MISSUS BEASTLY

1. "Miles All Along The Watchtower" (6:05) everybody jumps out of the gate bouncing along with Miles-Herbie-like pace and focus, creating a groove that presents drums, bass, and Fender Rhodes as each demanding our attention in every which way. Electric guitars and horns are there in the background but it's not until the fourth minute that the horns and guitar (and clavinet) begin to make their presences known. Great whole-band jam. (9.125/10)

2. "High Life" (4:41) a song that goes dragging, plodding along with a semi-Native American melody line until some Hatfield and the North-like female vocals from Maria Archer brighten things up. A new synth acquisition solos after Ms. Archer breaks from her second verse and thereafter on the back of the rhythm section. Very, very nice sound engineering creating a very full and rich sonic field: It's so pretty! (9/10)

3. "Morning Sun" (6:45) slow, funky attempt at more Miles Davis-like music. But unlike the band's previous album, there are no tempo changes! Cool big-room reverb gives this an extra-large feel--over which a very cool sax is played with adept muting skills (and maybe an effect or two). Meanwhile, the electric guitar and machine gun-effected drumming do their best to vie for our attention. But then everything quiets down at the end of the third minute so that guitarist Roman Bunka can play around with his wah-wah pedal. Then Christian Burchard is given the nod to solo on his vibes--which comes off as a bit odd and feeling forced (he's just a guest, after all, not part of the tightly-bound inner corps). In the sixth minute everything really quiets down as dirging sax and electric piano take us out on a mellow note. (13.25/15)

4. "Gurus For Sale" (5:15) keyboard rich (Fender Rhodes), bass-thick (heavily-treated fretless bass) RTF-like music with alto sax barely in the lead (not exactly mixed front and center). Again I am surprised at the album's compositional homogeneity after the patterns established by their previous album. Maybe, as has been suggested, they really weren't into the recording of this album. Norbert Dömling is, as ever, eminently listenable as he ventures around the totality of his fretboard under the guise of his heavily-effected bass. (8.75/10)

5. "La Plage De Patcha Menga" (5:19) now here is some j-r fuse with some heart and soul: energetic and spirited from start to finish--with special citation to conga player Ömnes and Northette-like b voxer Maria Archer. Definitely a beach that I'd hang out at! (9/10)

6. "Nothing Again" (10:02) more energetic, tightly played and interestingly-constructed jazz-rock fusion. Though the opening motif promises great dynamic things, the acoustic guitar solo in the second minute is played over a slowed down motif. Around 2:30 the band switches back into fourth gear for a nice cruise beneath the sunlight and wind of the saxophone. Great play from drummer Butze Fischer and, of course, bass player Norbert Dömling. Chaotic end to this section in the sixth minute leads into a spacey synth bridge that is gradually filled by a heavily-effected electric bass guitar solo and skeleton crew of congas, hi-hat play, and BRAIN AUGER-like three-chord repetition of Burkard Schmidl's Fender Rhodes. When Norbert's bass returns to rhythm and funk leadership, Burkard's right hand begins a very stylish and groovy solo reminding me even more of Brian Auger, but then at 9:15 everybody breaks back into the fast lane of a recapitulation of the opening motif. (18.5/20)

7. "Patscha Menga Underground" (3:40) flute-led funk from Friedemann Josch over bass and simple drum and percussion play. Sax, synth and flute carry the nearly-Oriental melody in the second minute before two airy flutes take over to carry us through the final 90 seconds. Interesting! Nice. (8.875/10)

8. "For Eri" (2:58) Burkard Schmidl's jazzy lounge piano from another era--or from a film--is joined by Norbert Dömling's sexy bass--both exploring their own intertwined melody lines as if dancing or in flight. Quite lovely--and very mature sounding. Definitely a favorite. (9.75/10)

Total Time: 44:45

A-/five stars; another minor masterpiece of peak-level First Wave Jazz-Rock Fusion (bordering on Second Wave) and another European product that no J-RF lover should miss.

1. "Julia" (3:54) despite a rather chaotic opening, this song moves into a motif in the second half of the first minute in which great piano and flute play is mixed in with all the others as the band rollicks through some psychedelic funkiness. (8.875/10)

2. "20th Century Break" (5:02) great spirit and melodies built on a fun, funky (and familiar) sound and rhythmic pattern. Again, I love the way the piano drives this one but also how the horns assist the whole way along. The fourth minute features a refreshingly-unusual clavinet solo, but then we're back to the clever and melodically-mutually- supportive AREA-like multiple thematic expositions for the close. (9.33333/10)

3. "Geisha" (5:23) very solid rhythm base of piano, drums, and clavinet with electric bass seeming to go off on its own melodic journey while two flutes smooth it all out. Very Chick Corea-like though even stronger in places (that bass!) I love the fact that the pianos (2?) and clavinet are playing off one another throughout the entire song. And the groove is so infectious. Definitely a favorite of mine--a top three song, to be sure. Norbert Dömling is one interesting cat! (9.5/10)

4. "Vacuum Cleaners Dance" (5:17) another chaotic/psychedelic start that eventual irons out into another hard-driving heavy jazz-rock flute-led composition. The lead flute player performs like Thijs van Lier or Ian Anderson when they're at their craziest but, overall, I feel that this is a Mwandishi-era Herbie Hancock song played by Milanese band AREA (with Freideman Josch's flute supplanting Demetrio Stratos' vocal acrobatics). Solid and definitely entertaining. (9.125/10)

5. "Paranoidl" (4:20) a straightforward start, solid rhythm section with wild Hammond organ play throughout the somewhat-slower first half. Then the band switches into high gear with some crazy bass playing, Fender Rhodes, wah- wah rhythm guitar, and frenetic sax soloing. The song feels like something like Canterbury-infused NATIONAL HEALTH and Jazz-Rock-oriented AREA co-mingling on stage, taking turns imposing their leadership in the different motifs. The musicians are all so dialed into this one! (9.25/10)

6. "Fly Away" (7:46) after a long drawn out two-minute intro, this song congeals into, at first, a great horn-accented big- band jazz-rock but then turns to a more melodic "pop" jazz feeling sound for a few bars, but then it kind of returns/reverts to the slowly in-fading intro motif as if to restart or rebuild toward that whole-band, big-band motif. It's not until the five minute mark that any true solo gets underway--tenor saxophone--as a synth slowly fades in to counterpoint from just beneath before being faded out for Fender Rhodes and electric piano. An unusual (and pretty innovative) circle of constantly-rotating soloists ensues before they all mysteriously synch up together in the final 30 seconds! How cool! (13.75/15)

7. "Talle" (5:40) less jazzy, more proggy folk-rock, even with a saxophone occupying the lead position. The drumming in the first 90 seconds is the one thing keeping this from falling into pop-folk. Kind of a stylistic mix of something between Al Di Meola and Bob James. Also, a lot less adventurous compositionally though some of the individual performances are note-worthy: particularly the bass and multiple acoustic guitar tracks--the latter which turns electric rhythm in the slightly funkier TRAFFIC-like second half--and the flute in the third minute. (8.875/10)

Total Time: 33:22

This band is so tight! The precision synchronization of their play is quite remarkable--not to mention the proficiency of each and every band member (some on multiple instruments).

A-/five stars; a minor masterpiece of refined and sophisticated Jazz-Rock Fusion. A must-hear for you J-RF fans.

"Space Guerrilla" is the almost 11 minute opener where we do get some of that Krautrock spirit. Piano only to start as drums and more start to come and go until we get a steady sound with sax over top. I like the sound 1 1/2 minutes in as bass and a beat with flute take over. Sax is back but it's the flute showing off in a major way. Love when it calms right down to an experimental Kraut routine. A change 7 minutes in as the tempo picks up with lots of intricate sounds. Pretty much piano driven to the end.

"Guitar For Sale" has a Jazz/Fusion vibe all the way with electric piano and drums. Check out the guitar after a minute and the bass 2 minutes in. It then lightens and then another calm before 4 minutes with piano and flute. "Rahstan Rolans Kirk" is flute and percussion and not much of the latter. "Fuzzy, Don't Go To The Disco" are wise words indeed for 1978. This one has some funk to it with the bass. Sax before a minute and it will come and go. Then the violin leads the way after 2 minutes soling away.

"Hoffmannstropfen" opens with bass and a beat as sax comes and goes along with e-pinao. The flute replaces the sax after 1 1/2 minutes then the sax returns after 3 minutes. Is that clavinet 3 1/2 minutes in? Bass leads before 5 minutes. "Cose Dola" contrasts the sax with the electric piano as drums support. Violin after a minute. Bass and drums only before 2 1/2 minutes then the piano returns. "For Flu" is uptempo with piano, flute and drums leading the way. A World music vibe here with that ethnic sound arriving a minute in. Themes continue to be repeated and check out a moving section before 3 1/2 minutes with piano and flute.

"King Garlic" ends it in a Jazz/Rock style. Very classy really with piano and bass leading along with drums before the flute arrives late. An excellent album for those into the Jazz/Rock style of music. These guys are players and I think it stands up well with their previous two studio albums even if it's a notch down from those.

I'm not really a huge fan of Missus Beastly's other releases, including their wildly different debut, but this one really grabs me. It's loose, yet tight at the same time, and is the only recording of splendid guitarist Eddy Marron's participation in the band. His excellent guitar work soars on this release and leaves one to wonder what the band's subsequent releases may have sounded like if he had stayed on. The album features 3 long, jam-heavy tracks, each one different from the other. The songs incorporate jazzrock, ethnic flourishes, psychedelia, and funk into a masterful live performance. Highly recommended for fans of German jazzrock from that era! 4 stars.

"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.

Their sound was very far from their debut and had nothing to do with the German Kraut/Jazz scene either.No stretched compositions,no ever-lasting improvisations.''Missus Beastly'' contains seven rather short-length tracks with a pleasant sound and a funky and spacey edge,influenced among others by PASSPORT, WEATHER REPORT,NUCLEUS or even PERIGEO.Saxes and flutes are on the front in here,delivering weird solos, dreamy, almost psych passages and soft interplays with the rhythm section.Dieter Miekautsch'es (later to be found on EMBRYO's line-up) keyboard parts play also a prominant role...some organ solos are so tasteful,but it's especially his electric piano that recalls heavily CHICK COREA of WEATHER REPORT.Actually what comes closer to Jazz-Fusion in this album is the tight and strong delivery of the rhythm section,featuring heavy and groovy bass lines by Norbert Doemling and impressive drumming by Lutz Oldemeier.Compositionally the album stands quite good next to monster bands like PASSPORT,KRAAN or EMBRYO with its rhythmic parts lasting as much as the individual solos in here.

Not the album of the decade,but nevertheless ''Missus Beastly'' is an enjoyable listening from the start to the end.Recommended and should easily appeal to followers of the aforementioned groups.

Things get started with the 27 1/2 minute "Free Clinic" which is definitely my favourite track on here. It sounds like vibes to open as other sounds come and go in this atmospheric intro.The guitar sounds are getting louder 4 1/2 minutes in until a minute later he's lighting it up. Nice bass and flute as well. The guitar stops after 8 1/2 minutes. Check out the bass after 10 1/2 minutes. Nice. Sax takes the lead 12 1/2 minutes in. Organ after 15 minutes and then it settles right down to an experimental section with sax and other sounds. The tempo picks up as we get a melody after 19 1/2 minutes, love the drumming here.The guitar is back after 22 1/2 minutes and he just starts to rip it up. Flute before 25 1/2 minutes as guitar backs off. Drums and percussion continue to impress. Bass takes over for flute then sax comes in to end it. What a ride that was.

"Green Girl" opens with sounds that come and go including vocal expressions. It all starts to come together to form a melody. Very cool. Sax takes the lead until it ends the way it opened. Brilliant ! "Steel's Electric" is an Eddy Marron composition. It's fairly laid back with the guitar the sole focus early. Light drums join in. Sax and flute help out around 4 minutes.The sax gets dissonant.The tempo picks up after 6 minutes with some good bass a minute later. Sax after 8 minutes returns.

Highly recommended to fans of Free Jazz.