Love Devotion Surrender
Encyclopedia
Love Devotion Surrender is an album
released in 1973 by guitarist
s Carlos Santana
and John McLaughlin
, with the backing
of their respective bands (Santana
and The Mahavishnu Orchestra
). The album was inspired by the teachings of Sri Chinmoy
and intended as a tribute to John Coltrane
. It contains two Coltrane compositions, two McLaughlin songs and a traditional gospel song
arranged by Santana and McLaughlin. It was certified Gold
in 1973. In 2003, Love Devotion Surrender was released on CD with alternative versions as bonus track
s.
Sri Chinmoy
, and the title of the album echoes basic concepts of Chinmoy's philosophy, which focused on "love, devotion and surrender."Sri Chinmoy spoke about the album and the concept of surrender
:
Both men had recently become followers of Sri Chinmoy, and for both the album came at a transitional moment spiritually and musically, and Love Devotion Surrender was a "very public pursuit of their spiritual selves." Carlos Santana was moving from blues
toward jazz
and fusion
, experiencing a "spiritual awakening," while McLaughlin was about to experience the break-up of the Mahavishnu Orchestra after being criticized by other band members. Santana had been a fan of McLaughlin, and McLaughlin had introduced Santana to Sri Chinmoy in 1971, at which time the guru bestowed the name "Devadip" on him, and the two had started playing and recording together in 1972. According to his biographer Marc Shapiro, Santana had much to learn from McLaughlin: "He would sit for hours, enthralled at the new ways to play that McLaughlin was teaching him," and his new spirituality had its effect on the music: "the feeling was that Carlos's newfound faith was present in every groove."
. It features McLaughlin and Santana, both playing electric guitar
, in an extended, improvised trading of bars. For the most part, Santana is panned
to the left channel and McLaughlin to the right. As with the original, toward the end a chant of "A love supreme" is heard. (Only Armando Peraza
is credited as a singer.)
"Naima
" is another Coltrane composition, played on acoustic guitar
. First appearing in 1959 on Coltrane's Giant Steps
, it is a gentle song played in a straightforward manner.
"The Life Divine" again returns to Coltrane's A Love Supreme, opening with the chanted phrase "the love divine" – which one writer referred to as "bovine chanting." The song's first part is extensive, high-tempo improvisation by Santana, alternating between quick phrases and long, sustain
ed notes (including one that runs from 3:30 to 4:03). Midway through the song and introduced by the "life divine" chant, McLaughlin takes over with mostly high-speed staccato bursts and riffs. The chant returns, incorporating "it's yours and mine," and Larry Young's organ
, with percussion, provide the outro.
"Let Us Go Into the House of the Lord" is a 16-minute long track based on the traditional gospel song. The arrangement was credited to Santana and McLaughlin but Bob Palmer in Rolling Stone
wrote that the arrangement close enough to Lonnie Liston Smith
's "to be described as a cop." Smith's arrangement was recorded in 1970 when he worked with Pharaoh Sanders, who had recorded and worked closely with Coltrane. After the slow introductory statement (the part which resembles Smith's arrangement), most of the piece consists of soloing over two chords accompanied by a loping bass and Latin percussion. Of Larry Young's organ contribution here, Paul Stump, in Go Ahead John, wrote: "with its overlapping flurries of triplets, [it] is a moment of pure genius, worthy of mention in its own right, a musical equivalent of a swarm of surreally coloured butterflies.". The track closes with a return to the slow introductory statement.
The final track, "Meditation," is a "pretty but light McLaughlin composition" that McLaughlin had previously recorded as a solo for exclusive use by the New York radio station WNEW-FM. McLaughlin plays piano
, and Santana the acoustic guitar, on Love Devotion Surrenders version of the tune.
Fans of Santana were, apparently, disappointed; according to Thom Jurek, Love Devotion Surrender was a "hopelessly misunderstood record in its time by Santana fans," though Marc Shapiro's biography of Santana suggests otherwise. Even Paul Stump, author of Go Ahead John, a McLaughlin biography, is outright negative about the album's execution and direction, saying it was, "in retrospect, a spiritually-hobbled album," alternately criticizing Santana's tone and McLaughlin's "technophiliac tendencies" and "electronic gimmickry."
Thom Jurek, reviewing the album for Allmusic, praises the album highly: "After three decades, Love Devotion Surrender still sounds completely radical and stunningly, movingly beautiful." Robert Palmer, writing for Rolling Stone
, is ambivalent about the album, calling it "loud and insistent...depend[ent] on monochord drones and simple modes for its structure and on sheer screaming force for much of its effect." He thinks more highly of Carlos Santana's playing than of McLaughlin's, which he suggests lacks feeling and relies on technicality: "Here, at his most inspired, McLaughlin is exhilarating if a bit monolithic." Later, in a positive review of Santana's Welcome
(1974), Palmer said the album "was simply a series of ecstatic jams on Coltrane and Coltrane-influenced material."
Interestingly, many reviewers especially praise organist Larry Young
. Thom Jurek says Young is the gel that holds the two very different guitar players together; Robert Palmer says "that the sensitive organ solos on Love Devotion Surrender were the best things on that album."
, responsible for remixes of albums by Bob Marley
and Miles Davis
, mixed and remixed excerpts of Santana's Illuminations and Love Devotion Surrender, on an album called Divine Light.
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
released in 1973 by guitarist
Guitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
s Carlos Santana
Carlos Santana
Carlos Augusto Alves Santana is a Mexican rock guitarist. Santana became famous in the late 1960s and early 1970s with his band, Santana, which pioneered rock, salsa and jazz fusion...
and John McLaughlin
John McLaughlin (musician)
John McLaughlin , also known as Mahavishnu John McLaughlin, is an English guitarist, bandleader and composer...
, with the backing
Rhythm section
A rhythm section is a collection of musicians who make up a section of instruments which provides the accompaniment section of the music, giving the music its rhythmic texture and pulse, also serving as a rhythmic reference for the rest of the band...
of their respective bands (Santana
Santana (band)
Santana is a rock band based around guitarist Carlos Santana and founded in the late 1960s. It first came to public attention after their performing the song "Soul Sacrifice" at the Woodstock Festival in 1969, when their Latin rock provided a contrast to other acts on the bill...
and The Mahavishnu Orchestra
The Mahavishnu Orchestra
The Mahavishnu Orchestra was a jazz fusion group, led by John McLaughlin, that debuted in 1971, dissolved in 1976 and reunited from 1984 to 1987.-First Mahavishnu Orchestra:...
). The album was inspired by the teachings of Sri Chinmoy
Sri Chinmoy
Chinmoy Kumar Ghose, also known as Sri Chinmoy was an Indian spiritual teacher, poet, artist and athlete who immigrated to the U.S. in 1964., the founder of the religious organization "Sri Chinmoy Centre Church, Inc." better known as "Sri Chinmoy Centre"...
and intended as a tribute to John Coltrane
John Coltrane
John William Coltrane was an American jazz saxophonist and composer. Working in the bebop and hard bop idioms early in his career, Coltrane helped pioneer the use of modes in jazz and later was at the forefront of free jazz...
. It contains two Coltrane compositions, two McLaughlin songs and a traditional gospel song
Traditional music
Traditional music is the term increasingly used for folk music that is not contemporary folk music. More on this is at the terminology section of the World music article...
arranged by Santana and McLaughlin. It was certified Gold
RIAA certification
In the United States, the Recording Industry Association of America awards certification based on the number of albums and singles sold through retail and other ancillary markets. Other countries have similar awards...
in 1973. In 2003, Love Devotion Surrender was released on CD with alternative versions as bonus track
Bonus track
In terms of recorded music, a bonus track is a piece of music which has been included on specific releases or reissues of an album. This is most often done as a promotional device, either as an incentive to customers to purchase albums they might otherwise not, or to repurchase albums they already...
s.
Background
Both men were recent disciples of the guruGuru
A guru is one who is regarded as having great knowledge, wisdom, and authority in a certain area, and who uses it to guide others . Other forms of manifestation of this principle can include parents, school teachers, non-human objects and even one's own intellectual discipline, if the...
Sri Chinmoy
Sri Chinmoy
Chinmoy Kumar Ghose, also known as Sri Chinmoy was an Indian spiritual teacher, poet, artist and athlete who immigrated to the U.S. in 1964., the founder of the religious organization "Sri Chinmoy Centre Church, Inc." better known as "Sri Chinmoy Centre"...
, and the title of the album echoes basic concepts of Chinmoy's philosophy, which focused on "love, devotion and surrender."Sri Chinmoy spoke about the album and the concept of surrender
Surrender (spirituality and psychology)
To surrender in spirituality and religion means that a believer completely gives up his own will and subjects his thoughts, ideas, and deeds to the will and teachings of a higher power. It may also be contrasted with Submission...
:
Both men had recently become followers of Sri Chinmoy, and for both the album came at a transitional moment spiritually and musically, and Love Devotion Surrender was a "very public pursuit of their spiritual selves." Carlos Santana was moving from blues
Blues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
toward jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
and fusion
Jazz fusion
Jazz fusion is a musical fusion genre that developed from mixing funk and R&B rhythms and the amplification and electronic effects of rock, complex time signatures derived from non-Western music and extended, typically instrumental compositions with a jazz approach to lengthy group improvisations,...
, experiencing a "spiritual awakening," while McLaughlin was about to experience the break-up of the Mahavishnu Orchestra after being criticized by other band members. Santana had been a fan of McLaughlin, and McLaughlin had introduced Santana to Sri Chinmoy in 1971, at which time the guru bestowed the name "Devadip" on him, and the two had started playing and recording together in 1972. According to his biographer Marc Shapiro, Santana had much to learn from McLaughlin: "He would sit for hours, enthralled at the new ways to play that McLaughlin was teaching him," and his new spirituality had its effect on the music: "the feeling was that Carlos's newfound faith was present in every groove."
Tracks
The first track, "A Love Supreme," is a version of the Coltrane composition "Acknowledgement" from the 1964 landmark album A Love SupremeA Love Supreme
A Love Supreme is a studio album recorded by John Coltrane's quartet in December 1964 and released by Impulse! Records in February 1965...
. It features McLaughlin and Santana, both playing electric guitar
Electric guitar
An electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
, in an extended, improvised trading of bars. For the most part, Santana is panned
Panning (audio)
Panning is the spread of a sound signal into a new stereo or multi-channel sound field. A typical physical recording console pan control is a knob with a pointer which can be placed from the 8 o'clock dial position fully left to the 4 o'clock position fully right...
to the left channel and McLaughlin to the right. As with the original, toward the end a chant of "A love supreme" is heard. (Only Armando Peraza
Armando Peraza
Armando Peraza is a Latin jazz percussionist. Through his long associations with jazz pianist George Shearing, vibraphonist Cal Tjader and guitarist Carlos Santana, he has been internationally known from the 1950s through to the 1990s...
is credited as a singer.)
"Naima
Naima
"Naima" is a ballad composed by John Coltrane in 1959, and named after his then-wife, Juanita Naima Grubbs. It first appeared on the album Giant Steps, and is notable for its use of a variety of rich chords over a bass pedal...
" is another Coltrane composition, played on acoustic guitar
Acoustic guitar
An acoustic guitar is a guitar that uses only an acoustic sound board. The air in this cavity resonates with the vibrational modes of the string and at low frequencies, which depend on the size of the box, the chamber acts like a Helmholtz resonator, increasing or decreasing the volume of the sound...
. First appearing in 1959 on Coltrane's Giant Steps
Giant Steps
-Personnel:* John Coltrane — tenor saxophone* Tommy Flanagan — piano* Wynton Kelly — piano on "Naima"* Paul Chambers — bass* Art Taylor — drums* Jimmy Cobb — drums on "Naima"* Cedar Walton — piano on "Giant Steps' and Naima" alternate versions...
, it is a gentle song played in a straightforward manner.
"The Life Divine" again returns to Coltrane's A Love Supreme, opening with the chanted phrase "the love divine" – which one writer referred to as "bovine chanting." The song's first part is extensive, high-tempo improvisation by Santana, alternating between quick phrases and long, sustain
Sustain
In music, sustain is a parameter of musical sound over time. As its name implies, it denotes the period of time during which the sound remains before it becomes inaudible, or silent.Additionally, sustain is the third of the four segments in an ADSR envelope...
ed notes (including one that runs from 3:30 to 4:03). Midway through the song and introduced by the "life divine" chant, McLaughlin takes over with mostly high-speed staccato bursts and riffs. The chant returns, incorporating "it's yours and mine," and Larry Young's organ
Electronic organ
An electronic organ is an electronic keyboard instrument which was derived from the harmonium, pipe organ and theatre organ. Originally, it was designed to imitate the sound of pipe organs, theatre organs, band sounds, or orchestral sounds....
, with percussion, provide the outro.
"Let Us Go Into the House of the Lord" is a 16-minute long track based on the traditional gospel song. The arrangement was credited to Santana and McLaughlin but Bob Palmer in Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
wrote that the arrangement close enough to Lonnie Liston Smith
Lonnie Liston Smith
Lonnie Liston Smith, Jr. is an American jazz, soul, and funk musician who played with important free jazz artists such as Pharoah Sanders and Miles Davis before forming Lonnie Liston Smith And The Cosmic Echoes, recording a number of albums widely regarded as classics in the fusion / Quiet Storm /...
's "to be described as a cop." Smith's arrangement was recorded in 1970 when he worked with Pharaoh Sanders, who had recorded and worked closely with Coltrane. After the slow introductory statement (the part which resembles Smith's arrangement), most of the piece consists of soloing over two chords accompanied by a loping bass and Latin percussion. Of Larry Young's organ contribution here, Paul Stump, in Go Ahead John, wrote: "with its overlapping flurries of triplets, [it] is a moment of pure genius, worthy of mention in its own right, a musical equivalent of a swarm of surreally coloured butterflies.". The track closes with a return to the slow introductory statement.
The final track, "Meditation," is a "pretty but light McLaughlin composition" that McLaughlin had previously recorded as a solo for exclusive use by the New York radio station WNEW-FM. McLaughlin plays piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
, and Santana the acoustic guitar, on Love Devotion Surrenders version of the tune.
Critical reception
Criticism of the compositions and their execution is varied. In addition to noting the resemblance of "Let Us Go" to Smith's arrangement, Bob Palmer referred to the "superficial treatments" of Coltrane material, while McLaughlin biographer criticizes such elements as a "plink-plonk conga-heavy foursquare vamp all too typical of Santana" in "A Love Supreme." Thom Jurek is much more positive, praising, for instance, "The Life Divine" as "insanely knotty yet intervallically transcendent."Fans of Santana were, apparently, disappointed; according to Thom Jurek, Love Devotion Surrender was a "hopelessly misunderstood record in its time by Santana fans," though Marc Shapiro's biography of Santana suggests otherwise. Even Paul Stump, author of Go Ahead John, a McLaughlin biography, is outright negative about the album's execution and direction, saying it was, "in retrospect, a spiritually-hobbled album," alternately criticizing Santana's tone and McLaughlin's "technophiliac tendencies" and "electronic gimmickry."
Thom Jurek, reviewing the album for Allmusic, praises the album highly: "After three decades, Love Devotion Surrender still sounds completely radical and stunningly, movingly beautiful." Robert Palmer, writing for Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
, is ambivalent about the album, calling it "loud and insistent...depend[ent] on monochord drones and simple modes for its structure and on sheer screaming force for much of its effect." He thinks more highly of Carlos Santana's playing than of McLaughlin's, which he suggests lacks feeling and relies on technicality: "Here, at his most inspired, McLaughlin is exhilarating if a bit monolithic." Later, in a positive review of Santana's Welcome
Welcome (Santana album)
Welcome is the fifth studio album by Santana, released in 1973. It followed the jazz-fusion formula that the preceding Caravanserai had inaugurated, but with an expanded and different lineup this time...
(1974), Palmer said the album "was simply a series of ecstatic jams on Coltrane and Coltrane-influenced material."
Interestingly, many reviewers especially praise organist Larry Young
Larry Young (jazz)
Larry Young Larry Young Larry Young (also known as Khalid Yasin (Abdul Aziz) (October 7, 1940 in Newark, New Jersey—March 30, 1978 in New York City) was an American jazz organist and occasional pianist. Young pioneered a modal approach to the Hammond B-3 (in contrast to Jimmy Smith's...
. Thom Jurek says Young is the gel that holds the two very different guitar players together; Robert Palmer says "that the sensitive organ solos on Love Devotion Surrender were the best things on that album."
Remix
In 2001, Bill LaswellBill Laswell
Bill Laswell is an American bassist, producer and record label owner....
, responsible for remixes of albums by Bob Marley
Bob Marley
Robert Nesta "Bob" Marley, OM was a Jamaican singer-songwriter and musician. He was the rhythm guitarist and lead singer for the ska, rocksteady and reggae band Bob Marley & The Wailers...
and Miles Davis
Miles Davis
Miles Dewey Davis III was an American jazz musician, trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. Widely considered one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, Miles Davis was, with his musical groups, at the forefront of several major developments in jazz music, including bebop, cool jazz,...
, mixed and remixed excerpts of Santana's Illuminations and Love Devotion Surrender, on an album called Divine Light.
Track listing
- "A Love Supreme" (John ColtraneJohn ColtraneJohn William Coltrane was an American jazz saxophonist and composer. Working in the bebop and hard bop idioms early in his career, Coltrane helped pioneer the use of modes in jazz and later was at the forefront of free jazz...
) – 7:48 - "Naima" (John Coltrane) – 3:09
- "The Life Divine" (John McLaughlinJohn McLaughlin (musician)John McLaughlin , also known as Mahavishnu John McLaughlin, is an English guitarist, bandleader and composer...
) – 9:30 - "Let us Go Into the House of the Lord" (Traditional) – 15:45
- "Meditation" (John McLaughlin) – 2:45
- "A Love Supreme (Take 2)" (John Coltrane) – 7:51
- Alternate Take, only in the CD version.
- "Naima (Take 4)" (John Coltrane) – 2:51
- Alternate Take, only in the CD version.
Personnel
- Mahavishnu John McLaughlin - guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, pianoPianoThe piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal... - Carlos SantanaCarlos SantanaCarlos Augusto Alves Santana is a Mexican rock guitarist. Santana became famous in the late 1960s and early 1970s with his band, Santana, which pioneered rock, salsa and jazz fusion...
- guitar - Doug RauchDoug RauchDouglas Haywood Rauch was an American bassist most famous for his work with Carlos Santana during his jazz fusion period in the early 1970s.-Early years:...
- bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick.... - Mahalakshmi Eve McLaughlin - piano
- Larry YoungLarry YoungLarry Young may refer to:* Larry Young , jazz organist* Larry Young , baseball umpire* Larry Young , Olympic racewalker* Larry Young , author of Astronauts in Trouble and publisher, AiT/Planet Lar...
/Khalid YasinKhalid YasinKhalid Yasin and 'Abu Muhammad, Khalid Yasin' is a Muslim American teacher....
- piano, organElectronic organAn electronic organ is an electronic keyboard instrument which was derived from the harmonium, pipe organ and theatre organ. Originally, it was designed to imitate the sound of pipe organs, theatre organs, band sounds, or orchestral sounds.... - Mingo Lewis - piano, keyboardsKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
- Billy CobhamBilly CobhamWilliam C. Cobham is a Panamanian American jazz drummer, composer and bandleader, who has called Switzerland home since the late 1970s....
- drums, percussion - Don AliasDon AliasCharles 'Don' Alias was an American jazz percussionist.Alias was best known for playing congas and other hand drums...
- drums, percussion - Jan HammerJan HammerJan Hammer is a composer, pianist and keyboardist. He first gained his most visible audience while playing keyboards with the Mahavishnu Orchestra in the early 1970s, as well as his film scores for television and film including "Miami Vice Theme" and "Crockett's Theme", from the popular 1980s...
- drums, percussion - Mike Shrieve - drums, percussion
- Armando PerazaArmando PerazaArmando Peraza is a Latin jazz percussionist. Through his long associations with jazz pianist George Shearing, vibraphonist Cal Tjader and guitarist Carlos Santana, he has been internationally known from the 1950s through to the 1990s...
- congas, percussion, vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
Production
- Mahavishnu John McLaughlin - producer
- Carlos Santana - producer
- Glen Kolotkin - engineer
- Ashok - album design & cover photo
- Pranavananda - photography
- Sri Chinmoy - essay
Charts
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1973 | Pop Albums (U.S.) | 14 |
| Pop Albums (UK) | 7 |