John McLaughlin – Devotion VG+/VG+

Devotion is a fierce, swirling collision of psychedelic rock, electric jazz, and raw improvisation — a record that feels less like a polished studio project and more like a captured moment of creative combustion. Released in 1970, it stands apart from McLaughlin’s other early work because of its heavy, almost ominous sonic character, shaped by thick distortion, hypnotic grooves, and the unmistakable presence of organist Larry Young and drummer Buddy Miles.

Where McLaughlin’s later Mahavishnu Orchestra albums are sharp, virtuosic, and architecturally precise, Devotion is murky, primal, and trance‑like — a psychedelic storm cloud of an album.