The Mahavishnu Orchestra
To my mind, the release of The Inner Mounting Flame late in 1971 was the shout around the world that Jazz-Rock Fusion was real, it was here to stay, and that it had a lot to say. The albums put out in the 1960s by Miles Davis' "Second Great Quintet" and its members, Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter, and Tony Williams, laid the groundwork for the big changes to come--let people know that an eruption was coming: In a Silent Way, Emergency! and Bitches Brew were like the sermons of John the Baptist. But, in my opinion, the Second Coming did not occur until The Inner Mounting Flame; The Mahavishnu Orchestra brought an awareness to the world of all of the potential energy that is pent up in the musicians of the world; it proclaimed to the world that "this is what's possible!" The Inner Mounting Flame truly changed the landscape of music. In fact, I would argue that, when confronted by a choice between the two albums, Bitches Brew and The Inner Mounting Flame, the average musician alive in 1972 would choose the latter as the "most mind-blowing" and/or the album that had the greatest seismic effect on music.
As everyone knows, The Mahavishnu Orchestra had two incarnations. It arrived in 1971 under the leadership of boundary-shattering guitarist John McLaughlin, gathered together four other intrepid hard-working virtuosi, Jan Hammer, Rick Laird, Jerry Goodman, and Billy Cobham, and proceeded to the blow the ears off of rock, jazz, and music enthusiasts for about 30 months before fatigue and intra- and interpersonal frustrations caused its dissolution. John McLaughlin's association (and tour) with Carlos Santana, producer George Martin, and an eager young drummer named Michael Walden led to a realization that his Orchestra format still had ideas to work out. So, in the Spring of 1974 he gathered together a new ensemble of international artists in London's AIR Studios to record an album that incorporated the collaboration of the Michael Tilson Thomas and Michael Gibbs and the London Symphony Orchestra. The truly-ground-breaking Apocalypse was released, quickly, in April. After one more album, Visions of the Emerald Beyond (1975) and a tour with Jeff Beck, the band again began to disintegrate (except for the every loyal Narada Michael Walden). Material from their last tour was thrown together for an album released in 1976 called Inner Worlds, but this was the end (despite the 1987 attempt to bring Lazarus back to life, using castoffs from Pat Metheny's first "Group" incarnation, under the moniker "Mahavishnu," Adventures in Radioland).
The First Incarnation
THE MAHAVISHNU ORCHESTRA The Inner Mounting Flame (Released Nov. 3, 1971)
Breathtaking. Startling. Groundbreaking. Exhausting. I have resisted putting a review to pen (or computer) for this album because it is such an important album for the history and progress of progressive rock music. Despite the fact that John McLaughlin had introduced this new, raw, full-volume shredding sound and style to the world with the previous year's release of his Devotion album (with drummer Buddy Miles, bassist Billy Rich, and organist Larry Young), it took the lineup of crack virtuosi of this Mahavishnu Orchestra to express the team approach to explosive machine gun riff deliveries--both solo and collectively. And wow! Are these guys explosive! All five of them capable of rattling off rounds at clips that boggle the mind! And yet, amazingly, they also manage to incorporate and express melody and structure! Though the sound quality here is not yet where I like it to be (that will be better displayed on Birds of Fire), the gross effect of increased talent on display here is so far beyond what has come before. It's something totally new for jazz, jazz-fusion, rock and roll, and, most certainly, progressive rock music. I want to rate this with the highest amount of stars but it is, in my opinion, still an expression of a band just finding its way. It'll take the next album to express total superlatives. Still, this is a minor masterpiece and, so, still deserving of five stars. Thank god for Jimi Hendrix, Tony Williams, Miles Davis, and Indian music for giving Mahavishnu John McLaughlin the inspiration to create the Mahavishnu Orchestra!
Line-up / Musicians:
- John McLaughlin / acoustic (4) & electric guitars, producer
- Jan Hammer / piano (4), Fender Rhodes, organ (?)
- Jerry Goodman / acoustic (4) & electric violins
- Rick Laird / bass (excl. 4)
- Billy Cobham / drums (excl. 4)
1. "Meeting Of The Spirits" (6:52) Has there ever been a more mind-blowing opening song in history? Billy Cobham and John McLaughlin are, of course, the most impressive over the first three and a half minutes, but then in the softer sections you get to figure out that there are many times in which multiple instruments are carrying those lightning-speed melody lines all at the same time! (A phenomenon that the band build upon on their next album.) (14/15)
2. "Dawn" (5:10) this soft rather sedating start is in such a polar contrast to the whole vibe and energy of the previous song that it might leave some asking whether or not this is the same band! But then in the second minute some of the instrumentalists up front begin to express themselves through light-speed runs even getting Billy and Rick involved by the second half of the third minute. Jan, Jerry, and John are the main soloists up front but Billy Cobham's drum fills and cymbal play are often just as astonishing and competitive. Cool chord progression of whole-band arpeggi in the final minute. (8.875/10)
3. "Noonward Race" (6:28) a song that is very much in line with those of the JIMI HENDRIX EXPERIENCE--both in pacing, bluesy flavor, and fireworks. Jerry's distorted violin sound used during his extended solo in the second minute is interesting--and then to be followed by a similarly processed Fender Rhodes from Jan Hammer in the third makes for quite an interesting consistency. John's electric guitar, then, is almost "normal" sounding during his following solo. The turn-taking solos are impressive but it's the three-, four-, and five-in-one displays of speed and dexterity that I find most astonishing and ground-breaking (though I guess in the context of an orchestra or big band there is nothing really new or innovative there; it's more of this use in rock 'n' roll that feels new or innovative, I guess). (8.75/10)
4. "A Lotus On Irish Streams" (5:39) the acoustic side of the band: sweeping piano arpeggi and runs with flighty violin notes and astonishing flourishes from the steel-string guitar makes for an impressive expression of the trio format. Jan's play previews Rainer Brüninghaus' play with Eberhard Weber, John's guitar previews that which he expands upon with Shakti, and Jerry's violin sounds like a cross between Ralph Vaughan Williams' "Lark Ascending" and Stephane Grappelli. Very beautiful. A perfect masterpiece. (10/10)
5. "Vital Transformation" (6:16) a high-energy showpiece for the virtuosity of everyone in the band but Billy Cobham first and foremost. Here is where you get to hear more of those extraordinary passages in which the whole band is ripping through the space-time continuum at speeds that don't seem possible. It's no wonder that drummer Steve Smith chose this song title for the name of his jazz-fusion band in the 1980s. I find myself most drawn to the performances of Billy and John on this one. (9/10)6. "The Dance Of Maya" (7:17) a meditative start in which the band plays with an awesome chord sequence. A song that must have had a huge influence on Robert Fripp for the evolution/progression of his King Crimson project from the The Court of the Crimson King, Wake of Poseidon, Lizard, and Islands phase into Lark's Tongues, Starless, and Red. I've always hated the dramatic downshift at 2:33 into the two-chord blues motif--and the fact that they abandon the cool experimentation with chord progressions until the very end (where they do do the cool thing with interplaying/overlaying the chord progression motif over the blues chords. Also, I'm not much of a fan of the Clapton-style blues-wah-pedal guitar lead that John uses throughout the last five minutes of the song. (13.25/15)
7. "You Know, You Know" (5:07) another étude of chord progression possibilities, this time done slowly and with minimalist input and plenty of space. Billy Cobham is the only one to really try to break out of the restriction zone but not until the final minute though Jan Hammer's Fender Rhodes seems to send out probes in the third minute. Kind of a cool song! (8.875/10)
8. "Awakening" (3:32) another high-powered display of machine-gun declarations of force and vitality--in fact, these are probably the most impressive displays of the virtuosity and dexterity of each and every one of the five individuals gathered together to make the Mahavishnu Orchestra. Not only impressive but jaw-dropping. Too bad it's lacking in any kind of engaging melody but I think they were banking on impressing their audiences more than expressing any kind of timeless beauty (though, of course, there is a kind of beauty in virtuosity). (9/10)
Total Time: 46:34
90.83 on the Fishscales = A-/five stars; a minor masterpiece of music but an major landmark in the course of music history: the album that made Jazz-Rock Fusion and instrumental virtuosity in rock 'n' roll household terms.
Line-up / Musicians:
- John McLaughlin / acoustic (4) & electric guitars, producer
- Jan Hammer / piano (4), Fender Rhodes, organ (?)
- Jerry Goodman / acoustic (4) & electric violins
- Rick Laird / bass (excl. 4)
- Billy Cobham / drums (excl. 4)
1. "Meeting Of The Spirits" (6:52) Has there ever been a more mind-blowing opening song in history? Billy Cobham and John McLaughlin are, of course, the most impressive over the first three and a half minutes, but then in the softer sections you get to figure out that there are many times in which multiple instruments are carrying those lightning-speed melody lines all at the same time! (A phenomenon that the band build upon on their next album.) (14/15)
2. "Dawn" (5:10) this soft rather sedating start is in such a polar contrast to the whole vibe and energy of the previous song that it might leave some asking whether or not this is the same band! But then in the second minute some of the instrumentalists up front begin to express themselves through light-speed runs even getting Billy and Rick involved by the second half of the third minute. Jan, Jerry, and John are the main soloists up front but Billy Cobham's drum fills and cymbal play are often just as astonishing and competitive. Cool chord progression of whole-band arpeggi in the final minute. (8.875/10)
3. "Noonward Race" (6:28) a song that is very much in line with those of the JIMI HENDRIX EXPERIENCE--both in pacing, bluesy flavor, and fireworks. Jerry's distorted violin sound used during his extended solo in the second minute is interesting--and then to be followed by a similarly processed Fender Rhodes from Jan Hammer in the third makes for quite an interesting consistency. John's electric guitar, then, is almost "normal" sounding during his following solo. The turn-taking solos are impressive but it's the three-, four-, and five-in-one displays of speed and dexterity that I find most astonishing and ground-breaking (though I guess in the context of an orchestra or big band there is nothing really new or innovative there; it's more of this use in rock 'n' roll that feels new or innovative, I guess). (8.75/10)
4. "A Lotus On Irish Streams" (5:39) the acoustic side of the band: sweeping piano arpeggi and runs with flighty violin notes and astonishing flourishes from the steel-string guitar makes for an impressive expression of the trio format. Jan's play previews Rainer Brüninghaus' play with Eberhard Weber, John's guitar previews that which he expands upon with Shakti, and Jerry's violin sounds like a cross between Ralph Vaughan Williams' "Lark Ascending" and Stephane Grappelli. Very beautiful. A perfect masterpiece. (10/10)
5. "Vital Transformation" (6:16) a high-energy showpiece for the virtuosity of everyone in the band but Billy Cobham first and foremost. Here is where you get to hear more of those extraordinary passages in which the whole band is ripping through the space-time continuum at speeds that don't seem possible. It's no wonder that drummer Steve Smith chose this song title for the name of his jazz-fusion band in the 1980s. I find myself most drawn to the performances of Billy and John on this one. (9/10)6. "The Dance Of Maya" (7:17) a meditative start in which the band plays with an awesome chord sequence. A song that must have had a huge influence on Robert Fripp for the evolution/progression of his King Crimson project from the The Court of the Crimson King, Wake of Poseidon, Lizard, and Islands phase into Lark's Tongues, Starless, and Red. I've always hated the dramatic downshift at 2:33 into the two-chord blues motif--and the fact that they abandon the cool experimentation with chord progressions until the very end (where they do do the cool thing with interplaying/overlaying the chord progression motif over the blues chords. Also, I'm not much of a fan of the Clapton-style blues-wah-pedal guitar lead that John uses throughout the last five minutes of the song. (13.25/15)
7. "You Know, You Know" (5:07) another étude of chord progression possibilities, this time done slowly and with minimalist input and plenty of space. Billy Cobham is the only one to really try to break out of the restriction zone but not until the final minute though Jan Hammer's Fender Rhodes seems to send out probes in the third minute. Kind of a cool song! (8.875/10)
8. "Awakening" (3:32) another high-powered display of machine-gun declarations of force and vitality--in fact, these are probably the most impressive displays of the virtuosity and dexterity of each and every one of the five individuals gathered together to make the Mahavishnu Orchestra. Not only impressive but jaw-dropping. Too bad it's lacking in any kind of engaging melody but I think they were banking on impressing their audiences more than expressing any kind of timeless beauty (though, of course, there is a kind of beauty in virtuosity). (9/10)
Total Time: 46:34
90.83 on the Fishscales = A-/five stars; a minor masterpiece of music but an major landmark in the course of music history: the album that made Jazz-Rock Fusion and instrumental virtuosity in rock 'n' roll household terms.
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MAHAVISHNU ORCHESTRA Between Nothingness & Eternity (1973)
Recorded live in Central Park (NYC) in August of 1973; released in November. The Mahavishnu Orchestra's only existing sanctioned live album release. It was an attempt to try to capture some of the energy and feeling of the legendary concerts from band's First Incarnation's tours.
- Mahavishnu John McLaughlin / Guitar
- Rick Laird / Bass
- Billy Cobham / Drums
- Jan Hammer / Piano, Synthesizer [Moog]
- Jerry Goodman / Violin
- Billy Cobham / Drums
- Jan Hammer / Piano, Synthesizer [Moog]
- Jerry Goodman / Violin
A1. "Trilogy" (12:16)
a. "The Sunlit Path
b. "La Mère de la Mer
c. "Tomorrow's Story Not the Same
A2. "Sister Andrea" (8:37)
B. "Dream" (21:26)
Total Time: 42:25
MAHAVISHNU ORCHESTRA Birds of Fire (1973)
The nearly-universally acclaimed peak of Jazz-Rock Fusion, the Orchestra's second studio album. The band was still fresh, still inspired, not yet road-weary and spiritually exhausted by Mahavishnu John's uncompromising rule and order. The album was recorded in August of 1972 in sessions at CBS Studios in New York City and Trident Studios in London, England, and then released by Columbia Records on March 26, 1973.
Line-up / Musicians:
- John McLaughlin / guitars
- Jan Hammer / piano, Fender Rhodes, Moog
- Jerry Goodman / violin
- Rick Laird / bass
- Billy Cobham / drums, cymbals, percussion
1. "Birds of Fire" (5:41) gongs and tightly fingered guitar and keyboard arpeggi open this, a two-chord major/minor flow, over which the virtuosi take turns expressing their pent-up energies with pyroclastic displays--John McLaughlin taking up more of that solo time than the others. Sometimes it's the instrumental play of the artists on "standby" that impress as much as the front-and-center man, but it's always the multi-player mirrored solos, like the fifth minute here, that impress the most. (9.25/10)
2. "Miles Beyond" (Miles Davis) (4:39) bluesy-jazz from Jan Hammer's keys open this one before the funk bass and drums join in. Jerry Goodman and the Mahavishnu take the first turn at expressing (Mile's) melody line before a stripped-down gap of Fender Rhodes support allows Goodman an odd pizzicato violin solo. Ramping back up into full-band repetition of the six-chord progression, John and Jerry take turns unleashing their demons--performing at the end in tandem. Not my favorite song melodically but the musicianship cannot help but impress. (8.75/10)
3. "Celestial Terrestrial Commuters" (2:53) The drumming and keys are so tight but this is one of Rick Laird's more impressive displays. It is remarkable that Jan Hammer can maintain the rhythmic support on the Fender Rhodes while also joining in on the triple-enunciation runs of such fast, fluid lines with the guitar and violin. (9/10)
4. "Sapphire Bullets of Pure Love" (0:22) a sudden cacophony of electric sounds produced by all of the musicians flailing away at once.
5. "Thousand Island Park" (3:19) opening with a Baroque-classical feeling--played on all-acoustic instruments! Rick's loud double bass being the only offset to the tight weave between piano, steel-string acoustic guitar, and violin. Feels very much like the inspiration for RTF's "Medieval Overture." Nice! (9.25/10)
6. "Hope" (1:55) a cool, tension-filled piece that is brief but very powerful; like an antithesis to the album's final song, "Resolution." This song could/should have been expanded into something bigger. (5/5)
7. "One Word" (9:54) Billy Cobham's amazing drumming open this one before the band join in with a couple ominous deep chord progressions. Things quiet down at the end of the first minute, but then what sounds like a freight train barreling out from behind a desert mountain comes speeding at us before arriving to settle into a DEODATO/WHO-like funk rhythm pattern within which Rick Laird gets the first solo. I love the way the rest of the virtuosi support with wild flourishes of their pent up energy, all the while Billy (and amazing rhythm guitar) just keeps the train rolling along at top open-road speed. When Rick falls back into the rhythm flow, his lines are as flawlessly impressive as Billy's. In the meantime Jan, Jerry, and John take turns spitting out quick licks from their instruments until at 5:50 they can no longer abide by the turn-taking rule. But then Billy jumps in to stop them as he launches into a solo that just gets jaw-droppingly more and more complex as it goes on. After two minutes Jan and the others try to push back into the mix but only after the third minute is over does Billy finally lets the others back in. From there it is four person sprint to the end. Who won this one? I have to give it to Billy. (19.5/20)
8. "Sanctuary" (5:01) a serene yet surprisingly-disturbing song to follow the frantic pace of the previous ten minutes. Great slow-developing melodies over Billy's punctuating drumming and a some awesome Minimoog play from Jan Hammer. Feels unresolved at the end: remitting and surrendering. (9.5/10)
9. "Open Country Joy" (3:52) opens like some happy-go-lucky song coming out of a Grateful Dead jam--from one of their good trips. Violinist Jerry Goodman is particularly central to the "country" melody in the opening minute, but then there is this terribly confusing, long pause, out of which the full band bursts with unbound passion and energy, flying through their solos (and collective bridges) with unheard-of speeds. At 2:40 we slow down and once again fall into that devil-may-care "Afternoon Delight" space. Very interesting song. (9/10)
10. "Resolution" (2:08) One of my all-time favorite Mahavishnu songs, I know it's just a continuous chord progression over which John, Jerry, and Jan climb chord by chord to the top of their scales, but it's so beautiful: an étude we would all love to have recorded. (5/5)
Total Time 39:44
It took me a long time to really like the funk-oriented or screaming guitar work of early jazz fusion artist John McLaughlin. His sound, his speed and emotion awed me, but I never found myself really liking it--until the sound smoothed out in the collaboration with Carlos Santana, when Stanley and Al joined RTF, when Jean-Luc and Narada Michael Walden came to join the later incarnation of Mahavishnu Orchestra. Again, I attribute this phenomenon to my untrained ears--I was too young and inexperience to be able to take in all of the notes--"too many notes" the Emperor says in Amadeus. Well, as a thirteen and fourteen year old, I definitely had the mushy, malleable brain and sensibilities of Emperor Joseph II. "There are just so many notes that the human ear can tolerate in the course of one sitting" (paraphrased and adapted to this particular situation). Now as I listen to this music I am awed but at the same time I am enjoying the music, the collaborative, instinctual journeys each musician is prodded and provoked to explore due to their companions' virtuosic daring. At the same time, there are some songs on the album that are not up to the standards of quality sound recording that I've come accustomed to--especially with regards to the keyboards and guitar (or perhaps it's just over use of distortion). The highlights for me are not when the individual musicians are trading machine gun insults but when the whole band are working a melody/riff together. As Inner Mounting Flame announced the arrival of a new form of music, Birds of Fire showed resoundingly that this music was real, was not going away, while also perfecting it, thus making it a masterpiece of jazz fusion and one of its shining representatives to the world of progressive rock music.
93.61111 on the Fishscales = A/five stars; a shining masterpiece of Jazz-Rock Fusion--one that fully expresses the many variables and influences available to J-R Fuse artists. Not only a landmark album for the sub-genre but probably one of THE most influential albums of any genre on future music and musicians. For me this is definitely a Top 20 Jazz-Rock Fusion from the "Classic Era," however, it is not an album that earns a place in my list of "Top 20 Favorites."
MAHAVISHNU ORCHESTRA Apocalypse (1974)
After John McLaughlin's failed attempt to keep the original Mahavishnu Orchestra placated and nurtured, he went to Carlos Santana and found new inspiration. Add in a mix of musicians who couldn't wait to play with him--including the violinist he'd hoped to have for his first incarnation of the Mahavishnu Orchestra--and a new hope arises for a new version of his ground-breaking experiment in power jazz-rock. Add to the mix superstar producer George Martin, London's AIR Studios, and the London Symphony Orchestra with their rock-star leaders Michael Tilson Thomas and Michael Gibbs, and we have the makings of something very interesting--something even more progressive than their previous material.
Line-up / Musicians:
- John McLaughlin / guitars, vocal composer
- Gayle Moran / keyboards, vocals
- Jean-Luc Ponty / violins (electric & baritone electric)
- Ralphe Armstrong / bass, double bass, vocals
- Michael Walden / drums, percussion, vocals, clavinet (?)
With:
- London Symphony Orchestra
- Hugh Beau / orchestra leader
- Michael Tilson Thomas / piano (2), orchestra conductor
- Michael Gibbs / orchestration
- Marsha Westbrook / viola
- Carol Shive / violin, vocals
- Philip Hirschi / cello, vocals
1. "Power of Love" (4:13) descending piano chords are soon joined by horn/wind section of orchestra sounding very cinematic. Classical guitar joins in around the one-minute mark and then Jean-Luc Ponty's heavily-treated electric violin as the orchestral strings swirl around the individual soloists quite magnificently, repeating the same ascending melody line. Sounds like a dream come true: guitar, violin, and piano power trio with London Symphony Orchestra. Wow! So beautiful! I could/should loop this on an eternal repeat! (10/10)
2. "Vision Is a Naked Sword" (14:18) crescendoing cymbals precede an ominous bowed-bass intro over which dynamic drumming of Narada Michael Walden joins in. At the 1:25 mark the horn-led full orchestra joins in spouting out a continued ominous chord progression. It's furious and powerful, it's bold and beautiful. Then things settle down in the fourth minute for a bit while Jean-Luc begins his time up front, but the orchestra swells again before dropping off, leaving an open space that drummer Walden gladly fills. A whole-band primordial soup then ensues in which all of the individuals are arpeggio-riffing with no apparent coherent goal until the Orchestra jumps in and starts doing its own version of arpeggio riffing, trampling over the individual soloists for a bit. In the middle of the seventh minute the two sides (orchestra and individualists) seem to reach a balance as all members' inputs are being heard. The eighth minute unveils a surprising change of pace and motif as playful bass and very playful funky rhythm guitar establish the grounds for Michael and Jean-Luc to play over. It's one big happy playground! Since there is so little egocentric flash and flare here, this makes me think that this is quite possibly the best Mahavishnu composition I've ever heard. John's interesting muted "rhythm lead" guitar is given the front for the tenth and eleventh minutes before teaming up with Jean-Luc and Gayle to release a spray of bullets in tandem before the orchestra jumps in to take over. But then, at 12:50, the rock band takes over gelling in a cool weave of fertile soil over which the Orchestra rises to the front as the soloist! The finish is typical Mahavishnu flare but it's brief and conclusive. A surprisingly egalitarian composition! (28.5/30)
3. "Smile of the Beyond" (8:00) Gayle sings in her beautiful operatic voice with the accompaniment of the London Symphony Orchestra for the opening four minutes. It's quite lovely if a little protracted! Then, as if another song, the band launches into a very pop-sounding rock form built around the melody of Gayle's vocal (which is continued internittantly in the background by a Gayle Moran-led choir), guitar, drums, bass, and violin all firing at high speed. But then, in the seventh minute, the rock elements disappear whereupon Gayle and the LSO return as the sole musical elements to the finish. Interesting blend; I'm not sure it worked, overall. (13.125/15)
4. "Wings of Karma" (6:06) full orchestra (mostly strings) takes the first two-minutes before the Fender Rhodes-led chords introduce a moderately-paced song form, but then when everybody in the Mahavishnu Orchestra joins in it becomes a very odd almost-disharmonious mix of incongruous playing--almost as if every individual is flying off in their own directions with little guidance or adherence to the keyboard pace and melodies. The instrumentalists are all very impressive (especially, I have to say, the young drummer), but I'm not sure it all works--this despite the song's title. The band once again drops off in lieu of Michael Tilson Thomas closing out the song with an all-orchestra finish. Not my favorite. (8.75/10)
5. "Hymn to Him" (19:19) a pretty orchestral opening is blended (finally!) with the rock and electric instruments from the very beginning--which is the way it should be--with the rock quintet emerging with the song's dominant form only in the fourth and fifth minutes, finally establishing ascendency at 5:10. The way the orchestra has been interwoven up to this point in a give-and-take kind of way is absolute perfection--nothing short of amazing! The barrage of instrumental fireworks (from John and Michael, at first, with a little craziness from Ralphe Armstrong, then Jean-Luc in the eighth minute) that ensues is is nicely balanced by Gayle's patient Fender Rhodes chords and occasional LSO flares. In the seventh minute John produces an absolutely amazing rock guitar solo. At the eight-minute mark, however, there is a total changeover into what feels like an orchestra-less jazz-rock motif. This is nice, with Gayle's Fender Rhodes getting some lead time and John's eccentric electric wah-ed guitar strumming in support in their usual fascinating way. (The man is truly an unheralded genius at accenting rhythm guitar support.) Ralphe gets the next extended solo in the tenth and eleventh minutes--a solo that seems to just keep on going even when Jean-Luc takes over in the front-and-center position.
At times on this album it feels as if Jean-Luc is convinced that he needs to come from more of a blues-rock orientation. This is unfortunate because, in my opinion, he is much more noticeable and effective as a melodic rock soloist. Anyway, he does get some stunning firecrackers in--especially in opposition to John's machine gun Roman candle spray. And I love how the drums and bass pick up the pace in the fifteenth minute! But then the LSO jump back into the mix (to great effect) as the rest of the jazz-rockers try to keep their barrage flowing. It seems that only Michael Walden and Jean-Luc Ponty are willing to stay the course--until the 17-minute mark when the fleet reaches the calmer waters of the port bay--at which time they unleash some beautifully-ecstatic bursts of celebratory sounds as the orchestra slowly cradle them into port.
A brilliant if still not perfect composition. I really think the blend of the two orchestras here is not only some of the best I've ever heard between jazz or rock band and symphonic orchestra but incredibly inter-supportive with stunningly-beautiful melodies coming from multiple fronts. (37.75/40)
Total Time 51:56
I found it very comforting and reassuring that John did not feel the need to jump out of the blocks with bullets spraying--that the first song, "Power of Love" showed the kind of restraint and beauty that can only come with serene confidence; this just let me know that this time around using the Mahavishnu Orchestra moniker--this "incarnation"--he was feeling far less need to impress. But then, as the album plays on, I find myself tiring a bit of the LSO-Mahavhisnu-LSO format used by all of the songs. I know you have to get your money's worth of such an esteemed group as the LSO (and Michael Tilson Thomas), and I don not mean to belittle the orchestra arrangements and performances: they're amazing--but I really am surprised at the fact that the Mahavishnu Orchestra gets only about 50 percent of the album's 52 minutes. Also, as impressive as Michael Walden's skills are, he is, for my tastes, a little too cymbal-happy (not unlike my major complaint of Who drummer Keith Moon). Perhaps if the cymbals weren't mixed so high as to shade some of the band's other sounds it wouldn't be so annoying. And then there's the fact that John's acquisition of his "dream" partner in violinist Jean-Luc Ponty results is so little front time for the fiddle master. Too bad. At the same, I do call this my favorite Mahavishnu album. I really love the experimentalism of the next album, Visions of the Emerald Beyond--on which Jean-Luc has far more face time and Michael less temerity--and I've always felt a little "left out" or put off by the machine gun showmanship of the first two (three counting the live Eternity album). On Apocalypse, there's just something comforting about the cushioning that the LSO provides.
93.45 on the Fishscales = A/five stars; a true masterpiece of jazz-rock fusion and what I consider the Mahavishnu Orchestra's best album of finely-crafted fusion songs. For me this is definitely a Top 20 Jazz-Rock Fusion from the "Classic Era," but more, it is an album that also earns a place in my Top 10 "Favorites."
MAHAVISHNU ORCHESTRA Visions of the Emerald Beyond (1975)
An album in which all of John McLaughlin's recent influences can be felt: Jimi Hendrix, Carlos Santana, Shakti/Indian music, the Classical Impressionists, even the raw Larry Coryell sound. Released by Columbia Records in February of 1975, it was recorded in December of '74 at Electric Lady Studios under the guidance of co-production team of engineer Ken Scott and band leader John McLaughlin.
Line-up / Musicians:
- John McLaughlin / 6- & 12-string guitars, vocals
- Gayle Moran / keyboards, vocals
- Jean-Luc Ponty / violins (electric & baritone electric) (10 solo)
- Ralphe Armstrong / bass, double bass, vocals
- Michael Walden / drums, percussion, clavinet, vocals
With:
- Bob Knapp / flute, trumpet, flugelhorn, vocals
- Russell Tubbs / alto & soprano saxes
- Steven Kindler / 1st violin (5 solo)
- Carol Shive / 2nd violin, vocals
- Phillip Hirschi / cello
1. "Eternity's Breath Part 1" (3:10) taking a bit to get started, the band eventually establishes a Hendrix-like power motif over which some Indian scales are recited and repeated by the new soloists (Ponty and McLaughlin) and choral vocals perform. It's okay. Sounds a bit juvenile. (8.66667/10)
2. "Eternity's Breath Part 2" (4:48) more group chant vocals à la MAGMA over some complex but tightly performed group rock-jazz. McLaughlin takes the first solo--sounding very different from his "normal" self--more like Carlos Santana. He backs down into electric guitar power chords while Jean-Luc takes the next solo. Grand piano and strings and McLaughlin take the next motif before returning to the "love supreme" Hendrix group chant. Impressive play from everyone--nice composition. No wonder Jean-Luc took Ralphe Armstrong with him for his next three solo albums (Enigmatic Ocean, Cosmic Messenger, and A Taste for Passion). (9/10)
3. "Lila's Dance" (5:34) solo piano opens this one (and finishes it), leading into a nice little classical construct. At the end of the third minute the music takes a radical left into blues-rock in order for McLaughlin to take a wild Hendrix-like solo. Nice musicianship; I just don't really like the music. (8.875/10)
4. "Can't Stand Your Funk" (2:09) rhythm guitar, funk bass and drums, horns. Not much here, really; it's like an étude of a OHIO PLAYERS or early KOOL AND THE GANG song. (4.25/5)
5. "Pastoral" (3:41) birds introduce a piece that sounds Indian musicians taking on a Western classical composer (like Elgar or Delius)'s rendering of a traditional folk tune. Weird and, frankly, a little unexpected and out of place on a Mahavishnu Orchestra album. Yet well played! (9/10)
6. "Faith" (2:00) an unusual splicing of three different pieces, one that sounds like Larry CORYELL's abrasive guitar. (4.25/5)
7. "Cosmic Strut" (3:28) this one feels like a Jean-Luc Ponty composition: so funky and straightforward in the linear setup for a successive series of jazz solos. Confirmed by the presence of Jean-Luc himself in the "key" soloist's spot. I like the horn accents! And the clavinet and funk bass. Rudimentary for Jean-Luc, but it does all work. (9/10)
8. "If I Could See" (1:18) Gayle Moran's operatic voice over theatric strings, bass and horns. Like a big WHO rock opera kind of thing. Interesting. (4.5/5)
9. "Be Happy" (3:31) Bled into from the previous song (!!) we are off to the Jean-Luc Ponty races à la his great piece, "Egocentric Molecules," from Cosmic Messenger. The presence of John McLaughlin's pyroclastic guitar bolts makes it a bit different, though. Again, Jean-Luc takes the prime soloist's spot but he's challenged to a duel there by the Mahavishnu himself. It's pretty epic and awesome seeing these two go toe to toe. (I'm sure they both LOVED it!) Jean-Luc's song is simply the perfect vehicle for this. (9.5/10)
10. "Earth Ship" (3:42) a contrastingly gentle recovery song: very smooth and ambient with Fender Rhodes, gently walking bass, and soaring distant violin and flutes within which what sounds like Narada's voice singing as well as some bluesy McLaughlin guitar snippets. Nice! (9.25/10)
11. "Pegasus" (1:48) like instruments in a void: first fiery electric guitar strums followed by wafting violin swaths, ending with more of the percussive-like heavily-effected guitar strums. I find this one very interesting--worth further exploration. (4.75/5)
12. "Opus 1" (0:15) a quickly passing falcon is barely seen as it soars past.
13. "On the Way Home to Earth" (4:34) Narada Michael Walden puts together his best, most Lenny White-like drumming while John explores the sounds of his heavily-distorted guitar. A short break in the middle and then Michael is up and drumming again, this time with John's less-adulterated exploration of the upper-most frets of his electric guitar. It's very Hergest Ridge-like when the organ chords sneak up from underneath. I actually really like this one too despite it feeling, again, like an underdeveloped étude. (9.25/10)
Total Time 39:58
I couldn't agree with Ivan Melgar more: I always felt more engaged and satisfied by the second incarnation of the Mahavishnu Orchestra. The flash of the first incarnation never drew me back for reasons of pleasure, more for reasons of amazement and awe. And now, forty years later, I find Inner Mounting Flame and Birds of Fire hardly listenable, while Visions and Apocalypse have a warmth and friendliness that invite me in and keep me wanting to come back. Understand: Goodman, Cobham, Laird and Hammer are amazing and impressive instrumentalists but it was like they were all just waiting for their turn to flash--to solo--not really making music or songs; the second incarnation the MO seem more cohesive, playing memorable music, cohesive, repeatable songs. The first incarnation are jaw dropping amazing; the second incarnation produced music I want to listen to.
90.29 on the Fishscales = A-/4.5 stars; a very minor masterpiece of experimental jazz-rock fusion.
a. "The Sunlit Path
b. "La Mère de la Mer
c. "Tomorrow's Story Not the Same
A2. "Sister Andrea" (8:37)
B. "Dream" (21:26)
Total Time: 42:25
John McLaughlin's guitar speed is so fast that the sensitive tapes of Columbia's mobile studio couldn't quite capture them with any clarity or precision. Not to single John out too much, for all of the musicians are at the very top of their games for this concert (which was, by the way, an excellent choice to publish a live album from), but it is really his solos that one finds oneself listening for: with the attitude of "wait a minute! That can't be real! He can't really be playing that fast, can he?"
MAHAVISHNU ORCHESTRA Birds of Fire (1973)
The nearly-universally acclaimed peak of Jazz-Rock Fusion, the Orchestra's second studio album. The band was still fresh, still inspired, not yet road-weary and spiritually exhausted by Mahavishnu John's uncompromising rule and order. The album was recorded in August of 1972 in sessions at CBS Studios in New York City and Trident Studios in London, England, and then released by Columbia Records on March 26, 1973.
Line-up / Musicians:
- John McLaughlin / guitars
- Jan Hammer / piano, Fender Rhodes, Moog
- Jerry Goodman / violin
- Rick Laird / bass
- Billy Cobham / drums, cymbals, percussion
1. "Birds of Fire" (5:41) gongs and tightly fingered guitar and keyboard arpeggi open this, a two-chord major/minor flow, over which the virtuosi take turns expressing their pent-up energies with pyroclastic displays--John McLaughlin taking up more of that solo time than the others. Sometimes it's the instrumental play of the artists on "standby" that impress as much as the front-and-center man, but it's always the multi-player mirrored solos, like the fifth minute here, that impress the most. (9.25/10)
2. "Miles Beyond" (Miles Davis) (4:39) bluesy-jazz from Jan Hammer's keys open this one before the funk bass and drums join in. Jerry Goodman and the Mahavishnu take the first turn at expressing (Mile's) melody line before a stripped-down gap of Fender Rhodes support allows Goodman an odd pizzicato violin solo. Ramping back up into full-band repetition of the six-chord progression, John and Jerry take turns unleashing their demons--performing at the end in tandem. Not my favorite song melodically but the musicianship cannot help but impress. (8.75/10)
3. "Celestial Terrestrial Commuters" (2:53) The drumming and keys are so tight but this is one of Rick Laird's more impressive displays. It is remarkable that Jan Hammer can maintain the rhythmic support on the Fender Rhodes while also joining in on the triple-enunciation runs of such fast, fluid lines with the guitar and violin. (9/10)
4. "Sapphire Bullets of Pure Love" (0:22) a sudden cacophony of electric sounds produced by all of the musicians flailing away at once.
5. "Thousand Island Park" (3:19) opening with a Baroque-classical feeling--played on all-acoustic instruments! Rick's loud double bass being the only offset to the tight weave between piano, steel-string acoustic guitar, and violin. Feels very much like the inspiration for RTF's "Medieval Overture." Nice! (9.25/10)
6. "Hope" (1:55) a cool, tension-filled piece that is brief but very powerful; like an antithesis to the album's final song, "Resolution." This song could/should have been expanded into something bigger. (5/5)
7. "One Word" (9:54) Billy Cobham's amazing drumming open this one before the band join in with a couple ominous deep chord progressions. Things quiet down at the end of the first minute, but then what sounds like a freight train barreling out from behind a desert mountain comes speeding at us before arriving to settle into a DEODATO/WHO-like funk rhythm pattern within which Rick Laird gets the first solo. I love the way the rest of the virtuosi support with wild flourishes of their pent up energy, all the while Billy (and amazing rhythm guitar) just keeps the train rolling along at top open-road speed. When Rick falls back into the rhythm flow, his lines are as flawlessly impressive as Billy's. In the meantime Jan, Jerry, and John take turns spitting out quick licks from their instruments until at 5:50 they can no longer abide by the turn-taking rule. But then Billy jumps in to stop them as he launches into a solo that just gets jaw-droppingly more and more complex as it goes on. After two minutes Jan and the others try to push back into the mix but only after the third minute is over does Billy finally lets the others back in. From there it is four person sprint to the end. Who won this one? I have to give it to Billy. (19.5/20)
8. "Sanctuary" (5:01) a serene yet surprisingly-disturbing song to follow the frantic pace of the previous ten minutes. Great slow-developing melodies over Billy's punctuating drumming and a some awesome Minimoog play from Jan Hammer. Feels unresolved at the end: remitting and surrendering. (9.5/10)
9. "Open Country Joy" (3:52) opens like some happy-go-lucky song coming out of a Grateful Dead jam--from one of their good trips. Violinist Jerry Goodman is particularly central to the "country" melody in the opening minute, but then there is this terribly confusing, long pause, out of which the full band bursts with unbound passion and energy, flying through their solos (and collective bridges) with unheard-of speeds. At 2:40 we slow down and once again fall into that devil-may-care "Afternoon Delight" space. Very interesting song. (9/10)
10. "Resolution" (2:08) One of my all-time favorite Mahavishnu songs, I know it's just a continuous chord progression over which John, Jerry, and Jan climb chord by chord to the top of their scales, but it's so beautiful: an étude we would all love to have recorded. (5/5)
Total Time 39:44
It took me a long time to really like the funk-oriented or screaming guitar work of early jazz fusion artist John McLaughlin. His sound, his speed and emotion awed me, but I never found myself really liking it--until the sound smoothed out in the collaboration with Carlos Santana, when Stanley and Al joined RTF, when Jean-Luc and Narada Michael Walden came to join the later incarnation of Mahavishnu Orchestra. Again, I attribute this phenomenon to my untrained ears--I was too young and inexperience to be able to take in all of the notes--"too many notes" the Emperor says in Amadeus. Well, as a thirteen and fourteen year old, I definitely had the mushy, malleable brain and sensibilities of Emperor Joseph II. "There are just so many notes that the human ear can tolerate in the course of one sitting" (paraphrased and adapted to this particular situation). Now as I listen to this music I am awed but at the same time I am enjoying the music, the collaborative, instinctual journeys each musician is prodded and provoked to explore due to their companions' virtuosic daring. At the same time, there are some songs on the album that are not up to the standards of quality sound recording that I've come accustomed to--especially with regards to the keyboards and guitar (or perhaps it's just over use of distortion). The highlights for me are not when the individual musicians are trading machine gun insults but when the whole band are working a melody/riff together. As Inner Mounting Flame announced the arrival of a new form of music, Birds of Fire showed resoundingly that this music was real, was not going away, while also perfecting it, thus making it a masterpiece of jazz fusion and one of its shining representatives to the world of progressive rock music.
93.61111 on the Fishscales = A/five stars; a shining masterpiece of Jazz-Rock Fusion--one that fully expresses the many variables and influences available to J-R Fuse artists. Not only a landmark album for the sub-genre but probably one of THE most influential albums of any genre on future music and musicians. For me this is definitely a Top 20 Jazz-Rock Fusion from the "Classic Era," however, it is not an album that earns a place in my list of "Top 20 Favorites."
Second Incarnation
MAHAVISHNU ORCHESTRA Apocalypse (1974)
After John McLaughlin's failed attempt to keep the original Mahavishnu Orchestra placated and nurtured, he went to Carlos Santana and found new inspiration. Add in a mix of musicians who couldn't wait to play with him--including the violinist he'd hoped to have for his first incarnation of the Mahavishnu Orchestra--and a new hope arises for a new version of his ground-breaking experiment in power jazz-rock. Add to the mix superstar producer George Martin, London's AIR Studios, and the London Symphony Orchestra with their rock-star leaders Michael Tilson Thomas and Michael Gibbs, and we have the makings of something very interesting--something even more progressive than their previous material.
Line-up / Musicians:
- John McLaughlin / guitars, vocal composer
- Gayle Moran / keyboards, vocals
- Jean-Luc Ponty / violins (electric & baritone electric)
- Ralphe Armstrong / bass, double bass, vocals
- Michael Walden / drums, percussion, vocals, clavinet (?)
With:
- London Symphony Orchestra
- Hugh Beau / orchestra leader
- Michael Tilson Thomas / piano (2), orchestra conductor
- Michael Gibbs / orchestration
- Marsha Westbrook / viola
- Carol Shive / violin, vocals
- Philip Hirschi / cello, vocals
1. "Power of Love" (4:13) descending piano chords are soon joined by horn/wind section of orchestra sounding very cinematic. Classical guitar joins in around the one-minute mark and then Jean-Luc Ponty's heavily-treated electric violin as the orchestral strings swirl around the individual soloists quite magnificently, repeating the same ascending melody line. Sounds like a dream come true: guitar, violin, and piano power trio with London Symphony Orchestra. Wow! So beautiful! I could/should loop this on an eternal repeat! (10/10)
2. "Vision Is a Naked Sword" (14:18) crescendoing cymbals precede an ominous bowed-bass intro over which dynamic drumming of Narada Michael Walden joins in. At the 1:25 mark the horn-led full orchestra joins in spouting out a continued ominous chord progression. It's furious and powerful, it's bold and beautiful. Then things settle down in the fourth minute for a bit while Jean-Luc begins his time up front, but the orchestra swells again before dropping off, leaving an open space that drummer Walden gladly fills. A whole-band primordial soup then ensues in which all of the individuals are arpeggio-riffing with no apparent coherent goal until the Orchestra jumps in and starts doing its own version of arpeggio riffing, trampling over the individual soloists for a bit. In the middle of the seventh minute the two sides (orchestra and individualists) seem to reach a balance as all members' inputs are being heard. The eighth minute unveils a surprising change of pace and motif as playful bass and very playful funky rhythm guitar establish the grounds for Michael and Jean-Luc to play over. It's one big happy playground! Since there is so little egocentric flash and flare here, this makes me think that this is quite possibly the best Mahavishnu composition I've ever heard. John's interesting muted "rhythm lead" guitar is given the front for the tenth and eleventh minutes before teaming up with Jean-Luc and Gayle to release a spray of bullets in tandem before the orchestra jumps in to take over. But then, at 12:50, the rock band takes over gelling in a cool weave of fertile soil over which the Orchestra rises to the front as the soloist! The finish is typical Mahavishnu flare but it's brief and conclusive. A surprisingly egalitarian composition! (28.5/30)
3. "Smile of the Beyond" (8:00) Gayle sings in her beautiful operatic voice with the accompaniment of the London Symphony Orchestra for the opening four minutes. It's quite lovely if a little protracted! Then, as if another song, the band launches into a very pop-sounding rock form built around the melody of Gayle's vocal (which is continued internittantly in the background by a Gayle Moran-led choir), guitar, drums, bass, and violin all firing at high speed. But then, in the seventh minute, the rock elements disappear whereupon Gayle and the LSO return as the sole musical elements to the finish. Interesting blend; I'm not sure it worked, overall. (13.125/15)
4. "Wings of Karma" (6:06) full orchestra (mostly strings) takes the first two-minutes before the Fender Rhodes-led chords introduce a moderately-paced song form, but then when everybody in the Mahavishnu Orchestra joins in it becomes a very odd almost-disharmonious mix of incongruous playing--almost as if every individual is flying off in their own directions with little guidance or adherence to the keyboard pace and melodies. The instrumentalists are all very impressive (especially, I have to say, the young drummer), but I'm not sure it all works--this despite the song's title. The band once again drops off in lieu of Michael Tilson Thomas closing out the song with an all-orchestra finish. Not my favorite. (8.75/10)
5. "Hymn to Him" (19:19) a pretty orchestral opening is blended (finally!) with the rock and electric instruments from the very beginning--which is the way it should be--with the rock quintet emerging with the song's dominant form only in the fourth and fifth minutes, finally establishing ascendency at 5:10. The way the orchestra has been interwoven up to this point in a give-and-take kind of way is absolute perfection--nothing short of amazing! The barrage of instrumental fireworks (from John and Michael, at first, with a little craziness from Ralphe Armstrong, then Jean-Luc in the eighth minute) that ensues is is nicely balanced by Gayle's patient Fender Rhodes chords and occasional LSO flares. In the seventh minute John produces an absolutely amazing rock guitar solo. At the eight-minute mark, however, there is a total changeover into what feels like an orchestra-less jazz-rock motif. This is nice, with Gayle's Fender Rhodes getting some lead time and John's eccentric electric wah-ed guitar strumming in support in their usual fascinating way. (The man is truly an unheralded genius at accenting rhythm guitar support.) Ralphe gets the next extended solo in the tenth and eleventh minutes--a solo that seems to just keep on going even when Jean-Luc takes over in the front-and-center position.
At times on this album it feels as if Jean-Luc is convinced that he needs to come from more of a blues-rock orientation. This is unfortunate because, in my opinion, he is much more noticeable and effective as a melodic rock soloist. Anyway, he does get some stunning firecrackers in--especially in opposition to John's machine gun Roman candle spray. And I love how the drums and bass pick up the pace in the fifteenth minute! But then the LSO jump back into the mix (to great effect) as the rest of the jazz-rockers try to keep their barrage flowing. It seems that only Michael Walden and Jean-Luc Ponty are willing to stay the course--until the 17-minute mark when the fleet reaches the calmer waters of the port bay--at which time they unleash some beautifully-ecstatic bursts of celebratory sounds as the orchestra slowly cradle them into port.
A brilliant if still not perfect composition. I really think the blend of the two orchestras here is not only some of the best I've ever heard between jazz or rock band and symphonic orchestra but incredibly inter-supportive with stunningly-beautiful melodies coming from multiple fronts. (37.75/40)
Total Time 51:56
I found it very comforting and reassuring that John did not feel the need to jump out of the blocks with bullets spraying--that the first song, "Power of Love" showed the kind of restraint and beauty that can only come with serene confidence; this just let me know that this time around using the Mahavishnu Orchestra moniker--this "incarnation"--he was feeling far less need to impress. But then, as the album plays on, I find myself tiring a bit of the LSO-Mahavhisnu-LSO format used by all of the songs. I know you have to get your money's worth of such an esteemed group as the LSO (and Michael Tilson Thomas), and I don not mean to belittle the orchestra arrangements and performances: they're amazing--but I really am surprised at the fact that the Mahavishnu Orchestra gets only about 50 percent of the album's 52 minutes. Also, as impressive as Michael Walden's skills are, he is, for my tastes, a little too cymbal-happy (not unlike my major complaint of Who drummer Keith Moon). Perhaps if the cymbals weren't mixed so high as to shade some of the band's other sounds it wouldn't be so annoying. And then there's the fact that John's acquisition of his "dream" partner in violinist Jean-Luc Ponty results is so little front time for the fiddle master. Too bad. At the same, I do call this my favorite Mahavishnu album. I really love the experimentalism of the next album, Visions of the Emerald Beyond--on which Jean-Luc has far more face time and Michael less temerity--and I've always felt a little "left out" or put off by the machine gun showmanship of the first two (three counting the live Eternity album). On Apocalypse, there's just something comforting about the cushioning that the LSO provides.
93.45 on the Fishscales = A/five stars; a true masterpiece of jazz-rock fusion and what I consider the Mahavishnu Orchestra's best album of finely-crafted fusion songs. For me this is definitely a Top 20 Jazz-Rock Fusion from the "Classic Era," but more, it is an album that also earns a place in my Top 10 "Favorites."
MAHAVISHNU ORCHESTRA Visions of the Emerald Beyond (1975)
An album in which all of John McLaughlin's recent influences can be felt: Jimi Hendrix, Carlos Santana, Shakti/Indian music, the Classical Impressionists, even the raw Larry Coryell sound. Released by Columbia Records in February of 1975, it was recorded in December of '74 at Electric Lady Studios under the guidance of co-production team of engineer Ken Scott and band leader John McLaughlin.
Line-up / Musicians:
- John McLaughlin / 6- & 12-string guitars, vocals
- Gayle Moran / keyboards, vocals
- Jean-Luc Ponty / violins (electric & baritone electric) (10 solo)
- Ralphe Armstrong / bass, double bass, vocals
- Michael Walden / drums, percussion, clavinet, vocals
With:
- Bob Knapp / flute, trumpet, flugelhorn, vocals
- Russell Tubbs / alto & soprano saxes
- Steven Kindler / 1st violin (5 solo)
- Carol Shive / 2nd violin, vocals
- Phillip Hirschi / cello
1. "Eternity's Breath Part 1" (3:10) taking a bit to get started, the band eventually establishes a Hendrix-like power motif over which some Indian scales are recited and repeated by the new soloists (Ponty and McLaughlin) and choral vocals perform. It's okay. Sounds a bit juvenile. (8.66667/10)
2. "Eternity's Breath Part 2" (4:48) more group chant vocals à la MAGMA over some complex but tightly performed group rock-jazz. McLaughlin takes the first solo--sounding very different from his "normal" self--more like Carlos Santana. He backs down into electric guitar power chords while Jean-Luc takes the next solo. Grand piano and strings and McLaughlin take the next motif before returning to the "love supreme" Hendrix group chant. Impressive play from everyone--nice composition. No wonder Jean-Luc took Ralphe Armstrong with him for his next three solo albums (Enigmatic Ocean, Cosmic Messenger, and A Taste for Passion). (9/10)
3. "Lila's Dance" (5:34) solo piano opens this one (and finishes it), leading into a nice little classical construct. At the end of the third minute the music takes a radical left into blues-rock in order for McLaughlin to take a wild Hendrix-like solo. Nice musicianship; I just don't really like the music. (8.875/10)
4. "Can't Stand Your Funk" (2:09) rhythm guitar, funk bass and drums, horns. Not much here, really; it's like an étude of a OHIO PLAYERS or early KOOL AND THE GANG song. (4.25/5)
5. "Pastoral" (3:41) birds introduce a piece that sounds Indian musicians taking on a Western classical composer (like Elgar or Delius)'s rendering of a traditional folk tune. Weird and, frankly, a little unexpected and out of place on a Mahavishnu Orchestra album. Yet well played! (9/10)
6. "Faith" (2:00) an unusual splicing of three different pieces, one that sounds like Larry CORYELL's abrasive guitar. (4.25/5)
7. "Cosmic Strut" (3:28) this one feels like a Jean-Luc Ponty composition: so funky and straightforward in the linear setup for a successive series of jazz solos. Confirmed by the presence of Jean-Luc himself in the "key" soloist's spot. I like the horn accents! And the clavinet and funk bass. Rudimentary for Jean-Luc, but it does all work. (9/10)
8. "If I Could See" (1:18) Gayle Moran's operatic voice over theatric strings, bass and horns. Like a big WHO rock opera kind of thing. Interesting. (4.5/5)
9. "Be Happy" (3:31) Bled into from the previous song (!!) we are off to the Jean-Luc Ponty races à la his great piece, "Egocentric Molecules," from Cosmic Messenger. The presence of John McLaughlin's pyroclastic guitar bolts makes it a bit different, though. Again, Jean-Luc takes the prime soloist's spot but he's challenged to a duel there by the Mahavishnu himself. It's pretty epic and awesome seeing these two go toe to toe. (I'm sure they both LOVED it!) Jean-Luc's song is simply the perfect vehicle for this. (9.5/10)
10. "Earth Ship" (3:42) a contrastingly gentle recovery song: very smooth and ambient with Fender Rhodes, gently walking bass, and soaring distant violin and flutes within which what sounds like Narada's voice singing as well as some bluesy McLaughlin guitar snippets. Nice! (9.25/10)
11. "Pegasus" (1:48) like instruments in a void: first fiery electric guitar strums followed by wafting violin swaths, ending with more of the percussive-like heavily-effected guitar strums. I find this one very interesting--worth further exploration. (4.75/5)
12. "Opus 1" (0:15) a quickly passing falcon is barely seen as it soars past.
13. "On the Way Home to Earth" (4:34) Narada Michael Walden puts together his best, most Lenny White-like drumming while John explores the sounds of his heavily-distorted guitar. A short break in the middle and then Michael is up and drumming again, this time with John's less-adulterated exploration of the upper-most frets of his electric guitar. It's very Hergest Ridge-like when the organ chords sneak up from underneath. I actually really like this one too despite it feeling, again, like an underdeveloped étude. (9.25/10)
Total Time 39:58
I couldn't agree with Ivan Melgar more: I always felt more engaged and satisfied by the second incarnation of the Mahavishnu Orchestra. The flash of the first incarnation never drew me back for reasons of pleasure, more for reasons of amazement and awe. And now, forty years later, I find Inner Mounting Flame and Birds of Fire hardly listenable, while Visions and Apocalypse have a warmth and friendliness that invite me in and keep me wanting to come back. Understand: Goodman, Cobham, Laird and Hammer are amazing and impressive instrumentalists but it was like they were all just waiting for their turn to flash--to solo--not really making music or songs; the second incarnation the MO seem more cohesive, playing memorable music, cohesive, repeatable songs. The first incarnation are jaw dropping amazing; the second incarnation produced music I want to listen to.
90.29 on the Fishscales = A-/4.5 stars; a very minor masterpiece of experimental jazz-rock fusion.
The Dead Cat:
John McLaughlin is trying it one more time. They just toured. They've got a ton of new equipment. So, why not?
- John McLaughlin / electric, acoustic (3) & synth (1,4-6,9,10) guitars, E-Mu synth (10), backing vocals
- Stu Goldberg / organ, piano, clavinet (8), synths (MiniMoog, Synthacon, String), backing vocals
- Ralphe Armstrong / bass, double bass (7), lead vocals (8)
- Michael Walden / drums, percussion (congas, bass marimba, timpani, shaker, bells, gong), piano (3,7), organ (5), lead (3,4,7) & backing vocals
1. "All in the Family" (6:01)
2. "Miles Out" (6:44)
3. "In My Life" (3:22)
4. "Gita" (4:28)
5. "Morning Calls" (1:23)
6. "The Way of the Pilgrim" (5:15)
7. "River of My Heart" (3:41)
8. "Planetary Citizen" (2:14)
9. "Lotus Feet" (4:24)
10. "Inner Worlds Pts. 1 & 2" (6:33)
Total Time: 44:05
Much of the music here sounds far more like the easy listening soul/R&B that would become Narada Michael Walden's signature over the next decade (or more); the rest sounds more like what has become the bastardization of Jazz-Rock Fusion's Third Wave: great, enthusiastic musicianship that is trying to breathe life into an already-tired and self- repeating field of formulaic replicant songs while at the same time experimenting with the music industry's overwhelming deluge of new equipment.
Between November 3, 1971 (when The Inner Mounting Flame was unleashed upon a sleeping, unprepared world) and the megaton release of Return to Forever's 1976 masterpiece Romantic Warrior), Jazz-Rock Fusion had peaked. The rest is just downhill momentum (and the inevitable stumble, fall, and crash toward the bottom). While this album was technically released in January of 1976, recorded long before RTF's crowning achievement, it shows John (and newcomer keyboard player Stu Goldberg) exploring the very latest of technological inventions: here synth guitars as well as many special effects combinations he had not yet explored, so, yes, he was still cutting edge envelope-pushing; it's just that he was pushing the envelope in a direction that really ruffled feathers--the feathers of not only his listening audience (has the human ear/brain ever been ready for the information that the electronic, computer, and digital eras have dumped onto us?) but the jazz and jazz-fusion crowd in particular. He would have been safer had he gone full-Santana with an all Latin Jazz-Rock album like the album opener, "All in the Family," or all Smooth Jazz like "Gita," or total Yacht Rock (like "In My Life" and "The Way of the Pilgrim") than the robot funk of "Miles Out" and "Inner Worlds Part 1" or the Scottish Jon Anderson interlude of "Morning Calls" or "Lotus Feet." In my opinion, the only song on this album worthy of carrying the "Mahavishnu" name is the album's opener; the rest are too Narada Michael Waldenized. (Don't get me wrong: I don't dislike Narada's music; I just have to be in the mood for it.)
Three stars; good but not essential--and by no means full-on Jazz-Rock Fusion.
The Mutant Offspring:
MAHAVISHNU Mahavishnu (1984)
What? Is this the Orchestra or just the dude? Many are of the opinion that John is trying here to revive fallen record sales by teasing the consumer into believing that he is resurrecting the the dead. So, is this the Truth? The Second Coming? or just a media ploy.
Line-up / Musicians:
- John McLaughlin / electric & synth (Synclavier II) guitars, arranger & producer
- Mitchell Forman / piano (5), Fender Rhodes, Yamaha DX7
- Bill Evans / flute, tenor & soprano saxes
- Jonas Hellborg / bass, fretless bass
- Billy Cobham / percussion, drums
With:
- Katia Labeque / piano, Synclavier II & Yamaha DX7 (9)
- Zakir Hussain / tabla (9)
- Hari Prasad Chaurasia / flute (9)
- Danny Gottlieb / percussion
1. "Radio-Activity" (6:53)
2. "Nostalgia" (5:57)
3. "Nightriders" (3:49)
4. "East Side, West Side" (4:49)
5. "Clarendon Hills" (6:05)
6. "Jazz" (1:45)
7. "The Unbeliever" (2:49)
8. "Pacific Express" (6:32)
9. "When Blue Turns Gold" (3:22)
Total Time: 42:01
2. "Nostalgia" (5:57)
3. "Nightriders" (3:49)
4. "East Side, West Side" (4:49)
5. "Clarendon Hills" (6:05)
6. "Jazz" (1:45)
7. "The Unbeliever" (2:49)
8. "Pacific Express" (6:32)
9. "When Blue Turns Gold" (3:22)
Total Time: 42:01
The music here is sadly quite immersed (and processed) through the jungle of new technological gimicks that the digital computer age has dumped on the unsuspecting consumer world--the latest glam and sparkle. The compositions are all pretty lame, the performances half-enthused (feeling as if the musicians are struggling a lot with grasping how best to used their new sounds and technologies). Write this one off as a preseason game: the band's next album Adventures in Radioland is the one you want if you want great compositions, Mahavishnu-standard musicianship (and performances) and the best that 1980s jazz had to offer.
Two stars; for collectors only.
JOHN McLAUGHLIN and MAHAVISHNU Adventures in Radioland (1986)
Is this John's ego or pocketbook speaking? I mean, does he think tricking the consumer into believing that he is reviving the Mahavhishnu Orchestra come from his financial instability, record company pressures, or real belief that he is offering something as game-changing as he did with The Inner Mounting Flame, Birds of Fire, and Apocalypse?
- John McLaughlin / electric & synth (Synclavier II) guitars, producer
- Mitchel Forman / keyboards
- Bill Evans / saxophones, keyboards (4)
- Jonas Hellborg / Wal double-neck bass
- Danny Gottlieb (Pat Metheny Group) / drums, cymbals, Simmons SDS7 electronic drums, Sycologic PSP drum interface
With:
- Abraham Wechter / acoustic guitar
- Max Costa / drum & computer programming
1. "The Wait" (5:35) (8.75/10)
2. "Just Ideas" (2:00) synth wash-supported duet between Bill Evans' soprano sax and John's Synclavier II's synth sound (MIDI'ed) that serves as a kind of intro for the next song. (4.5/5)
3. "Jozy (For Joe Zawinul)" (5:25) a masterful song that sees the demonstration of Jonas Hellborg's Jaco-like virtuosic skill (and command of the latest technologies). Too bad for the keyboard schlock and standard Kenny G soprano sax. (8.875/10)
4. "Half Man, Half Cookie" (2:56) is Trevor Horn in the house? Or Bill Bruford's Earthworks? or Jay Beckenstein's Spyro Gyra? Despite all this, it is an interesting display and use of the latest/current technologies and sounds. (8.875/10)
5. "Florianapolis" (5:21) what? Jazz-World Music Fusion with acoustic instruments?!! Special EFX, Strunz & Farah, and Shadowfax would be proud (and jealous)! In the context of music like this, even a saxophone becomes tolerable. (8.875/10)
6. "Gotta Dance" (4:18) more World Music of the Govi, Ottmar Leibert, and Special EFX (and Earthworks) type that turns at 1:40 into something more akin to something Bill Lazwell- or Trevor Horn-might have produced. Interesting and entertaining if a bit mystifying. (9/10)
7. "That Wall Will Fall" (6:00) despite the obnoxious over-use of the keyboard orchestra- and horn-hits, there is some true magic here in the interplay between John's fiery electric guitar play and Danny Gottlieb's impressive drum play. This song definitely makes me better understand how John's performances are elevated and inspired to the highest heights through interaction with drums, a drummer, or virtuoso percussionist (like Zakir Hussain). (9/10)
8. "Reincarnation" (2:57) one of John's gentle introspective gems. Nice conversational interplay between Jonas Hellborg's dreamy fretless bass, Mitchel Forman's synths, Bill Evans' quiet sax, and John's Synclavier-filtered sounds. (8.875/10)
9. "Mitch Match" (3:58) John, Mitch and the gang trying to go back to the late 70s when uptempo, sophisticated jazz was starting to incorporate world music sounds and instruments in one of its tangential offshoots of stylistic exploration (much of which would eventually succumb to pressures to become radio-and adult-friendly Smooth Jazz). (8.75/10)
10. "20th Century Ltd" (2:31) an acoustic guitar (!) duet with uncelebrated nobody Abraham Wechter. (8.75/10)
Total Time: 40:56
8. "Reincarnation" (2:57) one of John's gentle introspective gems. Nice conversational interplay between Jonas Hellborg's dreamy fretless bass, Mitchel Forman's synths, Bill Evans' quiet sax, and John's Synclavier-filtered sounds. (8.875/10)
9. "Mitch Match" (3:58) John, Mitch and the gang trying to go back to the late 70s when uptempo, sophisticated jazz was starting to incorporate world music sounds and instruments in one of its tangential offshoots of stylistic exploration (much of which would eventually succumb to pressures to become radio-and adult-friendly Smooth Jazz). (8.75/10)
10. "20th Century Ltd" (2:31) an acoustic guitar (!) duet with uncelebrated nobody Abraham Wechter. (8.75/10)
Total Time: 40:56
Gone are the days of mountain-top launched songs of fire and brimstone; here are the controlled amd sometimes mellow and/or simple soundscapes and products of the New Age computer-generated techno-robots. Yes, the boys can play, but how much of it is "real" and how much digitally manipulated? (Yes: even the saxophone.) For me the highlight of John's two 1980s "Mahavishnu" albums is the discovery of Swedish bass phenom, Johans Hellborg: on this album Jonas shows just how far he's come (and very quickly, too, I might add); the downside is the presence of saxophone and over-technologized keyboards and other "sounds." I find Danny Gottlieb's work here far more interestimg (despite the digital and computer enhancements) than anything he ever did with Pat Metheny.
I do not begrudge any artist the opportunity and choice to experiment, change, and grow--and the music here is actually not bad, even if it is a little over-technologized. Most of the songs on this album bears little or no resemblance to anything the Orchestra did in the 1970s; if anything there is more in common here with Bill Bruford's new project, Earthworks, as well as World Music projects like Special EFX, Strunz & Farah and Acoustic Alchemy, but also Shadowfax, Jeff Lorber, Fourplay, The Rippingtons, Pat Metheny, Allan Holdsworth, and even some of the 1980s work of Al Di Meola and Chick Corea. All in all it's nice music, sometimes a little too saccharine (or would aspartame be the more current and, therefore, appropriate sweetener in 1986?) for my tastes.
88.68 on the Fishscales = B/four stars; an excellent collection of complex, sophisticated compositions played by virtuosos, top to bottom, using state-of-the-art technology for that time.
My Ranking Order of the Mahavishnu records:
1. Apocalypse (1974)
2. Birds of Fire (1973)
3. Between Nothingness & Eternity (1973)
4. The Inner Mounting Flame (1971)
5. Visions of the Emerald Beyond (1975)
6. Adventures in Radioland (1986)
7. Inner Worlds (1976)
8. Mahavishnu (1984)
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