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Lotuses On Irish Strings: The Mahavishnu Orchestra

The first time I ever heard the Mahavishnu Orchestra I hated them. But, I persisted, and after a few listens, my life with John McLaughlin and The Mahavishnu Orchestra began. I stood in concert ticket lines not once, not twice, but three times to see this band. Live is the only way to see and hear The Mahavishnu Orchestra. Interestingly, the band's members come from around the globe: The Mahavishnu John McLaughlin is from England, Bass guitarist Rick Laird is from Ireland, Drummer Billy Cobham is from Panama, Keyboardist Jan Hammer is from Czechoslovakia, and violinist Jerry Goodman is from the U.S. As a group, they were as cross-cultural as their music.

My first intro to The Mahavishnu Orchestra was with the album The Inner Mounting Flame. My first reaction was "Can't we just listen to Deep Purple instead?" But the record sunk its teeth in me, and I was Mahavishnu-hooked in no time. John McLaughlin's licks are just out of this world. My second favorite player in the band was Jan Hammer. I never much cared for a violin in a band. I've since gotten used to it, but I'm still not sure it works as a collective sound. Two guitars would have been so much better.

First off, I had a really hard time trying to place the style of their music. It wasn't rock, and it wasn't psychedelic. It wasn't jazz, and it certainly wasn't classical. What it was, was a blend of all of these elements. The music was crazy, erratic, and often felt out of control, yet, at the same time, it was all in perfect harmony and mathematically precise. I found it fascinating in a way I'd never felt before. Little did I know that The Mahavishnu Orchestra was my first introduction to Fusion.

I always wondered how they could get from point A to point B with their strange arrangements, wild solos, crazy, almost frenetic climaxes and longer songs. But they did, and they did it so well that after the first album, I couldn't get enough, and I couldn't believe how tight they were. "Birds of Fire" is a great album, and the songs "One Word" and "Resolution" are my favorites from that LP. I do favor their live album From Nothingness to Eternity as it reminds me of the three concerts I'd seen from them. The song "Dream" which occupies an entire album side is a magnificent journey through a musical network as intricate as the central nervous system. This album, recorded live, sadly is the last of the original Mahavishnu lineup.