A1. Kirschsuppe
A2. Fall Oslip
B1. Patschamenga Underground
B2. Talk to Me But I Listen to You
B3. High Speed Kindergarten
Starting in Würzburg, Germany by ex-member of Missus Beastly Jürgen Benz (flute, sax), Munju is a really interesting Fusion band that takes on a number of influences and sounds. The percussion is very lush and intricate, with kind of an afro-beat style. The first track is written by Jürgen Benz who does some soulful Bobby Humphrey-esque flute playing, along with an excellent congo performance by Joseph Spector and guitar picking by Dieter Kaudel. They have a very fluid feel to them, the notes coming out like liquid. Benz goes on to masterfully switch between alto sax and flute in 'Fall Oslip.' Such a lovely harmony between the guitar around halfway in, and ending on a dark and atmospheric solo on the sax.
Thomas Römer demonstrates some real percussive chops in both 'Patschamenga Underground' and 'Talk to Me But I Listen to You' who is closely followed with precision by Specter's congos. Dieter Kaudel can also do a mean flamenco in 'Talk to Me But I Listen to You.'
'Talk to Me But I Listen to You' is an excellent funk composition with complex bass by Wolfgang Salomon, backed magnificently by Röme's drums, and some real shredding from Kaudel.
The last track starts off kind of slow jazz with a melodic prog, slightly Spanish feel to it, then goes into some goofy recording of a crowd of people, then returning back with a funky sort of groove. Not sure how well this experiment succeeds, but Benz does some great flute solos.
Hard to think of anything bad to say about this short 36 minute LP, as all 5 tracks are pretty solid and Jürgen Benz masters both the flute and the sax so well. I suppose, having heard more Fusion from this time, especially by '77, it's not the most groundbreaking original stuff ever, but its masterful at what it does. Its prog, its jazz, its funk, its afro-beat. There's a lot going on here. 8/10
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