Inner Worlds

{{Distinguish|Inner World}}

{{About|the album by Mahavishnu Orchestra|the video game|Inner Worlds (video game){{!}}Inner Worlds (video game)}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2025}}

{{Infobox album

| name = Inner Worlds

| type = studio

| artist = Mahavishnu Orchestra

| cover = MahavishnuInnerWorlds.jpg

| alt =

| released = {{Start date|1976|1}}{{cite web |url=http://www.jazz.com/music/2008/2/27/mahavishnu-orchestra-the-way-of-the-pilgrim |title=Mahavishnu Orchestra: The Way of the Pilgrim |author=Walter Kalosky |publisher=jazz.com |access-date=April 21, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091214024329/http://www.jazz.com/music/2008/2/27/mahavishnu-orchestra-the-way-of-the-pilgrim |archive-date=December 14, 2009 |url-status=dead }}

| recorded = July–August 1975

| venue =

| studio = Château d'Hérouville, France

| genre = Jazz fusion

| length = 44:07

| label = Sony

| producer = John McLaughlin with Dennis MacKay

| prev_title = Visions of the Emerald Beyond

| prev_year = 1975

| next_title = Mahavishnu

| next_year = 1984

| misc = {{Extra chronology

| artist = John McLaughlin

| type = studio

| prev_title = Visions of the Emerald Beyond

| prev_year = 1975

| title = Inner Worlds

| year = 1976

| next_title = Shakti with John McLaughlin

| next_year = 1976

}}

}}

{{Music ratings

| noprose = yes

| rev1 = Allmusic

| rev1Score = {{Rating|4.5|5}}{{AllMusic|class=album|id=r143041}}

|rev2 = Christgau's Record Guide

|rev2Score = 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=March 2, 2019|via=robertchristgau.com}}

| rev3 = The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide

| rev3Score = {{rating|2|5}}{{Cite book

|editor-last=Swenson

|editor-first=J.

| year = 1985

| title = The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide

| publisher = Random House/Rolling Stone

| location = USA

| isbn = 0-394-72643-X

| pages = 135

}}

}}

Inner Worlds is an album by the Mahavishnu Orchestra. It was the group's sixth album release, as well as their last for nearly ten years.

In 1975, violinist Jean-Luc Ponty and keyboardist Gayle Moran left the band. Stu Goldberg was brought in as a replacement for Moran. Although they were not officially recorded, initially this version of the group still retained Norma Jean Bell, Carol Shive, Phillip Hirschi, Russell Tubbs and Steve Kindler. After some hasty rehearsals, this line-up toured with Jeff Beck. After the tour, McLaughlin pared the band down to a quartet of himself, Goldberg, Walden and Armstrong, and then the album was recorded.{{Cite web |url=http://www.abstractlogix.com/interview_view.php?idno=70 |title=Goldberg interview |access-date=2014-08-22 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140826121323/http://www.abstractlogix.com/interview_view.php?idno=70 |archive-date=2014-08-26 |url-status=dead }}

This would be the last album by the Mahavishnu Orchestra for nearly ten years, when leader and guitarist John McLaughlin formed an entirely different version of the group in 1984.

Track listing and personnel

;Side One

  1. "All in the Family" - (John McLaughlin) - 6:02
  2. * John McLaughlin - guitar, guitar synthesizer
  3. * Stu Goldberg - organ, piano
  4. * Ralphe Armstrong - bass
  5. * Narada Michael Walden - drums, congas, bass marimba, shaker
  6. "Miles Out" - (John McLaughlin) - 6:44
  7. * John McLaughlin - guitar, "360" systems frequency shifter
  8. * Stu Goldberg - customized Mini-Moog and Steiner-Parker synthesizers
  9. * Ralphe Armstrong - bass
  10. * Narada Michael Walden - drums
  11. "In My Life" - (Narada Michael Walden, John McLaughlin) - 3:22
  12. * John McLaughlin - 12-string acoustic guitar, backing vocals
  13. * Stu Goldberg - backing vocals
  14. * Ralphe Armstrong - bass
  15. * Narada Michael Walden - lead vocals, piano, drums
  16. "Gita" - (John McLaughlin) - 4:29
  17. * John McLaughlin - guitar synthesizer, backing vocals
  18. * Stu Goldberg - organ, piano
  19. * Ralphe Armstrong - bass
  20. * Narada Michael Walden - drums, lead vocals
  21. "Morning Calls" - (John McLaughlin, Narada Michael Walden) - 1:23
  22. * John McLaughlin - guitar synthesizer
  23. * Narada Michael Walden - organ

;Side Two

  1. "The Way of the Pilgrim" - (Narada Michael Walden) - 5:15
  2. * John McLaughlin - guitar, guitar synthesizer
  3. * Stu Goldberg - customized Mini-Moog and Steiner-Parker synthesizers, piano
  4. * Ralphe Armstrong - bass
  5. * Narada Michael Walden - drums, tympani
  6. "River of My Heart" - (Narada Michael Walden, Kanchan Cynthia Anderson) - 3:41
  7. * Ralphe Armstrong - double bass
  8. * Narada Michael Walden - piano, lead vocals, percussion
  9. "Planetary Citizen" - (Ralphe Armstrong) - 2:14
  10. * John McLaughlin - guitar, backing vocals
  11. * Stu Goldberg - clavinet, backing vocals
  12. * Ralphe Armstrong - bass, lead vocals
  13. * Narada Michael Walden - drums, backing vocals
  14. "Lotus Feet" - (John McLaughlin) - 4:24
  15. * John McLaughlin - guitar synthesizer
  16. * Stu Goldberg - customized Mini-Moog and Steiner-Parker synthesizers
  17. * Narada Michael Walden - congas, sleigh bells
  18. "Inner Worlds" - 6:37
  19. * Part 1 - (John McLaughlin)
  20. * Part 2 - (Stu Goldberg)
  21. ** John McLaughlin - guitar, guitar synthesizer, frequency shifter, E-mu synthesizer/sequencer
  22. ** Stu Goldberg - customized Mini-Moog, Steiner-Parker and string synthesizers
  23. ** Ralphe Armstrong - brassmaster bass
  24. ** Narada Michael Walden - drums, gong, tympani

Charts

class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders"

! Chart (1976)

! Peak
position

{{Album chart|Billboard200|118|artist=Mahavishnu Orchestra John McLaughlin|rowheader=true|accessdate=October June 15, 2024}}
{{Album chart|BillboardJazz|24|artist=Mahavishnu Orchestra John McLaughlin|rowheader=true|accessdate=October June 15, 2024}}

References

{{reflist}}

{{Mahavishnu Orchestra}}

{{John McLaughlin}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:Mahavishnu Orchestra albums

Category:1976 albums

{{1970s-jazz-album-stub}}