VISIONS OF THE EMERALD BEYOND

After the first incarnation of the MAHAVISHNU ORCHESTRA collapsed from the ego clashes and shock of sudden stardom, bandleader John McLaughlin wasted no time gathering a new batch of seasoned musicians to take the project into the next phase which borrowed some aspects of the power team of Jan Hammer, Billy Cobham, Rick Laird and Jerry Goodman but offered a more varied expansion to the already decorative fusion palette presented on the stunning classics "In The Mounting Flame" and "Birds Of Fire." The result was an equally ambitious followup titled "Apocalypse" which took on the grandiose additions of The London Symphony Orchestra embellishing the already jaw dropping jazz-rock-fusion techniques. Despite the possibility of a bloated disaster unfolding, McLaughlin despite his egotistic power control was possibly one of the top dogs in the highbrow world of progressive rock and jazz.

While this second rendition of the MAHAVISHNUs that featured Gayle Moran (keyboard, vocals), Jean-Luc Ponty (violins), Ralphe Armstrong (bass) and Michael Walden (drums) would last about as long as the first lineup, this particular congregation of artists continued the style heard on "Apocalypse" and jettisoned the orchestral elements. The result was the album VISIONS OF THE EMERALD BEYOND which focused more on a band effort which featured thirteen shorter tracks, none of which passed the six minute mark and for the first time the addition of a horn section from the help of guest musicians Bob Knapp on flute, trumpet and flugelhorn with Russell Tubbs on alto and soprano saxophones. If that wasn't enough, there were also two extra violinists, Steven Kindler and Carol Shive, the latter of which also contributed vocals in the mostly instrumental terrain that just missed the 40 minute mark. Add a bit of cello from Phillip Hirschi and VISIONS OF THE EMERALD BEYOND showcased yet another bizarrely unique mix of musical genres.

While the first three MAHAVISHNU ORCHESTRA albums were all about extremes whether they resulted in the fiery energetic frenzies of the first two albums or the more cerebral surreality of the orchestral followup, VISIONS OF THE EMERALD BEYOND comes off as much more of a crossover album which doesn't shy away from the crafty complexities that drift from tender blissful submission to the blitzkrieg soloing attacks of the guitar, keyboard and violin tradeoffs but rather has many more mainstream rock moments that feature McLaughlin practicing standard rock chords and straight forward funk. The compositions are more streamlined by tamping down the jazz aspects and turning up the heat on the funk and rock. While the rhythmic cadences may be less complex overall, the soloing and tapestry of styles is still on full MAHAVISHNU mode. The large cast of musicians on board are parceled out in such a way that nobody ever treads upon the others turf leaving a nice well-balanced album that easily sets itself apart from what came before.

In many ways this album comes off as a mid-70s Herbie Hancock album especially on tracks like "Cosmic Strut" which easily could've been slipped onto his "Headhunters" album with a cameo violinist adding the zesty extra touches. Despite the diminished jazz influences, this is by all means a jazz-fusion album that unleashes its full power enough times to remind you that these musicians are at the top of their game however the times when Carol Shive offers her operatic vocal talents the mood of the album veers more towards something Magma would've been cranking out around the same timeline. It never takes long to forget that this is the MAHAVISHNU ORCHESTRA though when John McLaughlin unleashes his magic guitar atonality in conjunct with the dazzling violin solos and bombastic bass funk runs. While this spastic episodes are no match for the earlier lineup's superiority, they nevertheless cast the proper spell leaving a satisfying alternative take on the MAHAVISHNU's classic tricks.

Like "Apocalypse," VISIONS OF THE EMERALD BEYOND is no match for the powerhouse debut albums of the first lineup but once divorced from such comparisons more than stands up on its own and even offers a much more dynamic procession of varying styles that the first two albums lacked. For those who found "Apocalypse" to be woefully inconsistent with its on-again, off-again devotion to jazz-rock, this one delivers the goods fully and with tracks succinct and to the point offers a nice rotisserie of compositional styles that some of the longer tracks of yore just didn't have. This phase of the MAHAVISHNU ORCHESTRA was not one that i took to easily as i was a hardcore devotee to the first lineup but after revisiting these albums several years later with a much more open mind i have come to realize that despite not living up to the first two masterpieces, the two albums from this lineup are indeed excellent albums in their own right and there are even some hints as to where McLaughlin would head with his Shakti projects. While McLaughlin may have been known as an egomaniac and hard to work with, he indeed has what it took to bring out the best in his disciples in the studio and albums like VISIONS OF THE EMERALD BEYOND prove that without a doubt.