It was like Christmas for me today: I got three CDs in the mail today, one of them being Allan Holdsworth's superb "I.O.U." I've been looking for this disc for well over a decade, only finding it d/t some invaluable assistance from Mike G. Luckily it showed today, new in the wrapper, totally pristine.
Not having heard the album in many years, I was curious to see if it was the masterpiece I'd remembered it to be; in this instance, my memory was good! This disc is even better than I remembered. The guy is a frickin' genius, just flat out brilliant. I'd call most of his stuff fusion, with some cuts a little jazzier and some leaning more towards rock. With the first track, "The Things You See When (You Haven't Got Your Gun)", I had a smile on my face. "Where Is One" and "Shallow Sea" feature some astonishing guitar work, and singer Paul Williams is the perfect compliment to the mercurial, legato guitar playing of Holdsworth.
Thanks again to MG for the heads up.