The Mahavishnu Orchestra With John McLaughlin – The Inner Mounting Flame Columbia KC 31067 (1971)
A great debut from one of the foremost jazz fusion outfits. This one is much more rock-oriented than the later albums. In fact, this one sounds more like a rock band exploring some very complex jazz themes rather than a jazz band incorporating rock rhythms, guitar riffs and the like. The group’s next album, Birds of Fire, would take a very different approach and utilize purely rock instrumentation to achieve a symphonic sound within the auspices of jazz fusion. Later albums would take a more prog-rock approach, with actual symphony orchestration set against more rock-centric noodling.
