Customer Reviews

Electric Dreams

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4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
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1 star:		(0)

 

 

This was amazing music then... and now. This was a short-lived and overlooked ensemble. I saw them live while a student at Syracuse University and the power of the music was amazing... that transfers well to this recording. John is trying to find a new sound, while relating to his past accomplishments. The two tribute tunes to his mentor-- "Dark Prince" and "Miles Davis"-- are giving a nod to his tenure with the master, and the writing evokes Jack Johnson days, but with a current twist. Fernando Saunders was a fantastic choice to succeed Ralph Armstrong and Tony Smith has to be one of the most underrated drummers (where are you now, bud?)and was also a fantastic successor to Cobham and Walden-- a more jazz and funk rooted stylist who had monster chops and his own sound. Speaking of sound, the recording is not separated nor mixed well and the overall effect suffers: the drums get lost, but those of us who are drummers can hear what Tony is doing-- some of the polyrhythmic patterns represent the most innovative level of playing in the "fusion" realm. Watching it live gave me an appreciation of what Tony was pulling off; this recording is the only documentation of his efforts. Unfortunately, what also doesn't help is how loud Alyrio Lima is in the mix, thus confusing Tony's percussive efforts (enough with the sleigh bells, ok, Alyrio??!! They drown out the nuances in the compositions.)

Each of the tunes is attempting to play with the textures, some of the synth work is very distinctive and I've never heard anything like it since. Overall, the writing is great, "Love and Understanding" notwithstanding (pun intended and necessary-- this tune is pandering to pop at its worst... guess they were trying to get some airplay with that one... whew!).

The set winds up with McL actually getting political-- "The Unknown Dissident" (with a nice alto cameo by then-NY Session grandmaster David Sanborn) has a message behind the stated theme: the injustice in the world when those who dissent with the popular mindset are abused (and in this case, shot) for their beliefs. It is a rare nod to the notion of freedom, something that McL has never gotten across in this way before or since, but something essential to his art, and the work of every true artist in any medium.

This effort is to be applauded for its different tack... but the group had no commercial potential and didn't make it through the year. Before long, John was moving in yet another direction.

This is the best Mclaughlin recording you will find of his work on electric guitar. For this and Electric Guitarist, JM used a scalloped fingerboard and at times phrased like Santana or a blues player relative to what he is known for: insane machine gun speed. Every tune is great ;no duds here. Electric Guitarist is my second favorite but it has 3 duds( ok they are not exactly duds-one is solo, one is duo and one is trio. The 4 great tunes are all ensemble pieces and are classic !) so not as good as this one.

I bought this CD as part of a package and approached it with low expectations because I'm not much of a fan of McLaughlin's previous album, Electric Guitarist, which gets the lion's share of the attention. It only took me one pass through the CD, though, to conclude that this album has been unfairly neglected. Unlike the portfolio album that preceded it, in which McLaughlin roamed across his different musical styles with a rotating cast of former musical allies, this CD is more cohesive. And while the "slick" 70s production, fretless bass, and shrieking layers of guitar sustain that characterized the previous CD does carry over to this one sometimes, it's less oppressive because the compositions are interesting, the tempo generally quicker, and the recordings redeemed from excessive sweetness by the variety in McLaughlin's playing styles (sometimes almost percussive, sometimes bluesier). The album does still have somewhat of a dated quality, in that it very much comes across as a product of the late 1970s -- but in this case I don't think that's purely a negative thing (except when they fade the songs). It's a sound you find in few places, at least few places populated by musicians who could approach McLaughlin's virtuosity ... just a neat album.

"Guardian Angels" offers a one-minute introduction to the LP, in which a Shakti-like violin line plays over guitar notes that could have fit into many 70s radio rock songs. The "Miles Davis" track has a rock-laced beat reminiscent of the Complete Jack Johnson Sessions (W/Book), but McLaughlin does not sound like the same guitarist from those sessions; his solo is punchy and uses space in a way that sounds much more like what Miles was doing. The title track does not start; it evolves into being, and the conventional funky groove that emerges is offset by solos peculiar both in performance and instrumentation. "Desire and the Comforter" sounds more like the music on McLaughlin's previous album, at least at first, but it kicks into life fairly quickly, McLaughlin rips into his solo, and by the end a combination of singing/chanting and police whistles has taken it to a completely different place. Side B of the original LP starts out even weirder. Typically a jazz fusion album collapses into mediocrity almost the minute someone opens his or her mouth, but "Love and Understanding" somehow survives the occasional rise and fall of R&B-style vocals that are tasteful and understated enough to avoid being embarrassing. They play a modest-enough role in the song that they do not undercut what the instrumentalists are doing. "Singing Earth" lasts less than a minute, sounding like the introduction to a sci-fi television show that they really, really should have continued playing for 10 times as long. "The Dark Prince" feels like a song from Miles Davis Quintet 1965-1968 (Exp) if they'd plugged in all the instruments, sped it up, and brought in John McLaughlin to race through a solo at breakneck speed. The album ends with "The Unknown Dissident." I'm not sure what the sax-and-guitar interplay in this slow, bluesy tune has to do with the siren that starts the track or march to execution that ends it, but as the denouement to a fine album it works OK, and if you dislike smooth jazz as much as I do you can always pretend that it's the sax player they're shooting at the end!

At a minimum, I think anyone who likes Electric Guitarist ought to grab this one as well, but if I'm any example, this CD also might appeal to some of the listeners who can do without McLaughlin's more famous recording from the period.