John McLaughlin, a guitarist apart as he proved once and for all in sessions with Miles Davis, spent much of the '60s as an in-demand sideman for the likes of Graham Bond, Georgie Fame, and Jack Bruce, even Bowie, Hendrix, and the Stones. Approximately here is where he started out on his own, though it was the Miles dates and then the Mahavishnu Orchestra where he broke as a star, at least as much of a star as a fusion artist can be. For me, never a fan of notes-per-second, strange time signature noodling, which is how the Mahavishnu stuff sounds to me, this is the album that counts (well, this and those Miles sides) -- all moody layers and washes of smoky, doomy sound, as sure-footed as a muscular feline padding about the place. And, oh yeah, works on some level as a spiritual exercise too. Profoundly moving. Food for the soul. One of a kind, this. One for the ages.
Thursday, June 28, 2007
Devotion (1970)
John McLaughlin, a guitarist apart as he proved once and for all in sessions with Miles Davis, spent much of the '60s as an in-demand sideman for the likes of Graham Bond, Georgie Fame, and Jack Bruce, even Bowie, Hendrix, and the Stones. Approximately here is where he started out on his own, though it was the Miles dates and then the Mahavishnu Orchestra where he broke as a star, at least as much of a star as a fusion artist can be. For me, never a fan of notes-per-second, strange time signature noodling, which is how the Mahavishnu stuff sounds to me, this is the album that counts (well, this and those Miles sides) -- all moody layers and washes of smoky, doomy sound, as sure-footed as a muscular feline padding about the place. And, oh yeah, works on some level as a spiritual exercise too. Profoundly moving. Food for the soul. One of a kind, this. One for the ages.
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"...Food for the soul. One of a kind, this. One for the ages."
ReplyDeleteYou are so right! For me, this is one of John Mac's best efforts ever.
One question: Does the archive contain the CD artwork? If not, could you please upload this seperately? Many thanks in advance.
Outstanding.
ReplyDeleteI have dug this album since it was released, and here it (finally) is.
Thank you very much.