The Mahavishnu Orchestra - Syracuse 1972

[cpdaddy7]

Holy Shit. This is not fusion, it is music. MO channeling the universe.

[metamorphosis67]

What? End the song at 7 minutes? Are you kidding?! Cobham was just getting warmed up after that machine gun McLaughlin solo. Jan Hammer follows with chicken-farts galore.

[antjohnson25]

Whats the titile of the last two songs of this set? Anybody.

[NCWharfRat]

I was at this concert! It was staged at the base of the small Skytop ski area (owned by Syracuse University) with the crowd sitting on the grassy ski slope. It was an absolutely perfect spring day. I got some great Kodachrome slides of the Mahavishnu Orchestra and Ravi Shankar. Thanks so much for posting. Meanwhile, ZENMANS--This is amazing quality for 1972, since videocassette machines had only been around for three years when it was shot (probably by SU students using school equipment).

[ZENMAN5]

Don't take this wrong, the performance is wonderful, the sound is not bad for majestic mono, but the quality of the vid is like watching old Jack Benny reruns on PBS. Still, nice to have a historical document of this. They really could pull off the amazing music of IMF and BOF live.

[123kitl]

Damn, I missed this one. It looks like it was outside. I did see all the Carrier dome performances however, cant tell from the video

[lonefools3]

Fantastic Sound Quality. Top Band

[gigly235]

Fusion at his best, like the band`s line up, McLaughlin a great man for having succeed to merge different cultures, drummer exceptional

[waynedanberry]

These Guys Were(Did) the Impossible!Who else can playSHIT like this? And this Fast?

[metamorphosis67]

@waynedanberry The guys in Zappa's 70s & 80s bands. George Duke played on some of the early Billy Cobham albums. Jean-Luc Ponty from Zappa's band later became a member of Mahavishnu. Return to Forever also but Chick added guitar to that band after he saw Mahavishnu live. Not that many people can play on this level, technically a lot of people can play fast today but not many can combine technique & artistry like these guys did.

[stuka52]

I saw Mahavishnu about this time. A new band "The Eagles" was the opening act, a band called "Yes" was the second act and Mahavishnu was the headliner. It was at the Akron (Ohio) rubber bowl stadium.

[awesomexoxo232]

@stuka52 awesome

[nubonyx]

Mahuvishnu were way before their time.

[nubonyx]

MY GOD!!!!!!!!!! Now my mind is blown. Cobham is killin' me.. I have never heard a drummer play like that cat.

[trigjeeeh]

energy on full

[nubonyx]

@trigjeeeh , what is really deep is how John explains consciousness or awareness. Like I said, they were waaayyyyy ahead of their time.

[trigjeeeh]

@nubonyx right there with you :)

[TheAcidMetal]

...la cagó...

[DWGERRY26]

This is just great stuff! Thanks for posting

[clarkewi]

This band was technically "off the richter".

[up2space]

what a great find. this is fantastic. should be prime-time wake up the dumb people.

[jazzynet1]

wow man i saw them and weather report and santana in concert once. whew. pass the joint :)

[up2space]

@jazzynet1 in those instances they should be handing out joints for free

[RareNoiseRecords]

Spectacular



[joe77752]

i wish the young rock fans where i work could see this tremendous talent, they like speed here it is!

[angrytech11]

This is such a great historical document, but I have to wonder about the posters who say they were at this show. It's like the researcher that did a comprehensive study that estimates that there are 10 million people who claim to have been at Woodstock. Actual attendance estimated at 400,000.

[TheSpo69]

I love it! Looks like they are jamming out at a backyard barbeque! Thank you for this post!

[Funkamedic]

That Jan Hammer solo is CRAZY!!

[fedm0r]

Jan Hammer rulez ;-))

[charleswatts1000]

I was actually at this show. Drove my '69 Triumph Spitfire to the show. Upon seeing this video, it was really akin to being transported back to that day for which I had no audio or video record of. Thank you SO MUCH. This is like a gift. It was a BEAUTIFUL day, and these were a great group of players, very impressive for the time.

[thrakish]

@charleswatts1000 Beautiful man. That makes me so happy. As a 20 year old Floridian kid who was a few decades too late for something that amazing, I can honestly say that I am envious. Though I am happy to watch from home.

[Dogdrum]

@thrakish I feel you on that one man.

[zino802]

double like.

[corpsewulf]

Punk was allegedly a reaction to music of this nature, which shows how naive and perhaps even ignorant of a movement that was, if it even counts as such. What they failed to realize is that all music is a form of liberation, and this is what I would consider an example of the highest order. It's like watching magic occur right in front of you.

[PyePye7]

@corpsewulf - Punk was a natural form of self expression in a parallel universe. You did not need to go through somebody else's discipline, musical discipline as in this case... to show how you felt. Another form of liberation! There are many forms of the very same thing...

[TheMandragoraBCN]

Thank you so much for posting this!

[raderpat]

I was there that day at Skytop in Syracuse and the concert was absolutely amazing!!

[mirare9]

Billy Cobham and Jan Hammer!!! Amazing!

[Gretschdrums75]

Thanks for this. Billy is Billy and everyone else is everyone else. 

[drumsinhisheart]

I saw them a couple times back in the day. They were so loud it was painful. Mr. C is a monster, though. I agree, this is an important historical document. Has another group in fusion history ever opened a concert with this kind of intensity and energy?

[plemyk]

Thanks for the upload.

[longhairedhippynose]

Great music but the interview was highly embarrassing. Seems a bit of a bullshitter but the whole hippy spiritual thing was bullshit wasn't it?

[naga3717]

@longhairedhippynose McLaughlin was a devoted follower of 'guru' Sri Chimnoy for several years, as was Carlos Santana. McLaughlin ended that after a while. But McLaughlin was not, and has never been, "a bullshitter."

[florafox]

@longhairedhippynose having studied comparative religion i have a question: do you argue from an atheistic or roman catholic point of view when you say "hippy spiritual thing was bullshit" ?

[controlh]

@longhairedhippynose - From what I've read JM was sincere and Buddism was around way before the hippies. But, hippy/'60's mantras like "it's all relative, man" and "do your own thing" say it all: There's no absolute right and wrong, i.e. it's a godless world where there's nothing wrong with greedy wallstreet bankers or guy's like Charles Manson. We all get to just make up our own rules. Carried to the extreme, I think that kind of BS has caused a lot of trouble in the world.

[szelenberg]

Great fusion group SBB live ....

[szelenberg]

Fantastic music. Try also SBB - magic fusion group, some say similar to mahavishnu but in fact playing in 70th its own great magic music - eg concert from Karlstad 1975, this record i was listening in my car for few years nonstop....

[ChiZ712]

this is a fantabulous video, I had heard of this band before from a Jonas Hellborg interview, and it's definitely going on my 'frequent play' list for the foreseeable future!

[uncasist]

With this band, Biily Cobham and John McClaughlin really advanced their instruments to a whole other level. I never saw them live, (except videos now, thank you various uploaders!), but I do remember friends coming back dramatically changed from a Mahavishnu concert. I thought i could hear why before, but now I really see why. I am intensely inspired by this...

[iv3shf]

Nobody came even close to Mr Cobham those days, not even one of my favourites(Carl Palmer) but i must admit.. absoultely great!!! Thanks for uploading it, never thought i might see them again! btw IMHO better with Ponty.

[pumpedup1971]

@iv3shf ponty is amazing, but for my money, jerry goodman gets a better "wah-wahed guitar sound than almost any guitarist! IMHO, of course ponty totally shines on 'fifty-fifty" on zappa's "overnite sensation" album, but jerry's riffs RULE!!!!!!!!!

[iv3shf]

@pumpedup1971 You are quite right Jerry did have a WAH pedal through his violin (that electric blue if i remember) seen on a stage on some videos. BT who are we comparing??? two myths!!!!!

Hats off to both.

[SD7268]

The Great young Billy Cobham !! yeah ! :)

Many Many Many Thanks to put this video... i'm shoked !! the video is very old but the sound is good... i think it's an important historic document...!! :) wow ! thanks again !

[uncasist]

@Funkamedic Thank you for uploading the full concert!!!

[Mikaeloettli]

I love this!!!! When will my friends? ;)

[cegonha02]

john was crazy on acid !!! haha

[Ganjamancer]

Thats Jan Hammer on keyboards there buddy, not Elton John, funny but disrespectful.

McLaughlin is the greatest guitar playing musician the world has ever known. This footage is amazing. Cobham is absolutely killing this song.

[ChiZ712]

@Ganjamancer but what about allan holdsworth and shawn lane?

[underage4page]

Yo John Mclaughlin is trippin at the beginning

[lordsuzy]

MAHAVISHNU!!! I Love the BAND!!!! God Bless and hope there will be a REUNION!!!

[Frisbieinstein]

Elton John does an amazing job sitting in on keyboards.

[Mrbiggerjobs1000]

@Frisbieinstein

You are naughty! I got a feeling I came out with that comment one night when I was a bit drunk- only probably on another video. did you see it?

[Frisbieinstein]

@Mrbiggerjobs1000

Thunk it up all by my selfus.

[Frisbieinstein]

Cobham rules.

[Mrsimplesimon99]

Best band ever

[oldbroancestor]

OLD BRO AND THE ANCESTORS says top this 21st century cats

[IggyM]

love this vid!! I have an even longer copy somewhere- so cool its outside during the day-really gives the feel of being there.

[jinhaeng1]

Hot

[yakimonoya]

cool