INDO-PROG/RAGA ROCK

This freshly unreleased 1971 double live album is an unexpected gem (and the word is weak) which expand a lot Quintessence's discography, along with the other « Cosmic Energy: Live at St Pancras 1970 » CD also by Hux records which is almost in the same vein in term of performance, but not for sound quality.

The performance on "Infinite Love: Live at the Queen Elizabeth 1971" is stellar, that's why at the time some music reviewers claimed that Quintessence was « the best live band in the world ». Indeed, the band combines virtuosity and mystic fervour like nobody. Flute and guitar parts are awesome, the psychedelic jams evoke the best Grateful dead. Quintessence is really the following of the american psychedelic scene, with a unique indo progressive touch. The track list gather pieces from all albums including the masterpiece eponym track « Dive deep » with two versions including one clocking at 24 minutes.

This is rare enough to be precised : not only this concert has been very well recorded in 1971 -as explained into the very informative booklet- thanks to amplifier settings in order to make the flute and vocals clearly audible, but the CD transfer is a success too : for one time the sound is neutral and musical with great presence, no over-compression which makes this CD a delight to listen to, even on ambitious audio systems, which is rarely the case with « rock » records. Thanks a lot to Hux records for this great mastering job. This is the kind of CD releases which may save the CD industry ! The only drawback for picky audiophiles who don't like to put their fingers on their precious discs is the very unconvenient double CD jewel case which is a pain to use : it's very hard to remove the CD from the box without damaging it, which is very frustating with such a quality record. Besides this detail, this « Infinite love » is easily the release of the year in vintage progressive rock.

4(-), I would recommend this as newcomers intro to this genre. Not so "different" to sound oddly for newbies and not so boring for those who know it for some time.

I first heard "Mind Ecology" here on PA and that was enough to convince me to get this album. It is constantly going every direction at once. The more I think about it the more the song astounds me. The percussion and most of the violin, lead guitar, and other stringed instruments are incredibly fast-paced while not being the slightest bit frantic. Meanwhile the background guitar provides a few mellow chords every now and then, which despite the relatively few notes/chords it plays manages to calm the whole song down. Constant interplay of tempos and the fact that I have no idea what I should be feeling makes this song like nothing I have heard before. It's extremely fun. 10/10

"Face to Face" is a toned-down response to the opening track. Some comparisons can be drawn between these two songs but I don't think there's enough to be upset about. It's like the two songs are both discussing the same thing but from different perspectives. 7/10

"Come on Baby Dance with Me" is a short and fast piece that has plenty of joy to spare. 8/10

"The Daffodil and the Eagle" is a folky piece that is the most violin-centric piece on the album. 8/10

"Happiness is Being Together" is an upbeat piece of Latin music given an Indian edge which makes it incredibly interesting. 9/10

"Bridge of Sighs" brings a blues flavor to the album. 6/10 "Get Down and Sruti" seems to be a combination of tracks 1,2 and 4 while still having its own identity. There's a big focus on the percussion in this song but I find it unimpressive for the most part. 6/10

The aptly-named "Peace of Mind" is a peaceful and mellow sort of a goodbye for the album. It knows "Natural Elements" is over and hints at sadness while not being overtly so. 8/10

I think that if you like any one song on "Natural Elements" you will probably like the entire album. I recommend this as an intro to the genre because it's accessible and representative of the genre.

John McLaughlin's involvement in the early multi-cultural group Shakti was a revolutionary convergence of different Indian music traditions with flavors from western jazz fusion. In the late 90's early into the 2000's, McLaughlin reformed the group with one other original member (tabla player Zakir Hussain) and other prominent Indian musicians in a group appropriately named Remembering Shakti. It is appropriate that the name is different, for this group's sound, though similar to Western ears, has quite a different musical approach.

The original Shakti employed much more composed pieces with planned melodic themes which not only made the music more accessible but also more focused. The new group really is an improvisational format and not surprisingly the group's recordings are essentially live. The Believer is the second formal album from the group, with McLaughlin joined by a Indian mandolin player (already a hybrid sound) with a second traditional Indian percussionist.

The sound is very musically interesting and all the players' level of virtuosity is simply mind- boggling. The level of interaction between the musicians also eclipses virtually any blues or jazz jams you hear by Western groups. Indian drumming is such a more nuanced science than European playing, and the percussionists' freedom to call and respond, lead and follow, equals the lead instruments during the long improvisations found on the disc.

Shakti went to great lengths to try to vary the sound between songs, sometimes to a fault. At times, they would do more standard vocal tunes that sounded like soft jazz to the point of background music. Remembering Shakti never does this, both for the good and bad. For the good, this is intense music that demands close attention to appreciate. For the bad, the lack of melodic themes specific to each song makes the disc get a little same-y by the time you're finished. Though each song has a slightly different feel to begin, eventually all evolve (or devolve) into free improvisation.

McLaughlin himself sounds mature to be kind, less hungry and on the edge of his seat than he was in the 70's. At the same time, his speed is if anything more intense than ever. This translates to a number jaw-dropping passages and occasional not very inspiring scale running. The best times are when McLaughlin and the mandolin player (U. Shrinivas) weave in and out between each other, forced to maintain a tighter focus. Shrinivas plays a five string, single course version of the instrument, and it sounds more like a high strung guitar than the mandolin most of us are used to hearing. His chops easily match McLaughlin's but as I've observed in many such settings, the elder musician shows a bit of musicality that the youngster has yet to master. In the end, there is no doubt this is McLaughlin's show. By contrast, he was but a popular hook in Shakti, the learner himself rather than the leader.

Having seen Ravi Shankar live, this is quite a left turn from truly traditional Indian music though still grounded in the tradition. I would have loved to see this music performed in person. (There are some youtube videos that are quite good) On recorded format, I enjoy listening to it and return to it not infrequently when in the right mood. There are much higher peaks in the genre, and I really only recommend this disc once one has explored the realm a bit more. Of course, if you were fortunate enough to have seen the group live, this is a great representation of what you must have experienced.

But to the music. Basic foundation is something like ambient guitar riff and (as first and last track announces) improvisation. Because it's rock with India influences, I suppose that this oriental melody is it. Quite nice though, I always liked it. But sadly, it's so slow and can't catch my attention. Not that slow things are bad, this is quite boring for me. Maybe it IS me who's wrong, but for now, I feel it that way (for late changes of mind are there edit buttons).

Music without voice, guitar solos over and over again. But this guitar is so magical at times. But mostly, it's not so good, just tracks 1 and 5 sounds very good. Therefore, 3(+) stars.

1). The first track of the album, "Improvisation On A Modal Scale" is the only track on this album that isn't a stand-out. I can't really will myself to listen the whole way through but it is still a decent songs. 3/5.

2). "Acapulco Gold" the second track on this album is aptly titled. My best description for it is Gold. Acapulco Gold is a solo guitar piece that catches interest in the first seconds. A lot of imagery comes out of the sound of the guitar. Whenever I listen to it I feel like I'm walking through an arid desert. It is very Spanish sounding and is a song I'm always coming back to listen to. 5/5.

3). "Impromptu In "E" Minor" is another great song. On this track there are two main components. The Guitar and the Piano. A steady drum beat ties down the Guitar and Piano soloing throughout the song.The Fuzzed-out Guitar ,Gritty Piano, and Acoustic Guitar makes this track a very interesting listen. This and Acapulco Gold are easily my favorite songs on the album. 5/5.

4). Another great surprise is, "Textures In 3/4". Starting out with some saxophone the song gets better in better as it goes on. After around two minutes an inspired guitar solo kicks in. It will be very hard for most to stop listening at this point. The guitar sucks you in in a way I haven't felt on many other songs. 5/5.

5). "Improvisation On An Indian Scale" is a slight let down for me. The last three were perfection in my opinion and this ones sits slightly lower than the others for me. It is still layered with great guitar work and improvisations on this one but it doesn't catch my interest all too much. 4/5.

Overall this is a great album to have for anyone new to the Indo-Prog/Raga-Rock section of music. The whole album is an interesting experience but there a few flaws that keep from qualifying this as essential. If you ever get the chance to listen to this album take it. You won't be disappointed.

The "Overture" brings forth the familiar sound of the group, raw pipe sound playing joylessly in unconventional scales, tribal calm drumming, supported by amplified guitar, bass and some strings. After this the music changes more interesting (for me), as there are some ancient European classical music elements included to the sound in interexsting way, and there are some quite formless, personal sequences resembling mayby BRIAN ENO's Pachelbel variations. There is also some rare element for this group here, singing, in the very medieval oriented "Fleance" song. The storyline is followed with quite many simple songs, which are often more sound enviroments than tonal compositions. The music is maybe not totally fitting to my own taste, but contains still quite fine moments, and being very refresing personal and different record. The band certainly produces something quite personal with scarce amount of musical elements. Maybe the fastness of some ideas distracted little the listening, and also the pleasant moments are companied with some phases not very pleasant to experience.

If you wish to hear very personal, raw and ancient oriented music, it is certainly provided by this record. Due my interest to European classical and folk music, I think this is so far the most interesting album by this group I have heard, three stars +. Now where is that Polanski's film DVD!

So far from coming "at the end of a period of time when Indian and western sounds were being regularly blended together to form really creative music", Magic Carpet was recorded right at the beginning of the period, one of the first true blendings of eastern and western instruments in this style. Learn more at the band web site ? www.magic carpetrecords.com or listen at www.myspace.com/magiccarpet1972