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PROG ROCK, PSYCH, AVANT GARDE
PROG ROCK, PSYCH, AVANT GARDE
And Other Genres Thereabouts
All entries taken from the discs themselves
(No Cut And Paste Crap)
"…Now And
Zen Will Do…"
Back
in the day I can remember being fascinated by the Eastern mysticism of
Mediation Guru SRI CHINMOY whose name began to appear with almost Godlike
reverence on Santana, Robert Flack and Mahavishnu Orchestra albums around about
1972 and 1973 (with his followers having a penchant for dressing in heavenly
white). Rock-Jazz-Fusion had been gaining ground on CTI, Atlantic, Douglas and
Columbia/CBS since 1970 and instrumental in this was England's fusion guitar
sensation JOHN McLAUGHLIN and his band THE MAHAVISHNU ORCHESTRA (Maha the
Creator - Vishnu the Preserver).
Beat
Goes On put out these albums in the Eighties, Sony's own Legacy CD reissues
then turned up in 1991 and there's been others since. Well along comes BGO
again to whet your appetite once more with a brand new 2014 remaster by ANDREW
THOMPSON - and stompingly good it is too. Here's the Devadip inner oneness
direct from the fountain of babbling knobosity...
UK
released September 2014 - "Between Nothing & Eternity/Visions Of The
Emerald Beyond" by THE MAHAVISHNU ORCHESTRA on Beat Goes On BGOCD 1161
(Barcode 5017261211613) gives us two straightforward albums remastered onto
2CDs and plays out as follows:
Disc
1 (42:07 minutes):
1.
Trilogy: The Sunlit Path, La Mere De La Mer, Tomorrow’s Story Not The Same
2.
Sister Andrea [Side 2]
3.
Dream
Tracks
1 to 3 are their 3rd album "Beyond Nothingness And Eternity" -
released December 1973 in the USA on Columbia Records KC 32766 and January 1974
in the UK on CBS Records S 69046 (42:07 minutes). The LP was recorded 'live' in
August 1973 in New York's Central Park and featured JOHN McLAUGHLIN on Lead
Guitar, JAN HAMMER on Piano and Moog, JERRY GOODMAN on Violin, RICK LAIRD on
Bass with BILLY COBHAM on Drums. It rose to Number 43 on the American album
charts.
Disc
2 (40:17 minutes):
1.
Eternity’s Breath Part 1
2.
Eternity’s Breath Part 2
3.
Lila’s Dance
4.
Can’t Stand Your Funk
5.
Pastoral
6.
Faith
7.
Cosmic Strut
8.
If I Could See
9.
Be Happy
10.
Earth Ship
11.
Pegasus
12.
Opus
13.
On The Way Home To earth
Tracks
1 to 13 are their 5th album "Visions Of The Emerald
Beyond" - released January 1975 in the USA on Columbia PC 33411 and CBS
Records 69108 in the UK. It made Number 68 in the US Albums chart. Many more
musicians supplemented the band - namely JEAN-LUC PONTY- who brought his
electric violin to the proceedings. All songs on Disc 1 and 2 written by JOHN
McLAUGHLIN except “Cosmic Strut” by NARADA MICHAEL WALDEN
There's
a classy card wrap/slipcase on the outside and equally superb liner notes by
noted Jazz writer CHARLES WARING (Mojo, Record Collector) in the substantial
20-page booklet. ANDREW THOMPSON did the new 2014 Remasters and they’re
typically clear and full of presence – the dense instrumental passages now
breathing anew...
Taking
its name from the last lines in a 1972 Sri Chinmoy poem called "My
Flute" - the live "Between Nothingness & Eternity" LP was
amazingly consistent despite the crazy the length of the three tracks (one
taking up a whole side). The opener "Trilogy" (The Sunlit Path/La
Mere De La Mere/Tomorrow's Story Not The Same) has beautiful guitar passages -
a melodic trippy opening seguing into Fusion and back again. "Sister
Andrea" is the same while the sidelong "Dream" sees McLaughlin
trade licks and keys with Hammer in a wonderfully musical dance of virtuoso playing.
Even now its impressive stuff and given the venue - so well recorded by
Engineer TIM GEELAN.
By
the time they reached album number five "Visions Of The Emerald
Beyond" in mid 1975 - JEAN-LUC PONTY (ex Zappa's Mothers) brought his
distinctive electric violin playing to the cosmic stew. The opening duo of
Parts 1 and 2 of "Eternal Breath" are amazing Jazz Rock with
Keyboardist GAYLE MORAN and Violinist CAROL SHRIVE adding suitably wailing
backing vocals. You're also hit once again with the gorgeous production values
- the swirling guitar treatments of "Lila's Dance" and the Jeff Beck
"Blow By Blow" choppy rhythms in "Can't Stand Your Funk".
Thompson is to be praised for a really fantastic sounding remaster. It all gets
a bit hippy-dip with the vocal on "If I Could See" but comes back
strong with the mellow keyboard and flute vibe of "Earth Ship". Again
Jeff Beck's nasty Rock Funk is in evidence on the stabbing rhythms of
"Cosmic Strut" - the only non John McLaughlin song on the album - penned by the then 22-year old drummer Michael
Walden (soon to become funk's Narada on Atlantic Records).
It's
been decades since I played these albums and while you could do without the
metaphysical waffling - the playing is still striking, innovative and at times
downright extraordinary. A superb little CD Reissue and recommended...
