Mahavishnu Orchestra – Birds Of Fire (Speakers Corner)

Long before today's labelled world music, the quintet set the standard for a meaningful fusion of dynamic rock with complex Indian rhythms and western conventions. Already in the title track, the actors amalgamate sharpened Hendrix style with expansive melos and take the grandeur of jazz ("Miles Beyond") into their musical center with smacking grooves and fine riffs. The "Thousand Island Park" blossoms in quiet colours, almost chamber-musically condensed, whereas the cascades in "Hope", which are constantly approaching, desperately seek their destination.

Exciting how finely weighted patterns ("One Word") develop into technoid violin playing and challenge the listener to an inner procession in the following "Sanctuary". After these flights of fancy, the familiar funky sound of the Volkston ("Open Country Joy") is grounded, before it goes steeply upwards again: in the final title "Resolution", the sublime of this new music of world cultures prevails over slowly ascending sound surfaces.

This Speakers Corner production was made using analog master tape and 100% pure analog mastering. All licenses and GEMA contributions were paid.

Recording: August 1972 at Trident Studios, London, by Ken Scott and CBS-Studios, New York, by Jim Green

Production: The Mahavishnu Orchestra

"Speakers Corner has released the LP With full height spectrum and thus with Cobham's hypercrisper snare in of excellent quality." (Good Times, June / July 2019)

"Speakers Corner has reworked the LP in excellent quality, thankfully without height attenuation." (Audio, July 2019)

"It's always an experience to get into 'Birds Of Fire', especially in this quality." (LP magazine, issue 6 / 2019)