Vinyl Vault — John McLaughlin, “His Acoustic Guitar – My Goal’s Beyond”

The Vinyl Vault will feature the third solo album by guitarist John McLaughlin entitled “His Acoustic Guitar – My Goal’s Beyond.” It was first released on Douglas Records in 1971 and later reissued three times. The Vinyl Vault’s version is dated 1976 and is on Douglas/Casablanca Records. It was reissued again in 1982 and 1987.

As the title of the album implies, McLaughlin is heard on acoustic guitar. The album was heavily influenced by music from India and was a precursor to his band Shakti which he formed only four years later.

One side of the album featured McLaughlin playing solo and the other side featured an eight-piece band. We’ll focus on the band side which included performances by Jerry Goodman on violin and Billy Cobham on the drums. Those two musicians were members of McLaughlin’s band the Mahavishnu Orchestra. Also playing on “My Goal’s Beyond” was Dave Liebman on flute and soprano sax, Charlie Haden on bass, Mahalakshmi on tambura, Airto on percussion, and Badal Roy on tabla.

Join Geoff Anderson on Tuesday, May 28 at 8:30 pm for the Vinyl Vault on KUVO JAZZ.

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