Allan Holdsworth-I.O.U. (1982)

“I.O.U.”, the fourth album by phenomenal guitarist Allan Holdsworth, former member of the legendary bands Soft Machine, Nucleus, Tempest, Gong, and U.K., is one of his masterpieces, presenting a style completely different from anything he had done previously. Here, the British guitarist surrounded himself with musicians Paul Williams (vocals), Paul Carmichael (bass), and Gary Husband (drums and keyboards). His new vision of jazz-rock led him to explore parameters not yet as widely as the guitarist demonstrates in this virtuosic display. The intelligent arrangements of “Checking Out”, the lush atmospheres of “Letters of Marquee”, and the heavy jazz-rock of “Out From Under”, along with the floating, ethereal guitars of “Shallow Sea”, are the highlights of an essential album of the best jazz-rock of the 1980s.