GET THE BALL

With the everlasting support of the Brain label, Release Music Orchestra would launch their third album ''Get the ball'' in 1976.The standard quartet of Ruerup/Haberland/Fischer/Lindner would receive now the support of former Tomorrow's Gift bandmate and recently departed Novalis guitarist Carlo Karges, a second guitarist, Mike Gong, later to play during the fading days with Triumvirat, and trumpetist Erhard Schaefer.

Front covers and album titles of the band would showcase now what started with ''Garuda'', the band would take a lighter approach on Jazz Fusion, steadily moving away from their progressive roots for an upcoming slick-styled Fusion.But it's all about the arrangements at the very end and ''Get the ball'' is a surprising album in that sense, it may contains these light funky vibes, popping up in most pieces, but the overall performances are really great with propulsive rhythms and atmospheric breaks, based on the intelligent use of synthesizers and electric piano, offering a largely instrumental sound.You will easily detect we are speaking about a former Kraut Rock act here, the neurotic synth splashing, the steady and narcotic rhythms and the omnipresent percussions are standard charactestics of the sound, even if now they appear rather as leftovers than fundamental elements of their style.Excellent rhythm section all the way through, constantly changing tempos, spacious interruptions and dense Fusion experiments with no weak tracks and evident links to the sound of PASSPORT, one or two tracks even contain some discreet Mellotron washes.The material flows nice and easy, sounding very fresh until today, and offers a good set of psychedelic acoustics between its jazzy values.

Loved this work, although I admit it's not quite there with the best of Kraut Fusion from the 70's.But it's well-played, interesting and pretty adventurous as a whole.Strongly recommended...3.5 stars.