Birds of Fire (CD)
Mahavishnu Orchestra
Amoeba Review
Tiffany Anders 05/26/2010
Birds of Fire was the second release for jazz-rock fusion group Mahavishnu Orchestra and would be their final studio album with the orginal line-up. Led by guitarist John McLaughlin, Mahavishnu Orchestra blended psychedelic progressive rock (using a heavily featured electric guitar) with jazz flavors, creating crossover success. The album is spectacularly composed and texturally complex, yet very listenable. The opening and title track, “Birds of Fire,” is the most rock oriented piece on the album with fiery guitar leads fueling the tune. Next is “Miles Beyond (Miles Davis),” which is a sultry piece dedicated to McLaughlin’s former band leader, Miles Davis. But perhaps one of the most stunning pieces is “ Thousand Island Park” which features beautifully played acoustic guitar with latin flair. Birds of Fire reached number 15 on the pop charts at the time of its release in 1973, and remains one of the best jazz-rock albums of its time, second only to Mahavishnu Orchestra’s first release Inner Mounting Flame.
Track Listing
Disc 1 Titles |
Artist |
Length |
---|---|---|
1.
Birds of Fire
|
Mahavishnu Orchestra | 05:50 |
2.
Miles Beyond
|
Mahavishnu Orchestra | 04:47 |
3.
Celestial Terrestrial Commuters
|
Mahavishnu Orchestra | 02:54 |
4.
Sapphire Bullets of Pure Love
|
Mahavishnu Orchestra | 00:24 |
5.
Thousand Island Park
|
Mahavishnu Orchestra | 03:23 |
6.
Hope
|
Mahavishnu Orchestra | 01:59 |
7.
One Word
|
Mahavishnu Orchestra | 09:57 |
8.
Sanctuary
|
Mahavishnu Orchestra | 05:05 |
9.
Open Country Joy
|
Mahavishnu Orchestra | 03:56 |
10.
Resolution
|
Mahavishnu Orchestra | 02:09 |