THE INNER MOUNTING FLAME

Mahavishnu Orchestra is the type of group that blows you away in a phase in which you are still hypnotized by fast solo's and very technical musicianship. Moreover, this album is quite an early example of heavy jazz rock with a Miles Davis heritage. For me personally the guitars of McLaughlin are a total hit and miss; I like the guts, but I dislike the meaningless use of his immense solo's. On their 1973 effort 'Birds of Fire' the band would improve a lot on the production and more importantly on the compositions. The band has an amazing line-up; Billy Cobham on drums, Jan Hammer on piano, Jerry Goodman on violin and Rick Laird on bass - all among the most technical players of their day. I listened to this record a few times, but it irritates me more than I enjoy it. I'm still happy it exists, because I do like bands like SBB, Finnforest and Leb I Sol - who took most of their inspiration from Mahavishnu.