The Inner Mounting Flame

by Mahavishnu Orchestra

The Inner Mounting Flame cover art
  • Type: Album
  • Released: November 3, 1971
  • Label: Columbia
  • Country: United States
  • Length: 1:01:43
  • Community rating: 4.59/5 from 11 ratings

Album Notes & Community Reviews

'The Inner Mounting Flame' is a seminal work of jazz-rock fusion, defined by the technically demanding and spiritually influenced compositions of guitarist John McLaughlin. The album showcases a virtuosic and volatile interplay between McLaughlin's distortion-heavy guitar, Billy Cobham's explosive drumming, Jerry Goodman's electric violin, Jan Hammer's keyboards, and Rick Laird's anchoring bass. Its compositions range from furious, high-velocity pieces with complex time signatures to serene, acoustically-driven interludes, establishing a template for the genre that was both intensely energetic and rigorously structured.

Genres

Descriptors: fusion, virtuosic, complex, improvisation, dynamic

Tracklist

  1. Meeting of the Spirits (with John McLaughlin) (6:52)
  2. Dawn (with John McLaughlin) (5:10)
  3. The Noonward Race (with John McLaughlin) (6:28)
  4. A Lotus on Irish Streams (with John McLaughlin) (5:39)
  5. Vital Transformation (with John McLaughlin) (6:16)
  6. The Dance of Maya (with John McLaughlin) (7:17)
  7. You Know You Know (with John McLaughlin) (5:07)
  8. Awakening (with John McLaughlin) (3:31)
  9. The Noonward Race (Live) (with John McLaughlin) (15:23)

Credits

  • John McLaughlin - guitar
  • Rick Laird - bass
  • Billy Cobham - drums, percussion
  • Jan Hammer - keyboards, organ
  • Jerry Goodman - violin
  • Don Puluse - engineer

More from Mahavishnu Orchestra: full discography