Recording history and tape provenance
The two-city session left an odd mark on the credits. Ken Scott engineered the London sessions at Trident. He was not in the New York musicians' union, so he could not enter the control room for the CBS sessions. Jim Green is credited there instead, though Scott stayed involved in the sound.
At Trident, Cobham's kit was too large for the drum booth. It was set up in the main room with makeshift baffling around it. Scott described the sessions as high-energy in his memoir Abbey Road to Ziggy Stardust, quoted on the QuadraphonicQuad forum.
Every composition is McLaughlin's, including "Miles Beyond," dedicated to Miles Davis. The back cover carries the poem "Revelation" by Sri Chinmoy, the teacher McLaughlin followed then.
A third studio album was attempted and abandoned. The tapes sat unlabelled in a Columbia vault until producer Bob Belden found them in 1998 while researching a Birds of Fire reissue. They came out in 1999 as The Lost Trident Sessions.
The quadraphonic mix
Columbia issued a quadraphonic mix in 1973 as CQ 31996, in the SQ matrix format. Don Young remixed it under the sound supervision of Harold J. Kleiner.
It survives mainly through a 2015 Audio Fidelity numbered SACD rather than a findable vinyl quad copy. One listening comparison on HRAudio.net found the quad mix weaker on Laird's bass definition than the stereo. That is a format trade-off rather than a pressing fault.
Original Columbia pressings (1973)
Columbia KC 31996 is the US first pressing, with a documented Terre Haute plant variant. Copy-to-copy variation is wide enough on this title that an unheard original is a gamble.
One detailed account describes most standard original copies as shrill with no bass. The same account describes an exceptional copy, picked through the multi-copy shootout process the dealer Better Records uses, that outperforms every reissue. Such a copy costs accordingly.
An original UK and Netherlands CBS pressing exists as S 65321. Its first pressings have a textured sleeve and a hand-etched "PN" in the runout, from a lacquer cut by Pete Norman. Later copies under the same number have neither.
Modern reissues
Friday Music issued a 180g edition in 2010. Elusive Disc lists it as mastered by Joe Reagoso and Kevin Gray from the original Columbia tapes. It was pressed at RTI (Record Technology Inc.), catalogue FRMLP3199. Owner reviews praise its bass depth and cymbal detail.
The Speakers Corner edition (2019) was remastered with an all-analog path from the master tapes to the cutting head and pressed at Pallas in Germany. The Audio Beat describes the pressing as dead quiet and flat, with a facsimile of the red and gold Columbia label.
The Absolute Sound rated the Speakers Corner 5 out of 5 for music and 4 out of 5 for sound in September 2019.
One owner comparison found the Speakers Corner quieter and better centred. The same owner preferred the Friday Music on kick drum and bass, and heard slightly more silk on cymbal crashes. The conclusion was that the two are close enough to keep both.
Buyer's guide by budget
$$$: The Friday Music (2010) or Speakers Corner (2019) reissue. Speakers Corner for quiet surfaces, Friday Music for low end.
$$$$: An original Columbia KC 31996 heard in person or bought from a seller who has played it.
Pressing tier summary
| Tier ⇅ | Pressing | Cat# | Year ⇅ | Format | Source / Mastering | Notes | Market ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| S | Friday Music | FRMLP3199 | 2010 | Stereo, 33⅓, 180g | Joe Reagoso and Kevin Gray, AcousTech, from the original Columbia tapes. Pressed at RTI | Praised for bass depth and cymbal detail | – |
| S | Speakers Corner | 31996 | 2019 | Stereo, 33⅓, 180g | All-analog from master tape to cutting head. Pressed at Pallas | Quiet and well centred. Facsimile red/gold Columbia label | $64VG+ $84NM $94M |
| A | Columbia original, Terre Haute pressing | KC 31996 | 1973 | Stereo, 33⅓ | Columbia lacquer | Wide copy-to-copy variation. A verified exceptional copy reportedly beats every reissue | $25VG+ $32NM $36M |
| B | CBS UK and Netherlands | S 65321 | 1973 | Stereo, 33⅓ | Pete Norman lacquer cut | Textured sleeve and "PN" etching mark an early copy. Later repressings have neither | – |
| – | Columbia quadraphonic, SQ matrix | CQ 31996 | 1973 | Quadraphonic, 33⅓ | Remixed by Don Young | Not rated. Weaker bass definition than the stereo in one comparison | – |
References
- Discogs (master, all versions): https://www.discogs.com/master/72290
- Wikipedia, "Birds of Fire": https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Birds_of_Fire
- The Audio Beat, "Mahavishnu Orchestra • Birds of Fire": https://www.theaudiobeat.com/music/mahavishnu_orchestra_birds_of_fire_lp.htm
- Elusive Disc, "The Mahavishnu Orchestra – Birds of Fire 180g LP" (Friday Music): https://elusivedisc.com/the-mahavishnu-orchestra-birds-of-fire-180g-lp/
- Elusive Disc, "The Mahavishnu Orchestra – Birds of Fire 180g LP" (Speakers Corner): https://elusivedisc.com/the-mahavishnu-orchestra-birds-of-fire-180g-lp-speakers-corner
- QuadraphonicQuad forum, "Mahavishnu Orchestra – Birds of Fire [SACD]": https://quadraphonicquad.com/threads/mahavishnu-orchestra-the-birds-of-fire-sacd.20985/
- HRAudio.net, "Mahavishnu Orchestra: Birds of Fire": https://www.hraudio.net/showmusic.php?title=10877&showall=1