858 The Mahavishnu Orchestra - The Inner Mounting Flame Orchestra (1971)

 858 The Mahavishnu Orchestra - The Inner Mounting Flame Orchestra (1971)


Studio Album - Jazz Fusion




About the Act:

The Mahavishnu Orchestra were an experimental Jazz-Rock band that had three stints at existence, with different (and at times changing) line-ups. The main man of the thing was a guitarist called John McLoughlin, also known as “Mahavishnu”.

John had played with Miles Davis in his Electric period albums, and, with some others that were around Miles at the time, branched out into more Rocky and less Jazzy areas.

The Mahavishnu Orchestra at times included Billy Cobham, who was also with Miles Davis, Jan Hammer, who composed the Miami Vice theme, Jerry Godman, Jen-Luc Ponty and more obscure names like Narada Michael Waldon. John was heavily influenced by Eastern music, and was a devotee of an Indian Guru for a while. The music from the band uses elements of Eastern music, and is very complex, featuring improvisation and scripted passages and generally features the musicians showing off their technical skill and speed playing. They are very good players.


About the Album:

The Mahavishnu Orchestra had three major line-ups, and this was the first. This album was also their first. Joining John on the album are the afore-mentioned Billy Cobham on drums, and a certain Jan Hammer on keys. Add to that Rick Laird on Bass and Jerry Goodman on violin.


My History with this Album:

I have had a copy for a while now, and have listened to it occasionally. I wouldn't say it was a favourite. I also reviewed it when doing a list of prog rock albums. This is actually an edited copy of that review as my opinion has not changed. I listened to it twice just to check.


Review:

So this album is broadly speaking Jazz-Rock fusion. But that's a very broad stamp. The music also draws in influences from Classical and Eastern music. It is entirely instrumental. It's generally complex and intricate and uses odd time signatures, and some extended Jazz-like harmony. There is quite a variety of texture, and the violin in particular is used to good effect. There are some frantic bits and some much mellower parts.

This is quite mad, although less so than other albums of theirs. It's very detailed and intricate. It uses some synth, but mostly "real" instruments, played fast and in a virtuoso way. The stand-out hero is the amazing violin work. It is quite showoffy and a showcase for some exceptional musicians. It's possibly more accessible than some other music of this type, but is still clearly music you are meant to admire for its cleverness more than music you are meant to tap your feet to. 

Anything lacking? Well it can be a bit laboured at times, some sections feel a little over-long or in need of more movement or variation, but otherwise quite a pleasant listen. It's quite good music to drive to, tapping the steering wheel (in time to a 9/8 beat?) and of course carefully paying attention to the road at all times.


7.5/10


Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/0chWLemqlI6G1GOEr1q1bz

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLGwOiqHPWpWbhNB5g-OEcyrXy3voSP8ya

Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Inner_Mounting_Flame



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

840 Various Artists - The Best of Girl Groups Volumes 1 and 2 (1990)

Image
 840 Various Artists - The Best of Girl Groups Volumes 1 and 2 (1990) Compilation (double) - Girl Group (Soul/Bobby Soxer/Do-Wop) About the Album: This is a highly acclaimed compilation in 2CDs by Rhino Records. It's the sort of thing that in this country you might expect to see at 3.99 in a Garden Centre. My History with this Album: None Review: There are not many multi-artist compilations in this series for reviewing. There is not information about it on Wikipedia, but the reception seems to have been positive. It is choc-full of hits with a smattering of lesser-known songs, and it's hard not to imagine Grease or similar situations - girls with cardigans and white socks, listening to the juke box while sipping milkshakes in the drug store. On one level it's a fun collection of songs that you could use to feel nostalgic, or as the music for a themed party. On another level it's kind of like a cultural artefact. I feel honour-bound to describe it, even though if I drop
Read more

944 Manu Chao - Próxima Estación Esperanza (2001)

Image
 944 Manu Chao - Próxima Estación Esperanza (2001) Studio Album - World Music About the Act: Manu Chao is a French-Spanish musician of Spanish descent who grew up on the outskirts of Paris. In the mid-80s he was in a Spanish/English rockabilly group called Hot Pants. In 1987, with his brother and cousin he founded the band Mano Negra, combining punk and world music influences and playing on the Paris Metro. This band took off and had 4 studio albums. In 1995 Manu "went solo", forming the band Radio Bemba Sound System to be his backing band. The punk elements were less prominent, but he started to make music that "replicates the sound of street music and bar scenes from a variety of cultures". He has been really popular in parts of Europe.  About the Album: This album was Manu Chao's second studio album as a "solo" artist. In Spanish, the name means "Next Station: Hope", after a real station on the Madrid Metro. The album reached top 10 slots
Read more

591 Harry Smith, Ed. - Anthology of American Folk Music (1952)

Image
 591 Harry Smith, Ed. - Anthology of American Folk Music (1952) Compilation Album - Americana About the Act: Harry Smith is not the performer here, he is the collector. He was a film-maker, occultist, and eccentric. About the Album: Harry Smith had a collection of early 78rpm records of various "folk" styles dated from 1927 when such things first started to be commercially available to 1932 when the Great Depression put a stop to the sales of folk records. In 1947 he approached a label, Folkway Records, about releasing a collection of them transferred onto LPs. This they did in 1952, without seeking copyright permission, making this technically a bootleg. It was released as three double-LP boxed sets, and sold very poorly. In the first year it sold 50 copies, 47 to libraries and colleges. It was reissued later, and gained traction and sold better. It now has a reputation for being one of the most influential compilations in the history of Americana, and is cited as being a ma
Read more