EVH tried to help him; got him a record deal; Allan refused to do anything commercial, so I think the record company dropped him after making one album? He didn't compromise his music, and his fanbase was too small to underwrite his living and business (music) costs.
From the guitaristic splendour of the UK album, to the acclaimed excellence of the Bruford “One of a Kind”.
Then the blockbuster IOU record that took 3 years to release.
I don’t think Allan was wrong in turning his back on a Ted Templeman supergroup project album, with Geddy Lee singing, and EVH wailing all over it. He’d already been burned on the “Velvet Darkness” album years back.
Apparently, sessions were conducted with the crap engineer constantly playing roughs down the phone to Ted, during recording.
The album was only finished after Allan stole the tapes, and completed stuff in Frank Zappa’s new studio.
I’d like to think that the commercial success of “Metal Fatigue” would have set Allan up for years, but he did know how to spend cash, that’s for sure. Lucky for us that a lot of it was spent on gear and recording.
Let’s face it - without strong management, publishing, and real fan base impetus - a ‘record deal’ is sometimes and probably usually the kiss of death to any aspiring act. You get an initial pressing, no marketing, and you owe Warners tens of thousands for studio and producer fees.
A decent company would have remixed and repackaged IOU (with Geddy Lee!), and signed a 3 album deal, with full marketing and exposure.
Allan’s whole world quickly became a lazy vanity project for Eddie and Ted, with the obvious option to drop him like a stone on a petulant whim, if he displayed any desire to steer proceedings. Pair of utter cunts really.
