Mahavishnu Orchestra Between Nothingness & Eternity CD

The first Mahavishnu Orchestra's original very slim catalog was padded out somewhat by this live album (recorded in New York's Central Park) on which the five jazz/rock virtuosos can be heard stretching out at greater length than in the studio. There are only three selections on the disc, all of which were to have been on the group's then-unissued third album -- two of them, guitarist John McLaughlin's "Trilogy: Sunlit Path/La Merede la Mer" and keyboardist Jan Hammer's "Sister Andrea," are proportioned roughly as they were in their studio renditions, while the third, McLaughlin's "Dream," is stretched to nearly double its 11-minute studio length. Each develops organically through a number of sections, and there are fewer lockstep unison passages than on the earlier recordings. McLaughlin is as flashy and noisy as ever on double-necked electric guitar, and Hammer and violinist Jerry Goodman are a match for him in the speed department, with drummer Billy Cobham displaying a compelling, raw power and dexterity to his work as well, especially on the CD edition, which also gives bassist Rich Laird a showcase for his slightly subtler work. Yet for all of the superb playing, one really doesn't hear much music on this album; electricity and competitive empathy are clearly not enough, particularly on the 21-minute "Dream," which left a lot of fans feeling let down at the end of its side-two-filling run on the LP. In the decades since this album was released, the studio versions of these three pieces, along with other tracks being worked up for their third album, have appeared as The Lost Trident Sessions -- dating from May and June of 1973 -- thus giving fans a means of comparing this repertory to what the band had worked out (or not worked out) in the studio; and Between Nothingness and Eternity has come up a bit in estimation as a result, benefiting as it does from the spontaneity and energy of a live performance, though even that can only carry this work so far -- beyond the personality conflicts that broke up the band, they seem to have been approaching, though not quite reaching, a musical dead end as well. ~ Richard S. Ginell & Bruce Eder
Guitarist John McLaughlin and his band of jazz-rock merry men were at the peak of their form when this essential live document was recorded in 1973. For the fans of this new fusion music, BETWEEN NOTHINGNESS & ETERNITY was the apotheosis of the genre that few would transcend.
McLaughlin and his band wrench fire and brimstone from their instruments, bring sonic manna reigning down from the heavens, and set the atmosphere aflame. McLaughlin's incendiary soloing on the magnificent opening salvo, "Trilogy," is further complimented by Billy Cobham's thunderous drum fills, Jan Hammer's speedy Moog runs, and Jerry Goodman's starbursting violin, which send palpable surges of heat across the stereo fabric. The sheer bravado of each member's performance is electrifying to hear. If you're not already familiar with the Mahavishnu Orchestra or fusion in general, BETWEEN NOTHINGNESS & ETERNITY is required listening.