Hard Hat Area (1993, reissued by MoonJune Records in 2012)
Hard Hat Area, one of the legendary jazz fusion albums of the 1990s, long out of print, is available once more thanks to the Moonjune label. Hard Hat Area is one of the finest solo albums recorded by British electric guitar maestro Allan Holdsworth.
MoonJune Records remastered and repackaged Hard Hat Area in digipak format. The album features the outstanding sinuous guitar solos that Allan Holdsworth. He developed a peculiar guitar style, beautiful and innovative, with a sound and technique that has been imitated by many other guitarists. Hard Hat Area is fusion at its best, with Allan Holdsworth on guitars and synthaxe, and his touring band formed by skilled instrumentalists: Steve Hunt on keyboards, Skuli Sverrisson on bass; and Gary Husband on drums.
Hard Hat Area was recorded on a 32-track Mitsubishi digital recorder at Front Page Recorders in Costa Mesa, California, near Holdsworth’s home. Overdubs and mixing were made directly by Allan Holdsworth at his home.
Hard Hat Area is a classic fusion album that has aged very well, with a superb mix of jazz fusion, progressive rock, and mesmerizing electronics.