Rache (Remastered)

The German ensemble's second album, recorded in 1971, put it at the forefront of jazz/rock innovators. But Embryo's playfulness, weirdness, and desire to just go out there put the band more in the camp of Frank Zappa's Mothers of Invention than The Weather Report. The opening cut, "Tausendfüßler," is largely built around a flute riff that would make Jethro Tull's Ian Anderson blush. That flute player is one Hansi Fischer, who was moonlighting from his day job with Xhol Caravan. Whether it's the appearance of Fischer or just something in the stars, Embryo created its most diverse and bizarre album with Rache. The group spins out into space with the help of harpsichord, tribal drum workouts, tempo changes, and haunted vocal accents on "Change" and then goes for a bongo-ridden interlude on "Try to Be" before dragging out the synths and didgeridoo for "Revenge." This a richly divergent album, heavy on unexpected twists and with plenty of hints of the non–Western inspiration that would come into fruition on the group's later records.