When Fortune Smiles has been reissued previously with the emphasis on McLaughlin, not surprisingly as he appears the stellar object here, recording this after his ground-breaking sessions with Miles and Tony Williams' Lifetime, but pre-Mahavishnu. It could thus be seen as a ‘missing link’ in the McLaughlin narrative, joining the Miles/Mahavishnu eras. However, this recording is more interesting than that. First up, as the billing reflects, this is very much a group project, and in its collective improvising it's much closer to a European free tradition, as the presence of Surman and notably Berger's vibes attest. Indeed, in direct contrast to the disciplined four square rock of Mahavishnu, the opening ‘Glancing Backwards’, is a full on group improv with the whole band fighting for every inch of space. At times it's an unholy mess, at others a fierce fest of virtuosi going mano a mano. By contrast, the baritone-guitar duo of ‘Earth Bound Hearts’, nominally a McLaughlin song, but actually a Surman show piece, is an eerily evocative ballad. The following title-track is likewise a duo in gentler mode with Berger's vibes to the fore against lush McLaughlin chords. When the full band returns for the epic ‘New Place, Old Place’ it's a neurotic post bop on-rush, nearer to Ornette than Miles or Mahavishnu. It's not until the closing ‘Hope’ that there are intimations of McLaughlin's coruscating distorted runs that will illuminate Mahavishnu. But anything Johnny Mac can do, his old mucker Surman can belt out better, as the pair batter themselves into jolly submission.