BIRDS OF FIRE

Birds of Fire is the Mahavishnu Orchestra's second outing after the ambitious and explosive debut, The Inner Mounting Flame. The classic lineup of McLaughlin, Goodman, Cobham, Hammer, and Laird is back with more fiery fusion and light-speed soloing. Members of the band have claimed, and rightly so in my opinion, that the MO was the first speed metal band. To me, the Mahavishnu Orchestra is what Dream Theater might sound like if the members functioned as a team. Birds of Fire is rightfully labelled the greatest fusion album of all time because it loses little to none of the ferocity of the debut, but it introduces new subtlety more prominent in jazz. You can switch to this album after hearing Coltrane and it fits; likewise, you can listen to it after Yngwie Malmsteen and it won't drop a beat. McLaughlin is the master of the 12 string guitar; most would say Jimmy Page is but anyone in the know credits McLaughlin's fiery solos over Jimmy's almost as inspiring riffing. Birds of Fire would prove to be the last studio album the classic lineup released for two decades. In the 90s, the masters of tracks the lineup was working on were found and the excellent Lost Trident Sessions arrived for a blast of fusion. This album is the pinnacle of fusion and one of, if not the greatest, rock instrumental albums of all time.

Grade: A