Apr 8, 2015
As
part of Big O's occasional
"Lost Albums" series, here is a track by John and Eve
McLaughlin from an unreleased 1975 double LP. The blog site
reports:
According to the notes that accompanied this CD, only a single
LP was released - Visions Of The Emerald Beyond by
the Mahavishnu Orchestra (1975). The second LP was announced in UK
music magazines to be released separately in April 1975 (one side
Shakti and one side John and Eve). The release date was pushed back
and then later the project was cancelled by CBS Records.
Track 5 is "Share The
Joy". The track was recorded with the Boston Philharmonic
Orchestra, conducted by Michael Tilson Thomas, with vocals by Eve.
While many a school choir member (especially those in school in the
'70s) might recall, "Share The Joy" is a track from the Lost
Horizon musical (music by Burt Bacharach, lyrics by Hal David)
and Eve's rendition at the beginning is very close to the original.
The second half of the track has the song in a very contemplative
mood and, according to reports, the second guitarist could have
been Carlos Santana. The track was recorded for an unreleased Sri
Chinmoy film (possible titles of the movie included Awakening,
Rainbow and Jharna Khala).
It must be noted that this song was sourced from a French
collector who used to tamper with the sound so they come across a
little muddy, especially the vocals. But they will not mar one's
listening pleasure, especially given the fact that these tracks are
not widely available.
Those who thought the Mahavishnu Orchestra were into frantic fusion jazz might want to do a re-think. This CD certainly came from the leftfield and is one that's ideal for meditation.