Bathed In Lightning: John McLaughlin, the 60s and the Emerald Beyond

Scholarly work on the British music scene in the late 50s and 60s to give the story context and the reader a deep immersion into what created one of the most inventive and prolific guitarist of the 20th century

It was very surprising to read what I thought would be a biography about John McLaughliin, and McLaughlin often seems to be a minor character for the first 300+ pages (NOT an exaggerated number, by the way). Isn't that strange?!? The author manages to accomplish this by going into great detail about things like bands which McLaughlin was in for a brief time (as little as a few weeks), several of which have no extant recordings. It was also frustrating when the author wrote about the children that McLaughlin fathered as a young man, and didn't really go into much detail about that impacted his life. It certainly must have shaped him in some way! Additionally frustrating was the fact that this 500+ page book really ends where Mahavishnu Orchestra ends, not going into the great Shakti in much detail at all; not to mention his significant later activity. These things being said, there is a lot of information to glean from this book: I came away with lots of information about his early years (the youngest of 5, an early French speaker, an absent and unencouraging father, a violinst mother-which partly explains its presence in Mahavishnu Orchestra; (JM was) a guitar salesman and in-demand London studio musician), his early musical associations (Jack Bruce, Ginger Baker, Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones, etc.). McLaughlin's association with Tony Williams, Miles Davis, Jimi Hendrix, Sri Chinmoy, and Mahavishnu Orchestra and ex-wife Eve McLaughlin are all dealt with in considerable detail. This book also has extensive footnotes and frequently makes reference to the more elaborate e-book version.

1. A massive expansion (with corrections) of the initial chapters of Paul Stump, "Go Ahead John: The Music of John McLaughlin", 1999.2. Many of the same people/places as in Philip Norman, "Slowhand: The Life and Music of Eric Clapton", 2018. But from the other side of the reading/theory divide.3. Musically literate. With citations, footnotes, and endnotes.4. Surprisingly (but, implicitly, not totally) disjoint from Pat Martino, Bill Milkowski, "Here and Now!: The Autobiography of Pat Martino", 2011.5. Does cite Larry Coryell, "Improvising: My Life in Music", 2007.

This is a virtual compendium of every bit of information about the times, music, musicians, and anyone remotely involved in the life of McLaughlin. Sometimes the minutia is a bit overwhelming, especially in the mid 60's. My interest lies in the Miles Davis and Mahavishnu era, and I was not disappointed. His music was life-changing, and remains so today. His compositions are not merely songs, they are vignettes of dimensions that had been hidden. I am thankful that there are musicians that show the world how music can improve the lives of the listener. Be a listener, and a reader of this book.

The first part of this book is a well researched survey of the London jazz and R&B scene in the 60's. I was in my teens then and followed many of these musicians. I am thrilled to see them get some recognition after all these years, especially the great bassist Binky McKenzie who was a good friend of mine until his tragic breakdown. My deepest thanks to Colin Harper for his respectful and honest coverage of these years and musicians who influenced so many including myself. I hope to read more about McLaughlin's later work. His "Thieves & Poets" album is an unrecognized masterpiece!

While some might quibble that this is more of a history of Jazz in the UK in the 60s than anything else it provides a wonderful overview of where McLaughlin was coming from which makes the creation of the Mahavishnu Orchestra seem even more incredible, if such a thing were possible.For me the background details, and indeed the details of McLaughlin's life make for a really enjoyable story, an area where so many music books made up of cut and paste interviews from the past seem to fail.This book had me engaged from start to finish, highly recommended.

Loved it, especially for the in-depth look at MO2, a very underrated group. I saw both versions of the Orchestra, as well as Shakti, and I think I might have enjoyed MO2 the best, although all bands were superb. Also loved the cover photo. I learned a lot more about the Miles Davis and Tony Williams years. I wish Colin could have gotten some fresh quotes from Jan Hammer, though. It's a shame McLaughlin and Hammer can't "bury the hatchet" and form a full reunion of the original MO; I know John has tried, but Jan won't even speak with him (according to McLaughlin, anyhow).

thorough! Amazing! educational to (us) rock scholars. I can't believe this book! Not only does the author take us thru McLaughlin's life but the rock (and where applicable - the Session Players life), Finally I can sleep at night that Herbie Goins and Ronnie Jones and the Night timers band mystery is solved. Oh, you don't know - get the book. As an added bonus the web site has includes added chapters. Fans will blush (or say "what"? when they DISCover what songs McLaughlin played on. The book is an incredible journey believe me I have reread the already read pages covering the 60s man. One of the BEST books Ive read!!!!!

The book is about a lot of things, it's also about John Mclaughlin. The author cites pages and pages of articles by people writing about John and their impressions of him as an artist. A few citations like this would be OK, but this makes up a large portion of the book. And often the citations are nice, but don't say much, besides John is awesome. He also spends pages talking about people associated with John. I am interested in knowing about people that influenced him, but pages talking about them weighs the whole thing down. On the other hand, the book says little about John's playing style, techniques used in his playing, etc. I got to the end knowing that John is a truly great guitarist who played with several bands and did a lot of concerts. With a 500 page book, I was hoping for something more. The book does say a lot about John's religious ideas which is probably the one thing the author develops well.

My claim to fame is that I am the second Jazz Fusion guitarist called John McLaughlin to come from Whitley Bay, so I just had to buy this to see if our paths had crossed. I have so far read the first 200 pages and even if you are not a fan of John McLaughlin, this is a great read as it deals in great detail with the music scene in London in the early sixties, from the jazz, R&B and pop music to the embryonic rock scene. It does not centre around John McLaughlin, but identifies where he pops up now and then and the sessions and recordings he sits in. The book is a well researched tome on the heady days of the Swinging Sixties in London.

John McLaughlin has carved a unique, restless path, where the journey, not the destination, is the thing, and this biography is the definitive attempt to pin down, for the first time, the enigma of the English guitarist from Kirk Sandall. This book, which fills a yawning gap on the shelf of 20th Century music history, does the trick.Despite the guitarist's non-participation in the writing of the book, the author has nevertheless managed to cherry-pick extant quotes to insert into the narrative at apposite moments to illustrate the narrative and illuminate the story, as well as interview those who were there, to paint a compelling picture of a driven musician whose single-minded devotion to his art - coupled with his search for spiritual fulfilment - ultimately peaked in a music which combined the muscularity of rock, the quixotic swiftness of jazz and the bombast of the symphony orchestra. His achievements with the Mahavishnu Orchestra are probably the main attraction for the fan here, though his background of 1960s session work is comprehensively examined.The only gripe I have with the book is the author's decision to write extensively about the 1960s jazz scene - often, John isn't mentioned for several pages at a time; it's almost as if Colin is aware that this stuff probably won't see the light of day unless it's shoe-horned into a JM biog and is using the opportunity of 'Bathed In Lightning' to put this stuff out there. Interestingly enough, the publishers rejected the author's suggestion of a two-volume biography, which would have served the artist well. The material concerning the second line-up of the Mahavishnu Orchestra - surely the main selling-point of the book - is spread between the print volume and the e-book, and there are certain chunks in the former where cuts could have been made to accommodate the MO2 material.Having said all that, I would unhesitatingly recommend buying this book to anyone interested in John McLaughlin and his rise to prominence as one of music's more enigmatic and compelling figures. As a companion to Walter Kolosky's 'Power Passion And Beauty', it is essential. Enjoy.

Interesting stories from the late fifties and early sixties club scene etc.lots of interesting anecdotes and name dropping,a delightful read.

A great read for an important period in John McLaughlin's musical career. It made me want to listen to the music again which is always a good sign.