Customer Reviews

Mahavishnu

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

 

 

Under the leadership of famed jazz musician John McLaughlin, "MAHAVISHNU" ( recorded 1984 ) proved to be the last of three albums McLaughlin recorded for the Warner Brothers label. There are intriguing links as well as some disparities between the three. Both "BELO HORIZONTE" and "MUSIC SPOKEN HERE" were mixtures of acoustic and electric instrumentation; the former work had the lighter clarity of an acoustic atmosphere ( "early morning" ) while the latter was steeped in the shadowy hues of more synthesized textures ( "early evening" ). "MAHAVISHNU" ( recorded with a different group of musicians ) displayed a music evocative of a yet darker realm ( "midnight" ). All of the albums, in various ways, draw compositional and textural inspiration from the landmark work of the most consistently creative and long-lived "fusion" band, Weather Report. As to the differences, "BELO HORIZONTE" and "MUSIC SPOKEN HERE" are far more creatively original than the album under review. "MAHAVISHNU", while interesting, cannot help but fall short in comparison to the ( now defunct ) group that so influenced its music.

"MAHAVISHNU" has a mysterious history. First there was the album title, starkly evoking the name of the famed "fusion" band from the 1970's. Then there was the somewhat bizarre original album cover, with its prominent display of the title taking 50% of available surface area and featuring an unidentified photo of McLaughlin in the center. Drummer Billy Cobham ( McLaughlin's bandmate in the original Mahavishnu Orchestra ) was on hand for the recording sessions that produced the album but not for the subsequent tour in Fall 1984 ( when Danny Gottlieb took over the spot ). Finally, this recent re-release by the Wounded Bird label is the first time "MAHAVISHNU" has appeared in CD format, an absence of almost 20 years that has puzzled many of John McLaughlin's longtime admirers.

As if to further emphasize the unique aspects of this recording, McLaughlin moved away from the acoustic nylon-string guitar he had been using almost exclusively for the previous four years and started experimenting with a guitar-synthesizer ( "Synclavier II" ). This guitar was, at the time, state of the art technology and while a "standard" solid-body electric was used on a few tunes, the majority of the time McLaughlin employed the "Synclavier". As might be expected, some of his synthesized sounds ( "patches" ) are more intriguing than others and at times the combination of McLaughlin's guitar-synth with Mitchell Forman's keyboards seems to muddy the ( electric ) waters. However, those familiar with McLaughlin's playing should have no trouble distinguishing his improvisations, as his choice of scales, intervallic patterns and rhythmic ideas are characteristic of his well-developed, "horizontal" playing style. It is quite fascinating to hear McLaughlin's playing on this particular album, as the guitar-synthesizer allows him even more liberty to phrase in the linear fashion so redolent of the horn players ( Coltrane, Miles ) that influenced him.

Billy Cobham's contribution is absolutely crucial, his tightly controlled and explosive drumming providing a powerful backdrop for the compositions played by a band that features ( in addition to Cobham ) McLaughlin, Bill Evans ( saxophones ), Mitchell Forman ( keyboards ) and Jonas Hellborg ( electric bass ).

"Radio-Activity", beginning with a rock-solid electronic vamp, features a soft yet piercingly menacing upper register line, giving way in turn to a burning, modally constructed solo by McLaughlin ( a la "Birds of Fire" ) and a darting, filigree improv by Bill Evans on soprano sax.

The aptly named "Nostalgia" opens with a beautiful raga-like call and response ( played over a pedal point "drone" ) by Evans and McLaughlin, who uses a reedy synth "patch" that perfectly catches the mood evoked in the title of this haunting composition.

"Nightriders" is a forgettable pop tune with a particularly unappealing keyboard obbligato.

"East Side West Side", an up-tempo tune with quasi-bop changes, features an exciting series of trade-off exchanges with Bill Evans ( the latter very much influenced by Michael Brecker ).

"Clarendon Hills", written by Bill Evans, is the weakest tune on the album, cloying and alarmingly close to a style that has been termed "fuzak".

"Jazz" is a hip, coruscating piece, a kind of homage to Wayne Shorter and Joe Zawinul as is "The Unbeliever", yet another tune reminiscent of Weather Report.

"Pacific Express" has a breezy, lyrical melody that somewhat redeems the noodling sections that bookend the piece.

The last tune, "When Blues Turns Gold", is a strange beauty. The band used in the 8 prior tunes is absent, in its place a one-time gathering where Katia Labeque's opening cadenza on classical piano morphs into a haunting blend of Hariprasad Chaurasia's flute, Zakir Hussain's tabla and McLaughlin's strummed acoustic steel-string guitar ( a la "Shakti" ), with the subtle backdrop of a chanted mantra appended to the closing moments. The effect, drawing on the analogy used at the beginning of the review, seems to indicate that "night" has ended its course and broken through yet again to the burnished beginning glory of yet another new "day".

After listening anew to "MAHAVISHNU", it is apparent that only McLaughlin and Cobham really operate at the same level. The group ( not surprisingly ) lacks the cohesiveness so characteristic of Weather Report and the ( original ) Mahavishnu Orchestra: a degree of communication that is very rare indeed and constitutes the gold standard of "fusion" groups. One more ( uneven ) album with the same band ( minus Cobham ) was cut in 1985.Years down the line ( 1997-98 ), McLaughlin would be far more successful with a similarly constructed "fusion" band ( "The Heart of Things" ) which, for the short time it was together, displayed the type of interplay and dynamism lacking in the group active in the mid 1980's.

Alot of people don't know this but John McLaughlin was one of, if not the first guitarist to utilize the guitar synthesizer. Now in this recording he utilizes it effectively on many pieces.

For those who are expecting commemoration of the old Mahavishnu Orchestra, you might be disappointed. It's a different band with a more "refined" sound without losing the propulsiveness and/or drive.

Bill Evans saxophone work lends this edition of the band a different feel. Jonas Hellborg is a marvelous bassist and provides a strong undercurrent throughout.

Remember this was done in '85, so the pieces are more structured than the runaway jams of the seventies. Yet the virtousity is there. This and the follow up "Adventures in Radioland" were two of the finer fusion recordings of the eighties.

There is less of the eastern influence in this recording. McLaughlin tone is frankly better here than in earlier recordings. He's less frenetic and is more to the point. Yes, you will find the flying fingers of the fretboard wizardry here but not as an end to itself.

This recording runs the gamut of fusion sensibilities. Bill Evans shines on tenor saxophone. Billy Cobham is Billy Cobham. Just a monster (I mean that in a good way). The pieces run the gamut from introspective to a down right fusion "throwdown".

Put aside your preconceptions and reminiscences about how you remember Mahavishnu. This is a new band and this is a very good recording, well worth getting.

I first bought this album on vinyl in 1986 at Tower Records, Piccadilly Circus, London. There came a point where I no longer had a turntable so I got rid of all my vinyl albums (big mistake!). I was delighted to see the album had been re-issued on CD as I could vividly remember the rush of first listening to this album. This album is a delight for any lover of good music and especially for fans of mclaughlin/mahavishnu/jazz/fusion. There is a veritable feast of delights inducing all kinds of emotions. Like all good jazz you must allow each of the tracks to develop and reach their climax to achieve the emotional high. Beautiful and Nostalgic.

The players here are great: Billy Cobham of course in his only comeback to Mahavishnu, Bill Evans on saxes/flute, Mitch Foreman on keys, and bass monster Jonas Hellborg. And as for McLaughlin, if you like John's music - which I love - he is his usual fired-up but meditative self.

The sound, as other reviewers have pointed out, is all electric, and if you like that sort of thing, there are some wonderful voices: listen to the awesome "violin" (synth guitar) on the opening "Radio-Activity", or the "trombone" (synth guitar or keys?) on "Florianapolis", or the fluttering duetting flutes (one real, one synth guitar) on "Pacific Express".

While I agree with other reviewers that not all the tunes will end up as standards, I think that a few really should: "Nostalgia" is a beautiful ballad (with a great solo), and "Pacific Express" - with it's flowing melody over driving rhythm section - is unforgettable.

I had this album on LP and got it as soon as it came out on CD. If you like electric jazz, you'll like this.

This album was disappointing, and JMcG decided to feature the flute patch on his new Synclavier guitar rather than lay down the Fusion Law. It's light and fluffy and there is nothing memorable at all on this album. I think Billy Cobham quit the band very soon after the beginning of the project, or the tour anyway. I went to see the band play on the tour, and Danny Gottleib (Pat Metheney) had replaced him. Milos Forman and Jonas Hellborg were on hand. JMcG started the show playing a Les Paul for ONE SONG. Then he switched to Synclavier guitar...well it was a fantastic show. Gottleib didn't seem to know the tunes very well so McG was constatntly giving him cues, but Gottleib SMOKED! I went back and listened to the album again, but I couldn't make any connection between what I saw and this album. I've tried to sell this album many times but no one wants it.

The eighth record of John McLaughlin's cult fusion band Mahavishnu Orchestra is now truncated to simply "Mahavishnu." Any records utilizing cutting edge technology always risks sounding dated years later. It is in this context one needs to listen to content while consciously filtering out the overcompressed drums, the 80s handclaps, and the biggest culprit of them all: those Yamaha DX7 keyboard stabs.

For well-seasoned fans of John McLaughlin's furious guitar shredding abilities, the Synclavier II guitar synthesizer actually triumphs in its realization of this musician's signature sound. Listen carefully to McLaughlin's unadorned, slippery pearl-like notes on Miles Davis's Live Evil from 1970 and you will find that the Synclavier II's timbre-shaping features allowed McLaughlin not only to bring his esoteric tone into the modern era, but improve on the microtonal bends that he has produced with a scalloped fretboard on many of his guitars throughout his career.

Keep in mind that the root word of fusion is fuse. McLaughlin has alternately fused musical genres as well as different ranges of tempi and extremes in amplitude as bandleader of Mahavishnu. So it should come as no surprise that when he got his hands on a guitar synth, he would naturally attempt to fuse sounds, whether it be wave-shaping or overlays of patches. To expect a petrified version of his 70s electric guitar wail, as much as we all love and yearn for it, is to stand in the way of progress.

Radio-Activity introduces the Synclavier II: A descending howl dissipates as a string of notes mysteriously snakes its way out of the abyssal darkness like a Erenna specimen. The unmatched McLaughlin speed is captured, a testimony to just how far ahead of the times New England Digital was with their technology, as tracking and latency (the ability to capture every note without a time lag ), is still way below par in this day and age of guitar synthesizers. Billy Cobham, a Mahavishnu Orchestra alumni from the debut album onwards, is happily present, with his tight rocking style. Nostalgia is a mellow ballad featuring Bill Evans the saxophonist (not to be confused with Bill Evans the pianist, who was a great influence to McLaughlin) on soprano sax. One begins to see how this reed player's tone complements the rounded timbre McLaughlin is going for. Nightriders sounds very eighties-dated as a shuffle around a riff, with the musicians taking turns vamping. Straight distorted guitar is featured, periodically punctured by a stray handclap sample that appears to have escaped from Phil Collins' studio. East Side West Side is a Bill Evans vehicle enabling the saxophonist to trade his Michael Brecker runs against Mclaughlin's Synclavier at full speed. This piece sounds as if it could be an exciting out-take from Saturday Night Live's opening theme song, which Brecker played on for many years. Clarendon Hills can only belong in an ABC televised Olympic feature story segment, ending in a variation of the four note ostinato from A Love Supreme. Jazz gets interesting again, with Cobham's crisp syncopated drumming highlighting Hellborg's fretless bass, a perfect match to East Side West Side as we ride inside the mind of McLaughlin as he takes us across Manhattan. The Unbeliever is an atmospheric where the drums play a more lyrical role within the composition. Pacific Express is a fast jati using sample waveforms to create gamelan-like timbres benath Hellborg's playful fretless bass, before switching into a more traditional jazzy ensemble. Then we return to the first form, with one fantastic passage after another of fretless bass work that shows Hellborg as a heir to the Jaco crown. When Blue Turns Gold is unarguably the most beautiful piece on the album. A dazzling conservatory piano run opens into a ruefully singing flute bending across tablas, handclaps, Indian percussion, and a strumming steel-string acoustic. It becomes apparent at this point that the flute, played in this style, is among the inspiration McLaughlin has to building his Synclavier sound.

I've been waiting a long while for this to become available on CD. I wore out several copies of this album back in the 80's...

Not many people can make a guitar synth work at all much less make one so musical.

This is a sad example of high expectations and trendy technology colliding with the suits, all gone horribly wrong. Sad to say, despite the presence of very high calibre musicians, the compositions are at best weak fuzak-lite and are in no way shape of form representative of the brilliance that John McLaughlin was capable of.

One of the most maddening things, besides the weak material, is the fact that Johnny Mac's guitar synth is completely indistinguishable from the heavy synth-overkill dominating the album. Its rather dated 80's production values are no help either.

Skip this turkey.

Don't mistake this for the ground-breaking fusion quintet, this'll put you to sleep! Can't listen to it again. Not even John McLaughlin should be able to use MAHAVISHNU without Jan Hammer, Jean-Luc Ponty to put some muscle in the music...this is flaccid stuff. Billy's on board for a couple of songs but even he must've bailed when he knew what the deal was. No wonder this came and went without much fanfare.

Oh boy, this is what I've been waiting for (..and I've 'got a life' thanks, so I ain't a weirdo)

Intensity, passion, fever, energy, tranquility, transcendance and just plain beserker music.

What more do you want from fusion?

Buy it, steal it, beg for it...but don't take my word for it. Just listen to the ... thing!