I was there that night, as stage electrician, an was happy to talk about 20min with Billy Cobham. He's really a nice and cool man. He was paracticing gym and karate that explains his power. And yes! he plays *louder* than most of the drummers.
Yeah man👍you get it!!! Saw McLaughlin with the Mahavishnu 73 Newcastle City Hall UK, Cobham Newcastle Poly 75 just fucking awesome.and yer right brother,he is a really down to earth person,I met him backstage after the gig....My favourite drumming technians Cobham 🪘❤️ Frank Katz (Brand X, Tunnels with Perc Jones bass, John Goodsall 🙏 guitar,Ginger Baker(Cream with Jack and Eric),Lenny White(Return to Forever), Alphonse Mouzan(Tommy Bolin,Larry Coryall... enjoy and God Bless you 🙏
Holy Smokes!!!! Billy Cobham!!!! Those double and single stroke roll in addition to the bass drum in the beginning of the song are outstanding and blazing🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥. He is still the GOAT!!!!
Bruce Byall and I drove the truck for this tour. I believe this was the first gig on the tour. I had never heard them play before and I was stunned. My favorite tour of all tours.
Just learned of Rick Laird’s passing. Very sad, but what a life. Brilliant musician and a member of possibly the greatest band ever. Not bad. And later in life he became a fantastic photographer, something I can relate to. Rest In Peace, Rick!
@user-tt9ef7hg4u It's hard to argue that he's absolutely amazing he's kinda like Charly Antolini both have speed and power and can play kick ass groves
@user-tt9ef7hg4u Check out a drum battle between Chary Antolini, Hubb Janssen and Pete York wait till you hear Hubb he's also one of the best he's got Buddy Rich speed
My aunt was a yoga teacher, while at her studio I came across this album, I was about 14-15, I had no idea of what I discovered until I took it home and played it, it was like traveling to a traveling into a different universe, and I was, after awhile I had every album they had out,totally changed how I looked at music from then on, just beautiful and mind blowing, Love them and still do, 50 years later, pure ❤ and magic ✌
I saw this group live 3 times. I never noticed Billy using the traditional grip backwards before. He's left handed but his teacher Papa Joe Jones told him, "turn that drumset around and play it the RIGHT way". I'm a righty, I can't image teaching my left foot to play the bass drum parts. But both Billy and Ringo put the bass drum on the less dominant side. Peer pressure can make people learn things they never needed to learn. Gotta say, Billy and Ringo did very very well despite the unnecessary challenge.
The audience is stunned... as was likely anyone who saw this group live. There was nothing like them. I remember when I was first introduced to the Birds of Fire album at a classmate's house on a modest stereo record player in 1973. The buzz roll intro to One Word - then Boom.!!.. all I could do was keep watching the record go round-and-round while I was engulfed in inner mounting flames. I was a young drummer then - this music has never left me.
Once I saw them for the first time at the Mar y Sol Rock fest in Puerto Rico, 1972 I was hooked. Saw them in Central Park, and back in Puerto Rico just John and his wife performing acoustic and sitar, met him right after that performance, one of the highlights of my life LOL.
GEÑIOOOSSS..VIRTUOSOS ..DESCONCERTANTES DELIRANTES...ALIENIGENAS DE OTRAS GALAXIAS...UNICOS E IRREPETIBLES...MAGIA MISTICA...ALUCINANTE MAS DE 50 AÑOS Y TE DEJAN CONSTERNADOS POR TANTA MUSICALIDAD Y MAESTRIA...POR SIEMPRE GRABARON SU INMORTALIDAD...❤❤❤❤❤❤😮😮😮😮
Truer words were never spoken. What's astounding & depressing is that even 40+ years later & despite home recording & the Net, the NY/LA-centric recording companies STILL have a pretty dominant stranglehold on mass market trends & tastes, certainly on the hype machinery. You don't really see or hear much musical except what THEY want to sell you, which has ALWAYS been mass market, low IQ moronic jejeune CRAP. Nowadays it's mostly pandering chick pop & nitwit rap/alterna blah from 'one hit wonders'. One name posers, the flavor du jour, a whole lotta nothin' I wouldn't waste 5 minutes of my life on. Who knows, maybe AI will eventually learn compositional skills and digital "play improvising" might equal human abilities.
I thought the same when I very first heard it, years back! These guys are absolutely unbelievable. I think Rick Laird, the bassist, is really underrated!
outstanding job, it reminds us there once was a free thinking television with dedicated producers and technician crews who relayed true musicians' works. Where have all these music lovers gone?
I saw this band at the world famous Roxy on The Fabulous Sunset Strip... unbelievable concert, like the old Sunbeam Tigers; a big engine in a small body. That was MO in a club, and they were ON that night. Unforgettable, particularly for a buddy who had long hair sitting in front of Cobham's kick drum; every time Billy hit it my bud's hair would fly back😂
My God! From about 3 minutes onward, during the bass solo, this gets so absolutely FUNKY, beyond belief! I don’t remember the LP getting into such a super tight groove… amazing!
Terrific! The audio waveform for the TV version is entirely missing the treble end, hence its dull sound. If a radio version exists and more of this synchronising for a 'natural sound' is possible, wonderful!
Saw them in 1974 in Melbourne with the string quartet. Awesome experience. Lots of smoke in there. Incredible interplay between Cobham and Laird in this video.
Their first album, which was done in a hurry, was their best in terms of composition. It was also their most exciting and least pretentious. I equate it to Hendrix’s first record in that regard. I probably saw the original MO 10 times when I was in and shortly out of high school.
@@thearrtofwarr719 I don't think it's that clear... Rich Krupa Jo Jones Elvin Jones Blakey Tony Williams... and Billy Cobham...I don't see BC obviously ahead of those guys
Fenomenal !!! De otro planeta..5 supermúsicos en accion..se presentable en festivales de rock sin ser rockeros ...todos jazzistas de 1ra clase y fusion ...hacian ver a las otras bandas infantiles...
The best sounding drums EVER. Very sharp and punchy. Mydad saw them in Atlanta and said they were the loudest, scariest band he's ever seen. He said Billy's bass drums were literally like cannons.
Where's Jerry Goodman? Shredding on violin? Miss him. Oh. There he is. Kinda letting the bass player shred. Everyone else is just killing it. Billy Cobham is just scary good on drums. So fast. Love that he has 3 rack toms and 3 floor toms. So badass. He made those vista-light acrylic drums work. And those cymbals are breaking a serious sweat. Actually? Those drums are seriously sweating. Billy's making them work for their money. Damn Billy. Fire the camera man who took so long getting over to Jerry for his shredding. Or the director who was too slow telling his camera man to catch Jerry. F*cking Jerry matches John's speed on guitar on violin. Damn dood. Jerry be killing it. Wtf? Just a beast shredding. On a blue violin no less. Actually, the whole band is a beast. M*ther f*cking Mahavishnu Orchestra, baby. Just shredding.
Oh heck yes! Saw them 3 times, 72 and 73, tore my head off, kicked it into a cosmic basket and put it back. When the set was over people were frozen, they couldn't move, they couldn't speak.
@@instantscratchchannel9477 - I don't know about the tiers however I saw Cream twice, Hendrix once and they certainly set the foundations for what came later. Jeff Beck, Return to Forever...the Mahavishnu Orchestra certainly pulled from nearly everything that lead to their existence - Coltrane, Miles, Eastern influences, you name it. Zappa was certainly taken aback despite his "machine gun" remark.
I love hearing Rick solo Birds of Fire had so much fire in it like Birds of Fire flying too close to Wax Sun Icarus sorry I just went where the music took me another Galaxy
I saw them twice on Long Island and first heard their music on rock station 102.7 in the early 70’s. Their music influenced musicians like Jeff Beck and groups like Return to Forever.
Que bueno llegar a este video y oir el "Birds of Fire" disco que llegó hacia mi como un obsequio de parte de un amigo melómano que conocí por la web se llama Rob y es de IOWA. Saludos desde Lima Perú
VERY 'EAVY. Birds of Fire: pietra miliare! Il coraggio di un jazzista come McLaughlin di abbracciare l'amore x Hendrix, di utilizzare i Marshall e il tiraggio corde (il wah-wah:"Electric Guitarist,1978), di aver inventato il supergruppo per antonomasia, il jazz(metal)rock, le triple intersezioni virtuosistiche con Hammer&Goodman, con un Cobham esaltante ed irripetibile. Immensa Gratitudine e Lunga Vita a John"Maha Vishnu"McLaughlin.
Bill es batería espectacular .el y el bajista suenan como en el disco .los demás improvisando mucho .nose si es más fácil en cuanto ha ejecución.aun así el resultado es buenísimo .una actuación memorable
Featured in LouderSound website: www.loudersound.com/features/the-story-of-the-mahavishnu-orchestra
Very interesting
Thanks for this!
Other worldly. Billy Cobham unmatched on drums. What a monster!
I was there that night, as stage electrician, an was happy to talk about 20min with Billy Cobham. He's really a nice and cool man. He was paracticing gym and karate that explains his power. And yes! he plays *louder* than most of the drummers.
You’re a lucky man
How do you know he was practising gym and karate?
@@magn8195 he talked with him for 20 mins
And his Fibes kit is super loud anyway. Used to own one myself.
Yeah man👍you get it!!! Saw McLaughlin with the Mahavishnu 73 Newcastle City Hall UK, Cobham Newcastle Poly 75 just fucking awesome.and yer right brother,he is a really down to earth person,I met him backstage after the gig....My favourite drumming technians Cobham 🪘❤️ Frank Katz (Brand X, Tunnels with Perc Jones bass, John Goodsall 🙏 guitar,Ginger Baker(Cream with Jack and Eric),Lenny White(Return to Forever), Alphonse Mouzan(Tommy Bolin,Larry Coryall... enjoy and God Bless you 🙏
Holy Smokes!!!! Billy Cobham!!!! Those double and single stroke roll in addition to the bass drum in the beginning of the song are outstanding and blazing🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥. He is still the GOAT!!!!
👏👏👏👏
Bruce Byall and I drove the truck for this tour. I believe this was the first gig on the tour. I had never heard them play before and I was stunned. My favorite tour of all tours.
Just learned of Rick Laird’s passing. Very sad, but what a life. Brilliant musician and a member of possibly the greatest band ever. Not bad. And later in life he became a fantastic photographer, something I can relate to. Rest In Peace, Rick!
Billy is an absolute monster on the drums one of my favorites
He is the best. That is just my opinion. I have never heard any better.
@user-tt9ef7hg4u It's hard to argue that he's absolutely amazing he's kinda like Charly Antolini both have speed and power and can play kick ass groves
@@loucifer4205 I have to check out Charly Antolini now, if you are comparing him to Mr. Cobham. Thank you.
@user-tt9ef7hg4u Check out a drum battle between Chary Antolini, Hubb Janssen and Pete York wait till you hear Hubb he's also one of the best he's got Buddy Rich speed
How many bands have all their members, “World Class”.......? these guy’s for sure!
Billy's drumming is a high speed train relentlessly rolling
these guys were absolutely phenomenal.
Back in 1972 they were phenomenal.
My aunt was a yoga teacher, while at her studio I came across this album, I was about 14-15, I had no idea of what I discovered until I took it home and played it, it was like traveling to a traveling into a different universe, and I was, after awhile I had every album they had out,totally changed how I looked at music from then on, just beautiful and mind blowing, Love them and still do, 50 years later, pure ❤ and magic ✌
I saw this group live 3 times. I never noticed Billy using the traditional grip backwards before. He's left handed but his teacher Papa Joe Jones told him, "turn that drumset around and play it the RIGHT way".
I'm a righty, I can't image teaching my left foot to play the bass drum parts. But both Billy and Ringo put the bass drum on the less dominant side. Peer pressure can make people learn things they never needed to learn. Gotta say, Billy and Ringo did very very well despite the unnecessary challenge.
The audience is stunned... as was likely anyone who saw this group live. There was nothing like them. I remember when I was first introduced to the Birds of Fire album at a classmate's house on a modest stereo record player in 1973. The buzz roll intro to One Word - then Boom.!!.. all I could do was keep watching the record go round-and-round while I was engulfed in inner mounting flames. I was a young drummer then - this music has never left me.
Birds of fire was my favoured album.
@@imienazwisko9188 birds of fire was my intro album, bought for me boyfriend, but Inner mounting Flame is the piece de resistance - magic!
@@imienazwisko9188
Same 👍
Insane tempo. I remember Mahavishnu setting the bar for speed.
Central Park. 1973. Mind blowing experience!! Nothing like it at that time or in the 51 years following. Thank you, John and crew.
What a wonderful chaos, mess. so intense. i‘m on the edge of my seat! ❤
Great! Mahavishnu always sound best when they play compositions instead of just solos.
Billy's drumming unmatched. The entire band virtuoso s
So true.
GREATEST MUSIC of all times....
Isn't it disappointing so few viewers on this site, such wonderful music. I suppose non-viewers will never no what they've missed.
This is special music for special people...you know you know...
We who listen to this have always been the minority. Nothing new.
Alan , They are the the ones that all lived on the other side of the street not our side.
Not disappointing to me, there is always music timeless like Bach or Coltrane and it has nothing to do with temporalness.
Know they wont
Billy Cobham, Billy Cobham that was the drum solo of drum solo's thanks for this post.
Yep, it's pretty effortless in artistic execution.
This is some spectacular effing musicianship. Transcendental and so beyond most everything else out there
The hardest hitting fusion ever.
Richard, They led the way for all that came after them.
Jazz Rock pioneers
Once I saw them for the first time at the Mar y Sol Rock fest in Puerto Rico, 1972 I was hooked. Saw them in Central Park, and back in Puerto Rico just John and his wife performing acoustic and sitar, met him right after that performance, one of the highlights of my life LOL.
MO should be taught in every classroom on earth.
PURE GENUIS,WHAT GREAT MUSICIANS THEY ARE.THEY WERE MEANT TO BE HEARD.😎🎸🔊🎶🎼☮️ BOB.
I saw Billy Cobham this summer in Brighton UK. Love Supreme Jazz Festival. Awesome ❤
Outer limits of professionalism! The best one ever. Rick Laird and Jan Hammer are really cool guys. They speak with you... about anything!
sono 51 anni che mi accompagnano ed ogni volta è come se sentissi per la prima volta questa forza della natura. GRANDI
Much better sound than the current youtube postings of this which sound "dulled-down." :-)
I love how they go into the original Tony Williams Lifetime One Word at the end.
GEÑIOOOSSS..VIRTUOSOS ..DESCONCERTANTES DELIRANTES...ALIENIGENAS DE OTRAS GALAXIAS...UNICOS E IRREPETIBLES...MAGIA MISTICA...ALUCINANTE MAS DE 50 AÑOS Y TE DEJAN CONSTERNADOS POR TANTA MUSICALIDAD Y MAESTRIA...POR SIEMPRE GRABARON SU INMORTALIDAD...❤❤❤❤❤❤😮😮😮😮
Absolutely amazing, showing the power of jazz fusion like no other band…
I can barely imagine what it must’ve felt like to have seen and heard this for the first time. My god.
The apex of modern music. It had no place to go but downhill after this. Down it went, and down it goes today
Stop. Just stop already.
John McLaughlin is laughing at you
Truer words were never spoken. What's astounding & depressing is that even 40+ years later & despite home recording & the Net, the NY/LA-centric recording companies STILL have a pretty dominant stranglehold on mass market trends & tastes, certainly on the hype machinery. You don't really see or hear much musical except what THEY want to sell you, which has ALWAYS been mass market, low IQ moronic jejeune CRAP. Nowadays it's mostly pandering chick pop & nitwit rap/alterna blah from 'one hit wonders'. One name posers, the flavor du jour, a whole lotta nothin' I wouldn't waste 5 minutes of my life on. Who knows, maybe AI will eventually learn compositional skills and digital "play improvising" might equal human abilities.
Love this, love Mahavishnu.
My head is still spinning ,Total greatness!!!
OMG Billy executes spectacular triple stroke rolls in the intro!
And that's on a gig, not in the practice room!
One Word: Masterpiece!
All I Could say is Amazing 👏 Awesome 👍 and Great ✌️🥁🎸
great band !!!!! R.I.P. Rick :-(
Amazing, thank you. AMAZING tones across all instruments but the electric violin strikes me, because at first I thought it was guitar on the record
I thought the same when I very first heard it, years back! These guys are absolutely unbelievable. I think Rick Laird, the bassist, is really underrated!
B.C. is an absolute drum god,one of my all time heroes🥢👌👏👏👏❤️
Powerfull drums, Billy C. Thanks for share.
outstanding job, it reminds us there once was a free thinking television with dedicated producers and technician crews who relayed true musicians' works. Where have all these music lovers gone?
The bass/drum conversation starting at 2:23 has always been my favorite part. 😌
I saw this band at the world famous Roxy on The Fabulous Sunset Strip... unbelievable concert, like the old Sunbeam Tigers; a big engine in a small body. That was MO in a club, and they were ON that night. Unforgettable, particularly for a buddy who had long hair sitting in front of Cobham's kick drum; every time Billy hit it my bud's hair would fly back😂
Mr. Cobham paved the way for us all !!!!!!!!!!!!
So cool!! I was so taken with this band! I thought everyone knew who they were! They were on "IN CONCERT"!!
Saw them live in NY in 1970's. My hearing was never the same
RIP Rick Laird.
My God! From about 3 minutes onward, during the bass solo, this gets so absolutely FUNKY, beyond belief! I don’t remember the LP getting into such a super tight groove… amazing!
Shout to Rick Laird. The rock in a storm. 💪💪💪Sad to hear that he passed.
Terrific! The audio waveform for the TV version is entirely missing the treble end, hence its dull sound. If a radio version exists and more of this synchronising for a 'natural sound' is possible, wonderful!
Amazing, thanks to sharing!
Saw them in 1974 in Melbourne with the string quartet. Awesome experience. Lots of smoke in there.
Incredible interplay between Cobham and Laird in this video.
Je m'attendais pas à trouver cette video ici mille merci pour l'avoir deposé...ici cest fantastique quel pied 👍❤️❤️❤️
Their first album, which was done in a hurry, was their best in terms of composition.
It was also their most exciting and least pretentious.
I equate it to Hendrix’s first record in that regard.
I probably saw the original MO 10 times when I was in and shortly out of high school.
Saw a section labeled "Meh Comic Relief" and knew it was gonna be the Bass Solo
RIP Rick Laird. I absolutely have always loved this solo
God bless Mahavishnu
Billy Cobham's solo may be the GOAT.
Yeah---move over buddy rich.
@@skillet6870
Yep, move over indeed.. Billy in a completely different (higher) class to buddy . imo.
@@Zapple7 And if one thinks his 'One Word' solo is the GOAT, just listen to his solo on 'Tenth Pinn'.
@@skillet6870
..just have... awesome.. undisputed titan of the drums without question.
What amazes me is all of the people who listen to Def Leppard, but would not be able to dig this.
If anyone tries to tell you there is a greater drummer than Billy, politely smile and walk away.
Buddy Rich and Tony Williams acceptable answers too
And Lenny White
Lenny did some incredible work with return to forever.-BUT Billy has the added element of athleticism-I believe that is his special ingredient
Agreed …no need for politeness
@@thearrtofwarr719 I don't think it's that clear... Rich Krupa Jo Jones Elvin Jones Blakey Tony Williams... and Billy Cobham...I don't see BC obviously ahead of those guys
Possibly the greatest Jazz/Fusion duel of all time. ❤
Saw many times first time was Aragon ballroom Chicago, November 3, 1972 I was 17
Fenomenal !!! De otro planeta..5 supermúsicos en accion..se presentable en festivales de rock sin ser rockeros ...todos jazzistas de 1ra clase y fusion ...hacian ver a las otras bandas infantiles...
R.I.P RICK LAIRD
World's Greatest ...
WTF!!!!!!! INFKNCREDIBLE
50yrs ago 😳
Very nice camerawork
Merci à la TV française !
They were all smiling 😊
That ' Fibre' drumkit looks amazing !
The best sounding drums EVER. Very sharp and punchy. Mydad saw them in Atlanta and said they were the loudest, scariest band he's ever seen. He said Billy's bass drums were literally like cannons.
They were Fibes drums.
Where's Jerry Goodman?
Shredding on violin?
Miss him.
Oh.
There he is.
Kinda letting the bass player shred.
Everyone else is just killing it.
Billy Cobham is just scary good on drums.
So fast.
Love that he has 3 rack toms and 3 floor toms.
So badass.
He made those vista-light acrylic drums work.
And those cymbals are breaking a serious sweat.
Actually?
Those drums are seriously sweating.
Billy's making them work for their money.
Damn Billy.
Fire the camera man who took so long getting over to Jerry for his shredding.
Or the director who was too slow telling his camera man to catch Jerry.
F*cking Jerry matches John's speed on guitar on violin.
Damn dood.
Jerry be killing it.
Wtf?
Just a beast shredding.
On a blue violin no less.
Actually, the whole band is a beast.
M*ther f*cking Mahavishnu Orchestra, baby.
Just shredding.
This is poetry
Oh heck yes! Saw them 3 times, 72 and 73, tore my head off, kicked it into a cosmic basket and put it back. When the set was over people were frozen, they couldn't move, they couldn't speak.
Can't think of any better bands than this...talent unleashed!!!!
@@instantscratchchannel9477 - I don't know about the tiers however I saw Cream twice, Hendrix once and they certainly set the foundations for what came later. Jeff Beck, Return to Forever...the Mahavishnu Orchestra certainly pulled from nearly everything that lead to their existence - Coltrane, Miles, Eastern influences, you name it. Zappa was certainly taken aback despite his "machine gun" remark.
very good...............................
8:33! These guys dropped down from Mt. Olympus for this gig. Love seeing how much thehvare enjoying playing.
music a la carte
I love hearing Rick solo Birds of Fire had so much fire in it like Birds of Fire flying too close to Wax Sun Icarus sorry I just went where the music took me another Galaxy
I saw them twice on Long Island and first heard their music on rock station 102.7 in the early 70’s. Their music influenced musicians like Jeff Beck and groups like Return to Forever.
Inégalés !!!
Monstrueux !!
Que des stars !!
i played mahavishnu in my office at the FBI,imagine how well that was received !
Que bueno llegar a este video y oir el "Birds of Fire" disco que llegó hacia mi como un obsequio de parte de un amigo melómano que conocí por la web se llama Rob y es de IOWA. Saludos desde Lima Perú
so great
Awesome!!!!
Very musical.
9:54 Billy Cobham's drumming is so hot, John McLaughling had to cool his hands😅!
VERY 'EAVY. Birds of Fire: pietra miliare! Il coraggio di un jazzista come McLaughlin di abbracciare l'amore x Hendrix, di utilizzare i Marshall e il tiraggio corde (il wah-wah:"Electric Guitarist,1978), di aver inventato il supergruppo per antonomasia, il jazz(metal)rock, le triple intersezioni virtuosistiche con Hammer&Goodman, con un Cobham esaltante ed irripetibile. Immensa Gratitudine e Lunga Vita a John"Maha Vishnu"McLaughlin.
Bei der Schöpfung der Welt, war diese Musik dabei. Auch die Halbgötter die sie spielten war vorgesehen.
Billy cobham mejor baterista de todos los tiempos y estilos !!! Es de otro planeta
increíble
Hermoso Gracias!!!!
Otro nivel
¡Qué pena que se escuche tan mal!. ¡Aún así vale la pena!.
Holy Whatever - Billy Cobham! Of course Miles was fascinated by this man.
Bill es batería espectacular .el y el bajista suenan como en el disco .los demás improvisando mucho .nose si es más fácil en cuanto ha ejecución.aun así el resultado es buenísimo .una actuación memorable
Billy is insane.
How do they know when to come in on those big drum fills?
billy cobham,the goat nuff said
Billy cobham un fenómeno. #2
After all that a golf clap?