GURU GURU 88

This is a wacky one and just like the previous 'Jungle' features a female vocalist, Lysa Kraus, an amalgam of Nina Hagen and The B- 52s. Really. This is the Guru Guru of the late 80s so don't expect the early Krautrock experiments or tripped out jazz-rock blowouts of the seventies. Head Guru Mani Nuemeier had spent most of the eighties on individual projects and was trying out new things with the newly reformed Guru Guru. Released on the German Casino label that was better known for jazz/techno/dance artists, the contemporary craze. It features the late Hans Reffert who was the most recent guitarist/composer for Guru Guru so we do get some really interesting well produced stuff here. The 8 tracks are quite different from one another but as a whole Guru Guru '88 is very psychedelic. The biggest surprise is a spooky electronic instrumental track titled 'His Time' which is dedicated to Edgar Allan Poe, author of the strange and macabre. Probably the most bizarre cover version of 'Batman' ever recorded appears here and is barely recognizable save for the Batman hyena screeches and includes Mani Nuemeier silliness or else it would not be a Guru Guru album, would it?. The groovin' 'Work', 'Take It All' and 'Jim Jimmy' are straight off the dance floor. On the funky 'Dig That Fun' Lysa Kraus flaunts her impressive R&B panache.The instrumental 'Long Ago' tacquires a more vapourous jazzy feel.. Finally, 'Guru Guru Shake' is a catchy Carib/East Indian world beat fusion with a guest drummer Master Paramashivam Pillal.

I have been a fan of Guru Guru since the early seventies so this esoteric 1988 album or EP ( running time clocks in at just over 30 minutes ).didn't faze me. My only problem here is that the development potential on some tracks was not exploited to the fullest. It is nonetheless a half an hour of some really fun stuff. from one of the most 'out there' bands ever.

Out of all the tracks, "His Time" most particularly exudes the noirish quality of the album cover, with the band members blending into the shadows. What is apparently a dark city street scene can speak of stories of nightmares and harsh struggles. These all lushly reverberate in the track as a slow, mysterious haze. It certainly embodies the spirit of the subject of the song's dedication to Edgar Allan Poe.

The cover also reveals the quirky side of Guru Guru 88. The band appears twice on the front cover, on one side standing in darkness, and on the other seated in a subdued light. It is in the light that Mani Neumeier & company will make the listener want to sway, jump, and dance. Also, not least of all, to enjoy the at times melismatic, howling, and even gravelly ride of the voice of Lysa Kraus.

Each track brings a different dimension to the night party. "Work" is a pounding addition to contemporary musical tributes to labor. "Long Ago" is a piece of laying-in-the-cut jazz fusion that tells a story as an instrumental.

"Bat Man" is a jaunty take on the title franchise. The band created what I think is the best musical interpretation of it. (With deep respect to fans of Prince's "Batdance," which would come out a year later, who I am certain would rightly beg to differ.) Speaking of His Purpleness, "Dig That Fun" shows well how incredibly infectious funk guitars have been to rock generally, which makes sense when you realize how both rock and funk both came charging out of blues and R&B, complementing each other royally. Ask any fan of P-Funk or Sly & The Family Stone. Meanwhile, the other side of guitars are evident in the country-inflected "Take It All" (with Kraus' funky-metallic screech) and the slide guitar over a nonstop urban rhythm on "Jim Jim Jimmy."

The final track, the instrumental "Guru Guru Shake," concludes the dance party on a strong beat. I must emphasize "beat" because what makes this song smoke underpinning the sitar sounds is the tavil, a South Indian instrument that resembles a bass drum that is played with one open hand while the other holds a stick. The result is what drives the song to a joyful ending. Feel free to hum along to the rhythm guitar even if you're already on your feet! Listen also for more percussive bonuses (is that a jaw harp I heard?).

Recommended for: a listening session where you invite everybody there to dance!