pLee:

I was at the Lisner Aud concert in the middle of Row 5 and made my own tape.  I can tell you that this doesn't sound like what I heard and saw, which had far greater power and cohesion.

You are correct. Since this initial batch of shows went live, we have done extensive additional research and this particular recording is really from one of the December 2, 1973 sets at Constitution Hall (also in Washington, DC.) This date/venue change, along with several other updates and corrections will be implimented shortly. Stay tuned! MrBB

That's funny - I was there at Constitution Hall as well - in fact, I sat on stage right in back of McLaughlin's amp.  Should've seen the look on his face when he came round back during Billy's solo and saw me crouching there.

"This date/venue change, along with several other updates and corrections will be implimented shortly. Stay tuned!"

How many hours/days in "shortly"???

We initially planned to have these updates online yesterday, but we've had a few unanticipated delays. All the setlists will remain the same, as will the actual musical content, so no worries there. It's only the dates on three of the current shows that have since been corrected (Yale, Lenox & DC) along with the Washington DC venue and those corresponding summaries have also been updated accordingly. I'm told notation corrections should implemented in the next day or two. MrBB

OK. Thanks. And thanks for the shows in general.

 

Hi All,
I'd like to personally thank those who took the time to contact us regarding our recent blitz of Mahavishnu Orchestra recordings. Your encouragement, corrections and communications are all greatly appreciated. This was a monumentally challenging band and accurately notating these previously unheard soundboard masters, many of which have only cities or venues identifying them, makes for a challenging experience on our end, too. An extremely exciting one, no doubt, but very difficult initially. Thankfully, several true scholars of the band graciously offered their help and advice, so it should be smoother sailing moving forward on this particular project.

You will now find accurate dates on all of our MO shows, as well as various corrections and changes to the summary content. The dates on four of the shows (Yale, Lenox, Hofstra and DC) have been corrected since we initially posted them, as was the Washington, DC venue. Those corresponding summaries have also been updated accordingly. If you already downloaded some or all of these shows, worry not! All the setlists and actual musical content remains the same.

A positive aspect to this is that the Lenox show turns out to be an even more significant concert than we imagined. This is the night in Lenox when John McLaughlin debuted his Rex Bogue double-neck guitar AND was the unveiling of a groundbreaking new sound system, not to mention a performance for the ages. Likewise, the show initially misidentified as Lisner Auditorium in Washington, DC in 1975 turns out to be from Constitution Hall in Washington, DC on December, 2, 1973, during the final days of the original lineup.

I've always loved this band, but now that I'm more deeply immersed in their body of work, it becomes even more fascinating to hear how their music developed over the course of 1973. As the year unfolds, the music gradually becomes less elegant and less cohesive, but I'm now finding that to be just as compelling. They became significantly edgier toward the end, with bandmembers soloing on a more individual basis and with a ferocious aggressiveness that I dare say has never been equalled. This was at the heart of our initial DC and Hofstra confusion, as those two masters were labelled as "Wash,DC 75" and "Hofstra 75." Although we initially questioned this, they do indeed sound like a looser band with more aggressive musicians on these recordings. Coincidentily, the 1975 band also played DC and Hofstra on the tour with Jeff Beck, which initially seemed to verify the mistaken dates. However, these recordings are indeed the original band playing in the manner of that final month of shows, also in DC and at Hofstra.

We apologize for these initial inaccuracies and hope they will have little effect on anyone enjoying these wonderful shows. We are always striving for accuracy, but sometimes it takes multiple minds to get to the bottom of things. Again, thank you to all who contacted us and especially to all who remain passionate about this band. I'm one of you, MrBB

I've played four of the shows so far, and have been very happy to have them all. I agree that these are providing a great way to document the evolution of the band. This, along with the opportunity to catch JMcL on his current U.S. tour, around his 50th year of live performing, has made for a wonderful few weeks for this McLaughlin/Mahavishnu fan.

One more MO correction for you. This has not been implemented yet, but will be. The January 23, 1973 Cornell show had the month in error. The accurate date is February 23, 1973. Once this is corrected, all dates, venues and locations should be at 100% accuracy. We also just found the 11/29/73 Cornell show, which you can look forward to in the future. Stay tuned! MrBB

Hey Mr. BB,

Thats great news!! The more mahavishnu the better.  I was wondering, is there any chance the vault has some videos (concert footage)of the original mahavishnu orchestra?

fusionoid:

Hey Mr. BB,

Thats great news!! The more mahavishnu the better.  I was wondering, is there any chance the vault has some videos (concert footage)of the original mahavishnu orchestra?

I'm primarily involved in the audio end of the archive so I 'm not too knowledgable about all the video archive work in progress. I'm unaware of any MO footage existing in the vault, but it's not out of the realm of possibility. I'd sure love to see that Winterland gig when Captain Beefheart opened! I think that may be the only remote possibility. Speaking of MO video, I'm personally curious... Has the MO footage from Don Kirshner's Rock Concert ever been issued officially? If not, has it ever been rebroadcast in the digital age that anyone knows of? I used to have a poor quality washed out VHS copy that I can no longer find... and now I miss it! We recently located the complete taping (audio only - but in stereo!) of this partially televised performance, which got me wondering about that footage. MrBB

MrBB:

fusionoid:

Hey Mr. BB,

Thats great news!! The more mahavishnu the better.  I was wondering, is there any chance the vault has some videos (concert footage)of the original mahavishnu orchestra?

I'm primarily involved in the audio end of the archive so I 'm not too knowledgable about all the video archive work in progress. I'm unaware of any MO footage existing in the vault, but it's not out of the realm of possibility. I'd sure love to see that Winterland gig when Captain Beefheart opened! I think that may be the only remote possibility. Speaking of MO video, I'm personally curious... Has the MO footage from Don Kirshner's Rock Concert ever been issued officially? If not, has it ever been rebroadcast in the digital age that anyone knows of? I used to have a poor quality washed out VHS copy that I can no longer find... and now I miss it! We recently located the complete taping (audio only - but in stereo!) of this partially televised performance, which got me wondering about that footage. MrBB

 

 

As far as i know there is no video from the original line up to be released officially.Also i dont think Don Kirshner's Rock Concert has been rebroadcast, and the footage is going around is only

Hope / Celestial Terrestrial Commuters (DKC)
Sister Andrea (at the end a few bars of "Noonward Race") (DKC) which in total are about 15 min long. Is that all you ve got too???

I hope you put some videos from the Mahavishnu........Please!!!!

 

Great, great, great! Love to hear those 1975 Mahavishnu shows as well! More Jeff Beck from that period, and Zappa/MoI from 73-75 who also toured with MO during this time. Also, the Buddy Rich, and Woody Herman big bands who played the Fillmore at various times in the late '60s on some very intersting bills. Roland Kirk too!!! Thanks so much!

MoGreensEye:

Great, great, great! Love to hear those 1975 Mahavishnu shows as well! More Jeff Beck from that period............

That May 10, 1975 Jeff Beck show has been quite popular and I'm logging the previous night in Detroit as we speak. That should be up before too long. John McLaughlin doesn't guest on that night, but it smokes just the same. Also has a great "You Know What I Mean" as the encore, which was not performed the following night. Stay Tuned! MrBB

Regarding Mahavishnu video, there's a new legit dvd release featuring the 1974 band at Montreux available now on Amazon.

All I know is all the shows you have posted are smokin'!!!  Thank you so much for the great music!