seyo Hmmm, EMBRYO...

I can't but recall for the moment a wonderful concert they played around 1982 or 1983 in the popular "Dom mladih" Dancing Hall in my hometown of Sarajevo! They came out of the blue and without any announcements succeeded to attract enough audience (maybe up to 1500) to fill the hall. They played full three hours and we knew that was Chris Karrer (of AMON DUUL II reputation) who played guitar and sax, accompanied by a bunch of freaks who showed what was a real improvisation and fusion jam session. I remember the silence after the concert ended - no one could possibly utter any comments, the prog/kraut fans remained speechless. EMBRYO continued (or they actually were coming back from, I don't remember) the Asian/Middle Eastern tour.

Now back to the present - I only recently listened to "We Keep On" and was amazed how fresh and innovative they still sound nowadays. That is what I would call - a timeless music! It is a perfect blend of jazz-rock improvisation, ethnic-fusion rhythms and odd instruments like saz or bamboo flute, performed with "krautrock" sensibility. "Don't Come Tomorrow" is a singing piece that reminds me of the later style utilized by New Wave avantgarde artists TUXEDOMOON in the early 1980s. If only the flute were replaced with saxophone, I would comfortably put it on the "Desire" or "Holy Wars" albums.

Christian Burchard, Roman Bunka, Dieter Miekautsch and Charlie Mariano recorded this gem back in December 1972 in Italy and presented one of the better albums of jazz-rock style in general. A perfect album that must be heard by any serious fusion/krautrock fan.

Sean Trane This album can be seen two ways: the fourth album as a successor to FSHG or their fifth or sixth if you'll include their Brain releases, but anyway it is a companion to RockSessions and Steig Aus, and the album's title is such a delight if you know these three albums. Production-wise WKO is definitely up two notches from the improvisations of the Brain releases, but I wouldn't quite call this a slick production. Released on the BASF label (UA/Liberty dropped them after all) with a superb egg artwork with a cloud almost taking the shape of an Embryo, the group recorded this album is Ascona, Italy under the patronage of Dieter Dierckx. Opening on the Moroccan-laden Abdul Malek fusion track where Embryo sings and scats until heaven arrives. The unusual Don't Come Tomorrow starts out on uneasy Bunka vocals and accompanied by a delightful piano and Mariano's amazing flute, the whole thing underlined by a few tasty licks of mellotron. The following Ehna Abu Late, which the fantastic backdrop music is enhancing to allowBunka to pull off one of Embryo's most brilliant solo on any instruments. Hackbrett Dance is again relying on mid-east or Maghreb-type of adventures

The flipside opens on the 12-mins+ No Place To Go is a 100mph track where the group solo their hearts away, first Mariano, than Bunka, Mariano again (but on sax this time) then ex-Missing Link and future-Missus Beastly Miekautsch's pianos (there is some Traffic and Xohl in that solo) laced in the with Bunka's guitar again. Fantastic stuff. The album closer the 6-minutes Flute & Saz is Magrebin tracks were oimprovs are having the better role.

The Cd version of WKO (on Disconforme label) comes with a superb pair of bonus tracks, both remaining in the wild jazz-rock realm, with tons of sizzling leads, torrid solos, layers of mellotron etc. and both absolutely staying completely faithful in style and quality with the rest of the album, thus ensuring that WKO last another 23 minutes of pure happiness. Yet another astounding Embryo album.