It’s been a while since I posted anything on the MO, so indulge me. š On 11 May 1973, the ‘Vish played Milwaukee Arena. Photographer Rich Zimmerman shot 17 minutes of silent 8mm film. Much of it looked to me like it had been filmed during an extended ‘Dance of Maya’, which featured pizzicato violin and a John/Billy guitar and drums duo section within it. Three years ago, I had some of Rich’s film edited to a recording of ‘Dance of Maya’ from another show in 1973 (the one from Milwaukee not having survived on the partial soundboard of that night). See below – if you have 15 minutes to spare, it’s mesmerising stuff.
The second item of note this week 50 years ago is the MO concert at New York’s Felt Forum on 16 May 1973. UK music press news items later that month referred to Columbia Records having recorded this MO concert, and planning to record another in Montreux, with a view to the next Mahavishnu Orchestra release being a live album. During research for my two McLaughlin books in the mid-2010s, Michael Panico, Archives Manager at Sony in New York, confirmed that Sony does indeed have 2ā multi-tracks for it. A follow-up question about any further shows that might be loitering in the vault was referred to āBusiness & Legalā and no reply was forthcoming.
A soundboard recording, however, made by the thankfully forward-thinking occasional MO sound engineer Dinky Dawson is currently available to be heard – Dinky’s archive being owned now by Wolfang’s Vault. Played that night were the following – 100 minutes of Mahavishnu magic waiting to be mixed from the multis at some point:
1. Meeting of the Spirits 15:52
2. Open Country Joy 9:24
3. Dream 26:18
4. Miles Beyond 13:38
5. One Word 17:34
6. Dance of Maya 16:38
Drat – just noticed I got the months mixed up on the Felt Forum show: 16 March 1973. So, 50 years and two months ago…
Here is the soundboard recording of the concert on multis in Sony’s vault:
I saw them in Birmingham in June of that year. Unfortunately I cannot see the setlist but pretty sure they started with Meeting of the Spirits.
That’s another gig you and I were both at, @SteveT.
Still have a copy of the flier which I scanned and sent to Colin for him to pass along to a mate who was writing a book on the MO
@Jaygee I suspect there were a few.
Have you seen Bruce in Dublin this month?
By coincidence… Mahavishnu + Broooooooooooooooce shared the first ‘King Biscuit Flower Hour’ syndicated broadcast in February 1973.
Yep, saw the Friday and Sunday shows – The Sunday show was out of this world. Just posted a review on the board/forum
Chris Welch reviewed a show at Manchester three days before Birmingham. Tunes played that night (not necessarily given in order in the review/feature, but likely to be the order I give here) were: Meeting of the Spirits / Dance of Maya / Hope-Awakening / You Know You Know / One Word / Dream.
11 May 1973 was the day I was born! Depending on the timing, I may have emerged from the womb in the middle of one of John McLaughlin’s augmented fifths, or at the moment of a 17/6 fill by Billy Cobham.
That would explain why you walk funny… š
Itās quite possible your gestation period was as long as a John McLaughlin solo.
š
I was going to say “boom tish” in response to that joke. But for this band, it’s more appropriate to say “ba boom tish crash bop bop boooo shwing shwing crash boom bap”.
Thanks Colin, gotta keep the Vish flag flying.
Actually, I’m minded to share a version of the ‘Vish chapter from ‘Bathed in lightning’ on the AW (when I get a free hour or two to tweak it for the purpose).
Meanwhile, as you’re here, I was surprised to see a Broderick Smith obituary in today’s i newspaper (a tabloid-sized UK mini-broadsheet). Not (yet?) online but here is the paper’s digital presence: https://inews.co.uk/
That is surprising. Couldn’t see the piece. Tumbleweeds on here for my obit.
I was a little surprised, on playing an old recording of a BBC Radio show where JohnnyMac spoke about music that influenced him, to discover that the recording that initially triggered John’s interest in playing guitar was Muddy Waters’ “I Can’t Be Satisfied”.