Audio CD review:
Mahavishnu Orchestra - Inner Worlds

Mahavishnu Orchestra - Inner Worlds

Band: Mahavishnu Orchestra Title: Inner Worlds Rating: Release Date: 1994-06-28 Media: Audio CD Tracks: 1: All in the Family 2: Miles Out 3: In My Life - Mahavishnu Orchestra, Walden, Narada Mich 4: Gita 5: Morning Calls 6: The Way of the Pilgrim - Mahavishnu Orchestra, Walden, Narada Mich 7: River of My Heart - Mahavishnu Orchestra, Walden, Narada Mich 8: Planetary Citizen - Mahavishnu Orchestra, Armstrong, Ralphe 9: Lotus Feet 10: Inner Worlds Pts. 1 & 2

McLaughlin's Most Embarrasing Moments It sounds like something similar must have happened here, because as brilliant an artist as McLaughlin is, this recording is little short of embarrassing. Anybody remember CCR's "Pendulum"? Tired of hearing his sidemen complain that they wanted to do "their thing" Fogarty went ahead and let them do it, thus creating the album referred to as "Fogarty's Revenge". Any other explanation begs the question "Did anyone imagine that `Planetary Citizen' would be a hit?" Believe it: Mac was just playing the good sideman, sitting back and letting Armstrong dig his own grave. Narada Michael Walden's contributions at least had their moments; "The Way of the Pilgrim" is pretty good, and his vocals on "Gita" and "In My Life" (not the Lennon-McCartney standard) aren't bad. The less said about "River of My Heart" the better. And if you're letting your sidemen commit artistic suicide, there's little point in wasting your own best work to try and pick them up. So McLaughlin uses "his time" on this album to play around with some kind of "pitch-to-voltage converter" device that he perhaps didn't have complete control over yet. The results are certainly far-out enough (check out Inner Worlds Pts. 1 & 2) but not especially melodic. Okay, so "All in the Family" is pretty good, as is "Lotus Feet", but these compositions still aren't nearly up to Mahavishnu standards for this period. Maybe the biggest failure of this outing is that it doesn't have a coherent band sound. Mac is all over the place, perhaps searching for new directions, perhaps just not caring, and while Walden tries to stay in character, Armstrong's funk is heavy-handed and completely out in left field. When the early Mahavishnu got funky, they did it in 7/4 or something crazy like that (and still managed to get you groovin'). Is it really possible that Johnny Mac was so disgusted with his sidemen that he intentionally let them put out a sub-standard album? Decide for yourself. But let's point out that after this release, McLaughlin renounced his Mahavishnu-ship and started a career as a solo artist. Pretty bad Four songs are essentially cheesy, light r&b/funk with vocals. This was the final Mahavishnu album of the 70s, and quite different from the group's earlier work. Some of the instrumental tracks are also more commercial than the challenging material of earlier albums. The album's strongest tracks are "All in the Family", "Lotus Feet" and "Inner Worlds". McLaughlin does some early experimentation with a guitar synthesizer. "All in the Family" features some intense playing over an churning African-Latin beat; "Lotus Feet" would be given better performances by various incarnations of McLaughlin's other band, Shakti; and "Inner Worlds" almost sounds like an early precursor of techno. This album is only recommended for McLaughlin completists. Otherwise stick to Mahavishnu's earlier albums. You guys are missing the point The "real" mahavishnu orchestra was formed after the first 3 albums. And you show you don't understand John's intensions at all. This one showcases some beautiful melodies and is far more listenable than the first 3. I'd recommend this to anyone who wants to hear beautiful music, because that's what it is. Ok, Planetary Citizen is a little hokey, but Gita steals the show. If you only care about guitar pyrotechnics, this disc isn't for you. TECHNOLOGY GONE MAD! You'd think that he was trying to put as much difference between say, 'birds of fire' and this as he could. This is a big let down. The album is only partially saved by Narada Michael Walden's top drumming (another musician that has really lost his way!)and his song 'way of the pilgrim'. The rest is rather uninspired noodlings, meandering and pointless. If i want to hear a synthesiser i'll buy a Tomita record (God forbid) if i want guitar i expected Mahavisuna to deliver the goods. But a guitar that sounds like a synthesiser?. . i mean what's the point. It's just pointless. Stick with the other Mahavisuna albums or his solo album 'electric guitar' Big let down!. All In The Mahavisnu Family So why is it that his gentle side never gets spotlighted on the Mahavisnu albums?Well on 'Inner Worlds' the Mahavisnu Orchestra undergo something of a musical change,and in retrospect it's a pretty big one. John McLaughlin is a guitarist who has the ability to sound both gentle and powerful. Rather then relying on bombastic hard rock and pcychedelia as he did on the bands earlier albums McLaughlin (with alot of help from drummer Narada Michael Walden)the overall sound of 'Inner Worlds' has alot more to do with the sounds of jazz-funk and mid 70's R&B balladeering. "All In The Family" opens up the affair in pretty ordinary,bombastic Mahavisnu type number. But tunes like "Miles Out",the fairly contemplative "Lotus Feet" and the brief but potent funk of "Planetary Citizen" have an extra sense of groove to them not present in other McLaughlin-related music and their are more vocals on this album,again from Walden. But the closing title track,a two part instrumental exercise in electronic flippery is fine indeed and brings to mind the recent work of both Bernie Worrell and Jan Hammer. So while I will recommend any of Mahavisnu's previous albums for any average fan of fusion I would recommend 'Inner Worlds' more to fans of 70's funk-jazz and crossover R&B then the more flamboyant early stuff. But it's still a five star album,albeit the last for some years. You can see a complete list of all Mahavishnu Orchestra discography, or go back to the Mahavishnu Orchestra tabs