1^st Lineup (1971-1973)

• John McLaughlin - guitar, synthesizer
• Jan Hammer - synthesizer, piano, keyboards, Moog synthesizer
• Jerry Goodman - violin
• Rick Laird - electric bass
• Billy Cobham - drums
  
  
• Recordings:
  • Inner Mounting Flame (Studio Album 1971)
    This is still my favorite among all recordings of Mahavishnu which maybe due to the fact that I heard the band live in Düsseldorf, Germany in 1971. These guys really blew me away. The engine of my Beetle was barely audible after the concert...
  • The Lost Trident Sessions (Live Album 1972, issued 1999)
    John McLaughlin points out that "the recordings actually took place during the year 1972 and not 1973 as written on the CD cover."
  • Birds of Fire (Studio Album 1973)
  • Between Nothingness & Eternity (Live Album 1973)

2^nd Lineup (1974-1975)

• John McLaughlin - 6 & 12 String guitars, vocals
• Gayle Moran - keyboards, vocals
• Jean-Luc Ponty - electric violin, electric Baritone violin
• Ralphe Armstrong - bass
• Narada Michael Walden - drums
  
  
• Recordings:
  • Apocalypse (Studio Album 1974)
  • Visions Of The Emerald Beyond (Studio Album 1975)

3^rd Lineup (1976)

• John McLaughlin - guitars, vocals
• Stu Goldberg - organ, piano, keyboards, vocals, clavinet, Mini Moog
• Ralphe Armstrong - bass
• Narada Michael Walden - percussion, piano, conga, drums, marimba, vocals, tympani, shaker
  
  
• Recordings:
  • Inner Worlds (Studio Album 1976)

4^th Lineup (1984)

• John McLaughlin - synthesizer, guitar, synclavier
• Katia Labèque - synthesizer, piano, synclavier, DX-7
• Hariprasad Chaurasia - percussion
• Bill Evans - flute, tenor & soprano saxophones
• Billy Cobham - percussion, drums
• Danny Gottlieb - percussion
• Mitchel Forman - piano, Fender Rhodes, Yamaha keyboards
• Zakir Hussain - percussion
• Jonas Hellborg - bass, fretless bass
  
  
• Recordings:
  • Mahavishnu (Studio Album 1984)

5^th Lineup (1993)

• John McLaughlin - guitar
• Mike Pedulla - guitar
• Abraham Wechter - guitar
• Bill Evans - keyboards, saxophone
• Mitchel Forman - keyboards
• Jonas Hellborg - guitar, bass guitar
• Danny Gottlieb - drums
  
  
• Recordings:
  • Adventures In Radioland (Studio Album 1993)