Shakti With John McLaughlin

Classical Indian (and Indian-type) music should be listened with introspection. It is difficult to do that with this live CD, since the audience is of the "rock concert" influence. That is, they whoop it up after each solo making a distraction. Too bad.

The music itself is good, but a mixed bag, aurally. First, the guitar does not have the sustain of, say, a sitar. Thus, it sounds curious in the context. Also, Indian instruments have an organic depth to them which the recording does not convey. It is rather on the dry side.

To contrast I pulled out some old World-Pacific Lps and listened. The sound coming from Shankar and company is much more 3 dimensional. Also, Shankar is just as "fast" (if that is what you are looking for) and more melodic. McLaughlin is like a lightening strike, whereas Shankar is like the all present sun.

Simply put, Shakti is one of the most originally brilliant and technically superior groups ever assembled. If you somehow manage not to be utterly thrilled by their output, then perhaps you would be more comfortable buying an Eminem CD or something. Maybe Puddle of Mud.

C'mon. Shakti is amazing.

If you haven't heard Shakti before, I would recommend starting elsewhere. Get Handful Of Beauty or Natural Elements first. John Mclaughlin is a great guitarist, but he is not a master of Indian music; nowhere is that more obvious than on this cd. I dont care for his guitar's tone here either. There are moments of brilliance, and the other members perform well, but the group does not come close to the brilliance they display on later recordings.

As a long time fan of John McLaughlin, I was intrested to hear this album. In short I found this CD to be absolutely exhilarating to listen to. It is recorded live in the mid 70's and captures the band at their explosive best. Rarely have I seen or heard music played as fast or paradoxically as melodic as this. They navigate their way through some impossibly dense compositions with such ease that you barely notice how complex the music is. There also seems to be a joyus attitude that pervades the songs, with McLaughlin in particular playing with an almost manic intensity. Thoroughly recommended for fans of John and of fusion in general.

kids, do you know who ben kweller is. well,if you don't check out his cd sha sha. if you enjoy shakti, then you will love ben kweller. they are one and the same, except shakti is indian and ben, is well, not. on a handful of beauty, shakti's Isis is similar to ben kweller's wasted and ready. please listen and tell me what you think. i want feedback, please email