DR. AFTERSHAVE AND THE MIXED-PICKLES

This was MISSUS BEASTLY's third studio album released in 1976. If you'll notice on the cover art they have the album's title as such as to look like it's the band's name, and the title of the album looks like it would be "For Missus Beastly". A trick by the band really so that they wouldn't have to release this album with Dieter Dierks and Venus Music to which their contract stipulated that they had to.They had had a falling out with Producer Dierks over the cover art of their last album and felt so strongly about it that they refused to work with him anymore. So they formed their own label called April which was later changed to Schneeball. Hard to believe they could get away with this, although i'm glad they did considering the circumstances.That unwanted cover art from their last album wasn't the only injustice the band experienced as some copy cat band started releasing albums under the MISSUS BEASTLY name. I should also mention that MISSUS BEASTLY and EMBRYO were closely related and often had members coming and going from one band to the other.

"Miles All Along The Watchtower" is very Jazzy and certainly as the title suggests brings Miles Davis to mind but with sax instead of trumpet.Great sound to this one with the intricate drum work and sax, and I like when the piano leads after the sax stops too. "High Life" is a rare vocal track with sax and female vocal melodies leading early.The vocal melodies turn into English vocals. We get a laid back instrumental section to end it. "Morning Sun" is again very Jazzy and again Miles Davis comes to mind. It's pretty intense 2 1/2 minutes in then it settles down righ to the end. "Gurus For Sale" has a killer sound to start then it settles in with the sax playing over top. Bass to the forefront before 3 1/2 minutes as the drums pound. Guitar ends it with passion.

"La Plague De Patscha" is good with the flute playing over top of the drums, bass and piano. It settles down 2 minutes in as the flute stops. It's building then we get female vocal melodies before 4 minutes then sax. "Nothing Again" is uptempo to start then it calms right down just before a minute including intricate guitar. It picks back up after 2 1/2 minutes and sax joins in too. A change before 6 minutes as it settles down with guitar. Piano takes over before 8 minutes then it picks up again for the big finish. "Patscha Menga Underground" has these intricate pulses and beats as the flute plays over top. Sax takes over just before a minute then the flute returns. Piano leads before 3 1/2 minutes to end it. "For Evi" is a short piano led tune.

An extremely well played Jazz / Rock / Fusion album from this German band although I wouldn't expect anything else.