Clint Hopkins wrote:What a loss. The solos on this one made me cry this morning:
Absolutely.... that solo was very emotional for me as well - although for me, it actually reminded me of my mother.
I remember my first exposure to Allan in 1986 as a 16 year old, putting this album that a buddy gave me on the turntable, and hearing that iconic broken chord intro to "Metal Fatigue". Was unlike anything I'd heard before, and blew me away. (similar to my intro to Vinne, hearing Zappa's Tinseltown Rebellion for the first time.)
I remember seeing him at the Tralf in Buffalo in '91 with Chad on drums, Skuli on bass, and Jim Hunt on keyboards. I was jumping out of my seat, jamming along to every tune - the dude I brought had no idea who he was.
I remember being at a conference in SanDiego in '99 walking with my wife through the Gaslamp district, and I notice this dude that looked awfully familiar sitting at a streetside cafe with a lady friend. I do a double take to confirm it's Allan, and then immediately go into total fanboy mode, asking for his autograph, introducing my wife, etc...... Allan was so gracious through it all.
A huge loss for the musical community.