The first recording of the second Mahavishnu Orchestra was a real stretch for John McLaughlin, an encounter with Michael Tilson Thomas and the London Symphony Orchestra.
The union wasn't taken seriously at the time, and it ended up harming the reputation of Thomas -- a remarkably adventurous young conductor who defied the stuffy classical powers-that-be and thus probably delayed his eventual rise to the top -- more than McLaughlin.
But those with ears, then and now, beheld a remarkable series of pieces that neatly juxtapose and occasionally combine the combustion of McLaughlin's group with rich, tasteful symphonic statements orchestrated for McLaughlin by Michael Gibbs.
The new Mahavishnu-ites, electric violinist Jean-Luc Ponty and keyboardist/vocalist Gayle Moran, have their moments, but the real focus of this disc is the quality of the symphonic conceptions and how well McLaughlin blends his lyrical and fiery guitar into the mixture.
The best stretch is the breathtakingly ethereal opening of "Hymn to Him"; the promise of fusing rock, jazz, and classical elements had never been executed so alluringly before -- and wouldn't you know, an old experienced hand at introducing classical textures into rock, the Beatles' George Martin, is the producer.
Don't let old, outworn preconceptions on either side of the fence prevent you from checking out this beautiful record.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Power of LoveJohn McLaughlin | Mahavishnu Orchestra | Play | 04:13 | 9 MB | 18 MB |
| 2 | Vision Is a Naked SwordJohn McLaughlin | Mahavishnu Orchestra | Play | 14:17 | 32 MB | 84 MB |
| 3 | Smile of the BeyondJohn McLaughlin | Mahavishnu Orchestra | Play | 08:00 | 18 MB | 40 MB |
| 4 | Wings of KarmaJohn McLaughlin | Mahavishnu Orchestra | Play | 06:06 | 13 MB | 30 MB |
| 5 | Hymn to HimJohn McLaughlin | Mahavishnu Orchestra | Play | 19:19 | 44 MB | 107 MB |
| 51 mins | 118 MB | |||||
| 51 mins | 282 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ralph Armstrong | Bass, Guitar (Bass), Vocals |
| 2 | Michael Berniker | Digital Producer |
| 3 | Geoff Emerick | Engineer |
| 4 | Tim Geelan | Remastering |
| 5 | Mike Gibbs | Orchestration |
| 6 | Phillip Hirschi | Cello, Vocals |
| 7 | Larry Keyes | Remastering |
| 8 | London Symphony Orchestra | Guest Artist |
| 9 | Mahavishnu Orchestra | Performer, Primary Artist |
| 10 | George Martin | Producer |
| 11 | John McLaughlin | Composer, Guitar |
| 12 | Gayle Moran | Keyboards, Vocals |
| 13 | Ashok Chris Poisson | Artwork, Design |
| 14 | Jean-Luc Ponty | Baritone Violin, Violin (Electric), Vocals |
| 15 | Tony Russell | Photography |
| 16 | Gene Santoro | Liner Notes |
| 17 | Carol Shire | Vocals |
| 18 | Carol Shive | Violin, Vocals |
| 19 | Tony Tiller | Package Coordinator |
| 20 | Michael Tilson Thomas | Conductor, Guest Artist, Piano |
| 21 | Narada Michael Walden | Drums, Guest Artist, Percussion, Vocals |
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |
| CD Quality | FLAC | 16bit 44.1kHz | FLAC is an audio coding format which uses lossless compression. Digital audio in FLAC format has a smaller size and retains the same quality of the original Compact Disc (CD). |