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Visions of the Emerald Beyond

The second line-up's second record, with a string trio, horns and the Pegasus credit dispute.
Mahavishnu Orchestra, 1975

Released
1975
Recorded
December 1974
Studio
Electric Lady Studios, New York; mixed at Trident Studios, London
Label
Columbia
Producer
Ken Scott and John McLaughlin
Length
40:23

Recorded at Electric Lady Studios in New York from 4 to 14 December 1974 and mixed at Trident in London from 16 to 24 December, it was the second album by the second line-up. A Sri Chinmoy poem with the album's title is printed on the cover. Around McLaughlin, Ponty, Moran, Armstrong and Walden, it uses a string trio of Steve Kindler, Carol Shive and Philip Hirschi, Russell Tubbs on saxophones and Bob Knapp on flute and brass. Ken Scott recorded it, and Walden wrote Cosmic Strut.

Ponty is credited with an improvised solo on Pegasus. The track was mistakenly credited to McLaughlin, which led to the dispute that ended Ponty's time in the band. He later settled over the royalties for Pegasus and Opus 1. The album reached 68 on the Billboard 200 and 18 on the jazz chart.

Track listing

  1. Eternity's Breath Part 13:10
  2. Eternity's Breath Part 24:50
  3. Lila's Dance5:37
  4. Can't Stand Your Funk2:10
  5. Pastoral3:41
  6. Faith2:01
  7. Cosmic Strut3:21
  8. If I Could See1:17
  9. Be Happy3:33
  10. Earth Ship3:43
  11. Pegasus1:48
  12. Opus 10:25
  13. On the Way Home to Earth4:45

Personnel

More from Mahavishnu Orchestra

The Inner Mounting Flame (1971), Birds of Fire (1973), Between Nothingness & Eternity (1973), Apocalypse (1974), Inner Worlds (1976), Mahavishnu (1984), The Lost Trident Sessions (1999), Adventures in Radioland

Sources

  1. Visions of the Emerald Beyond, Wikipedia
  2. Mahavishnu Orchestra, Wikipedia