Customer Reviews

Birds Of Fire

5 star:		(22)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

this is one of the best cds i have ever gotten. i love milesdavis when mclaughlin was with him, so i looked up mclaughlins stuff. i found mahavishnu orchestra and listened to the clips and read the reviews for it. i am currently listening to it and it is great. it is even better than i expected it to be, and i expected it to be a five star to me.
Now i need to get intermounting flame. someone who made a review said the remastered was crappy, but that is the one i got and i am blown away by it. if you have heard jeff beck's Wired, or Blow by Blow, this is like it but way heavier and better, even though i love Wired and Blow by Blow. I heard some of Shakt with Mclaughlin, dont get it, this is much heavier and energetic.

From,
bootsysrubberband

The Mahavishnu Orchestra are widely known for breaking new ground in the world of popular music. They (unsurprisingly) upset many jazz purists (one of them would be musician Wynton Marsalis), while conversely, offering new ways of looking at jazz. This band may have been responsible for helping listeners (particularly of the younger crowd) ease their way into works of "pure" (for lack of a better term) jazz, but saying that largely undermines the integrity and musical power that The Mahavishnu Orchestra possessed. So to be more specific, this band may have helped broaden the appreciation of jazz, especially to a younger audience, while also (and more importantly) blowing the minds of many with their own dazzling musicianship.

Led by guitar virtuoso John McLaughlin, the Mahavishnu Orchestra specialized in blending rock with elements of jazz, Eastern, R&B, classical, country and other elements to form an indescribable brand of music. Not only that, every musician in this band were virtuosos, so the band were not without exhibiting feverish flights of aggression and intensity. However, this band were one of the rare breed of virtuosos who displayed a sense of taste, passion and fluidity in their virtuosic displays, and could rarely be criticized for dryness, or exhibiting nothing more than virtuosic chops all by itself. Another gift this band seemed to possess was a certain accessibility to their music -- it was complex and technical, yet, it could be very addictive, and utterly inviting.

These tracks (which were all composed by John McLaughlin) all seem to be exercises in spirituality. Birds are creatures that fly - they seem to soar above everything. Fire = passion, inspiration, stamina, energy - a life-affirming source. This is transcendent, high-energy music played with soul, passion and purpose. The title track features a main lick, which gives off a slightly ominous, but penetratingly regal sound, while drummer Billy Cobham's crash cymbal seems to add a bit more atmospheric relevance to it's mystical aura. This main lick in an assumed 9/8 meter features McLaughlin (guitar) and violinist Jerry Goodman dueling to the point where the two respective instruments sound indistinguishable - the two seem to become one. On a personal note: I've listened to this one track on repeat for two hours straight, and I could have easily kept it on repeat -- it was THAT addicting.

The band softens things up with tracks like "Thousand Island Park" and "Hope." The former sounding like an unconventional cross between Indian classical and folk-country music (very hard to describe), which is very beautiful and soothing, though it isn't without some lightning-fast soloing. The latter sounding like a mix of Oriental, classical and instrumental ballad. On "One Word," the band really lets loose with a forbidding and frightening fire that will send many running for cover. For the majority of the first half, the band seems to play in a straightforward R&B-rock jam: John uses the wah-wah (or what I call the 'wow-wow') pedal to tasty effect, and bassist Rick Laird lays down some solid grooves underneath it all, and later, the rest of the musicians trade licks with one another on their respective instruments. The second half is where it gets more intense, as tension is built from drummer Billy Cobham, as he gets a solo spot. Here, he exhibits his drumming skills, which start off smoothly, then escalate in speed and dynamics. Upon hearing this, you know to expect some sort of explosion ahead. Then, John McLaughlin (and band) kick in with a 13/8 meter, and for the rest of the song, this 13-rhythm continually increases in speed to reach a hair-raising climax. Within this 13-rhythm, closer inspection will reveal an almost mathematical technique in McLaughlin's guitar line: a 6-5-4-3-2 -- 6 strokes/notes on the first line, 5 on the second, 4 on the third, 3 on the fourth and 2 on the fifth. That pattern is repeated throughout.

Much of the album is hard to describe in mere words, so this review is pretty much over. This album is recommended to all rock music fans, particularly if you're a fan of Hendrix or King Crimson. Prog-rock fans will probably love it, since it seems to fall closer to that category, than it does pure jazz. If you're new to the Mahavishnu Orchestra, this is probably the best place to start, then pick up 1971's INNER MOUNTING FLAME.

you thought mr jan hammer was only around for the cool clean pleated linen and soothing lucre of miami vice?
tsk, tsk..

I had the pleasure of seeing them live back when this album was new. Also on the bill was Frank Zappa and the Mothers reunion.
Unbelieveable show in NY.
Unfortunately it felt like they were in a hurry to get off the stage and for Frank to come out.

This is an all time great must have CD for any guitarists, drummers, or fusion fans. It also had me rush to buy Billy Cobhams album Spectrum.

Jazz doesn't always have to be melodic. McLaughlin and crew were wonderful at injecting nontraditional sounds, instruments, and noises into jazz to make it uniquely their own. The Eastern influences were what first sucked me into Mahavishnu's works. The edge kept me there. If you like edgy fusion jazz, such as Brand X, Weather Report, etc., you will like this. And vice versa.

For those who don't believe jazz has an edge... For those who believe that bands like Weather Report were the direct ancestor of what is known as "smooth jazz" and/or the downfall of civilization as we know it... For self-proclaimed "purists." This album might change your perspective a bit. McLaughlin and his crew are heroes, and are not written, but burned, into the great book of jazz in the heavens.

Whoa...Even though this is a 30 year old album,it hasn't been topped.Jazz guitar off the wheels on a crazy train!

First of all, the music here is unique, inventive, and INTENSE (spiritually and volume-wise). To any curious parties, you owe it to yourself to have: this CD, The Inner Mounting Flame (their first), and The Lost Trident Sessions (their long-lost third studio album).

The music is beyond five stars.

Now, for those of you who have heard this album before, avoid this remastered version like the plague. The original mix was tinny and thin, but gave a good overall impression. Bob Belden's remix overemphasizes lead instruments to the point of distorting them and ruining their timbre. On the title track, you can barely hear the drums, bass and rhythm ostinato.

If you have the CD of the original mix, keep it and be happy.

If you have a good sounding copy in another format (vinyl or cassette), make an MP3 CD....

I am a metal fan, first and foremost, but have been checking out other types of music for a while. I've heard that this band featured great musicians, namely Billy Cobham and John McGlaughlin, so I decided it would be a good purchase. I AM BLOWN AWAY BY THIS ALBUM!!! This must have influenced some of my favorite metal bands, like Megadeth and Metallica in their most productive years. Mahavishnu takes you on a roller coaster ride through jazz fusion, much like a Metallica song like "Master of Puppets" does. An awesome listening experiance for anyone listening to top notch musicianship and energetic songs.

OK. If you've drowned in everything that's happened since this CD was made - meaning you're jaded - you won't like it. Tough. Sorry. (NOTE: That statement was really judgemental and snotty. I take it back... kinda. It was a joke... sorta.)
I will say this... to date, I have purchase approximately 10 copies of this work. I've given them away, lost them, etc. I still have to hear the thing. I'm not going to try to 'consolidate' all the reasons this is an amazing CD, it wouldn't matter anyway... but off the top, here is why I love this thing:

> Absolute raging passion. At the expense of notes. Never at the expense of musicianship or cohesion. (Unfortunately it's no longer common to view technical perfection seperately from clarity of thought - save in the case of 'roots' music.)
> Musicians who HEAR each other. Even when they don't UNDERSTAND each other... they have the guts to follow where they're each going.
> If you want to understand why drums are so important in a band, listen closely to 'Celestial Terrestrial Commuters' until you feel the heat (this may take a while). Now, try to extract the drum part in your head. Try to imagine the piece without EXACTLY that drum part. In fact, try to imagine the piece without the AMAZING first 6 seconds played by Cobham to introduce the piece. If you can, I contend that you're lying to yourself, or that you're a true genius, or that you can't really tell the difference between this and a Monkees re-release.
> The way in which McLaughlin coaxes the band to play in sympathy with each other, without playing ON TOP OF each other. This is a common argument for 'lack of focus' on this album - that melodic lines played by 2 instruments simultaneously aren't 'in sync.' I say: 'GET YOUR HEAD OUT OF THE SOFTWARE." He plays those lines like that for a reason. He could play dead on if he cared to. If you're willing to listen closely, you will hear a conversation in a single line. This is NOT easy to accomplish, even once you get the concept.
> The CD IS a 'bunch of ideas.' This is sometimes stated as a horrible flaw in this work. I say: 'it is a HUGE part of what makes this thing NOT a 'concept' album, which so much of the related and copycat works that followed became. It is ideas held together with sinew, and therefore very, very human. The ideas weaken and solidify like real human ideas, rather than something distilled in the mind of a sound engineer (and I love sound engineers).

That's my defense. Terribly off the cuff for something I've listened to so many times over so many years. But then, that's part of what I love about this piece of work - it's still so immediate and off the cuff in its brilliance and intensity after all this time...