Electric Dreams (John McLaughlin album)
{{EngvarB|date=October 2013}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2024}}
{{Infobox album
| name = Electric Dreams
| type = studio album
| artist = John McLaughlin
| cover = cover_-_electric_dreams.jpg
| alt =
| released = 1979
| recorded = November–December 1978
| venue =
| studio = Sound Mixer Studios, New York City
| genre = Jazz fusion
| length = 38:40
| label = Columbia
| producer = John McLaughlin
| prev_title = Electric Guitarist
| prev_year = 1978
| next_title = Belo Horizonte
| next_year = 1981
}}
Electric Dreams is the fifth solo album by English jazz guitarist John McLaughlin and his "One Truth Band" (featuring violinist L. Shankar, keyboardist Stu Goldberg, bassist Fernando Saunders, percussionist Alyrio Lima and drummer Tony "Thunder" Smith), released in 1979. Between his third and fourth solo albums he spent several years leading the Mahavishnu Orchestra (which featured Goldberg), and Shakti (which featured Shankar).
While performing with Miles Davis, Davis had titled a song on the album Bitches Brew "John McLaughlin". McLaughlin returns the favour here, naming a song "Miles Davis".
Critical reception
{{Album ratings
| rev2 = AllMusic
| rev2Score = {{Rating|3.5|5}}{{cite web |url= http://www.allmusic.com/album/electric-dreams-mw0000090710 |title=Electric Dreams – John McLaughlin | Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards | AllMusic |first=Richard S. |last=Ginell |publisher=AllMusic |access-date=27 October 2013}}
|rev3 = Christgau's Record Guide
|rev3Score = B−{{cite book|last=Christgau|first=Robert|author-link=Robert Christgau|year=1981|title=Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies|publisher=Ticknor & Fields|isbn=089919026X|chapter=Consumer Guide '70s: M|chapter-url=https://www.robertchristgau.com/get_chap.php?k=M&bk=70|access-date=7 March 2019|via=robertchristgau.com}}
| rev5 = The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide
| rev5Score = {{rating|2|5}}{{Cite book
|editor-last=Swenson
|editor-first=J.
| year = 1985
| title = The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide
|url=https://archive.org/details/rollingstonejazz00swen
|url-access=registration
| publisher = Random House/Rolling Stone
| location = USA
| isbn = 0-394-72643-X
| pages = [https://archive.org/details/rollingstonejazz00swen/page/135 135]
}}
|rev4 = The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings
|rev4score = {{Rating|3|4}}{{cite book |last1=Cook |first1=Richard |authorlink1=Richard Cook (journalist) |last2=Morton |first2=Brian |authorlink2=Brian Morton (Scottish writer) |title=The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings |year=2008 |edition=9th |publisher=Penguin |isbn=978-0-141-03401-0 |page=977}}
}}
All About Jazz wrote that "Electric Dreams offers some of the best composing and playing of McLaughlin's career and has been unfairly overlooked."{{cite web |url= http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=10810 |title=John McLaughlin w/ The One Truth Band: Electric Dreams |first=Walter |last=Kolosky |publisher=All About Jazz |date=17 November 2002 |access-date=27 October 2013}}
Track listing
All songs by John McLaughlin unless otherwise noted.
- "Guardian Angels" – 0:51
- "Miles Davis" – 4:54
- "Electric Dreams, Electric Sighs" – 6:57
- "Desire and the Comforter" – 7:34
- "Love and Understanding" – 6:36
- "Singing Earth" (Stu Goldberg) – 0:37
- "The Dark Prince" – 5:15
- "The Unknown Dissident" – 6:16
Personnel
- John McLaughlin – 6, 12 & 13-string acoustic & electric guitars, banjo
- L. Shankar – acoustic & electric violin
- Stu Goldberg – electric piano/ pedals, Moog synthesizer (with Steiner Parker modifications), Prophet synthesizer, Hammond B-3 organ
- Fernando Saunders – bass guitar, acoustic bass, vocal ("Love & Understanding")
- Tony "Thunder" Smith – drums, backing vocal ("Love & Understanding)
- Alyrio Lima – percussions
- David Sanborn – alto saxophone ("The Unknown Dissident")
Charts
| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders"
! Chart (1979) ! Peak |
| scope="row"| Australian Albums (Kent Music Report){{cite book|last=Kent|first=David|author-link=David Kent (historian)|title=Australian Chart Book 1970–1992|edition=illustrated|publisher=Australian Chart Book|location=St Ives, N.S.W.|year=1993|isbn=0-646-11917-6}}
| align="center"| 75 |
|---|
| {{Album chart|New Zealand|27|artist=John McLaughlin with the One Truth Band|album=Electric Dreams|rowheader=true|accessdate=15 October June 2024}} |
| {{Album chart|Billboard200|147|artist=John McLaughlin|rowheader=true|accessdate=15 October June 2024}} |
| {{Album chart|BillboardJazz|14|artist=John McLaughlin|rowheader=true|accessdate=15 October June 2024}} |