Rank the Mahavishnu Orchestra's albums

Anyone have Birds Of Fire from the 2000 remaster on CD? Seems like a lot of bad CDs in this time frame, should I spring for the 1986 Japan release?

 

fwiw, I have the box set from 2011, which is remastered. I'll try to dig it out and play it later today. As I recall, it's an improvement over the LP. This is the kind of music that CD usually handles better than vinyl, particularly given the limitations of the inner grooves on 33 1/3 LPs.

 

I remember being into Eastern religion at the time, so their very name piqued my curiosity. Bought Birds of Fire and my face melted off. Apocalypse was next, mainly bought it because of the actual orchestra and the neat cover art. Ran out and bought everything else over the next months.

I'd still put BOF and Apocalypse at the top of the studio albums, with IMF and VEB tied at third. Inner Worlds is an outlier for me. A few good tracks but it's got a weird vibe compared to the others.

 

First two, least I bought them real time.

 

My favourite is the Audio Fidelity hybrid SACD.

 

Inner Mounting Flame
Birds of Fire
Apocalypse
Inner Worlds
Lost Trident Sessions
Visions of The Emerald Beyond

Hasn't George Martin said that Apocalypse is his favorite album he's produced? Something like that.

 

Yes, he did!

 

The Inner Mounting Flame....
favorite... others in no order....

 

I remember in his book he said Paul Winter Consort's Icarus was his favorite, but maybe he didn't stick with that.

 

Visions of the Emerald Beyond
Birds of Fire
The Inner Mounting Flame
Apocalypse
Inner Worlds
Between Nothingness and Eternity

 

BTW the house John McLaughlin grew up in (black door). Photo taken last year when I was in the town.

 

For years, I dismissed Apocalypse as being unworthy... then decades later I gave it a listen with an open mind and loved it.

MO mk II is a different beast than MO mk I, but still quite worthy. It was never intended to be a true follow-up to Birds of Fire (or Between Nothingness).

 

MO mk I is my favorite lineup but I also enjoy mk II.

BTW... Phil Collins said Brand X were heavily influenced by MO. Got to meet Peter Gabriel at a Brand X/John McLaughlin One Truth Band show in Central Park back in the late 70s. BX played that show with no guitar player as Goodall had the tendonitis issue then.

 

"Apocalypse" is his best work, in my opinion, because of the spiritual element but is let down by a very ordinary recording, so it has to be "Birds of Fire". Although not as transcendental, the recording is stellar.

 

You've certainly found one here although I'm afraid your book & website are often my go to places for Mahavishnu Orchestra information (I was born in 1979 so never saw them unfortunately).

Thanks for all your great work though & good luck with the gig list.

 

Birds Of Fire
Inner Mounting Flame
Apocalypse

I don't bother with the others very often.

 

I've only two so

1. Birds Of Fire
2. Inner Mounting Flame