Search - :: lost trident sessions

Recorded during a brief stopover in London on June 25, 1973, these unprepossessing studio performances, despite (or maybe because of) the heavy compression (particularly on the drums) and a mixed-on-the-fly feel, convey far more of the edgy, go-for-broke energy, ferocious solo intensity, and telepathic interplay of Mahavishnu's peak 1973 live shows than their only live album (the August 12, 1973, Central Park performance caught on Between Nothingness & Eternity). McLaughlin's extended forms, "Dream" and "Trilogy," are made up of hyperkinetic blues vamps, classical elements from both the Western art music and Carnatic traditions, shifting minor modes and complex rhythmic cycles, while keyboardist Jan Hammer's "Sister Andrea" adds a welcome touch of funk to the formula. Unreleased tunes by violinist Jerry Goodman and bassist Rick Laird shed new light on their contributions to the band's overall repertoire, and everyone plays like their life depends on it--no one more so than Billy Cobham, whose ability to swing rock rhythms and depict a wide range of dynamic nuances is simply remarkable. Cobham's ferocious exchanges with the guitarist walk the line between Hendrix-style psychedelia and Coltrane-like dervish dances. A thrilling snapshot of fusion's musical possibilities before it all went sour. --Chip Stern