Embryo - Opal (Reissue) (1970/1997)

EMBRYO (not to be confused with Italian and Swedish death metal bands of the same name) are a musical collective from Munich who, lead by former R&B and jazz organist Christian Burchard, boast the participation of some 400+ musicians since their beginnings in 1970. Over the years, the band went from classic space rock to jazz fusion, then Burchard soon started travelling the world and recording LPs with African bands and Middle Eastern musicians. They are still going strong and their 30 or so albums cover a wide spectrum of styles, but the constant remains a blend of Krautrock, fusion and ethnic music.

Of particular interest to progsters are four of their earlier albums: "Rache" (heavy, JETHRO TULL inspired), "Steig Aus" (for some warmer, jazzy prog), "Father, Son and Holy Ghost" (lots of ethnic influences) and "We Keep On" (a convincing blend of rock, ethnic and jazz). For fans who have already acquired the taste, "Zack Glück" ('80) is pleasantly quirky and more focussed than the rest of their repertoire; "Reise" ('79) is noteworthy for some interesting Indian fusion tracks; and "Opal" ('70), their very first, is considered their psychedelic masterpiece. For some samplers of more recent material, the album "Ni Hau" ('96), featuring music from China and Mongolia, and the double live cd "Istanboul-Casablanca - Tour 98" are particularly recommended.

If you're into Krautrock and are a wee bit curious to see what a jazzy FAUST, AMON DÜÜL II or GURU GURU sounds like, you could start with any of the first four albums mentioned above.