Customer Reviews

Return to the Emerald Beyond (Jewl)

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

 

 

"Apocalypse" and "Visions Of The Emerald Beyond" represented ambitious new directions for The Mahavishnu Orchestra in the mid 1970s. The band expanded from a quartet to an actual orchestra with impressive results. Sadly, these were the last offerings of new material by this amazing band.

For the last 30 years, we could only hope that some lost studio recordings or live performances might be unearthed and released. It's almost beyond belief that, except for "The Lost Trident Sessions", there isn't more Mahavishnu Orchestra music out there.

Enter The Mahavishnu Project in 2004 with "Phase 2" and again in 2007 with "Return To The Emerald Beyond", both stellar offerings by a band that embodies what we appreciated about The Mahavishnu Orchestra: extraordinary musicianship and impassioned performances of some truly amazing music.

The performances by The Mahavishnu Project on "Return To The Emerald Beyond" capture the fire, nuances and precision of the original Emerald Beyond-era Mahavishnu Orchestra. Stylistically, the performances are impressively faithful to the originals, but the players stretch out on their own enough to make this recording a very worthy companion to the original.

If you are a die-hard Mahavishnu listener, your collection must have these albums. You will not be disappointed. Very highly recommended.

Although John McLaughlin continues to produce music of the highest calliber, both with Remember Shakti and as soloist, there seems to be a certain magic in his earlier work: The wild avantgarde of "Turn it Over", the psychedelic masterpiece "Devotion". But the real highlight of his illustrious journey through music is undoubtedly The Mahavishnu Orchestra in it's various incarnations.

It certainly gives full credit to his wandering spirit, nevertheless it's a shame that he has abandoned his beautiful Mahavishnu-compositions the way he has. Therefore it's good news, that masterdrummer Gregg Bendian has taken on the task to keep the flame and spirit of Mahavishnu alive. And does it in such a splendid way.

This is, just as the original band, done purely out of love for Music and the inner quest for putting spiritual Truth in musical form. And shows clearly that Mahavishnu always was about strong and unique compositions, NOT about mindless virtuosity (as some critics seem to think).

Here Mahavishnu Project breathes new life into "Visions of The Emerald Beyond", a gem from the Narada Michael Walden, Jean-Luc Ponty era of the band. And as on the original album the band is augmented by a string quartet.

Marveleous stuff, where especially the sublime violinist Rob Thomas shines, and also guitarist Glenn Alexander also does a great job with the demanding guitarparts, playing in a slightly more fluid metallike style than McLaughlin. Although he certainly doesn't surpass the master. And the powerfull and varied bassplaying is actually a lot better than on the original.

This is certainly a trip to the beyond and a reminder of just how visionary and timeless McLaughlin's Mahavishnu-music is.

If you have fond memories of the original Mahavishnu Orchestra, then you are probably, as I am, on the far side of 50. The Inner Mounting Flame immediately bowled me over in the early `70s, back in my old Army days.

Beset by internal rivalries, that aggregation did not last long, but guitarist John McLaughlin then put together a larger band and recorded an ambitious studio record titled Visions of the Emerald Beyond. Three decades later, drummer Greg Bendian has put together a band for the ambitious purpose of playing that music in concert.

Amazingly enough, this 2-CD set, recorded live, really does bring back the excitement of the original. If anything, this recording is in many ways more exciting than the original, both because it is recorded live and because it is not a note-for-note replication. Instead, the musicians take the opportunity to stretch out from time to time, prolonging the ecstasy.

The end product truly is a marvel. The only negative to these ears was the voice of the lead singer, but given that most of the music is instrumental, that is by no means a show-stopper. Hearing the blistering guitar and violin runs, furious drumming, and exotic fusion of East and West is truly a treat. If you fondly remember the Mahavishnu Orchestra, then you really must hear this recording. Highly recommended!

This is a good, fun CD with solid, incredible performances that really capture the spirit and technical brilliance of the Mahavishnu paradigm. Not simply covering the original material, this group brings a fresh yet faithful interpretation to this music.

The violin solos are simply incredible, some of the best bar none...lots of "I can't believe he did that" moments of delight. The Moog solos are also quite outstanding, a real joy to listen to...I love that sound. The guitarist is certainly good on the written parts, but I have to say that if you have the John McLaughlin version buzzing around in your head like I do, the guitar solos fall short, sounding a bit generic fusion. It's not really the guitarists fault, McLaughlin simply set the bar too high there and matching it would be nearly an impossible task. The one area that I did find weak was the vocals. I don't know if it due to the audio engineering or the vocalist, but the singing sounds thin, tentative, flat, and possibly out of tune. Other than the vocals, the audio quality of this CD is amazing...I would never have known it was a live performance.

Make no mistake though, the orignial Mahavishnu blows this one away.

Drummer/producer Gregg Bendian undertook this ambitious project in 2001 to not just perform music by the iconic Mahavishnu Orchestra, but to salute John McLaughlin and the incredible impact he had on creating the fusion sound.

An 11-piece band tackles the influentual album, Vision of the Emerald Beyond, and the artistry found in the second incarnation of the group. Bendian enlists Glenn Alexander (g), Rob Thomas (v) and Adam Holtzman (k) to keep the pace sizzling.

The interpretations are solid and each arrangement expands upon the original material, while carving a new path that starts with a great understanding of an era that revolutionized the music industry.

I am surprised by the rave reviews here. While the instrumental performances are excellent, and the band the delivers what other reviewers have described, the off-key vocals on the opening track, 'Eternity's Breath', are excruciatingly bad. Intolerable, and unforgivable. You'll be happier with your purchase of this recording if you simply skip track one.