You would be hard pressed to find a more ardent fan of Missus Beastly than myself. Especially their jazz rock era starting in 1974 and concluding in the early 80s with Dr. Aftershave. This would include their festival recordings as well. However when it comes to archival releases, their two prior could only be considered disappointments. The SWF Session is largely a live radio alternate take of their 1974 self-titled album and is debatable that it should have been released in the first place. The Bremen 1974 performance with Dzyan guitarist Eddy Marron sounded like a home run on paper, yet it was mostly a free jazz exercise, noisy and tuneless.
With that backdrop I reluctantly plucked down for Minden 1976 with obvious trepidation. And the good news is I was rewarded with a unique recording that sounds like an improvised 75 minute concert based on familiar Missus Beastly themes. Garden of Delights went to great lengths to point this out, seemingly addressing my concerns personally, and they were right to do so. The sound is fantastic, and they point out it wasn't from the soundboard but rather two professional microphone recordings mixed together. They stated they didn't want the soundboard (which I guess exists too) because it would have been a different mix than intended. Never thought about that before. So the feeling you get is that you're actually there listening to a concert played 48 years ago. The instrumental music is very good with some long solo opportunities, to be expected on a lengthy concert. Perhaps best of all is Norbert Domling's use of the Framus Triumph bass. Essentially it was an electric upright bass, but much thinner and lighter more ideal for travel. Has a cool sound, and one wonders why it wasn't more popular in its day. Though I'm sure it wasn't cheap. Keyboards, flute, sax, and drums round out the sound. Guitar wasn't part of their usual lineup during this era.
Ownership: CD: 2023 Garden of Delights. Jewel case. Full historical liners and photos.
7/15/24 (first listen/review/new entry)
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