Devotion (John McLaughlin album)
Devotion is the second album by the English jazz fusion guitarist John McLaughlin, released in 1970. It was recorded while McLaughlin was in Tony William's band Lifetime; prior to forming The Mahavishnu Orchestra. McLaughlin was unhappy with the resulting album. On his website, he writes: “In 1969, I sign a contract in America for 2 records. First is 'Devotion' that is destroyed by producer Alan Douglas who mixes the recording in my absence.”[1]
| Devotion | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | September 1970 | |||
| Recorded | February 1970 | |||
| Studio | Record Plant Studios, New York City | |||
| Genre | Jazz-rock, acid rock, psychedelic rock, instrumental rock | |||
| Length | 35:28 | |||
| Label | Douglas | |||
| Producer | Alan Douglas and Stefan Bright | |||
| John McLaughlin chronology | ||||
| ||||
Critical reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   |
| All About Jazz | favourable[3] |
| The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide |  |
| The Village Voice | A–[5] |
In a contemporary review, Rolling Stone magazine called the album "very fine" and said that McLaughlin "has managed to make an album as Heavy as the most fanatical Led Zeppelin devotee could wish, while maintaining a high musical level".[6] AllMusic awarded the album four and a half stars, and Sean Westergaard concluded, "Devotion is a complete anomaly in his catalog, as well as one of his finest achievements."[2]
Track listing
All songs written by John McLaughlin.
- Side one
- "Devotion" – 11:25
- "Dragon Song" – 4:13
- Side two
- "Marbles" – 4:05
- "Siren" – 5:55
- "Don't Let the Dragon Eat Your Mother" – 5:18
- "Purpose of When" – 4:45
Personnel
- John McLaughlin – electric guitar
- Larry Young – organ, electric piano
- Billy Rich – bass guitar
- Buddy Miles – drums, percussion
References
- http://www.johnmclaughlin.com/ text on the period of 1968 - 70.
- Westergaard, Sean. "Devotion - John McLaughlin | AllMusic". allmusic.com. Retrieved 12 August 2011.
- Kolosky, Walter (17 November 2002). "John McLaughlin: Devotion". allaboutjazz.com. Retrieved 27 October 2013.
- Swenson, J., ed. (1985). The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide. USA: Random House/Rolling Stone. p. 135. ISBN 0-394-72643-X.
- Christgau, Robert (19 November 1970). "Consumer Guide (14)". The Village Voice. New York. Retrieved 10 June 2013.
- Palmer, Bob (17 September 1970). "Album Reviews: John McLaughlin - Devotion". Rolling Stone. No. 66. Archived from the original on August 7, 2008. Retrieved 2020-01-15.