The first Mahavishnu Orchestra

[vixapphire]

Holy cow. This is like watching God create the heavens and earth.

[theoduo]

When one's heart is listning you can hear everthing of what is not being said.

And you can quote me

[theoduo]

This sounds like the music from a motorcycle movie that  copied the music from this group.

[GhostofSirJoh]

@theoduo Yes u r right

[maxinedal]

cobham has got to be one of my all time favorites! i loved it when he said carl palmers drum set sounded like it was made by mattel lol.

[69MC97gc]

Vielen Dank,aber es isst nicht treu dass Niemand mit diesem können "hang out"-Vielen hab .Carlos Santana und "Love.Devotion,Surrender"1973.

[0Oclockmusic]

they broke up becuz john mclaughlin tried to take all the credit for all the writing.

[DoktorFranken]

I saw these guys at the Arie Crown Theater in Chicago in 1975. Jeff Beck was the other band on the venue (and HE had Stanley Clarke, Chick Corea, and - I think - Buddy Miles). One of the best show I have ever seen!

[sensesyou]

I saw these guys in L.A. at the Forum, I think it was in '72. If the original lineup could get together again for a live show, I would tunnel to the center of the earth to see it!

[Rich161202]

john jan billy and ??

[Rich161202]

is that stanley clark on bas?

[jacomosfree]

no, that is Rick Laird on the bass guitar.

[leetos]

Billy's doing all the work.

[dorian411]

@leetos If one agrees, I think the phrase you should use is "he is having all the fun"!

[lambon23]

The missing link...this right here folks.

[wagtec]

It's a journey man.... love it

[Tezman82]

Billy is by far one of the most dynamic drummers I have ever heard.

[tonyhawksacriminal]

just getting into fusion and its amazing. i can't believe i used to respect mundane pentatonic riffs and 4/4 time signitures

[vinlandr]

@tonyhawksacriminal thats a normal thing to be attracted by what is easy to catch. When something is challenging it is being rejected. No wonder pop, country and blues always outsell classical and jazz. What appeal to the lowest denominator is what the indu$try is targetting

[armstrongbrosband]

Billy Cobham is awsome.

[Possumzz]

what is the name of this song for fuck sakes??!?!?

[cpmacarthur]

@Possumzz "  You Know you Know"

[cpmacarthur]

@Possumzz "You Know You Know"

[loinmute]

Amazing tonal center. I love this riff and that violin tone wheew. Magic

[BlackenedGass]

Fantastic perfomance, is this a song or a improv?

I like how Goodman and Laird are at opposite sides of the stage... apparently the two of them hated each other!

[walterkolosky1]

False.

[walterkolosky1]

False

[TheBrowndawg]

rock music needs more violin i reckon

[MrNEKMATI]

@solomonsworld... so wadja like? lady gaga? of justin beiber?

[mikisjazz]

Jan Hammer smokes!! I love this Mahavishnu!

[crustymcd]

Best. Band. Ever.

[souporsonic]

THAT, is badass violin, never thought i'd say that...badass violin!

[SpeedOfDark186Kmps]

Amazing solo by Cobham.

[musikabarnetik]

@SpeedOfDark186Kmps  Ponty?? this is not ponty, is it? It's Jerry goodman

[SpeedOfDark186Kmps]

@musikabarnetik  Ouch! You're right. Thanks for the correction.

[pumpedup1971]

@musikabarnetik you are correct,sir!! that is absolutely the great jerry amazingman, er, i mean goodman lol

[silzelresearch]

Wore out several of their LPs. Amazing playing.

[DrummingAddictTN]

Pioneers!!! All of them! The weird thing is I just got my first MO album last week, but I own half of each members' catalogs... Mindbending!!!

[NavinJohnson90]

I can't believe these guys are from the 70's

I just heard their music for the first time this week, and I thought they were from the future.

[azarsenalfreaks]

@NavinJohnson90 - I love it! I remember them when I was in high school- blew us out of the water! (Of course, imagine tripping your arse off and listening to them....we saw god...) I think they are timeless- I listen as much now as I did back then! Enjoy your new discovery! Kim

[NavinJohnson90]

@azarsenalfreaks I believe it! We smoked a doob in my friends van as we were listening to One Word. Perfect coming up music. I think if I listened to this on acid, my head would explode...

[szelenberg]

Mahavishnu is extra but try extraordinary fusion group called SBB, some say similar to Mahavishnu but with other magic energy, existing 70-80th and now again since ca 2000 year, believe me. Especially concert from Karlstad 1975 ....

[jigawhen]

to me, this is the only Mahavishnu Orchestra.. then it became John McGlaughlin feat. etc... cant believe they can play this so precise to the album thisss fast. scary individuals indeed

[weewilly49]

@jigawhen Mind Bending/ Life Changing!

[jbmadhouse]

whats the title of this track?

[SupernalOne]

I cannot concatenate sufficient profanity from my awed mind to pay anything like adequate homage to Jerry Goodman's electric violin here...

[Redredsir]

Happppyyyyynesss !

[drumboy61]

Fantastic Footage!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[jungkvist]

Saw these guy back in the early 70s on a TV show called In Concert (think it was on ABC). They played Birds of Fire and my jaw hit the floor - never heard anythink like it. Other than Alvin Lee, McLaughlin was the first speed merchant guitarist. Far as I know, the Mahavishnu Orchestra was - for better or worse - the beginng of fusion. which later gave birth to all the shredders. Oh, well, nobody's perfect.

[Lewis1key]

Even the great band Yes was not to happy about sharing a bill with these guys back in the 70's!

[gemydaloot]

you might squeese jeff beck in to the mix lol he has enough creativaty to coap

[jorgetokesalot]

i may be the only one but this reminds me a lot of a Dave Matthews Band style jam

[levonpoe]

The SHIT !!!!

[extremisto47]

@levonpoe

REAL SHIT!!!! Agree with you

[phineous100]

Love this fiddle player.

[TumbrelJockey]

@phineous100 Jerry Goodman of "the Flock ",a seminal fusion band. that was ahead of it's time.

[godles45]

Its the first oryginally jazz - rock band on the world.

[gemydaloot]

@godles45

and so is Billy

[YourMateJosh]

no musician has surpassed mahavishnu in terms of skill, musicality and raw talent......bar justin bieber.

[stockliskirep]

was I glad to grow up in the Chicago area to hear Jerry Goodman play with one of my favorite local bands @ the time, The Flock" ....now this band was so out there and so talented now we have electronics instead of Talent!

[TheBrowndawg]

i love the violin on this

[MrWildcountry]

@TheBrowndawg From The FLOCK

[thatiamdisco]

I was like "dayuum" within the first 2 seconds! Billy Cobham is the sickest!!!!

[reefergoat]

What is this song called?

[DieterD1ck]

@reefergoat It's called You know you know

[SGGURU]

God. I see God! I saw them play this in concert, back in the day.. I also saw them do a show with Santana, the following year. We used to jam this LP at work umpteen times a day, at work. Imagine a job, where you cranked the best tunes at full volume, while helping freaks shop for clothes. Best gig on earth. Jerry Goodman's sweet playing brings tears to my eyes, still. Glad I married a shredder, who could share my passion for this kind of music.

[Gazontheraz]

Rick Laird was irish

[DaveyL1954]

@Gazontheraz

Hey, greetings. Just one ammendment, Rick Laird IS Irish

[Gazontheraz]

@Gazontheraz

Oops my bad!Go on Rick ya good thing!

[thetwentyfourth]

b ] Therefore when you look inward enough to identify consciousness as the self (rather than mind\body), you understand that there is nothing but the self, experiencing itself from different vantage points each with their own unique and complex structures of ignorance to the whole.

This realization can be achieved through trancendental meditation, near-death experiences, psychedelic experiences, or even just daily life if you're in the right frame of mind to look inward without preconception.

[awesomewelles90]

Top ten "Bands that could rule the world":

1. Mahavishnu Orchestra! (original line up)

just too much talent!

dunno who the other 9 would be though, the Beatles would be in there!

[vladdy123123]

This is absolutely delightful! Thank you so much for posting.

[solomonsworld]

No jam band in the world could hang with these musicians. NO ONE

[germzneverdie]

coltrane?

[extremisto47]

@solomonsworld

No one psychiatrist doctor can't hel this guis.

[gemydaloot]

@solomonsworld

Ye i agree every musician on this vid is one of a kind

[BillyJimmyBobbyTimmy]

@solomonsworld You could easily get Dream Theater in there. They have improv and creativity for lightyears. That's really about it though lol.

[Pan3405]

@solomonsworld Yeahhh they sound really boring...

[jimmykennish]

@solomonsworld Jeff Beck is an answer to that one :)

[1138thz]

@solomonsworld

Really? what about this guy and his buds? watch?v=iY6Fgda55NQ

[dcehm]

you, know there is a lot of hate going on on all of the mahavishnu videos I've seen. Is it self indulgent, sure it is. It's exactly the same as a great orator giving a great speech.

This music is a display of individuality and tight ass ensemble playing, shifting time signatures sophisticated arrangements and, yes virtuosic solos.

Having said that it is not for everyone. Only those with ears to hear it.

thanks for posting this.

[awesomewelles90]

You should check out Idris Muhammad Power of Soul, the title track from that album is great non-self-indulgent fusion. He doesn't get as crazy as Cobham but the man sure knows how to kick a tight groove!

[babarumdanish]

The notion of self-indulgence is born of self and self is all there is anyway --bobmuse

----

Says who?

[thetwentyfourth]

Says anyone who has explored their own consciousness enough to realise it.

[babarumdanish]

Who?

[thetwentyfourth]

@ babarumdanish

a ] Me? Buddhists? Proponents of the psychedelic movement? I don't know. My gist is just that consciousness (a single, formless consciousness) is the foundation of being. That consciousness is looking out your eyes right now. It is 'you'. You may identify your 'self' with your mind\body, but (in my belief and experience of reality) there is only one 'self' that we all share, and that is consciousness, which is 'God', which is all of reality, which is you, which is me. ->

[babarumdanish]

Well, "the foundation of being" or, perhaps, the 'fabric' of being might provide a clearer glimpse.

In either case, a miss is as good as a mile.

HOWEVER, in my most esteemed opinion, Cobham was a perfect fit for M.O.

P.S. Were you attempting to end your comment with a rendition of "I am the walrus"?

Goo goo g'joob

[TheMessenger74]

total destruction, not one band that can match this...

[Harov2]

thats badass! who could hate on this?

[lszulc]

Yeah those vista light drums - what memories. Billy was a powerhouse and precise. Amazing what can be done with a two sticks! Creativity to the max - love it.

[rollingvee]

God. I forgot how much I use to hate this fusion shit. Great skill to play...but yawn! Oh, the self indulgence.

[jinhaeng1]

@rollingvee

Its not fusion.You need a name for everything?Then call it Mahavishnu Orchestra

[bobmuse40]

it's beyond entertainment value. This is a meditation :). The notion of self-indulgence is born of self and self is all there is anyway :)

[wtaylor0]

Getting on stage and expecting attention is self-indulgent. This music floats my boat just fine.

[steel4eva]

what a douche lol

[kaff4481kaff]

What's it like to be the boy who couldn't feel? Plenty numb, one would imagine.

[mrcss]

@rollingvee Holy shit fuck you mahavishnu orchestra is epic!

[apple1953]

Reminds me of Return to Forever group.

[SanjibanSellew]

Incredible. Unsurpassable. This was progressive and evolved music. I think it still is. The talent in the band is deep.

[fpmfdl]

lol... jonas brothers... good joke... jonas brothers rock... so virtuos it hurts... learn something... i wonder if they know whats this amazing superstar band... i bet they don´t.. i also like al di meola playing with MO... and the sounds of strings... al di meola stanley clarke and jean luc ponthy

[Oneness100]

Al Di Meola never played with Mahavishnu Orchestra, he was with Return to Forever... Al did play with McLaughlin and Paco DeLucia in the Trio.

[beeflin]

wow this is the most awesome fiddling, and I've heard Jerry Goodman before... he's so on song here.

[bentpolski]

Saw them back in the 70's at The Central Park Shaefer Beer Festival . Saw a lot of great bands there. The MO was unreal!

[chicmim]

Remember Goodman with the Flock?

[chicmim]

You guys should have seen and heard them live. I did

[FunkMan53]

Finally, clips from the original group with Billy Cobham, Rick Laird, Jan Hammer etc. This was John's best group. I wonder why it broke up?

[sheracad]

Wow! I bet the Jonas Brothers could play this!

[Drumfreax101]

@sheracad

You best be jokin', or I'll beat you until you swore you were :D

[jbmadhouse]

@sheracad STUPID BOY/GIRL USE YOUR BRAIN.

[Zuberzuber]

@sheracad

they wont even in guitar hero hahaha

:)

[InsertName125]

@sheracad No they couldn't, but I bet Smiley Virus could - sort of the "achey brakey" version of Coltrane.

[ps1epitaph]

@sheracad and justin bieber ¿?:-)

[Howinoshawa]

@sheracad ....I hope that was supposed to be funny,'cause it WAS !!!..lmao !!!

[jax1moi8]

Innovation. These guys went for it all the way.

[MagnusLindblOOm]

Man this is great, what an outstanding band... just love this

[temulterousbazoon]

this band blows me away billy is frightening

[ybyainc]

LIsten to " One WOrd" on Birds Of FIre.. keyboard out the ass.. Its not like there are keyboards all over Mahavishnu material, but there are plenty of pieces with balls out keyboard.

[Tengent]

Yeah, I notice him alot more on Birds Of Fire. Love the electric piano.

[Tengent]

What album should I get from these guys? They're amazing!

[ybyainc]

I'd say, start with their first album, Inner Mounting Flame, .. then check out the later stuff " Visions Of The Emerald Beyond" Then, if your hungry for more, "Bilrds Of Fire" .. Look for songs like " Meeting Of the Spirits" "Vital Transformation" "Birds Of Fire" "Lila's Dance" "One Word" .. so forth and so on.. they will blow you away.. dude.

[Tengent]

I got the first two albums, I've listened to most of Inner Mountain Flame.. I wish there was more input on the keyboard player, I barely notice him. But they are still amazing! I can see where the Dixie Dregs got their influence.

[JesusSoldierZ]

I would begin with The inner mounting flame,. then i would go with "the lost trident sessions"... Everybody forget how awesome that album sounds.... it's a real trip in the galaxy ...

[PhilAroundhits]

I'd say Birds of fire is one of the greatest jazz albums. Vision is with the 2nd band, Ponty, Moran, Armstrong and Walden (!). With this 2nd bd, he recorded Apocalypse with the London Symphony. I'm a 52 musician and with friends we listened to this masterpiece hundreds of times. All he has done with Shakti is fab, Shankar is music incarnated. JML is one of the giants of jazz history. The 70s were a great era with Corea, Weather, Hancock, deJohnette, Metheny. 1st MO was the most outstanding.

[Sibarit1973]

Hell yeah!

[1Delta]

This performance starts with a lengthy version of Meeting of the Spirits and then segues into You Know You know.

IMHO, one the best single performances by the original Mahavishnu ever. The way the band develops each solo is phenomenal, with Hammer and Goodman's compositional improvisation at an epic heighth.

And Cobham crescendo's into the most intense drum solo/accompaniment I've ever heard, rolling in and out of barrage after barrage,...

this is ALL TIME!

[musikabarnetik]

OOOOoooohhh.....

[mymusicdiscovery]

This incredible

[thermosoverfil]

Miles Davis had changed the way I listened to music in 1969-70 with In a Silent Way and Bitches Brew. So I was ready when I heard the MO in London in 1973 as a 17 year old. It was a great time to be 17.

[CCBBW]

it was a great time to be anything with these ( and a lot of other guys) putting out their music

[PlatypusofCalifornia]

DAMN GOODMAN IS SHREDDING!

Tune is great, drummer is EPIC!

[buffalo123456789]

Bloody hell! If that's Pappa John Creach then he's changed colour.

I believe thats Jerry Goodman on violin

[8150214]

saw this set live@n.y.sheafer music festival

papa john creach on vioin justOUTOFTHISWORLD!!!

[007zz]

Timeless!!

[pnebenzahl]

Evanston, Illinois, the first M.O. concert. Amazingrace, at Cahn Auditorium...

I was there....

[drumatic]

this has to be an old German or UK studio recording.

[Bonedalas]

German. Those days we had only 3 tv channels in Germany, "ZDF" means Second German Television.

[intwinentwists]

literally hypnotic...

does anyone know when and where this was, and if you can get a cd/dvd..

[madtiger111]

Damn. You found the OLD school stuff.

Nice.

[perromanchado]

wow!!!!

[BingleyHall]

Lovely clip, cheers!

[432hertz]

awesome post ! classic era for live music

[Dooality]

This is probably the best video of them I have seen. THANK YOU for putting this up!