Go Ahead John
Paul Stump



Fans of John McLaughlin have been starved of a biography of the guitarist until, it was thought, Paul Stump's "Go Ahead John". But while the book received positive reviews in the press, it appalled many JM fans who shared their disgust about the erroneous content via the One-word mailing list. Here follows a synopsis in 4 sections:

1. Press review excerpts
2. List of criticisms
3. List of known errors
4. One-Worder review

 

  1. Press review excerpts
  2. "Paul Stump is already the respected author of music books about Progressive Rock (The Music's All That Matters), Tangerine Dream (Digital Gothic) and Roxy Music (Unknown Pleasures). A writer with an intuitive an often original take on his subjects, Stump's extensive knowledge of both jazz and rock makes him the ideal biographer of this modern jazz virtuoso." safpublishing.com

    "Stump will satisfy discerning layman and super-muso alike with his glowing critique of an entire career. A portrait of a driven man emerges through his huge, early struggle for recognition, but it's as much the story of fusion itself... This incisive account is one of musical survival in a hostile world, prompting McLaughlin to take his palce alongside Hendrix and Davis as a pioneer of unearthly sounds that rise above passing prejudices." Uncut Magazine - February 2000. ****(Excellent)

    "Brave attempt to catch one of Britain's most mercurial guitar talents. Musically Stump has all his twists and turns with Miles Davis, The Mahavishnu Orchestra, Shakti, Paco De Lucia, Al DiMeola etc. well taped." Top Magazine

    "Paul Stump first became acquainted with John McLaughlin in Mahavishnu and like many admired his often intense guitar technique. However, whilst capable of wonderfully uplifting moments with what was essentially a jazz-rock fusion band, he is also revered for his ground-breaking work with Miles Davis ... Stump's account follows McLaughlin's career from his birth in Yorkshire through his various musical incarnations and is a compelling read, and reflects a remarkable and diverse musical journey." themusicindex.com

     

  3. List of criticisms
  4. Collected criticisms of the book via One-Word mailing list. Anonymity is maintained where appropriate. Original comments are followed by subsequent comments in red.

     

  5. List of known errors
  6. Reported errors by One-Word members, listed in order of page reference. Book quote is in bold. Correction follows. Subsequent comments in red.

    Pg. 17:
    There was also a spell in a trio which McLaughlin convened along with his friend Glenn Hughes and included New Zealand expatriate bass player Rick Laird.

    Even though Rick lived in New Zealand, he was born in Ireland. He'd have to have been born in New Zealand in order to be an "expatriate" from there.

    Pg. 17:
    He got married and bore a son, Julian.

    This has been mentioned before. He doesn't mention the wife's name. The son's name was probably found in the June '76 issue of People magazine.

    Pg. 17:
    Another youngster in the background was one Jimmy Page, who reputedly approached the Yorkshireman for lessons.

    We know that Jimmy Page did take lessons from John.

    Pg. 27:
    Re "Extrapolation": Holland, meanwhile, had been summoned to the ranks of Miles Davis' band, so Oxley's friend Brian Odgers stood in.

    The album has his name as Brian Odges. However Johann Haidenbauer has informed me that he has seen the name spelled both ways.

    Pg. 35:
    Davis and McLaughlin not only brokered the marriage [between jazz and rock], they arranged it down to the supply of contraceptives on the bridal pillow.

    Personally, I find this image to be distasteful. I also think it's unhelpful, since it suggests the possibility that the marriage was often without issue.

    Pg. 38:
    Re "Devotion": It has the air of a flown kite; the presence of two of the Band Of Gypsy's, Buddy Miles and the bassist Billy Rich...

    Buddy Miles and Billy Rich played together in the Buddy Miles Express band. Billy Cox was the bassist in the Band of Gypsy's.
    [I have a problem with the author discussing "Devotion" and "Where Fortune Smiles" before the Miles albums and TWL's "Emergency". It throws off the chronology; it gives the impression that these records where recorded *before* "Emergency".]

    Pg. 48:
    From those sessions came work on "Infinite Search" (aka "Mountain in the Clouds") by the electric bass phenomenon from Czechoslovakia, Miroslav Vitous...

    This is a nit-pick, but Vitous was (and probably still is) regarded more

    of an acoustic bassist rather than an electric one.

    Pg. 51:
    and, the saxophonist Dave Liebman aside, no white man ever earned so much admiration from Davis as John McLaughlin.

    Notwithstanding Miles' respect for Mclaughlin, I'm sure this is an error of fact and would - I think - be corrected if the last two words in the sentence were changed to "Gil Evans".

    Pg. 53
    The Davis period also saw McLaughlin's choice of guitars change...to a Gibson Les Paul classic.

    There is no Les Paul "classic". More than likely, he meant a Les Paul Custom. But John was playing different Les Paul models and Fenders back then.

    Pg.53:
    Although he is pictured on the sleeve of "Devotion" bearing an eye-burningly psychedelic Fender Stratocaster.

    It's not a Strat. Although no one has ever definitely determined the model of Fender that it *is* (I say it's a Mustang), it definitely is *not* a Strat.

    Pg. 57:
    Re "My Goal's Beyond": It's two albums; the electric side one and the acoustic side two...

    Side one *electric*?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!? This is an *all acoustic* record!!! And he makes no attempt to analyze side one; which to me is as genuine a "Fusion" that the genre ever saw. Electric?!?!?!?!?!?!??!?!?!...Puh-leeze!

    Pg. 58:
    Re the MO: The name was taken directly from McLaughlin's own nom d'esprit, Mahavishnu (Maha=creator, Vishnu=spirit).

    From GP Dec.'72..."When you become a disciple you have a Master. Mine is Sri Chinmoy. At some point he gives you a name, and that name has a very strong spiritual significance...Mahavishnu is an Indian god; Maha the Creator, and Vishnu the Preserver." There are a few other definitions in print, my point being that he didn't bother to dig into the subject matter.

    Pg. 58:
    Re Cobham: He had featured, sporadically, on "Bitches Brew"...

    Even though he played on some of the later BB sessions, Lenny White and Jack DeJohnette handled much of the drumming on the released version of BB. A more accurate thing to have mentioned would have been Billy's playing on the "Jack Johnson" album.

    Pg. 58:
    The recruitment of Jerry Goodman on violin was less clear-cut. McLaughlin originally signed the young American for "My Goal's Beyond", having failed to entice Jean-Luc Ponty...

    Ponty was asked to join the MO, first. But Ponty had immigration problems that prevented his joining at the time. He later joined for MO-2.

    Pg. 60:
    Re 'The Noonward Race' on "IMF": Hammer's first opportunity to solo at length is greedily grabbed, although his Moog solo, complete with distortion is as nasty as nails on a blackboard.

    There is no Moog on "IMF". That solo is done on a Fender Rhodes electric piano played through a ring modulator.

    Pg. 61:
    'Maya' is distinguished by the insistent integration into the texture of a 17/8 time signature ...."

    It's hard to tell from listening to the track, but the sheet music has this piece in 10/8 throughout.
    [when introducing the song at the "Syracuse University" gig, JM himself said : "for those of you who are interested in this type of thing .. this piece is in 10/8 .. moving to 20/8 .. ". Although I kinda thought it went into double-time, which would be 20/16, wouldn't it?]

    Pg. 66:
    Re solos on the title track of "BOF": There are three on the opening track alone..

    There are two solos: John takes the first, Jan takes the second. I don't know what else he could have considered a solo to suggest three.

    Pg. 67:
    Thousand Island Park

    Thousand Island Park, New York is the location of a summer cottage where Swami Vivekananda lived and taught in the summer of 1895. It's hard to believe that this wasn't the origin of the title for McLaughlin.
    [I didn't know about that possible origin for the track … *that's* the kind of thing I'd like to have read in the book. We had a few theories about the origin of the title "Seven Sisters" on the list a while back. We also had an explanation from someone on this list of the actual origin of the tracl "Sapphire Bullets of Pure Love", which I think Paul Stump explained as an early ambient synth piece. I can't be sure of that .. I don't have the book to hand, I'm afraid. Plus, there was the issue of JM receiving writing credit for this apparently "accidental" piece.]

    Billy Cobham (interview in Modern Drummer, 1992) had this to day about the titles:
    'RS: Let me read off some of the song titles: "Celestial Terrestrial Commuters", "Sapphire Bullets Of Pure Love", "Thousand Island Park".
    BC: [laughs] Man, I still don't have a clue as to what those song titles meant. Once we made that record, I put it away. I do, however, remember live performances, and I remember them by the material we played. But those song titles [laughs], they sound so contrived. They feel false now, and they felt false back then. To me, the titles didn't feel like they should be the titles of the songs that are on Birds Of Fire. The title piece was a very very strong piece for me. That I remember. And "Open Country Joy" and "Resolution" were beautiful. We used to do a song called "Binky's Beam". Later the name of the song was changed. It might have been changed to "Sapphire Bullets Of Pure Love". '

    I don't think that "Binky's Beam" (which is on "Extrapolation") was changed to "Sapphire Bullets". It was named for Binky MacKenzie, whom JM worked alongside with Duffy Power in 1966. According to [the book's version of] the discography, there's a track called "Binky's Dream" on the "Live, King of Guitars" (Munich, August 1972) bootleg.

    Pg. 68:
    Less swaying, hot-panted female buttocks than the funk-created musical *idea* of swaying, hot-panted female buttocks which is evoked by the combination of fatback swagger and undercurrent of harmonic wistfulness.

    Holy crap. I've *got* to get me a copy.

    Pg. 80:
    McLaughlin's sovereignty was symbolized not by a crown but by his double-neck guitar, most especially the new custom-made model he unveiled in 1974.

    The Bogue "Double Rainbow" was completed and delivered in July '73. It apparently took one year to make.

    Pg. 80:
    Made by Californian Rex Bogue...

    Doesn't mention that his real name was Larel Rexford Bogue and that he died on February 8, 1996.

    Pg. 80:
    Re fretboards: ...and bearing the words "Guru Alo".

    Doesn't tell you that "Guru Alo" means "He who leads from darkness into lightness". And he doesn't tell you because he only bothered to read the Guitar World article and not the Guitar Player article :-).

    Pg. 83:
    Stu Goldberg replaced the inestimable Gayle Moran who had by now been wooed into the arms, and the band, of Chick Corea (not to mention the spell of Corea's new spiritual godfather, L. Ron Hubbard).

    Hubbard was not "new". Chick had been a Scientologist for years by the time this happened (1975).

    Pg. 84:
    Re "Inner Worlds": Ironically, the rockiest track on the album, the strongly Progressive-flavored 'The Way Of The Pilgrim' (authored entirely by Walden, the first Mahavishnu track not to be written or co-written by the band's leader) is a winner.

    There a couple of ways to look at this. 'Sister Andrea' by Jan Hammer from "BN&E" was the first MO track released that was not credited solely to John. We now know that songs were written by others during the "Lost Trident Sessions" that were not released. Walden has sole credit on 'Cosmic Strut' from "VotEB". And Armstrong has sole credit for 'Planetary Citizen. Either way, Stump is wrong.

    Pg. 86:
    Re enrolling at Wesleyan: One of his courses was in the two-stringed Indian lute, the vina...

    Oddly enough, he later copies the GP Aug.78 article, and on page 88 of the book writes (about the drone string guitar): This was inspired directly by the vina's configuration -- four playing strings, three accompanying strings.

    Pg. 87:
    Re Shakti: The scalloped fingerboards that McLaughlin so loved in allhis work in the 1970s, for example, derived from his love of the vina.

    I have a problem with "in all his work in the 1970s". No guitar used prior to (late) 1975 had a scalloped fingerboard. The guitar used on the "Shakti" album did not have a scalloped fingerboard (though one is pictured on the cover).

    Pg. 90:
    Again about scalloped necks: It also introduced him to the idea of crosspicking.

    While again copying the GP Aug.78 article, Stump changes the word "circle picking" to crosspicking. In the article McLaughlin says that he doesn't circle pick. which is not the same as crosspicking.

    Pg. 95:
    Re "Electric Guitarist": The eight tracks are introduced by 'Do You Hear The Voices You Have Left Behind?'.

    The title is 'Do You Hear The Voices That You Left Behind?', and it starts side two of the album. He swaps album sides throughout his description of "EG". 'New York On My Mind' is the first track on the album.

    Pg. 95:
    Re 'Do You Hear The Voices...': ...the first overt tribute of any kind made in McLaughlin's music.

    In the sleeve of "My Goal's Beyond" John writes: To my Revered Guru, I humbly dedicate the music in this record. "Extrapolation" has 4-5 dedications. What about 'Song For My Mother' fercryinoutloud? And JMcL later said that 'My Foolish Heart' should have been dedicated to Tal Farlow.

    Pg. 95:
    McLaughlin, playing a Gibson Byrdland...

    He should have said "McLaughlin, playing a Gibson Byrdland with a scalloped neck...".

    Pg. 98:
    Re drummer Tony Smith:

    Stump doesn't seem to know that bassist Fernado Saunders *and* Tony Smith were the rhythm section in the Jan Hammer Group.

    Pg. 100
    [JMcL] reconvened the One Truth Band in a wholly different format for a summer 1979 tour...The line-up consisted of Shankar, McLaughlin, Goldberg with the support of Sun Ship Theus (drums) and T.M. Stevens (bass)...

    The above line-up was for the 1978 tour that promoted "JMcL-EG". The 1979 band that promoted "Electric Dreams" was JMcL, Shankar, Goldberg, Saunders, Smith, and Alyrio Lima on percussion.

    Pg.103:
    On frist meeting Paco: We ended up playing for two days...

    He miscopied again, it was for two hours.

    Pg. 104:
    Re Al DiMeola: ...had been a pre-adolescent devotee of Tal Farlow and Charlie Burrell...

    I think he means jazz guitarist Kenny Burrell.

    Pg. 105:
    Re first side of "FNiSF": It mixes the melodically ravishing - 'Rio Ancho' is probably the catchiest tune in the entire John McLaughlin catalogue...

    It may be catchy, but McLaughlin didn't write it or even play on the track. Paco and Al wrote and duet on that piece.

    Pg. 113:
    for their Philips LP showcase 'Passion Grace and Fire'"

    In fact (see discography, p.173), it was on CBS. I don't think McLaughlin ever recorded for Philips.
    As a matter of facts the LP was released by CBS (Columbia) in US and by Philips in Europe. This happened because Al was with CBS in those days and Paco with Philips. John didn't have a contract at that time.

    Pg. 115:
    Re "Belo Horizonte" era: By now McLaughlin was playing Abraham Wechter's guitars exclusively.

    I think he was also playing Richard Schneider guitars, and some Yamaha nylon-string classical guitars as well. Massimo would know for sure.

    Pg. 129:
    On 19th November 1985 McLaughlin played briefly with the Mahavishnu Orchestra IV on Johnny Carson's Tonight Show on CBS TV in the US...

    The show was on NBC TV. McLaughlin sat in with the Tonight Show Band, playing a great version of 'Cherokee'. He played a Wechter nylon-string.

    Pg. 135:
    Re JMcL Trio: In the autumn of 1989...[Jeff] Berlin had been dropped and... electric bassist, Kai Eckhardt-Karpeh, stepped in.

    Stump doesn't seem to know that Jonas Hellborg first replaced Berlin. Eckhardt replaced Hellborg.

    Pg. 136:
    Re The Mediterranean Concerto: The premiere of the finished work was eventually in Los Angeles...on Thanksgiving Day 1984.

    He got this out if the CD booklet, and it's a mistake that's not his fault. The Concerto was premiered in 1985. That's why JMcL was on the Tonight Show (and in Los Angeles) because the Concerto was premiering in a few days.

    Pg. 149:
    For the two numbers recorded with saxophonist Michael Brecker...

    Brecker only plays on 'Jazz Jungle'.

    Pg. 150:
    Re a track on "The Promise": 'The Return' is clearly a piece...

    The track is called 'No Return'.

    Pg 152:
    Re 'Shin Jin Rui': [the guitar and sax work] recalls the days of David Sanborn's guest appearances on "Electric Guitarist" and "Electric Dreams". Brecker is entirely at home here...

    It should recall Sanborn because it *is* David Sanborn playing on the track; not Brecker.

    Pg. 153:
    Re personnel on "Heart Of Things": In the fashion of "The Promise" quintet, he used...a bassist (Matthew Garrison - son of Coltrane pianist Jimmy)...

    Jimmy Garrison played bass, along with pianist McCoy Tyner and drummer Elvin Jones, in the classic Coltrane quartet.

    Pg. 174:
    Kai Eckhardt is missing from the credits for "Que Algeria"

     

  7. One-Worder review

It is my pleasure to publish here One-Word member Jan Zwart's impassioned review of Go Ahead John.

Some remarks on the Stump book. I [did] not treat all aspects of the book and of JM’s career. I [have] left out Shakti and Remember Shakti. Not that I don’t have anything to say about these two bands. It is too much already … the Stump book is not so bad … It gives the important data in JM’s career. If you want to know some about the man and his music, you can use it as an introduction. Especially when people did not follow his career from the days of the MO but stepped in at later times it gives a good introduction.

But those who know his music since the release of The Inner Mounting Flame and followed him until today will not find many new facts or insights. They also have concise overview of the career, but are invited to review the music from a new perspective. This last group of people will be annoyed by the omissions in the book. Parts of the musical life of our man are not treated, although they are really important and shed light upon his developments as an artist

In this review I do not want to talk about small omissions or stylistic shortcomings ... I want to touch some major points.

Let’s start with The Heart of Things (studio). Stump does not review this album very favourably because of the small contribution of JM to the music. The guitar is too much in the background. The role of the sidemen is too prominent. I think that Stump shows not enough understanding of the musician JM. The introduction of the first piece of the album is a citation from "Girls with red shoes’ written for the Labeque sisters, recorded by the twins for their album Love of colours. JM wrote more for that album (Three willows, When love is far away), made some of the arrangements (of pieces originally by Miles Davis and Chick Corea) and produced it. JM calls himself a jazz guitarist. He is in the first place. But he is not only that. He is a surely a composer too. He wrote for different kinds of jazz ensembles, of orchestra, for piano. He wrote also for choir. I think that this stream in JM’s work is too little recognized and that gives way too misunderstanding. It is true that Heart of Things not starts with a burning guitar solo, but you do not listen intently when you don’t perceive that the leader is very prominent in attendance, and well in his characteristic and in my view fresh and energetic arrangements.

In this arrangement the entrance of the guitar is postponed till the end of the piece. This postponement increases the tension in the peace especially for those who are eagerly awaiting their hero. And then he finally arrives with a very condensed specimen of his art. In exactly one minute you receive a complete overview of the John McLaughlin universe. It is the hand of the master who brings the piece to its close. There is a lot more to say about this album, which belongs to the best of his oeuvre, but we can pass that now. I think that Paul Stump did not sufficiently understand the twofold character of the artist John McLaughlin.

A second point. Stump admits that he knows too little about music to give a thorough musical review of the musical output of John McLaughlin. That is quite a handicap when you want to write about a musician of high rank. So he cannot write from a musical standpoint. He must choose another point of view. He chooses a sociological approach. This leads to a final chapter in which he tries to places McLaughlin and the likes in the spectre of their time. He poses the question how it is possible that the star of John McLaughlin could rise, that people were interested and fascinated by the technical brilliance of John McLaughlin and others.

Why this point of view? You could justify it when you can prove that the music of John McLaughlin is the expression of feelings within a sociological defined group. Which is not the case. Likewise, the observation that McLaughlin can execute his music at a breathtaking speed is no justification for the chosen point of view. Speed is an aspect of his music, but not the only one. There is a lot more to tell, but that disappears under the carpet with this sociological point of view.

Other possibilities are more in the front. Stump could have chosen a psychological standpoint or even a religious. There is much more motive to do that than for the sociological one. At the time that McLaughlin started to use the name Mahavishnu, he gave a religious signal to his audience of not only his personal religious interest but also of the value of religious thought for his music. That choice had a considerable impact on the course of his career.

The psychological elements are not to be neglected. One of the remarkable features of John McLaughlin has been, that he was and perhaps is in a certain sense an outsider. The man with the short hair and the white clothes. While everybody let his hair grow long and wore jeans. So a better approach is available for those who are not musically capable. But the musical approach is the best choice to make. A book on John McLaughlin needs to supply answers on questions like:

What is peculiar to the guitarist and composer John McLaughlin. What people did influence him and what is exactly his development?

Sri Chinmoy played an important role in this development. A clear discussion of the thoughts of this man had to be part of this book. Stump disposes of the subject in some remarks, which is absolutely insufficient. The difference between the McLaughlin of Devotion and My goals beyond is clear. On Devotion a blurred image of McLaughlin with beard, on My goals beyond a new man, Mahavishnu, a personality, a guitarist with a future.

MGB is in my view the pivotal album. The period before is with all its highlights the introduction to the brilliant and fascinating career that follows it. On MGB all ingredients are there and get a startling sequence in notably The Mahavishnu Orchestra and (Remember) Shakti.

McLaughlin did break with Sri Chinmoy, probably because it cost him his marriage with Eve. Still there has been no talk of rancour against Chinmoy. This means – as he himself has said in an interview with Joachim Berendt – that he did not take distance from the ideas of Chinmoy.

Stump tells a story about the English period of John McLaughlin. The names are there. But a clear line is missing. I wonder greatly if he used all the relevant literature. I miss for instance Harry Shapiro’s Graham Bond: The Mighty Shadow, Middlesex, 1992. A missed chance to give a clear and insightful sketch of the period. That leads to an other point. John McLaughlin is an extraordinary accurate guitarist and composer and is as such acknowledged by everybody. His accuracy is apparent in the revision of older material form his musical history into new pieces. That is a remarkable feature, which makes at least clear, that the man is a perfectionist. A man who works with so much accuracy deserves a biographer who answers him at the same level.

What was the influence of Jimi Hendrix on John McLaughlin?

Stump says that Hendrix paved the way for John McLaughlin. That is in a certain sense always true. There have been not many guitarists who are so influential as Jimi Hendrix. But how far reaches his influence on John McLaughlin? True, Devotion was recorded with Jimi’s rhythm section. The two men played once together, but John McLaughlin has never been very enthusiastic about that event. It seems there was much influence from Hendrix on Lifetime. Still there is the danger to overestimate this influence.

McLaughlin’s style is clearly different from Jimi’s. The influences are much more varied. Was Jimi mainly influenced by the blues, McLaughlin is formed by classical music, jazz and flamenco. By consequence his output is much more versatile than Jimi’s. Tony Williams did not mention Jimi Hendrix as the main influence for Lifetime – as far as I know – but The Beatles.

But most important is a question in content. John McLaughlin did not continue the Jimi Hendrix way. In Jimi’s music chaos plays an important role as a form principle. Chaos has been a trait with McLaughlin very incidentally. He goes the opposite way. It is remarkable already on Turn it over how McLaughlin structures his solos: a countermovement from chaos to order.

John McLaughlin is an independent musician. In a commercial sense it was not the best step when he started Shakti after the Mahavishnu Orchestra. That he started playing the acoustic guitar in the eighties was not dictated by a commercial prospect either. It is a pity that his record companies did not support him on his way to the goal beyond. That his career went as it went has also an economic point of view.

Stump is of course right when he states that McLaughlin is not a saint. You can criticize his playing and his compositions. Stump is right when he brings his speed to the front. Sometimes it seems that the goal beyond is only speed. It would have been a good thing when Stump had critically viewed McLaughlin’s saying that they (he and the members of the band) do not play for the audience but for each other. Of course it can be very profitable when the musicians play for each other. But in the case of John McLaughlin I ask if this is indeed always profitable. It must not be too cosy on stage. And I am very curious to what personal structure this attitude answers. I hope to a man who on the one side knows what he is worth and who claims respect. On the other side to a man who is indeed modest, who is perhaps even shy? No saint, No guitar god. A man like all other people, with gifts that make him take a special place.

The goal is still beyond, when you ask me and we can be curious of what is still in store. That he will meet a biographer who gives real insight in the man and his musical life is one of the hopes that is in any case made livid by Paul Stump’s book.

Jan Zwart
Submitted 14th. Oct., 2003