One Word
The longest piece on Birds of Fire, and one of the band's most played live.
Mahavishnu Orchestra, from Birds of Fire (1973)
- Written by
- John McLaughlin
- Released
- 1973
- Length
- 9:57
- Album
- Birds of Fire
The longest track on Birds of Fire. Walter Kolosky named it the most outstanding piece on the album and wrote that on no other Mahavishnu tune does every member contribute so much. It was the first Mahavishnu piece he ever heard, and he remembered a chill when the band kicked in after Billy Cobham's quasi-martial drum solo.
Live
Fan-compiled setlists count 55 performances by the band, the second most played piece after Meeting of the Spirits. A version of 18:31 from Central Park on 17 August 1973 was issued in 2011 on Unreleased Tracks from Between Nothingness & Eternity.
On stage
- 1973-08-17, Wollman Rink, Central Park, New York 18:31, on Unreleased Tracks from Between Nothingness & Eternity (2011).
More songs by Mahavishnu Orchestra
The Dance of Maya, Birds of Fire, Dream, Planetary Citizen
Sources
- Birds of Fire, All About Jazz (2002-11-16)
- Birds of Fire, Wikipedia
- Mahavishnu Orchestra: song statistics, setlist.fm
- Unreleased Tracks from Between Nothingness & Eternity, Wikipedia