j o n b

Mahavishnu Orchestra is one of the original fusion bands, breaking new ground and setting a standard for the genre that survives and influences to this day. This is my first exposure to the band, and I am very impressed with what I hear. While not a structured or well developed as some of the other fusion (or Canterbury prog) bands of their day, Mahavishnu still produced a album full of great work. Because I got the albums at the same time, my urge is to stack up Mahavishnu with 70s fusion counterparts Return to Forever. While I won't try and match them up and come up with a "winner", I think they're differences show through in the music. For example, where Return to Forever was more of a group compositional process, Mahavishnu's sole writer (at least on this album) was guitarist John McLaughlin. As you might expect, then, the sound here is very guitar heavy, with McLaughlin and violinist Jerry Goodman sharing the leads and the spotlight. The songs themselves are also less ambitious in scope than Return to Forever's. Most of the tracks here, with the exception of "One World" are short works which seem to be based around riffs and repeated patterns by the various band members. I imagine that was an intentional design to use as a basis for extended improvs in a live setting. Many of the songs are still compelling, however, from the intense and driving title track to the fun laid back "Open Country Joy". It would be nice to see some further development of some of the ideas presented here, however. When I started my exploration of fusion, Birds of Fire was on the top of my list as must a must have album. And while I can see why it has reached classic status, it doesn't quite rank at the top of my own private list. That being said, however, it's still a great disc with a lot of good music. Its influence is well deserved. review by Jon Byrne — undated —

b o b

Being a big Boud Deun fan, I figured that Mahavishnu Orchestra would be a can't miss band for me. People rave about them, the instrumentation is similar and they're supposed to be one of the best fusion bands ever. But for some reason, it just doesn't all come together for me. Not that it's not enjoyable music, but I just don't find it as transcendent as many seem to. Maybe it's because McLaughlin's guitar fireworks don't enthrall me as much as they seem to for most fusion fans (I actually enjoy Goodman's violin more than the guitar). Or maybe it's because I never saw the band play live (which is what really hooked me on Boud Deun). Or maybe I was expecting too much after hearing Miles Davis' great fusion albums. Maybe the riffs are a little too repetitive, and the playing-in-unison thing a little overdone. For whatever reason, this album was the start and end of my Mahavishnu explorations. As I said above, I enjoy listening to it, but the songs just seem too much like flashy excuses for all the band members to show off their chops, and not like pieces that were given any real compositional thought. Of course, the same could probably be said about a lot of the music prog fans listen to. So if chops and flash are your thing, you should probably give this album a spin. review by Bob Eichler — 3-17-04 —

s e a n

The Mahavishnu Orchestra's second album sees a band which is essentially unchanged from before. The only real change from the first album is Jan Hammer's move from only playing piano to a number of keys including moog. The general modus operandi is the same, though; in fact, the make-up of the title track which opens the album is much like that of The Inner Mounting Flame's opener ("Meeting of the Spirits"). Other neat things would have to include the trading off of the melody line between guitar and violin on "Celestial Terrestrial Commuters", and the dire progression on "Resolution", which is a nice switch from the band's usual "happier" sound, as well. I have to say I could do without the drum solo in "One Word", though. On top of my fairly consistent lack of interest in drum solos, the fact that this one takes place on a studio album and with fairly mediocre sound quality doesn't help. course, what fusion fan wouldn't already own this? review by Sean McFee — undated —

j o e

The Mahavishnu Orchestra blew a lot of minds back in the 70s, and if I was old enough to have seen them at the time, I'm positive they would have been blowing mine as well. John 'Mahavishnu' McLaughlin, fresh from his stints with Miles Davis and Tony Williams' Lifetime, played with monster double-neck electric in hand, his eyes rolled inwards toward his brain as if receiving music transmissions from some deity. McLaughlin gathered around him a truly outstanding international quintet, to play a music that was a divine alchemy of fury and spirituality. I've noted this elsewhere, but the styles of the first lineup of the MO always reminded me of animals. McLaughlin's guitar, once perfectly described by one of my friends as "so angry, but so clean," is like a lion, its tones ranging from terror-inducing ferocity ("Birds of Fire") to a tender repose ("Thousand Island Park"). Violinist Jerry Goodman's blues style always evoked the image of a ragged wolf, whereas keyboardist Jan Hammer's synth conjured up images of an eagle or falcon, gracefully climbing then spiraling in a dizzying frenzy at its prey. The MO's not-so-secret weapon, Billy Cobham, was one of the first drummers people at the time simply referred to as "a monster," pounding away at his kit like a mustang trampling over whatever was unlucky to get in its path. Birds of Fire follows a similar template from the band's debut, Inner Mounting Flame, with the above mentioned tracks corresponding to "Meeting of the Spirits" and "A Lotus on Irish Streams," respectively. While factors such as Hammer's newly-included Moog date the production somewhat relative to Inner, the songs on this album have a tighter compositional strength that incorporates wider latitudes of influence including Eastern European and Indian music. It is loaded with moments that linger in memory long after you put the disc away. I have never heard someone make the Moog seem to cry and wail as Hammer does on the outstanding "Sanctuary." "Open Country Joy" features an inspired contrast between a disarming I-IV-V rustic theme (perhaps the simplest music this lineup ever played) and a strutting, gradually intensifying urban blues. "One Word" is one of the finest examples of the band's familiar technique of trading solos, each time upping the ante and shortening the number of bars allotted until the solos eventually spill over into each other. Good albums, great albums, excellent albums. There are these, and I could certainly name you more than a few. However, in all my years as a music fan, there are only a handful of albums that I would not only characterize as excellent but to me served as a gateway into a whole new, previously unexplored world. This is one such album, beckoning me to further explore Miles Davis, jazz, and Indian music all in one fell swoop, while keeping its feet firmly planted in rock the entire time. A classic. review by Joe McGlinchey — 2-18-04 —

e r i c

Two words best sum up the sound of this band to me..."raw power". The word "rock" also firmly applies — I sincerely hope that this band was not ignored by rock audiences during their time, because I can't imagine rock fans of the 70's with bands like Zeppelin, Deep Purple, etc., not embracing this music. Goodman and McLaughlin pound out furious riffs at breakneck speed, while still giving the whole band plenty of room to operate. It is remarkable to me that for studio recordings, everything I have heard has that feel of being played without a net. At any second you could expect to hear a bum note, and this seems to add to the excitement, as if at a live performance. Given the fact that so many of the melodies are played in unison, these songs had to have been meticulously arranged and practiced (I would guess) before being committed to tape. That just raises the bar a few notches in my book that they are able to keep such fire in the songs. "Thousand Island Park" is one of the prettiest things the band ever did, and Hammer brings out the piano which sounds so full and rich in comparison to the spacey Fender Rhodes sound. McLaughlin also joins in on acoustic guitar with a blazing array of single string flourishes. My favorite track is "One Word"; it unites all elements, speedy licks, funkiness, spacey interludes, and each musician gets to show his wares. As with every Mahavishnu release, Birds of Fire continues to enchant me with every listen. Would it be too forward of me to request a reunion tour? review by Eric Porter — undated —