Conducted with the London Symphony Orchestra, Apocalypse is the first album by the *Second Incarnation* of Mahavishnu Orchestra, which John McLaughlin formed in 1974 by adding Jean-Luc Ponty on violin and Gayle Moran on keyboards, among others. There is even a silhouette listing a photo of the people who contributed to the album on the rear cover since there are 15 of them. The album is extra fusiony with some virtuoso guitar from John McLaughlin, and is very produced, courtesy of George Martin. The orchestra sections were conducted by Michael Tilson Thomas, who has been the director of the San Francisco Symphony since 1995.
This album was the second that I listened to by Mahavishnu Orchestra, and it delivers by giving the best and worst of the group. This is definitely one version of fusion that leans more overtly to classical music, owing mostly to the strings and vocals, but still has some rhythm and a little bit of groove. It’s a great listen, there’s not much else that sounds like this from the time, and Apocalypse represents one high point in the career of John McLaughlin.
Value
