The demise of the Mahavishnu Orchestra is well documented and the box set The Original Mahavishnu Complete Columbia Collection (released last year on Columbia Legacy) covers so many bases you'd be forgiven for overlooking this budget two-fer. But Charles Waring does his usual solid job on the notes, and, with no one more glam available, Ken Scott co-producer/engineer of Visions gives a different perspective on the beyondness that was emerald. Like many punters, Scott was taken aback by the difference between the original ‘rock ‘n’ roll’ (Scott's term) Mahavishnu, and the literally orchestral scale of the post-split band. Visions is a bizarre car crash of styles capturing the schizoid nature of 1974: Walden and Armstrong's funk feel underwrite ‘Can't Stand Your Funk’ and ‘Cosmic Strut’, yet portentous strings populate ‘Faith’, while Moran's presence (and loopy vocals) suggest some ill-judged competition with Return to Forever. Yet all this grandiosity dissolves to nothingness if compared to about three minutes into ‘Sister Andrea’ from the previous live release, when the sheer brutality of McLaughlin's attacks rips an audible gasp from the crowd. This may be a band exploding, but what clouds of glory the original line-up trailed in their flight to doom.