FunkFreak75 For Garden of Eden Klaus Doldinger has managed to retain the participation of the new core of collaborators that he had on the previous year's Ataraxia (Sky Blue); the only loss (and it is significant) is of the Louis brothers, Elmer and Roy (percussion and guitar, respectively).

1. "Big bang" (3:53) a long spacey/atmospheric synth intro is joined by Disco drums, percussion, and the rest of the band while Klaus steps in with a soprano sax to lead the way. There is a little bit of the ELOY sound emanating from this as well as, in the later portions, some JACO PASTORIUS-imitative bass play. (8.6667/10)

2. "Garden of Eden": (8:51) (18.875/20) a) "Dawn" (1:54) the beautiful and soothing pastoral Nature intro that I've always loved. Yes, Mike Oldfield, and may have been source inspirations for this. (5/5) b) "Light I" (1:53) enter Kevin Mulligan's English vocals, presented in a kind of YES/Jon Anderson mode. Then drums and electric guitar begin to introduce themselves before a second verse. Sax, Moog, and electric guitar add their ten cents worth along the way. (4.375/5) c) "Light II" (5:04) now launching into a fun, forward-moving passage that reminds one of the music of NARADA MICHAEL WALDEN and THE ELOY as well as future Trevor Horn projects like The Buggles and Frankie Goes to Hollywood. Nice vocal melodies from Kevin and Kathy Barney. Excellent jazzy New Age prog. (9.5/10)

3. "Snake" (4:49) gorgeous journey down a lazy river. Great slow, drawn out melodies. (9.5/10)

4. "Gates of paradise" (3:47) more Hiram Bullock/Narada Michael Walden-like music, here bringing out the funk with some new slap bass and deep thrum chords. Vocals are okay, though the melodies are great, it's just that the multi-track (chorused?) effect on a lead vocalist that was popular at the time (as with Narada Michael Walden's treatment of his own voice as well as some of Al Jarreau's): a little schlocky. There's also a little more of the NOVA sound here. (8.875/10)

5. "Dreamware" (5:00) Disco with all of the concurrent tricks: slap-and pluck bass, Ernie Isley guitar sound in the rhythm (styled like George Johnson), Evelyn Champagne King hand claps, electric piano chords, and synth sound used for the solo over the top. Great quality upbeat and uptempo disco dance music. (9.125/10)

6. "Good Earth smile" (5:04) another pop/radio-oriented tune that has one foot in the world of American Gospel-oriented Southern Rock and one in the Weather Report school of Adult Contemporary jazz. (8.6667/10)

7. "Children's dance" (3:39) another song that seems to come straight out of the WEATHER REPORT repertoire of happy-go-lucky pop tunes. (8.75/10)

Total Time: 35:03

By far the proggiest of Klaus' albums. When they're proggy, the songs are really great. When he tries to turn back toward the latest trends in Jazz-Rock Fusion and Weather Report/Crusaders pop jazz it falls into the category of average (for that time very good).

A-/five stars; an album blessed with great prog but then also cursed with schlocky, now-dated pop. Fortunately for we prog lovers, the progginess and high quality of the other explorations wins out.

FunkFreak75 Oh, no! Gone are drummer Curt Cress and bass player Wolfgang Schmid! Let's see how Klaus does with replacements Willy Ketzer and Dieter Petereit (and new full-member on keys, Hendrik Schaper). At least he was able to keep percussionist Elmer Louis and his extraordinary guitarist brother, Roy.

1. "Ataraxia, Pt. 1" (2:55) truly a pastoral introductory piece--one with little to no development. (4.375/5) 2. "Ataraxia, Pt. 2" (5:23) In these first two pieces Klaus' new predilection toward rich keyboard textures in his music is accented by the significant contributions of newcomer Hendrick Schaper. There is almost a TANGERINE DREAM feel to this music--certainly to the sound palette--at least until the arrival of Klaus' saxophone at 2:20--which brings out the not-so-TD-sounding funk from bassist Dieter Petereit and the keyboardists. I like this music, the new keyboard-rich sound palette; I just lament the loss of the music's Jazz-Rock Fusion footings. (9/10)

3. "Sky Blue" (4:38) keyboard synth wash chordal opening--a sound that reminds me more of early synths (like those used by Vangelis at this time) --leads to a rock-heavy theme that sports a pretty awesome "recorder/flute" synth solo. I do not like the thinner, poorer quality of sound coming from the engineering team for this album; this is a much more rock 'n' roll-sounding engineering sound--like something from The Crusaders at about this same time. The synth sounds are all quite dated (and unprocessed?) I like it all but, again, I just feel sad for the drift away from the sounds that made Jazz-Rock Fusion its own unique sub-genre. (8.875/10)

4. "Mandrake" (4:27) okay, here at least we're back to a little of the funky that Bob James, Steely Dan, and the pop-rock-jazz artists are making popular in the States. With doubled-up (chorused?) sax leads and handclaps(?) This, to me, is still Jazz-Rock Fusion, though definitely of the lighter, Fourth Wave or "Smooth Jazz" version. Nice guitar soloing from Roy Louis. This must be what Klaus thinks the public want. Another very pleasant, likable song, if definitely more pop-oriented. (8.875/10)

5. "Reng Ding Dang Dong" (3:01) this one sounds like a funk-affected modification of early Terry Riley-like synth sounds--as if the array are all trying to break free of the minimalist sequence they are stuck in. Interesting! (4.5/5)

6. "Loco-Motive" (4:17) all sounds here but the Disco-lite bass and drums seem to be trying to create an I Robot-like ALAN PARSONS PROJECT song--only, here, the danceable, disco version! It's certainly entertaining--and likable--even when the DAVID SANBORN sax joins in for the third minute. Creative and yet perhaps a little too derivative. (8.875/10)

7. "The Secret" (5:05) the Weather Report sound and style is back! Sax, keys, and bass all exposing the opening chords/melodies in unison. At the one-minute mark they spread out and begin expressing new melodic streams in a harmonized, if still syncopated, fashion. Then, with the third minute's opening we move into a motif that feels as if borrowed straight from some of the quieter passages of NOVA's brilliant Vimana album ("Vimana," "Night Games" and "Driftwood"), but then it goes back to the poppier Weather Report mode as Klaus solos with his soprano sax. The final minute sees a total return to the Weather Report-like opening motif. It's okay, but, again, the sound quality is a bit disappointing--especially after a string of seven previous albums whose sound quality was among the greatest in the music industry. (8.75/10)

8. "Louisianna" (4:32) slowed down fair that might be trying to emulate a Louisiana sound or style but end up sounding completely like one of those blues DAVID SANBORN songs. A sad waste of space. (8.5/10)

9. "Algeria" (5:12) wild upbeat and up-temp Latin-/Caribbean-dominant music. Great percussion performances throughout the song with nice "big band"-like full-band-backed horn arrangements defining the bookends but leaving plenty of time for some spry and fun tenor sax soloing in the middle. Certainly a fun song. (9/10)

Total Time: 39:11

Though I admire Klaus' ever-adventurous spirit for being open to the exploration of many of the latest and current trends in music, I find the drop in sound quality of this album's production to be surprising--especially since I had, since 1971, upheld his albums as the gold standard in sound recording. What happened?

B/four stars; a nice addition of diverse music that represents rather perfectly the the "awkward teen" years of the late 70s.

FunkFreak75 With this album, the band's seventh, the employ of Brasilian and African musicians the band moves more closely toward the realm of pop-oriented Adult Contemporary Smooth Jazz. Thankfully, they choose to retain a very firm footing in some nasty funky-town.

1. "Bahia do sol" (5:53) celebratory noises from some kind of street music festival opens this before guitar and organ arise to take over the auditory spectrum. Piano and tenor sax enter to present the chord base and lead melody. It's very David Sanborn-like. In the third minute the bluesy piano is left with Wolfgang Schmid's bass to support a twangy electric guitar solo from Roy Louis. The Burt Bacharach-Aurthur-like sax theme returns in the fourth minute and takes us into the funked up fifth and sixth as organ and piano jam it up from beneath in a kind of New Orleans style. (I think of Dr. John). Nice tune whose solid performances supercede my aversion for this kind of music. (8.875/10)

2. "Aguamarinha" (4:10) another DAVID SANBORN-like opening led by Klaus' tenor sax turns way better when Klaus stops playing the sax. A wonderfully funky groove lies beneath those schlocky sax lines--which the band take marvellous advantage of in the ensuing two minutes as they support a wonderful muted/wah-wah-ed guitar solo from Roy Louis. At the three-minute mark Klaus's sax returns to take over. I must admit that the time through the main theme is much more pleasurable now that the passions of all the other musicians have been unleashed. (9/10)

3. "Bird of paradise" (5:36) bird noises (parrots?) traipse along in the left channel throughout this slower, gentler, more pastoral BOB JAMES-ish tune. The band is tight, the funk coming from Wolfgang and drummer Curt Cress is real, but then the bottom nearly drops out as a long organ-supported passage supports a pretty cool, spacious, and impressionistic soprano sax solo from the bandleader. Bass, drums, electric piano, and percussion instruments return in equally quirky, impressionistic displays as the music slowly coalesces back into something resembling the opening theme. Very pleasant, with nice melodic hooks to carry with you once the song is over. I like it way more than I thought I was going to. Probably one of my top three songs from the album. (9.125/10)

4. "Sambukada" (4:30) an African village jam: all sorts of percussion and wind instruments open this before the jazz band join in with bass, drums, sax, and electric piano--this latter which is the instrument of choice for Klaus' first solo despite the saxes being the lead instrument for the exposition of the main theme. In the second half of the third minute a treated nasal-sax takes steps into the spotlight for the next solo. Then there is a return to full interplay of the African instrumentation peppered with Curt's drumming and a synth solo from Klaus. Happy and joyful. (8.75/10)

5. "Iguaçu" (8:42) opening with more African instruments, only scaled down quite a bit from the huge lineup of the previous song, the rock-jazz palette and themes are introduced almost immediately over the top of the bird/animal-like chattering horn/whistle/squeeze box that plays beneath it all in the same left channel as the parrot/bird in the album's third song. A Weather Report "Birdland"-like quiet passage takes over in the third and fourth minutes, allowing the percussives and incidentals coming from Kurt's keyboards (especially his clavinet) to shine through quite clearly along with some nice upper-octave rhythm guitar play from Roy. A return to full force sound occupies the fifth minute before there is a return to the quiet "Birdland" motif in the sixth through the seventh. Again the band slowly rebuilds its full palette into full-force fast-paced jazz-rock fusion while Klaus plays a soprano sax. I really like the rhythm work of this guitarist! (17.75/20)

6. "Praia lame" (2:58) more Weather Report-like palette that turns into some more DAVE SANBORN-like funk music before Klaus launches on a BOB JAMES-like Fender Rhodes solo over his masterful funkster support crew. These guys are so good! This little thing is one of my top three songs! (9.125/10)

7. "Heavy weight" (4:30) a heavily-funked-up piece that, unfortunately, moves along in territory that is a little too montonous and one-dimensional for my liking. (8.75/10)

8. "Guna Guna" (4:28) moving into the Funk/R&B territory of so many American bands--like DAZZ, Kool & The Gang, The Brothers Johnson, and The Isley Brothers--Klaus even tops it off with some of that reverbed multi-tracked (or chorused) DAVE SANBORN sax spouting off from the backdrop. Luckily these guys are really good--and there is some awesome soloing from guest guitarist, the young Mats Björklund, to entertain us. The jam is cut short by a long, slow fadeout (which means that in the studio it went on for much longer). It's good but this is not the direction I wanted to see the Jazz-Rock Fusion movement travel. (8.875/10)

Total Time: 40:47

Here we have eight songs performed at such a high level, by great musicians who, you can feel, are fully on board with Klaus' musical vision. However, what diminishes the end product for me is the sway and attraction Klaus is feeling from the draw of more popular, commercially-successful forms and styles of music: like the Bob James/David Sanborn jazz-lite and funk-R&B. I mean, I don't begrudge him: everybody is feeling it: even Miles and Burt Bacharach, Herb Alpert and The Isleys, The (Jazz) Crusaders and Herbie Hancock! There is comfort born of commercial and financial success! I'm just sad to be recounting, historically, the demise of the exciting peak years of discovery and experimentation that bread and defined Jazz-Rock Fusion.

B+/four stars; an excellent album of funky Jazz-Rock Fusion.

FunkFreak75 The last of Klaus' great quartet as keyboard master Kristian Schulze would depart after this album (Wolfgang Schmid and Curt Cress hanging on for one more album).

1. "Ju-Ju-man" (10:04) funk with a bit of a Disco beat and a flashy flair to its "horn" accents. There is a bit too much swag and cock as will become so popular in the machismo Black exploitation films of the time. I hate to say it, but this song is a perfect example of the fact that the funk went to far: the experimental exploration of all of the new synthesizer sounds that artists started throwing almost indiscriminately into the funk music of the 1970s went, in my opinion, way too far--into the protean realm of the ludicrous and absurd--where the effect was to reflect back upon the artist and humanity in terms of freakish exaggeration and circus-like parody. One of the artists that took this behaviour to the extreme, Parliament, at least gave you an immersive circus-like show which they pretended to take serious and which you could walk away from. Anyway, in case you can't tell, the musical palette on this song send me over the top; just too much. (Maybe I need to listen to more George Carlin or read more Robert Heinlein books so that I can desensitize myself to the idiotities of my own species.) (17/20)

2. "Morning sun" (5:49) more into the realm of upbeat Weather Report and Jay Bekcenstein SPYRO GYRA. At least it's coming more from jazz roots than novelty funk/R&B. (8.75/10)

3. "Blue aura" (3:02) pensive whole-band chords open this with some nice delicacy and spaciousness--wordless vocals in there, as well! Soprano sax with gentle yet reactive and creative piano accompaniment takes over at the one minute mark, making a pretty nice little piece just the two of them. Definitely top three song for me. (9.3333/10)

4. "Infinity machine" (5:12) despite the weird, stop-and-restart space intro, this turns into a very nice uptempo song with power and drive. Nothing offensive, over the top, or immature here. Curt Cress is dialed in and Wolfgang, Kristian and Klaus are right on the same page together. A great display of full-band coordination and integration. Plus, pretty decent solos from both Klaus and Kristian in the fourth and fifth minutes (with some fun accents from Klaus on Moog beneath Kristian's solo). (9/10)

5. "Ostinato" (7:37) with the hypnotic groove coming from the bass line it feels a bit like Alan Parsons Project I Robot, but the rest of the rock-heavy Jazz-Rock Fusion over the top is genuine and respectable. There are, however, more than just a couple "modern" synth sounds woven into the tapestry of this one--a couple trying to pull the song into the realm of Smooth Jazz or future Jean-Luc Ponty "Space Jazz." It's nice to hear Wolfgang Schmid return to his beloved guitar for the fifth and sixth minutes, and Curt Cress's tom and roto-tom play in sixth and seventh minutes is pretty darn awesome! (13.375/15)

6. "Contemplation" (6:39) another spacey intro with more wind-chime-like percussions and train-like doppler effect sax and bouncy-echoed Fender Rhodes until 1:40 when some acoustic guitar strums starts a new stream over which Klaus' echo-(chorus?)sax pronounces the melody notes which at times gets David Sanborn-level in terms of power scream(ch)ing but the speed or varies very little. (8.75/10)

Total Time: 38:23

B/four stars; a nice if inconsistent album of forward thinking Jazz-Rock Fusion that many lovers of technological advance will value greatly.

FunkFreak75 1. "Homunculus" (6:09) despite the solid bass play holding this one all together, there is a loose, free-jazz feel to the rest of the performances--and some weird effects being imposed upon the overall sound. Still, the skill levels of all of the individuals are fully on display and still impressive. (8.875/10)

2. "Cross-collateral" (13:38) now three songs in--and this one a long one (of epic length) I can only deduce that band leader Klaus Doldinger (and/or his collaborators) was either spread too thin (very busy) or out of fresh ideas because the music on this album so far has been quite lackluster: lacking both the creativity and complexity that the previous album had overflowing to the brim. The lack of inspired or fully-formed compositional ideas are effecting the energy and interest levels of the rest of the band, resulting in lackadaisical performances--which is sad cuz we know these guys can play! There is absolutely nothing in this song, anywhere, that would ever lead me to want to return to it for repeated listens! It's just a first-take free-for-all from the band's first practice session. Plus, where is Klaus? Where are the saxes? (25/30)

3. "Jadoo" (3:03) something with a more structure but no really interesting quirky ideas or great melodies. (At least the saxes are back--though some are a little-too-heavily-processed.) The drumming is the best element of this one. (8.75/10)

4. "Will-O'the-Wisp" (6:15) even trying to go back to some funk doesn't work: it's just too rudimentary; there's nothing new/fresh or creative here, just by-the-numbers playing. The sound palette is right, just totally uninspired performances. (8.75/10)

5. "Albatros song" (5:18) a one-minute all-keyboard intro leads into some light textural music full of synth strings and, eventually, Klaus's singular saxophone putting forth something that sounds very much like the smooth jazz coming out of the BOB JAMES production labs. (8.6667/10)

6. "Damals" (4:38) acoustic guitar and sparse (keyboard) bass and drum play supporting a plaintive (single) sax solo by Klaus. Nice but clearly representing the new Smooth Jazz form of expression. (8.75/10)

Total Time: 39:01

C+/three stars; a fair representation of the direction Jazz-Rock Fusion was moving by the end of 1975.