RETURN TO THE EMERALD BEYOND

I've had this album for years, an album that was put far, far away after the first listen. Recently I dug it up again and came to the same conclusion as for the first time. It leaves me frustrated, irritated.

Right off, the first track "Eternity's Breath" fails to capture the essence of one of Mahavishnu's greatest, most dynamic and bordering on delightfully bombastic tracks. I shake my head in utter disbelief. It can't be true! And that's before I get to the absolutely horrible, lean and weak vocal part. Haven't they heard of ear candling, or even just cotton buds over there?

Suitably put off, I persevere with the rest of the album, bit by bit, over the course of the day.

In all fairness, there are moments when brilliant musicianship is evident. Sadly, it's often compromised by dissecting the original compositions, leaving out essential parts, supplemented by long and often boring extended passages that are a waste of time, really.

Now, had I not been familiar with Mahavishnu before, this band may be on my radar for future releases and would receive a higher rating and accolades. But as things are, they don't really do justice to the original compositions and I just can't bring myself to rate them above 3.5. Great talents, wasted effort.

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