MAHAVISHNU ORCHESTRA

1. Power of Love for the slow solemn rise, the London Symphony Orchestra being a big part of it, you'd think you were at the Salle Playel on contemporary classical music; a languorous title in the Vangélisian style with drums and trumpets 2. Vision Is a Naked Sword, serious psychedelic mode worthy of a PINK FLOYD in heat, or in turmoil; intimate crescendo that makes time go away and forget; contemplative taken by the classical orchestration; halfway through and the MO takes over the reins with Jean-Luc, Gayle and John shooting like no one else, or three, in a sharp, energetic jazz rock drift; a beautiful exercise in style that is worth the notes delivered per kilo! 3. Smile of the Beyond for the suave melody with Carol on vocals; a bucolic moment worthy of an unfinished symphony, a ray of sunshine at the musical dawn; here again the mid-course allows the rock instruments to explode with the twirling guitar; it's very nervous before the return to the final classical orchestration

4. Wings of Karma we got up, we put on the B-side and the typical classical intro; we sit down and wait for the typical explosion of the MO, here with especially Jean-Luc who is doing his thing; in short, soft, twirling and an orgasmic piece if you like this fusion of two opposing styles that everything finally connects 5. Hymn to Him for the melting pot highlighting the spearheads of the group; at a time when a certain DREAM THEATER is criticized for its mastery, I note that John, Gayle, Jean-Luc and Michael go there with their instrument separately and together, offering a good summary of what jazz fusion can mean, this for the purists; let's note the flight of violins at 13 minutes which sets even more fire on this major piece, but also monolithic, made of successions of mini drawers more put to the end than anything else; the solemn divine finale and an album which shows an unparalleled fusion for those who like me cannot stand the aggressiveness of string instruments irritating to the ear.

John McLaughlin is trying it one more time. They just toured. They've got a ton of new equipment. So, why not?

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.

What? Billy Cobham is back? 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.

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); none of the band members feel really comfortable with the music or sounds that they're playing. 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 perhaps the very best that 1980s jazz had to offer.

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?

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. John still knows how to pick excellent (and often new, upcoming, and/or unheard of) talent.

When "Visions Of The Emerald Beyond" by the American jazz/fusion band Mahavishnu Orchestra was released in February 1975, I wasn´t on board right away. I hopped on by John Mclaughlin and associates 5 years later when a friend of mine gave me the album. To my experience the LP is a gift from heaven; at that time there isn´t much going on in the world of sympho-rock. With "Visions Of The Emerald Beyond" a door has opened for me to the interesting subgenre of progressive jazz rock and since then my piggy bank has often been upside down.

"Visions Of The Emerald Beyond" is the forth studioalbum of the band, after two studio LPs in a different line-up and then "Apocalypse" that was recorded with a symphony orchestra. Together with its predecessor this album gives the band a recognizable face of the second line-up.

The songs of the album have a large injection of funk and although I am no advocate of this genre, I find it totally in place, especially with those horns. Obviously Mclaughlin has gathered some great musicians around him. The whole album has great drums by Michael Walden. The way he starts the first part of Eternity's Breath is so very overwhelming which gives him credits for the rest of the album. This mega-drumbreak is followed by some delicious funky guitar, driven singing by Gayle Moran with an almost frightening effect and a marvelous violin-virtuosity by maestro Jean-Luc Ponty.

In the second part of Eternity's Breath, in addition to the infectious Fender Rhodes by Moran, we hear a lot of magnificent guitar playing by McLaughlin. This two-part song asks for so much more and that's what you get. In particular, the six tracks on side A keep you constantly glued to the boxes. Lila's Dance opens with sparkling piano and then there is a rippling piece of guitar with nice drums. The song dives into a tasty get-together between the pleading guitar of John Mclaughlin and the groovy bass playing of Ralphe Armstrong. When the whole band joins in, Mclaughlin and Ponty get into duel, what a spectacle. The song ends as it began, rippling and sparkling. Another pearl is Can't Stand Your Funk. That the title gives it all away is not an issue at all, I can quickly move on to the next songs. Pastoral is a beautiful number full of strings and although there are only three players besides Ponty, it is bursting with joy. The A side closes with the fragmentary Faith which is a harbinger of things to come.

The seven songs of side B form one unity, based on the many spacey song titles and the fact that the tracks are attached to each other. The result is a colorful and psychedelic epic with whimsical moments in Cosmic Strut and the busy Be Happy with contrasting passages of falsetto vocals and flute. Despite their differences, both sides form a strong cohesive album. The strength of the album for me is clearly in the six songs of the A side. If you like jazz rock that swings like a horse and carriage on a bumpy road and you are not averse to a game of sizzling violin, then "Visions Of The Emerald Beyond" is definitely something for you.

Originally posted on www.progenrock.com

As a big fusion fan with the Mahavishnu Orchestra being my favourite band of all time with RTF & Weather Report just behind. I'm just going to go ahead and say that believe it or not this is my favourite MO album. Although it lacks the blazing fire & the perfection of the previous albums, especially the inner mounting flame. This showcases some beautiful music by this expanded lineup of the band. Firstly, this album is one of the most underrated albums you will ever hear with an incredible orchestra joined with a band. The album start off strong with the sublime Power Of Love which is probably the most perfect piece of music ever written. We then have Vision Is A Naked Sword which is my favourite song off this album, which has one of the greatest introductions from Narada Michael Walden. It goes between the orchestra to the band and then drops into a funky groove throughout the rest of the tune. Say what you want about Smile Of The Beyond. Personally, I think that the producer George Martin does capture something incredible interplay from John & Jean Luc Ponty. Wings Of Karma is so damn funky. Hymn To Hymn is epic, proggy & the highlight off this album. I think that this is the heaviest & where the ideas are best developed and the best executed & where the compositions have been the greatest developed by this amazing band. Overall, this is an overlooked masterpiece that really deserves more attention as when you listen to this album, it contains some of the greatest moments from John McLaughlin & also Narada Michael Walden who I would argue is just as incredible as Billy Cobham. If you're expecting blistering & brutal music like the first incarnation, this isn't for you. This is my favourite album of all time. I could easily fill up all of the Mahavishnu Orchestras albums onto the list of my top 10 favourites. The greatest fusion & progressive rock album in my opinion.

The English guitarist John McLaughin (1942) was a young prodigy who formed instrumental groups capable of blending free jazz, progressive-rock, psychedelia, raga, post-bop melodies. His guitar had an original sound thanks to electric pickups and thick strings. After collaborating with Miles Davis, and having already released three albums, in 1971 McLaughlin formed the Mahavishnu Orchestra, an electric fusion group. Joining him were violinist Jerry Goodman, pianist Jan Hammer, bassist Rick Laird and drummer Billy Cobham.

With this group McLaughin gave his best from 1971 to 1973, the years of the heyday of the prog.

Birds of Fire, year 1971, is perhaps his masterpiece-of him and of the band, made up of excellent instrumentalists.

1. Birds Of Fire (5:41) it's an electric bluesy track with a very aggressive Hendrix-style guitar that keeps the listener attached to the headphones. Besides him, Goodman's violin stands out, which actually outlines the melody (while the guitar plays solos and the drums overflow). Great track. Rating 8+.

2. Miles Beyond (Miles Davis) (4:39) It is a more varied piece, closer to prog where an acoustic guitar plucked in the most relaxed moments alternates with a more bluesy electric guitar. The melody is made up of keyboards and violin. Every so often the guitar alternates in tracing the melody. Rating 8.

3. Celestial Terrestrial Commuters (2:53) Hard-blues a la Hendrix short piece, with overwhelming drums and guitar. Rating 7.5.

4. Sapphire Bullets Of Pure Love (0:22) ;5. Thousand Island Park (3:19) After a short atmospheric intro comes 5), a classical piece with acoustic guitar, chamber music. McLaughin wants to show off his virtuosity. Rating 7.5.

6. Hope (1:55) Guided by the violin, it always repeats the same theme. Rating 7.

These four short, heterogeneous and impromptu pieces have undermined the homogeneity of the first ones and brought down the quality of the music.

7. One Word (9:54) It is the most ambitious track on the album, 10 minutes of jam and fusion, with jazz touches (Rick Laird's bass in evidence) and then an explosion of hard-blues with almost wah wah touches (Hendrix is ​​around the corner) which reaches an excellent climax. This is followed by a pedantic drum solo that unfortunately lasts a long time, partly ruining this bluesy jam that ends with a crescendo. Rating 8,5.

8. Sanctuary (5:01) Slow, meditative, vaguely raga instrumental piece, guided by the guitar, nice atmosphere but ... I don't see a nice melody. Rating 6,5/7.

9. Open Country Joy (3:52) Instrumental piece that starts slowly but has a bluesy explosion after a minute. McLaughin's lead guitar is heard on three channels simultaneously, the three melodic lines alternating in the texture of the music. The violin gives a folk touch to this beautiful bluesy jam, which unfortunately suddenly ends. Rating 7.5

10. Resolution (2:08) Very percussive short piece thanks to Goodman's violin, good tension but the piece remains a fragment. Rating 6,5

Total Time: 39:48

I don't see in this record a prog masterpiece, I see an heterogeneous good blues album, a jam fusion where a great guitarist stands out who, thanks above all to Goodman's violin, managed to fuse blues with folk. It is great in the firsts two pieces and in the Jam of One World, mediocre in the other parts.

Rating 8. Three an a half Stars.

I need not go into the extended history of how the original tapes were misplaced, forgotten, and now unearthed for this long overdue CD release. What seemed to happen was simply a busy band with internal struggles made a session tape and opted to release a live version instead. Some songs never made it to that live release. Now we have more songs, better sound quality, and a glimpse into a band's past -- nearly 26 years after the fact.

I must forewarn readers that I am a devoted jazz rock fusion fan and an avid proponent for a rebirth and revitalization of the genre. The Mahavishnu Orchestra's music is 98% responsible for my adoration of such a maligned and misunderstood sub-genre of music. Hearing John McLaughlin's guitar volcanics and his leading others in his band to heights of unparalleled improvisation forever changed how I approached my own guitar playing and just plain rewired my neural net beyond recovery. Herein follows some bias.

Between Nothingness & Eternity had its many wonderful moments but I always felt the live recording left much to be desired in many places throughout the concert. Quiet moments were lost in noise and crowd buzz. Loud attacks and dynamic change-ups in the band's supersonic delivery seemed over-saturated and of course instrument separation was deplorably nigh unto music mush. Only at certain times when the sound/recording engineer(s) seemed to know what was going on and get the dials and knobs right did things seem acceptable. Only one magical moment is superior on BN&E's live recording. And that is John McLaughlin's super-nova, lead break on Hammer's "Sister Andrea". Lost Trident Sessions' version of this song has a much, much better synth solo by Hammer even though McLaughlin's LTS lead is less appealing. Overall, I find LTS far superior to BN&E.

As a bonus on this release is bassist Rick Laird's eerie "Stepping Tones" progression and violinist Jerry Goodman's mournful "I Wonder". McLaughlin seems to obligingly riff, patiently pentatonic on "I Wonder", and does almost invisible backing guitar structures on "Stepping Tones" whereas when these two songs made it to the Nemperor label's Like Children release featuring Jan Hammer and Jerry Goodman, Goodman subsequently handled all guitars too and pulled off nearly an exact copy of all McLaughlin's lackluster LTS guitar efforts. It is seems evident his heart wasn't into Laird or Goodman's pieces or perhaps he had been "written out" of the songs' limelight moments. I can't say for sure.

Lastly we gain a listen to the never-heard-before, 5:53 "John's Song". It is a sombre, ominously mutating, fusion excursion. Wandering initially in a free form fusion intro, it builds into a jazz rockin' explosion of Billy Cobham's drums, Hammer's synth textures and manic unison leads with McLaughlin blasting the outskirts of infinity. To top off the climax of this song Jerry Goodman erupts in some of the finer fusion fiddling I have ever heard. It reminded of a mini-version of "One Word" from Birds of Fire. Great cut!

If this song and the rest of The Lost Trident Sessions indicates where The Mahavishnu Orchestra was possibly heading in their long-past future musical growth -- then indeed it is a tragic thing that the individual band members could no longer function together as friends or associates. Who can say what other majesties they held in store? All such things now passed -- we can but all the more deeply cherish this rare glimpse into the final days of The Mahavishnu Orchestra. Cool liner notes and pictures included, this release is strongly recommended. Throw out that "bootleg" tape!

Your first question is obvious. Is this 1998 remastered re-release worth grabbing to replace that other CD of this you already own? Yes.The difference is immediately obvious in this superior reissue. There is new warmth, clarity without that cold digital thinness, and an almost LP aura present. When checking recording output levels against my older CD track by track the difference was obvious. My old CD registered -7 compared to +4 for the re-release. Remixing brings out the drums noticeably. That washed-out, bland slurry of sound is gone! For once you hear the infinite mastery of each artist crisply, with good separation, and punch. Some source tape hiss still remains especially on "Dawn". No biggee. Consider the extensive liner notes and groovy historical photos included as a nice bonus.

This has got to be one of, if not the most influential albums ever released. Jazz rock fusion successfully exploded onto the scene in 1971 with this singular vision of guitar legend John McLaughlin. McLaughlin collected the arsenal of Jerry Goodman on violin, Jan Hammer on keys, Rick Laird on bass, and Billy Cobham on drums.The musicianship, the spirit, the conversational soloing, the unique compositions, the intensity, and the overall effect this release holds is far too superb for this reviewer to dare confine in mere words. Whether it's "The Dance of Maya" or "You Know, You Know", to this day you hear echoes of The Inner Mounting Flame. Consider this. I sat many of my other albums aside to forever collect dust when I discovered The Mahavishnu Orchestra and I remain a jazz rock fusionist to this day.

First off, I shall quote my earliest, "first impressions", upon receiving this remastered re- release, as a special pre-release demo copy,

"WOW!, WOW! and WOW! Superb redo of this classic! This sounds as good as I had hoped it would. Grab it as soon as it is ready for release. Levels are way up, great separation of each instrument, no more muddy mix in the "squashed mid-range glut". This sucker kicks! Mean rich, full bass, up-front drums, violin presence good, keys great, and guitar tracks perfectly awesome!! I was absolutely enthralled to hear Cobham so "right" and "immediately huge" on "One Word". My head popped during the fiery unison outro! Get yer money ready fusionheads -- this be a goody!!"

And have I changed my mind after several months more of listening to an actual official release version? Of course not. This album's original LP release forever changed me - my listening tastes?, my guitar playing?, my views on jazz?, my rock-n-roll addiction? - oh baby, much more than those mere mortal items, Birds of Fire made me view life in a new way. Why? How? It's a simple answer really. John McLaughlin's music went beyond mere music, beyond jazz, beyond rock - it housed a soul, it reached into spirit and the visions within all became new. Sure enough, McLaughlin knew jazz, rock, Eastern Indian music, and melded it all into a powerhouse of jams that blew most everyone away in the jazz and rock worlds. But The Mahavishnu Orchestra forged more than music - they delivered a religious experience. Things McLaughlin needed to say, were expressed through sound, words were spoken beyond hearing, echoes of a vital transformation filled each composition. Birds of Fire was one of my first experiences in hearing the "fire of the soul" coming through the medium of music. Of course I heard it in other music, here and there, in brief swooning movements but this album was non-stop explosions of energies that came from deep within all that the soul of man could experience. I heard bliss, frustration, anger, anticipation, elation, fury, ecstasy, euphoria, sorrow, joy, power, imagination, dreams, hope, stress, release, passion, and so much more. It's all there - and if you cannot feel it when you listen - you have missed the rawest power of The Mahavishnu Orchestra and you're therefore yet to really "feel the tingle" up your spine, the strange rush of winds down the "halls of your soul".

Now back down to earth, back from my epiphany . . . In comparing the old BOF CD to new CD the volume levels are up a "+3" on my Denon 3-Head's dB monitor level read-outs, noise is down a great deal, overall tones are warm, highs crisp, low-end okay and yeah, you get a ton of CD liner notes and pix, (heavy card stock vs. glossy 'zine feel).