rock/jazz fusion

Did you try Jeff Beck's Wired? "There and Back" is not bad either. I second the Mahavishnu recordings, but include "Between Nothingness & Eternity" and "Visions of the Emerald Beyond". If it's guitar based fusion, check out Return to Forever's "Romantic Warrior" with Chick Corea, Stanley Clarke and Al DiMeola. Also a lot of early DiMeola before he went "World Symphony". One of the above posts mentions Govt. Mule, and they have received several good writeups in Stereophile, but after purchasing a couple of their cds I just can't get into them like Jeff Beck, DiMeola, or Mclaughlin. Larry Coryell is too laid back for my tastes also. For some really innovative live albums check out some of Frank Zappa's "You can't do that on Stage anymore" series, especially vol 2. Zappa had a lot of good music interspersed in his bizarre career, and he was a very underrated guitar player.

Fantastic! Best damn thread I've heard in a long time. Now I have some stuff to get. Thanks to all of you. I used to own some of this stuff on vinyl: billy Cobham "spectrum", and Mahavishnu "birds of fire", Romantic Warrior. loved them. I probably will replace them with cd. I am a big Santana fan on some of his stuff. Am loooking forward to checking out all your recomendations.
good listening
joeb

Joe Zawinul Syndicate World Tour is the best new stuff around.

Two other groups that I should have mentioned in my original post:
1. Tony Williams group, Lifetime, from the late 1960's;
2. The Jeff Lorber Fusion.

I've got a few for you here:
Solution - Cordon Bleu
Sea Level - Sea Level
Dixie Dregs - Dregs of the Earth
David Sancious & Tone - Transformation & the speed of love
Edgar Froese - Ypsilon in Malaysian Pale
Weather Report - Heavy Weather
Brand X - Livestock
Jean Luc Ponty - Cosmic Messenger
Gentle Giant - In a Glass House