Mahavishnu Orchestra – Between Nothingness & Eternity

It is very difficult to pinpoint one album as an all time favourite, there are so many to choose from. I think in the past 10 years I have ruined my ears listening to pretty much every genre I can think of. But when posed with this question, there is always one album that stands out immediately.

I was first introduced to ‚Between Nothingness and Eternity‘ by ‚The Mahavishnu Orchestra‘ by my dad about 8 years ago, and I can highlight it as a pretty life changing experience. He was picking me up from college and had it playing in the car. This was at a time when I didn’t really know what direction my life was going to take and my College grades and attendance left something to be desired, and my dad liked to take a detailed interest in what I was doing every day of the academic week. More often than not I would dread these brief encounters of interrogation in the car, and usually just about make up enough lies to satisfy his inquisition. But one day, I got in the car expecting discussions about the philosophy lessons I failed to attend, but instead this amazing music was blasting from the speakers, and there was no mention of education. A live performance by The Mahavishnu Orchestra recorded at Central Park in New York, 1973. I’d never heard anything quite like it before.

My listening repertoire of the time mainly consisted of the noisy tech metal of early Dillinger Escape Plan et al… and the comprehensive beauty of Pink Floyd, (I pretty much had „Meddle“ on repeat) two differing ends of the musical spectrum. At that time chaotic jazz fusion wasn’t on my radar. Upon hearing Mahavishnu Orchestra for the first time I couldn’t believe what I was hearing, it was a revelation. Every element of their sound was incredible and seemed to marry together everything I loved about music, beautiful dynamic passages of quiet contemplation, sections of progressing noise and confusion, a chaotic, technically brilliant and groovy rhythm section, and an overall melee of virtuoso musicianship. My dad told me it was a tape he had just dug out from the loft, I’m so glad he decided to clear the loft that day! He told me he used to listen to it all the time in the 70’s, and used to play it on the radio in Hong Kong when he enjoyed a brief period as a DJ.

After promptly acquiring the tape, plus the 12″ record my dad had also dug out, I listened to it constantly and introduced it to my friends, it came as a huge inspiration. Though I remember watching live Mahavishnu Orchestra performances at my house with my friends after writing music together, of which we thought was highly challenging, then Mahavishnu Orchestra would shatter any illusion that we had risen to any decent level of technical musical proficiency. More often than not we would call it a night, dejected by their brilliance, not feeling worthy of picking up an instrument again haha….

I have recently rediscovered this album and it still fills me with joy today, and gives me a warming sense of nostalgia as I’m sure it will do so for the rest of my life. It never fails to make me pull out my air bass and rock out in my room! I just wish I had been there to see this performance in the flesh, I was born 23 years late!

I believe this was their last ever performance with the original line-up, and I think it is a beautiful thing that it was recorded and given to the world. I am forever grateful to my dad for introducing me to it.

Wir verlosen eine 7″-Single von „We Can Make It Out“ (auf 200 Exemplare limitiert) sowie die Spokes-CD „Everyone I Ever Met“. Einfach eine Mail an uns schicken und Name, Adresse und Telefonnummer angeben.