Birds of Fire

Infobox Album | Name = Birds of Fire
Type = Album
Artist = Mahavishnu Orchestra


Released = March, 1973
Recorded = August 1972
Genre = Jazz-rock Progressive rock Jazz fusion
Length = 39:53
Label =
Producer = Mahavishnu Orchestra
Reviews =
* Allmusic Rating|5|5 [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:hsjgtq9zbu44~T1 link]
*Robert Christgau (A-) [http://www.robertchristgau.com/get_artist.php?name=mahavishnu+orchestra link]
*Chordvine [http://www.chordvine.com/reviews/the-mahavishnu-orchestra-birds-of-fire link] | Last album = "The Inner Mounting Flame" (1971)
This album = "Birds of Fire" (1973)
Next album = "The Lost Trident Sessions" (1973)

"Birds of Fire" (1973) is the Mahavishnu Orchestra's second studio album and the last one performed by the original Mahavishnu Orchestra line-up, before Jean-Luc Ponty replaced Jerry Goodman on violin and Narada Michael Walden replaced Billy Cobham on drums. (See 1973 in music.)

The back cover of the LP features a poem entitled "Revelation" by Sri Chinmoy.

A remastered version of the album, on CD, was released in 2000 by Sony Music Entertainment. It features a facsimile of the LP cover, a new set of liner notes by Bill Milkowski, as well as photographs of the band.

As in the case of The Mahavishnu Orchestra's previous album, "The Inner Mounting Flame", "Birds of Fire" consisted solely of compositions by John McLaughlin. This includes the track "Miles Beyond (Miles Davis)", which McLaughlin dedicated to his former bandleader.

Track listing

All tracks composed by John McLaughlin.

#"Birds of Fire" – 5:50
#"Miles Beyond (Miles Davis)" – 4:47
#"Celestial Terrestrial Commuters" – 2:54
#"Sapphire Bullets of Pure Love" – 0:24
#"Thousand Island Park" – 3:23
#"Hope" – 1:59
#"One Word" – 9:57
#"Sanctuary" – 5:05
#"Open Country Joy" – 3:56
#"Resolution" – 2:09

Personnel

*John McLaughlin - Guitar
*Rick Laird - Bass
*Billy Cobham - Percussion
*Jan Hammer - Keyboards, Moog synthesizer
*Jerry Goodman - Violin

Miscellanea

The rock band They Might Be Giants borrowed the song title "Sapphire Bullets Of Pure Love" for a song on their album Flood. The songs are only related by title. The Mahavishnu Orchestra song is simply a very short instrumental jam interlude between "Celestial Terrestrial Commuters" and "Thousand Island Park", while the They Might Be Giants song is a literal interpretation of the lyrics, describing sapphire bullets fired from a revolver.

External links

* [http://www.srichinmoy.org/resources/library/poetry/my_flute/revelation/ Sri Chinmoy Poetry: Revelation]
* [http://www.chordvine.com/reviews/the-mahavishnu-orchestra-birds-of-fire Birds of Fire Review]