Atavachron When we are witness to a new kind of art, it should be noted. And though the first glimpses of an unproven form are sometimes raw, the impact is usually undeniable. This is the case with 'Emergency!'. Sometimes ugly but always real, this little record is very likely the first true and fully blended mix of modern jazz with electric rock in all its manic glory. There had been hints at it, experiments and false starts that often lacked total vision, like Cannonball Adderly's use of pop stylings in jazz. As well, Miles Davis is most often credited with being the 'father' of jazz-rock but on closer inspection, Davis is, at best, its grandfather whose 'In a Silent Way' (1969) was more a flirtation between styles than an infusion of musics. There were superior and better-realized fusion projects to come, such as John McLaughlin's Mahavishnu and the later symphonic aspirations of Chick Corea and Al Di Meola. But in hindsight, this rough, tainted and trance-induced set, deeply intuitive on a level not before heard, is the first recording of jazz artists doing what the heavy blues and psych scenes had been doing for years. And while there had been those who progressed jazz itself, such as Jimmy Giuffre, Dave Brubeck or Gunther Schuller, no one had brought together the hot bop of Coltrane with the howling rock spirit of Jimi Hendrix in the same room at the same time. Finally... Fusion with a capital 'F' had arrived, kicking and screaming but alive and well.

This session, not to be confused with Williams' first album as leader in 1964 titled 'Lifetime', had all the makings for explosive creativity and boundary- wrecking; John McLaughlin's guitar sounding more urgent and other-worldly than ever, Larry Young's irrepressible organ, and Williams' ridiculously confident charge on drums. If one didn't know better, the nine-minute title cut could just be the sound of another crazy jazz band bopping their way into the 1970's with drug-induced abandon. But the unmistakable sounds of riff rock can be heard fighting to break on through, Larry Young's insistent organ- grind, McLaughlin's lead, and the whole thing coming alive with Williams' crashes and acrobatic backbeat. Some acid mud follows, as well as passages of sheer spontaneity. 'Beyond Games' is hideous and nervous freeform featuring Williams' bizarre vocals and the 12-minute 'Where' is a troubled dervish of a jam, dizzying and sweaty with odd rhythms, sudden changes of mood and semi-classical lines running between guitar and organ. But it's the fourth, 'Vashkar', where we begin to hear the first clearly-cut form of jazz rock with all of its facets, finally gelling in the way we would become familiar with in later years showing intelligent melodics, tight dynamics, and plenty of fire. 'Via the Spectrum Road' is the requisite weird pop-psych tune, but luckily the firecracking jam 'Spectrum' wakes things up again with pure hot jazz and wild soloing from everyone. It would be the highlight of the set if not for the 13- minute 'Sangria For Three', a beautifully messy explosion of jazz rock at its most pure. 'Something Special' finishes with unsettled dissonance and closes out a musical statement so bold and irreverent that it was, in the truest sense, revolutionary. A mad experiment gone out of control and one of the most important records you will ever hear.

FunkFreak75 "The loudest stuff I ever heard in my life," recalled Herbie Hancock of a Tony Williams Lifetime concert that he attended in the fall of 1969. Knowing that he was probably risking his hearing later in life, he stayed for the entire show. "It was … new. It was exciting and very arresting." Miles Davis heard the trio perform their amped up set at a club in Harlem in the early winter. John McLaughlin had only been in the US for two weeks (he had come to New York specifically to join Tony Williams' Lifetime project) when he got a call from Miles asking if he would join him in the studio on February 18. This single day of recording would result in the July release of Miles' landmark fusion album, In a Silent Way.

Volume One (35:01) 1. "Emergency" (9:35) power drumming with loud, distorted electric guitar power chords open this one with Larry Young's organ providing the low and middle ground including all of the bass lines. John McLaughlin's guitar playing moves easily between runs that exude smoke and fire and those that evoke comfort and supplicating beauty, while his chord play in support are often jagged, angular, and confusing in their complex intention. Meanwhile, Larry Young gets some time to come out from his cave beneath the bridge (which is exactly when John gets his most ambiguous: is he trying to be mean or just provocative?). While some of the sound is a bit muddied (especially in the higher end), the jamming is so focused, so tight, so intertwined. and then it just ends! Probably my favorite song on the album. (19/20)

2. "Beyond Games" (8:17) built over a blues progression, Tony uses his speaking voice to recite some pre-Gil Scott-Heron poetic social commentary. (He sounds so young--like the lead singer of the Brighter Side of Darkness: just sitting in his high school classroom wishing he could say his thoughts out loud. John's guitar is ominous in its support while Larry's organ (and bass line) is almost Timmy Thomas gospel-like. You can tell that this song was recorded on the same take as the previous one--two songs on the same tape continuously--as all of the sounds and levels are the exact same. after six minutes the repetitive four bar four-chord progression gets a little old--which is right when Tony returns to speaking his quotidian poetry advice. (17.5/20)

3. "Where" (12:10) a very-sparsely populated opening is where Tony chooses to start singing his philosophical musings. In the third minute John begins to solo cerebrally while Tony's drums provide steady yet-minimal support and Larry's organ is so quiet it's almost non-existent Then in the fifth minute John begins to go to a higher gear and Larry's right hand and Tony's prowess begin to show--but then all this is cut off at the five-minute mark for a quiet section in which Tony sings his ambigous mult-level questions. This then ends after which Tony's cymbal play and John's small repetive blues chords provide support for a two-minute organ solo. There is a very basic hard-bop motif shifted into in the ninth minute while Larry resumes soloing. This is not the fire and ice that I was expecting to hear from these practitioners of scorched-Earth tactics. (Nor was I expecting lyrics or singing.) (21.5/25)

4. "Vashkar" (4:59) the signatory song of this album, here we have the fiery interplay between drummer and guitarist with the organ providing the glue between them. Lots of stop and start, loud and soft alternations. Great skill that would be better if there was a more pleasing melodic hook. Another favorite. (9/10)

Volume Two (36:28) 5. "Via The Spectrum Road" (7:50) like southern blues swamp rock--and acoustic guitar and not one but two vocalists singing. John's blues-rock lead guitar is purposely placed in the background--sounds as if it's coming from a different room. The nuances are numerous and delightful. Too bad Larry is relegated to being pretty much the bass player. Sounds like something from the Sixties--especially John's raunchy guitar play. Larry's distant and sparse injections of organ chords have an other-worldly spacey feel to them and Tony's drumming is marvellous but overall this is not really something that a musician would really get into. I know this one is considered revolutionary, but it is far from my favorite. (13/15)

6. "Spectrum" (9:52) Wow! What a ride Tony, John and Larry take us on. There is no let-up or break to the break-neck speed that these musicians hurl through space and time--and Larry even gets some lead organ time despite having some very demanding bass lines to keep going. Quite a stunning (and exhausting) ten minutes of hard-bop-based power fusion. John's lead and rhythm play are both quite often abrasive--and unapologetically so as he keeps doing the irritating, angular things he just seemed to temper with bridges of more-classic and familiar (and softer, more melodic) riffs. A very impressive song. (18.25/20)

7. "Sangria For Three" (13:08) another barn-burner, this song has some very experimental passages (like the fifth minute and the 11th and 12th minutes) as well as some that are very hard-driving rock and others that are very Hendrix-like in their powerful blues-rock. This is my other top three song: I just love all of the shifts and turns, the high speed chases and the stuck-in-the-mud experimental passages, and the powerful Hendrix-like passages. (23.5/25)

8. "Something Spiritual" (5:38) not one of the timeless beauties that John would pump out with great regularity over the course of the rest of his career, more a testament to the challenging and repetitive work required to establish a spiritual practice and then keep it going. Great drumming beneath the very repetitious four chords played by John and Larry to mind-numbing nauseum. But I get it! (8.75/10)

Total time 71:29

I can see why this is such an important and, yes, seminal album--especially for the rise and notice of the fusion of jazz and rock 'n' roll musics, but it's really not a an album of great songs: ground-breaking and often great performances, but often so raw and under-developed, rarely enjoyable or "finished" feeling.

A-/five stars; a minor-masterpiece of genre-busting rock- and avant-infused jazz music that would open the doors for all other jazz-rock fusion ideas and bands to come flooding into the fold. Definitely one of THE landmark albums of the J-R Fusion movement.