Listening Party #6 The Inner Mounting Flame by The Mahavishnu Orchestra/ John McLaughlin 8pm 27 Apr.

Redlester

This is the thread for Listening Party #6 which will start at 8pm sharp on Wednesday 27th April, so cue up your CD or vinyl, rewind your tape or add to your Spotify/Tidal/Qobus playlist ready to go.

For an explanation / idea of what we are trying to do, please read this thread -

https://www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/224863/listening-party-anyone-up-for-it#latest

Please chip in with any positive comments or observations on each tune as they are being played in real time. There will be plenty of opportunity to expand on longer thoughts if you want to after the 'live' thread has finished, so keep them short and upbeat during the playback period. There might be a very short drinks interval between side 1 and 2. I will let you know when side 2 will re-start.

The 6th record we are listening to is The Inner Mounting Flame by The Mahavishnu Orchestra. 
 
This is the debut album by the outfit led by famed British guitarist, John McLaughlin. 

I had to think long and hard about what to suggest, but in the end I plumped for something which I think ticks four boxes: 1. It's considered a bona fide classic by many people 2. This is a guitar forum and this is an album where one of the all-time greats shows off his chops! and 3) I'm aware that lots of people may have heard of John and the MO, but may not necessarily have encountered the music before. 

Last but not least, this is an OLD album (1971)! So it's a great chance to go back to the past- especially for younger forumites- and unearth a classic. 

So a bit of jazz, a bit of rock, a whole lot of guitar, challenging time signatures aplenty, and something for the curious. 

I'll be posting a few more background notes over the coming week before we sit down to listen. 


Look forward to listening with you all.  

Redlester

Tagging previous participants:

@Ally

@BahHumbug

@Devil#20

@digitalkettle

@DiscoStu

@EricTheWeary

@ewal

@Fuengi

@Hattigol

@JMS96

@JonHosker

@MagicPigDetective

@markv

@mudslide73

@Redlester

@RocknRollDave

@theimageofall

@thermionic

@tone1

@TTony

@UnclePsychosis

@victorludorum

@digitalkettle

I think @Hootsmon likes John M as well, so it'd be great to have you along! 

Fuengi

Looking forward to this next week. 

Devil#20

Redlester said:

Tagging previous participants:

@Ally

@BahHumbug

@Devil#20

@digitalkettle

@DiscoStu

@EricTheWeary

@ewal

@Fuengi

@Hattigol

@JMS96

@JonHosker

@MagicPigDetective

@markv

@mudslide73

@Redlester

@RocknRollDave

@theimageofall

@thermionic

@tone1

@TTony

@UnclePsychosis

@victorludorum

@digitalkettle

I think @Hootsmon likes John M as well, so it'd be great to have you along! 

Ah OK. If @Hootsmon joins us I suggest we also download Google Translate before the event then. 

Redlester

I'm going to be posting a bit in advance of our listening party, to set the scene. 

TIMF is the first album by TMO. 

It featured
'Mahavishnu' John Mclaughlin on guitar, 
Rick Laird on bass
Jan Hammer (yes, THAT Jan Hammer, later of Miami Vice them fame) on keys
Billy Cobham on drums
and 
Jerry Goodman on violin.

Something of a cosmopolitan band, JM is of course a Yorkshireman by birth. RL was Irish. JH is Czech, BC from Panama, and JG the US. 

digitalkettle

That gives me a feel for what this is going to sound like then!

Surprised to see Jeff Beck and Billy Cobham never collaborated, afaict.

Redlester

@digitalkettle Billy Cobham is a monster drummer! He played more mainstream jazz before really coming to prominence on Miles Davis’s ‘Tribute to Jack Johnson’ album. 

That may well have been one of the first times he played with John McLaughlin, who was a Miles mainstay by then, and who is all over that album. 

By the time Beck was into his fusion period, Mahavishnu mki was no more- BC had established himself as a band leader, with the famous ‘Spectrum’ album. 

Jan Hammer of course it was who gravitated to Jeff Beck. A lot of their trademark ‘duelling’ solo style was probably inspired by what Hammer, McCL and Goodman dod in TMO. 

Beck likes flash, heavy drummers- eg Cozy Powell, Terry Bozzio, Vinnie Coilletta (sp?) But I think they are probably more rock than jazz- where as you will hear Cobham has the rock power mixed with some incredibly dextrous Max Roach like jazz inflections. The two add up to an intensity all of his own- and an overall concentrated, visceral power matched by very few- e.g Bonham, Buddy Rich. 

Redlester

Alright lads, here's a little bump before our listening party on Wednesday. 

Let's set the scene  little, but presenting a brief John McLaughlin timeline. 

You probably know that he was something of a fixture on the 60s jazz and R and B scene in London in the 60s, as well as playing some sessions too. 

Things really start to take shape in the later 60s. Firstly, as a bandleader under his own name, he recorded a very fine album indeed called 'Extrapolation'. This is very much more of an 'acoustic' jazz album, not really fusion at all and more in the grain of post bop 1960s jazz.

He gets a great tone on this record which comes from...guess what?!...a Gibson Hummingbird with a pickup attached.  So it's not exactly that 'fat' hollowbodied electric jazz tone we expect, but not far off in terms of warmth, and with a little added top end clarity. 

He quickly came to the attention of American musicians, and in 1969 moved to New York to play with former Miles Davis drummer Tony Williams, in the band Lifetime. But as fate would have it, one of his very first sessions in NY was with THE Miles Davis himself. You can hear John and that fabulous Hummingbird tone all over the peerless "In a Silent Way" album. 

In believe that in the Lifetime group he was playing something like a Fender Mustang. At the kinds of volume they were playing at, the Hummingbird was probably feeding back like no-one's business. 

At the same time, he continued to record and gig with Miles Davis, becoming a mainstay and a major inspiration as part of Miles's own fusion period. John is on- Mong other records- A Tribute to Jack Johnson, and Bitches Brew. In terms of the live stuff, he's also on a seriously funky record called Live-Evil.

This brings us to the Mahavishnu period. So the story goes, he formed his own band because Miles Davis told him that he was ready, and when a master speaks you listen, right?

And so TIMF is the first record by that group. Just be aware, though, that in gear terms what we will hear will not be the Gibson 6/12 double neck of legend. According to John (on his website) and also the photos on the inner sleeve of TIMF, the largely played a Gibson Les Paul Custom, which was rented for the session. 

 The 6/12 came later, when he used to solo using the 6 strong neck, and use the 12 string to create big, lush, arpeggiated washes of sound based on who knows what complex chords...

Fuengi

Alright! Looking forward to this one, Ray-Ban's to hand. 

I didn't get the @ notification so it might be worth tickling up some of the regulars. 

See you 8pm sharp Daddy-o. 

TTony

Unfortunately, I have the mother-in-law visiting this week.




So of course I'll be tucked away in a different room, headphones on, listening. 


In fact, I've just confirmed that it's on YT and I might even be having a sneaky pre-listen right now as it's something I'm pretty sure I've never heard before.

EricTheWeary

I can't make the timing of these unfortunately but I have it on now, fairly sure I've never heard a note of it before either. I'll probably post a paragraph of vague impressions before I go to bed tonight. 

markv

I do actually own this album but I have to admit to having barely listened to it and so I couldn't tell you what it sounds like from memory.

Some albums grab me immediately but most of my favourites grew on me after repeated listens - in some cases, after my initial judgement was quite negative. I find it hard to take in an album on one listen, even relatively simple pop and rock - so I suspect that I won't have much to add to this discussion!

Nevertheless, I'll be joining in (I've set myself a reminder after missing the last 2 weeks) - it will be interesting to make actual notes of my first(-ish) impressions, that not being something I'd normally do. 

Redlester

Tagging previous participants:

@Ally

@BahHumbug

@Devil#20

@digitalkettle

@DiscoStu

@EricTheWeary

@ewal

@Fuengi

@Hattigol

@JMS96

@JonHosker

@MagicPigDetective

@markv

@mudslide73

@Redlester

@RocknRollDave

@theimageofall

@thermionic

@tone1

@TTony

@UnclePsychosis

@victorludorum

@digitalkettle
@hootsmon

Kick off at 8pm. Looking forward to this. 

Redlester

Calling me old pal @richardhomer if he's free and fancies listening in... 

MagicPigDetective

Apologies... there's a football game that I have to watch. Never heard this album, though I do love the guitar playing on In a Silent Way. 

Devil#20

MagicPigDetective said:

Apologies... there's a football game that I have to watch. Never heard this album, though I do love the guitar playing on In a Silent Way. 

I'll be checking the score on that game and hoping you get stuffed :-)

richardhomer

Redlester said:

Calling me old pal @richardhomer if he's free and fancies listening in... 

Sadly being cooked dinner by my significant other, who might find this a tad ‘challenging’. Thanks for the invitation - really appreciated.

Philly_Q

markv said:

I do actually own this album but I have to admit to having barely listened to it and so I couldn't tell you what it sounds like from memory.

Likewise.  This is the first of these which I was thinking of giving a go, but I've no idea where the CD is and Spotify doesn't seem to be working this evening (I probably need to reinstall it but I don't have access to my password on this laptop).

Enjoy, everyone....

Redlester

Philly_Q said:

markv said:

I do actually own this album but I have to admit to having barely listened to it and so I couldn't tell you what it sounds like from memory.

Likewise.  This is the first of these which I was thinking of giving a go, but I've no idea where the CD is and Spotify doesn't seem to be working this evening (I probably need to reinstall it but I don't have access to my password on this laptop).

Enjoy, everyone....

 Try Youtube! (EDIT: Just checked and for anyone who is interested it IS easily available for free on YT. Can't vouch for ads, but it's another way of listening. 

Redlester

richardhomer said:

Redlester said:

Calling me old pal @richardhomer if he's free and fancies listening in... 

Sadly being cooked dinner by my significant other, who might find this a tad ‘challenging’. Thanks for the invitation - really appreciated.

No probs Richard. 

Begs the question what kind of food goes with the music of TMO. 

Thai red curry washed down with retsina, methinks........

richardhomer

Redlester said:

richardhomer said:

Redlester said:

Calling me old pal @richardhomer if he's free and fancies listening in... 

Sadly being cooked dinner by my significant other, who might find this a tad ‘challenging’. Thanks for the invitation - really appreciated.

No probs Richard. 

Begs the question what kind of food goes with the music of TMO. 

Thai red curry washed down with retsina, methinks........

And there in lies the rub - I’m having fish pie. Probably more suited to Fairport Convention, or maybe even Steeleye Span…