THE INNER MOUNTING FLAME

Mahavishnu Orchestra has a special place among fusion bands since mainly due to their sound by raw guitar, very dynamic drums and sound of violin. There are more accessible and friendly to rock fans than other TOP 2 bands -> Return to Forever and Weather Report. This album together with "Birds of Fire" is the undeniable treasure of Fusion music and set pace for many bands and things to come. It is a testimony of talent, raweness, youth energy combined with jazzy sophistication and lust to experiment.

The legendary first chord and coming violin before the outburst of guitar soloing is fantastic. You can hear that guitar is sometimes even far from typical jazzy and is fuzzed or quite rocking. Drums with substantial bass drum add to the dynamism. The guitar solo is fantastic. The later killer Fender Rhodes solo by Jan Hammer from Czechoslovakia is not to be missed. It's Cobham's drums that later impress with many fill-ins and rich sound. "Dawn" is quite progressive for its age, possibly inspired by Miles recent records, it's sublime and goes more into funky direction with solo violin. Later, the downward spiraling violin/drum tandem makes things go faster. "Noonward race" is indeed a race of guitar and drums, being the most ferocious song together with excellent "Awakening" and "Vital Transformation". Cobham first shows quite rock-oriented drumming for the first minute before pleasing us with his inventive fusion trademark that puts the last period into a fill-in, something nobody else did it to that extent, to my knowledge. This is even more evident on fast-paced "Vital Transformation". Although guitar playing is motivational, it's drums that I pay most attention to in this track.

Acoustic capabilities of the band with traditional jazz instruments are presented on " Lotus On Irish Streams" with delicated acoustic guitar and laid-back piano. It's a very improvisational peace but has lots of positive vibe.

"The Dance Of Maya" has a dark guitar chord that would not be lost on a post-rock record, however it later shifts into a great bluesy jam with violin and guitar dominating. Rock'n'roll piano also joins in. "You Know, You Know" is perhaps the weakest track, with a simple motive and easy listening improvisation, though good for a lounge atmosphere.

"Awakening" is a crazy tour-de-fource to awake listeners from the previous number. All 5 band members set the stage on fire. Guitar playing is intense and its ferocity will throw you far from the earth ;) Cobham plays a rock solo before the bands comes to an end.