STEIG AUS [ALSO RELEASED AS: THIS IS EMBRYO]

This is probably the finest album Embryo had ever done. As usual, it's really difficult to keep track who was in this group, but here it's Christian Burchard, as usual, with Mal Waldron, Jimmy Jackson, and others. The album starts off with "Radio Marrakesch/Orient Express". It starts with the call of a muezzin from a mosque in Marrakech (probably the Koutoubia mosque as it's the largest mosque in the city), it clearly came from a field recording. Then some incredible use of a Turkish stringed instrument called the Saz (I thought it was an oud, but the strings sounded far too metallic to be an oud), but then the Saz gives way to much more western jamming with Mal Waldron giving us electric piano (sounds like a Farfisa) and Jimmy Jackson giving some Mellotron from time to time. "Dreaming Girls" is a great remake of "Forgotten Sea" from Father, Son and Holy Ghosts. It's completely recognizable from the original, but I really love the added on vibraphone. Then there's "Call". It's a multi-suite movement, but you really can't tell. Basically another killer jam with Jimmy Jackson sticking in Mellotron from time to time, without a single moment that'll bore you, makes you wished the Grateful Dead would give out such solid jams consistently. The only real Eastern influence in the music was the "Radio Marrakesch" beginning with the call of a muezzin and the use of Saz, other than that's it's pretty much straight up Western prog with great jamming all around. This album is real solid and totally blows me away every time I hear it. Oh, by the way, it's all instrumental, which is also a plus (I love Rache, but those vocals and badly written lyrics only prove how much these guys are much better at instrumentals). This album is a total must have and totally worthy of five stars!