Birds of Fire

In addition to the standard two-channel stereo album there was also a four-channel quadraphonic version released in 1973 on LP and 8-track tape. The quad LP was encoded in the SQ matrix format. The first CD issue was in 1986. A remastered version of the album was released on CD in 2000 by Sony Music Entertainment. It features a new set of liner notes by JazzTimes critic Bill Milkowski, as well as photographs of the band. In 2015 the album was re-issued on Super Audio CD by Audio Fidelity containing both the stereo and quad mixes. The same content was re-issued on SACD in Japan in 2021 by Sony Music. The track "Celestial Terrestrial Commuters" appears on the six-CD box set Jazz: The Smithsonian Anthology, released by Smithsonian Folkways in 2011, covering the history of jazz. ==Reception==

}} Reviewing the album for All About Jazz in 2002, Walter Kolosky wrote of the title track: "Birds of Fire," which opens up the album, is a fusion classic. John McLaughlin scares the hell out of his guitar with his melodic convulsions. If you ever want to frighten a musical neophyte, turn your stereo up really loud and play the cover tune – it's guaranteed to send him or her fleeing. ==Track listing==

All tracks composed by John McLaughlin. == Personnel ==

Musicians • John McLaughlinguitars • Rick Lairdbass • Billy Cobhamdrums, percussion • Jan Hammerkeyboards, Moog synthesizer, Fender Rhodes • Jerry Goodmanviolin Technical • Ken Scott, Jim Greenaudio engineer • Ashok (Chris Poisson)album design • Pranavanandaphotography ==Charts==