Love Devotion Surrender, one of the more controversial fusion albums released, features the guitar prowess of both Carlos Santana and John McLaughlin at the top of their spiritual form. 'Why is it controversial?' I hear you ask, well it is inspired by the teachings of Guru Sri Chinmoy (one of those gurus who became very influencial during the post-psychedelic age, where musicians wanted to continue their spiritual journeys which they had begun during acid trips) and pushed Santana further and further away from his rock beginings. I did intend to ignore the spiritualist aspect of this album, and focus solely on the music, however with the gatefold featuring a passage from Sri Chinmoy, and photographs of the guitarists looking remarkably cult-like, I think it's the elephant in the room, and really should be mentioned. The passage represents a very naive view, asking of us to devote ourselves to spiritualist teachings. It also reflects gender stereotypes within the fist paragraph. Did I say reflects? I mean reinforces. The idea of fully surrendering ourselves to one specific goal/teaching/belief is something I find really disturbing, it's like deliberately limiting human potential. I'm a spiritualist of sorts, and I think it comes down to bettering ourselves, doing what we can to help other people, doing what we can to achieve the best we can. Meditate, but don't surrender your life to it. Ok, to avoid getting into a rant and starting to bitch about religion, I think it's time to get down and boogie (well... meditate) with some 'machine gun' guitaring from two guitar giants.
Side A serves as a tribute to John Coltrane and starts with A Love Supreme, a cover of the track Aknowledgement. It bursts into our ears with a flurry of guitar shredding, leading into a soft groove, where John and Carlos improvise over the top in a Free Jazz manner. There's a sense of real emotion behind what they're playing, something modern shredders lack. Larry Young's organ plods at the back keeping a nice sense of musicality which gels the guitars to the rythm. Chants of 'A Love Supreme' come in as it gets quieter, and Larry Young's organ meanders around in a deliciously playful fashion. Doug Ranch's bass really propelled this track forward. Track 2 is an accoustic cover of Coltrane's Naima, a dreamlike beautiful melody which drifts around your head, you close your eyes, inhale from your joss stick, and man, it's good.
A quiet organ drone takes hold, leading us into an amazing drum roll and then guitar and chanting. A Love Divine begins. It's some beautiful guitar soloing going on here over this constant jazz beat, the guitaring itself has a distinctly more jazz feel to it. Yeah it's much more fusion than the previous tracks, allowing both McLaughlin and Santana have a decent amount of room to really let themselves go and stretch out their wings. At times McLaughlin's guitar is so fast it melts your ears. Again though, this never feels like showing off, there really is an emotional context to his playing which bounces off the wall towards you. "A Live Devine is yours and mine"
The B side introduces us to the epic Let Us Go Into The House Of The Lord, based on an old Bible hymm. It starts with an organ vamp, overwhich McLaughlin plays some of his most amazing and weightless licks, you close your eyes and feel your body raising from the ground. Then a steady moving rythm kicks in, John again just flying higher and higher. He's often been called the 'John Coltrane of the guitar' in that he combines blistering speed with such pure spirituality, and this is proof of that. The backing groove is as undeniable as the lead, it's a simple groove, but when it locks fully into place, it just gets your head moving, getting you in the position for John's sublime guitar masterwork. I have to say, with the constant rythm going on, this is a perfect track to pick up a guitar and jam to, it's just great. The guitar masterclass only gets better and better and then winds down to a close. We have one track to go, Meditation. A softer piece, a walking piano draws us inside, a gentle melody, Santana's guitar providing suport. This kinda track is traditional for closign off 70's albums or music.
As you may have guessed, I am far more into John McLaughlin than Santana, the dude just does it for me. McLaughlin's been one of the biggest influences on my guitar playing and I just love how he does what he does. Musically, this album is really enjoyable, and John's guitar slinging is at the top of it's form, and just listening to it makes me want to pick up mine and just shred. The tones are all honey sweet, and there is a distinct sense of spirituality flowing through the music, though it never becomes overpowering. Sri Chinmoy despite all his controversies has done a lot to promote peace, and without him, we wouldn't have had this album.
I can't complain when you get a review not only of an album's music but also of the belief system that provides its philosophical underpinning. So I won't. That photo of the boys with Sri is wondrous. He clearly copied the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Club when devising the dress code for his followers - not exactly a uniform but dress must be predominantly white. And of course the leader wears different clothes so you can tell he's the leader, in this case the track suit of Holland's national soccer team. Carlos has clearly bought all his gear at the MCC cricket store while John looks like a submariner whose jumper fitted when he boarded his craft but not after long weeks pigging out on biscuits and crisps underneath the Arctic ice cap waiting to be told to nuke Moscow. But I would have done the same as both these guys in following Sri as there is a holy light pouring out of him albeit in the unconventional region of the right thigh.
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