I originally had this on pre-recorded cassette which I bought in Norwich while on holiday on the Norfolk Broads in 1978. I'd bought the
Mahavishnu Orchestra's 'Inner Mounting Flame' when I was 14 and have loved jazz fusion ever since. I was an odd boy. It was the breathtaking speed and dynamics of the music that got me hooked. It was all just so thrilling and in your face one minute and then a gentle whisper of ambience the next.
This is a live album recorded in Central Park, New York 1973 and is essentially all new material that had been intended to be on their 3rd studio album. There are only 3 tracks on it and one of them is 21-minute long.
The level of instrumental prowess by McLaughlin, Jan Hammer, Billy Cobham, Ric Laird and Jerry Goodman is almost overwhelming. The way it veers from a gentle silence to a full out sonic assault in a heartbeat is staggering. The overdriven, and very loud guitar ensures it remains connected to rock n roll despite being rooted in jazz. The duelling between keys, violin and guitar is extraordinary, almost as if they are chasing each other down a hill.
I used to put this on headphones even as a 17-year-old and just 'go away' in what I'd later discover was a kind of untutored Transcendental Meditation and even now, it still manages to centre me and it still takes me to somewhere else.
It made #42 in USA but didn't chart in UK