Vinyl Find: The New Tony Williams Lifetime – Believe It [Columbia PC33836]

Been looking for a clean copy of this on vinyl for a while and luckily found a near mint copy yesterday.  One of my Top 10 jazz fusion albums for sure.  In addition to great propulsive drumming from TW, you have Allan Holdsworth tearing up the fretboard.  I know that Allan has redefined how you can play the guitar by incorporating mind boggling, out-of-this-world intervallic leaps into his playing, but I can relate to his more grounded, normal playing on this album much more.  His tone is nice and crispy and the tasteful use of effects – mainly a phaser here and there – just adds more spice.  For me, this album and his playing on the first U.K. album [with Wetton, Bozzio and Jobson] is my favorite Holdsy.  Tony Newton holds down the low end with creative lines and Alan Pasqua’s electric piano fills float over the top of everything and hold it all together.  Awesome stuff.

This is a very good pressing.  The sound is nice and open, instruments very clear, with a nice low end.  Dynamic range is good.  “1G” is in the deadwax so I am assuming this is a first pressing.  Did I mention this is prime Holdsworth?

1. Snake Oil

2. Fred

3. Proto-Cosmos

4. Red Alert

5. Wildlife

6. Mr. Spock

7. Celebration

LP - NM
Sleeve VG+
Price $2.50