. Back in those days McLaughlin was almost a household name along with Mahavishnu Orchestra. Let's not forget his name in those days was Mahavishnu John McLaughlin. On the issue of tone, I think Holdsworth had it locked down. McLaughlin's current DI tone is nothing to write home about. It's very processed and it does not capture what is best in his playing. Holdsworth experimented with many pickups, up until his final years. Seymour Duncan makes a very hot pickup called th AH Metal Fatigue. Even for a guy like me who used to play int he L.A. metal scene, that pickup was always rediculouslu hot and I avoided it, opting for medium to vintage output. I don't know much about McLaughlin's tone journey, as he never endorsed any pickups to my knowledge. Holdsworth played everything from DiMarzio to Duncan to EMG to several custom builds with Kiesel and God knows what else. As for my own style and tone, it's more like a fusion of classic rock 70s tone and George Lynch, with a style more like Gary Moore meets Michael Schenker.

Comedic genius to boot 🙌🙌🙌👍

Hey Andy, you should also first validate your super-i-ometer with some known test data. For instance, compare a Kiss album to a Deep Purple album. If its working properly, the super-i-ometer should show the Purple album orders of magnitude ahead of the Kiss one.

Great video. I am huge fan of both artists but an absolute massive fan of Allan Holdsworth. So I agree with your final determination. I also agree with your point about 70s era Holdsworth appeals to More prog and fusion fans. That said, I eventually warmed up to his solo work, and almost became fanatical over it, but the stuff Holdsworth did with Tony Williams, UK gong it’s just phenomenal

The Zappameter would have gone with Holdsworth.

Keep using it!

Alan Holdsworth and John McLaughlin are both Yorkshire lads. I never knew that, till today.

Very funny ending! That's what happens when machines attempt to replace human beings, they ultimately get jacked, cause humans ultimately aren't objective and that's really an overwhelmingly good thing, even though sometimes it's a bad thing too. Personally, I agreed with the un-jacked Super-i-ometer, and your assessments plus Holdsworth has a very, very special place in my soul. Spend time with your family.

The SuperiorOmeter May still be in the development stage. Since it favored Holdsworth, it’s obvious that serious tweaking is required. Perhaps Russian tubes? Great video Andy. We McLaughlin fanatics forgive you!.

Great stuff, should there be a point awarded to how well they can stretch there playing outside...

Bravo. You took on something I couldn't do..They are both important Landmarks in guitar. John McLaughlin amazes me how he has evolved and flourished within each compositional style. When I heard the earliest John M. it sounded a lot like Hendrix. That helped me to understand why he ended up with Miles Davis doing fusion at the exact time when that could have been Hendrix's chair. I think you're right when you talk about Holdsworth continually refining his compositional style and complexity. I think he really defined something uniquely his and next level. Ed Van Halen was rightly attracted to Holdsworth contributions to the guitar. As far as what Holdsworth was after, he did it. They are both great.

Yes, please!

Sounds like you've got a St. Anger snare next to the superiometer

To me, it’s about the music. I’ve never heard McLaughlin play anything like what Holdsworth did on the Sahara of Snow off One of a Kind.

Both are good. Both are unique.

Just curious, how many 16ths of an inch is .37 inches?

This was fun to watch. I think you hit the nail on the head with the great to crap ratio. JM has done some stuff that I wouldn't really listen to, at least not more than once (although in his defense, he's put out more recordings than AH so he's more exposed in that regard). How about a Tony Williams versus Billy Cobham challenge? That would be a nail-biter, although I think I know who would win.

Why does it always have to be a competition!

I have seen and heard them both. I love them both. Great players and innovators. A pity they never played together. Gary Husband tried to establish that, Allan declined.

McLaughlin for me personally, way more diverse. He has such a wide range of sounds and capabilities. Then again, Allan basically invented his own sound. Probably the most original sounding guitarist to ever live.

Battle of the Jazz rock fusion legends 😊

And Larry Coryell?

I will not rest until the Superiometer does Billy Cobham vs Narads Michael Walden

I was surprised about the last dimension. I really thought you would go with JM there. Which would have changed the final result.

Great video. Would you do something like a top-10 recorded drum sounds?

West Yorkshire versus East Yorkshire, it makes me proud to be a Yorkshireman. Lucky enough to have seen both of them play live, impossible to pick who is the best really, as I am from West Yorkshire and Allan Holdsworth is too, I will go for Allan Holdsworth.

Not for nothing but I think "The Wardenclyffe Tower" is the best Holdsworth record ever.

I've watched this channel long enough to have predicted this outcome:) Ha, ha! ... Your passing reference to Shawn Lane (himself a Holdsworth worshipper) reminded me of something I've thought about in the past: Would love to hear your thoughts on the music of Shawn Lane in a dedicated video, particularly featuring a, "what could have been" segment. Lane died young, was relatively unknown popularly during his lifetime, and was unfortunately not very prolific in terms of released recordings. Yet, for me, some of the most emotive and artistically impactful (not to mention, technically dazzling) guitar playing I've ever heard is on old Shawn Lane bootlegs and some of his official work. Whenever I listen to some of these things, I wonder what could have been.

Keep using the thing o meter! 💨

Allan became almost a recluse towards the end. John told me how much he wanted to collaborate with Allan, called him up several times, Allan never returned his calls. Gary Husband tried too but with no success...

One of your best videos ever ... but be =very= suspicious of that Super-i-ometer ... there was none of the usual visual distortion during the final evaluation, so someone may have replaced it with a near-identical duplicate!!!

VS ANDY EDWARDS VS GOD VS MICHAEL JACKSON

I like the Superiometer. If it can humble Andy Edwards or even draw forth a rant, it has to have some purpose. Besides, it gives the opportunity to hear your thoughts about two artists in relation to each other.

Fun video.

Saw Holdsworth in the small Mapleleaf bar in New Orleans mid 80's . 20 people in there, and ran away hands over my ears due to the Insane loudness. What an insensitive boor.

What does the S - Ometer struggle with more? "McLawflin" or "Jack - O" ? Just curious.