EMBRYO – Father, Son And Holy Ghosts (United Artists – UAS 29 344 I / LP-1972)

Label: United Artists Records – UAS 29 344 I

Format: Vinyl, LP, Album / Country: Germany / Released: 1972

Style: Krautrock, Fusion, Free Improvisation, Prog Rock

Recorded March 1972 at Studio 70, Munich.

Original German pressing

Design Concept [Coverideas] – Embryo

Photography By – Uta Hofmann

Engineer – Jürgen Koppers

Producer, Arranged By  – Embryo

Matrix / Runout (A Side): UAS 29 344 I A1/ Made in Germany

Matrix / Runout (B Side): UAS 29 344 I B1/ Made in Germany

A1 - The Special Trip .......................................................................................... 5:56

A2 - Nightmares .................................................................................................. 1:01

A3 - King Insano ................................................................................................. 4:50

A4 - Free ............................................................................................................. 6:25

B1 - The Sun Song ............................................................................................. 8:52

B2 - Marimbaroos ............................................................................................... 2:59

B3 - Forgotten Sea ............................................................................................. 9:18

Musicians:

Sigi Schwab – acoustic guitar [twelve-string], electric guitar, veena, bulbul tarang

Edgar Hofmann – violin, soprano saxophone

David King – bass, flute, marimba [alto-marimba], vocals

Christian Burchard – drums, percussion, marimba [marimbaphone], vibes, vocals

Everyone that is familiar with Embryo already knows the story behind this and the two ensuing albums. In the 8 months following their second album Rache, the band recorded 3 albums worth of material but their label refused most of it due to the lack of "commercial potential". Only the songs that ended up on Father Son and the Holy Ghost were deemed accessible enough. Luckily, the other material was eventually released by Brain.

During these 8 months, the band changed musicians as swiftly as they wrote material, and each of the 3 releases contains a different line-up. It's something that very much defined the sound of each album.

In search of a bassist Embryo would recruit Dave King, who would later appear in several Kraut/Jazz Rock bands, with Bunka focusing on guitar.Recordings for a new album begun already from September 71', but Embryo's label United Artists, afraid that the fresh material would be a commercial failure, refused to release it, somehow forcing the band to smoothen their style. By the dawn of 72' there was enough material for two album, but Embryo kept producing music, now having joined forces with talented guitarist Sigi Schwab with Bunka remaining behind the scenes. Eventually the album, which was to be titled ''Father, son and holy ghosts'', was along the strict lines of Embryo's label and it was eventually released in 1972.

It is quite hard to imagine what really turned off the management of United Artists, because Embryo's third effort sound no less complex than their previous releases, maybe the addition of a pair of happier or more funky tunes was enough for them to keep the whole thing rolling. Otherwise ''Father, son and holy ghosts'' sounds quite close to Embryo's previous efforts with enigmatic spaced-out experiments, lots of Ethnic tunes and a fair dose of complicated, twisting grooves with powerful, psychedelic tones. Once more the ability of the band to deliver stretched, instrumental themes with long sax solos and elaborate passages with archaic flute drives displays their talent on Ethnic Jazz/Fusion. Schwab's freaky guitar solos is a new element in Embryo's style, but generally the Germans managed again to create a diverse and interesting album, which gets the principles of Kraut/Psychedelic Rock, passes them through Ethnic filters and put it up there with the freedom of Jazz. The result is often outstanding, featuring extended instrumental exercises with only sporadic vocals, either led by the jazzy saxes, the elegant flutes or the folky violins, powering them finally into majestic experiments, full of loose solos, intense bass playing and drumming and hypnotic rhythms. They still lack the more emblimatic moments of the previous album, but nevertheless this is a very dynamic Kraut Rock album with tremendous changing moods.

Add another winner in Embryo's discography. Apparently the band was in an orgasmic inspiration with tons of material written in 1971/72, some of it ended up to be this cool release.

(Review by apps79 / Prog Reviewer)

If you find it, buy this album!