Customer Reviews
my favourite record of all time - By: , 18 Apr 2002 
Meeting of the Spirits & You Know You Know are magical & the only track that drags is 'Lotus' which is incongruous to the whole. The drumming is breathtaking with changesin time signatures which seem impossible. The guitar, violin & electric piano complement each other perfectly. I saw the band when they played at the Crystal Palace Bowlin London circa 1971 & it changed my life. Fusion has a reputation for being pompous & pretentious but this record is neither - just a group of virtuoso musicians making a great sound & creating a mystical atmosphere - even for an agnostic!
Jazz meets Hendrix - By: , 05 Mar 2001 This is guitarist John McLaughlin's Mahavishnu Orchestra's debut recording, & although there are some rough edges to a few of the pieces, this is a quality album of early '70s jazz-rock fusion (with the emphasis more on rock than jazz). The line-up of the band is impressive, with McLaughlin on guitars, Jerry Goodman on violin, Billy Cobham on drums, Rick Laird on bass & Jan Hammer on keyboards. The addition of Goodman gives the band a very different (and much copied) texture, & his solos are highly impressive. McLaughlin is in-your-face as usual, & this follows directly on from his work with Miles Davis.
The first track (Meeting of the Spirits) is probably the best track on the album (though maybe You Know, You Know pushes it very close indeed), with it's quick-fire guitar & violin lines, & the virtuosic drumming of Cobham, who is excellent all through the performance. The piece isin three, & that's what really gives it a very different feel to most of the rock that you hear (the repetetive riff is very catchy). You Know, You Know contains another repetetive figure, but this time the atmosphere is far more relaxed, & the long silences at the beginning are inspired. Jan Hammer brings a more avante-garde spirit to the band with some very individual & quirky solos (he really likes using that pitch bender). The only thing that doesn't work is A Lotus on Irish Streams. McLaughlin's twanging on acoustic guitar & the meandering tune just don't fit with the spirit of the album.
This is the definitive recording of the Mahavishnu Orchestra, & well worth getting hold of , if you're a Hendrix fan or keen on the rockier side of fusion.
