Don't let the dragon eat your mother (John McLaughlin) (LP 2262 - 2266)

John McLaughlin  Devotion (Vinyl, Douglas Records, 1970) ****  

John McLaughlin My Goals Beyond (Vinyl, Elektra Musician Records, 1971, my copy a reissue 1982) ****  

Mahavishnu Orchestra Apocalypse (Vinyl, CBS Records, 1974) ****  

John McLaughlin with The One Truth Band  Electric Dreams (Vinyl, CBS Records, 1979) *****  

John McLaughlin and Mahavishnu   Adventures In Radioland (Vinyl, Relativity Records, 1987) ***   

Genre: Jazz fusion, progressive rock 

Places I remember: Real Groovy Records; Slow Boat Records.

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Dragon Song (Devotion)

Gear costume: Hymn To Him (Apocalypse); The Dark Prince (Electric Dreams) 

Active compensatory factors: Heavy stuff! John's work is not for the faint hearted and I tend to shie away from his most extreme creations with Mahavishnu Orchestra. They are scarey maan!

So, my John McLaughlin collection is from the accessible side of the divide.

Devotion came out before he formed Mahavishnu Orchestra so it is more prog rock than fusion to my way of thinking. Plus, it has Buddy Miles on drums so it's got a meaty pulse!

John is intense on guitar - searching, full of spit and polish. It appears he was unhappy with the results but I have no idea why that would be the case. It sounds inventive as he's pushing the limits of rock in 1970.

My Goals Beyond is John on acoustic guitar, no less intense for that, this isn't easy listening by any means. My copy is the reissued version on Elektra, with a different cover. I much prefer the original cover, but the music is the same, so...

Side one is a series of short instrumental pieces, just John on acoustic guitar.

Side two (which I much prefer) has two more expansive pieces with a larger pool of musicians. Peace One and Peace Two (get it?) feature John with a large ensemble including Jerry Goodman, Charlie Haden and Billy Cobham. Tambura and tabla instruments also add to the exotic fusion.

Apocalypse is under the Mahavishnu Orchestra brand but this is the mark II version with Jean-Luc Ponty, The London Symphony Orchestra joining Mahavishnu (John). Thrillingly, George Martin is the producer so this was a no-brainer when I saw it in Real Groovy's ten dollar bin.

In parts, it's a very lush sound, thanks to the LSO and George. But John's expressive and instantly recognisable acoustic and electric guitar sounds meld effortlessly with the orchestra.

I used to have a cassette copy of Electric Dreams that I played often in the car on journeys, so this music is the most familiar of these five albums. That also makes it the most appealing as well. It is a true jazz fusion record.

Fernando Saunders on bass is also a star of this record, along with Shakti member L Shankar and jazz saxophonist - David Sanborn, is on one track.

John McLaughlin is at his jaw dropping best on this album. Try The Dark Prince - sounds impossible to do with human hands!

The final album in my John McLaughlin collection is a weird one from 1987, credited to JM and Mahavishnu. Thanks to the use of eighties synths it's not one of my favourites but his fearless approach to music (and the guitar) remains extant.

Where do they all belong? Next up, and final entry in the jazz fusion genre is Lenny White.