GURU GURU

Review #101!

This album has a lot of the characteristics of Can, my comfort zone in terms of Krautrock. I love Can, and I honestly love this album. Like Can, Guru Guru has a vocalist with a distinct voice that recites weird and/or nonsensical lyrics. The two bands both have very experimental songs with a lot of improvisation. Speaking of which, starting this album is 'Oxymoron'. This song is so fun! I love the guitar and the minimal vocals bookending the song's improvisation section. And oh boy, what improv! This level of improv is only met by Can, Miles Davis, and other free-form jazz artists and bands (The Soft Machine, Herbie Hancock). This song has great little undefined parts, each with its own special emotion. And I cannot stop obsessing over that guitar! Amazing. 'Immer Lustig' starts with some chanting (German?) and changes to this nice little (?! it's over fifteen minutes long!) hard-rock melody. Pretty psychedelic and funky. It has even more great guitar. 'Baby Cakewalk' starts off side two very rock-like. I always thought the beginning sounded a bit like a slowed- down version of Yes's 'Tempus Fugit'. I enjoy the vocals and drums. 'Ooga Booga' starts like a drugged Beach Boys song but quickly changes its melody into a conga-driven psychedelic groove. All the way through, this is a great Krautrock album for fans of Amon Duul II, Can, and just prog as a whole. I highly recommend.

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!

Cool bluesy psychedelic rock structure blended with electronic junky fuel. Sounds like their second album "Hinten", despite such a nasty jokey sleeve pic, should be filled up with everything they want to do and want to provide for the audience. This crazy musical structure gets more and more attractive than their brilliant debut creation "UFO" and drives us into another dimension. Impressive and innovative is the combination of sticky, complicated drone electronic agents and funky, freaky, simple rock perspectives. We can feel their massive tolerance for Krautrock that broadens the outlooks of German young generations. And at the same time they straightly launch their big respect for the rock pioneer ... The third track "Bo Diddley" is full of their positive mindset for blues rock. Not so complex nor weird for Krautrock the song is, but colourful sound variations and deep heavy musical development can be heard. Simplicity is also good.

And do not forget they definitely play with much pleasure and enjoyment here and there. The former part of the second one "The Meaning Of Meaning" possesses kinda quite lazy dazy dizzy lizzy atmosphere but in such a sound- polluted air we can find apparent innocence and amusement via their play. And the latter throws us heavy deepy shoegaze-y composition and dark-guitar-based psychedelic vertigo. Of course the rhythm bases strictly support the background. The epilogue "Space Ship" is another perfect space rock featuring drone electronica and improvised guitar discharge. Dynamic, serious, sticky, repetitive sound potential and the very last electronic madness should take the audience into dreamy inorganic space. What a hell.

But I consider that their real masterpiece is the first bullet "Electric Junk", that involves quite magnificent electric (guitar) energy and impressive rhythmic position. Only a few phrases in the beginning of this song have enough power and energy to kick our b**t strongly and to notify us they are really cool. The middle wondrous slowertempo steadiness is also tremendous. And the final run with uptempo dignified rock rigidity encourages us. No suspicion we can notice their innovative soundscape should be sorta vanguard in the early German Psychedelic Rock Scene.

This live recording was originally released in 2003 by the German Garden Of Delights label, and it was recently re- released, both on vinyl and on cd, by the Finnish company Svart Records on their international Mondo Svart series "of rare, obscure but remarkable and fascinating albums (...), one of a kind gems in music, brought back into the spotlight from less travelled parts of the world and musical eras long gone".

Coming from the year 1970, the sonic quality is pretty good, as the music was sourced from tapes recorded directly from the sound desk at the show. I have heard a few other Garden Of Delights (or Thor's Hammer) vintage live releases, and sometimes they have a mere bootleg quality. Not that this one would be faultless either: as the liner notes say, the drums are a bit too loud while guitar is too soft. The roughly 38-minute "Essen 1970" consists only of three tracks: Aptly titled 'Stone in' and 'Der LSD Marsch' originate from Guru Guru's debut album UFO (1970) and the more humorous 'Bo Diddley' from the second album Hinten (1971; an album with one of the worst covers ever!). At some point in the past, half of the tapings were erased, and therefore 'Bo Diddley' is faded out in the middle of its performance. Anyway, compared to the studio album versions these live performances are notably extended and "stoned". It wouldn't be wrong to consider this a notable, historical live recording of the early Krautrock.

I'm not personally a big fan of either live albums or instrumental psychedelic acid rock for electric guitar, bass and drums only. I certainly can sense the trio's tight synergy here, and I can listen through this album without negative feelings, but frankly it's not something I would regularly return to. As for GURU GURU's studio albums, I'm not very deeply acquainted with them either. I have most enjoyed their third album Känguru (1972) perhaps due to the legendary Krautrock producer Conny Plank who also added some keyboards and guitar. Also the PA ratings favour Känguru while UFO and Hinten are not far behind.

The lengthy liner notes give a detailed picture of the band's early history. The leading figure, drummer Mani Neumeier and bassist Uli Trepte met already in 1963 and joined for a jazz oriented group Irene Schweizer Trio, named after the pianist. In 1968 when Schweizer had gone her own way and Trepte had switched to electric bass guitar, GURU GURU GROOVE was formed (the third word was later dropped from the name). Several musicians came and went until the highly gifted, Jimi Hendrix influenced guitarist Ax Genrich from Agitation Free formed the first recording line-up with Neumeier and Trepte. 70 % of the "Essen 1970" liner notes is Uli Trepte looking back at their halcyon days. "The band's energy was a result of a powerful 'chemistry' between Mani Neumeier and me. We only had to play a couple of notes and there it was, casting its spell over both Ax Genrich and the audience", never to be achieved again with other musicians.

The third Pop & Blues Festival in Essen's Gruga-Halle, October 22-25, 1970, featured English groups such as Taste, Fotheringay, East Of Eden and Tyrannosaurus Rex on the main stage, while the German bands -- e.g. Frumpy, Embryo and Xhol alongside Guru Guru -- performed in a small side stage. There were technically skillful people involved in the festival to capture some of the performances. Even though this live album may be a torso of the band's actual gig, it is highly recommendable to anyone with a keen interest on vintage psychedelic rock and a fondness for live recordings. Those can surely add the fourth star to my rating!

Guru Guru are one of the most well-known bands of the Krautrock movement, and drummer/vocalist Mani Neumeier has been at the helm since their formation in 1968. In 2019 they were invited to play their first ever gig in China, and more than 1000 people turned up to listen. Mani also provides Kaossilator, and the current line-up includes Roland Schaeffer (guitar, saxophone, nadaswaram, vocals), Peter K'hmstedt (bass, vocals) and Jan Lindqvist (guitar, lap steel guitar, vocals). At the time of recording Mani was 79 years old, but one would never imagine that from his playing as he is still powerful behind the kit ' I cannot think of another rock drummer still performing at this level at his age. I wondered if Ian Paice might be in the same league, but he is quite bit younger, as is Carmine Appice.

Having Schaefer in the band providing sax etc allows them to come at music from quite a few different angles, and the overall feeling from this is that here is a band who are incredibly loose and relaxed. They mix krautrock with ambient and RIO, all with a certain flair which only comes from having played so many shows. That being said, I must admit this isn't really for me, but that is down purely to personal taste as opposed to anything inherently wrong with what they are doing. The recording may not be top quality but that fits in with the overall sound, and the reaction from the crowd shows that even though they were in strange territory there were lots of friends around. They played music from throughout their career and in some ways, this can be seen as a historic document. Fans will be pleased to know that not only has this been made available, but that it is actually a DVD + CD set. The band had planned to play more than 200 shows year prior to the pandemic so there is no sign of retirement any time soon.

Guru Guru's first three albums are known as krautrock classics (of the acid rock caliber). The legacy of this great group led by drummer Mani Neumeier is that it actually never found (or even looked for) its definitive sound. The band would experiment with comedy funk jazz prog after 1972 and onward. On 'Dance of the Flames' the band however plays a sort of comedy rock meets Mahavishna Orchestra on steroids. The instrumentation is of the highest quality and especially the electric guitars of Housch'ng Nejadepour are mind-blowing. The recording sound of the album is great as well. All this doesn't take away from the fact that I don't really want to listen to great a fusion jam with imitations of Scrooge McDuck (from Donald Duck) on the background - which is precisely what the opening track delivers. The instrumentals are all highly technical with those typical doubled fusion shreds, but to me it sound rather unimaginative. An out of place acoustic fusion piece like 'Samba das Rosas' reminds me of what you'll hear on Al Di Meola's in-cohesive albums. This album fails to leave any trace of melodic or atmospheric artistry or creative energy and is therefor not recommended to listeners of progressive rock, only to fans of fusion. For Mahavishnu influences I'd rather recommend listening to early SBB, Leb I Sol and the Finnforest debut.

In hindsight - pun intended - this is perhaps the best acid-rock album by German krautrock group Guru Guru. Though this album is probably one improvised affair, it still reaches depth when it comes to exploring the (tape- manipulated) electric wah wah guitar. Needles to say Jimi Hendrix is the main inspiration here, but the music hardly evokes that soul-infused rock style of the sixties. In stead 'Hinten' evokes that psychedelic krautrock feel with hints of early doom influences from Black Sabbath and the wild early hardrock of MC5 . The album also reminds me a bit of The Human Beast, a rarity fans of this album should look for. The recording sound is quite superior to the especially rough debut album of the band ('UFO', 1970) and the stereo effects add to the spaciousness of the music. The heavy distorted guitar of Ax Genrich is the main attraction, but in the rhythm section the drums of Mani Neumeier are starting to show his tremendous talent. On 'Hinten' the band introduces more composed parts, but the largely structured riffing of follow-up 'Kanguru' is still quite far away. Whereas that record would have a brilliant second side, 'Hinten' is actually quite balanced and enjoyable from start to finish. It does sound like a lot of the same at first spin, but when it grows on you the way of thinking and distinct creativity of this record starts to reveal itself. The last track 'Space Ship' is a track in which the band expands on its use of delays, 'out there' vocals and tape manipulations. It could therefor attract some Hawkwind listeners and space rock fans in general. In conclusion, this is a well-recorded acid-rock & krautrock gem that can't be bested in what it does.

This album has its moments, some ok, some hilarious, particularly on the first side, but generally as an album it is musically quite shabby and quite boring.

The first side isn't proggy at all. All the songs can be considered plain throw aways. I personally get a laugh out of Andrea (IMO a song so bad it's funny) and Komm Lutsch Mal (Come suck me), however they aren't songs to be taken seriously at all.

The second side is mainly instrumental, with exception for the last track which does contain a bit of vocal, Lurchis Abenteuer (Lurchi's Adventure) and admittedly a bit proggy. The whole side is very experimental but each track just sounds like an instrumental jam session and can get very boring after a while, especially the final track.

Anyone that is new to Guru Guru, this should not be the first album you listen to. Their 70's stuff is far better than any of the stuff on this album.

While a lot of the really early psychedelic bands were very strange, the band that currently holds the position of weirdest sounding band from that era either goes to Amon Duul II, or Guru Guru. While Amon Duul II went for more of a madcap, insane, atmospheric route, Guru Guru instead opted for a more noisy, garage rock tinged style, heavy in distortion and general noise. I haven't listened far into their discography yet, but from this album, I can say that I don't enjoy them quite as much as Amon Duul II or Can, but it's definitely a high quality album with enough variety and inspiration to remain interesting throughout its entirety, and definitely an incredibly interesting one.

The album is split quite cleanly into 2 halves, each with their own sort of style, with side 1 being made up of energetic, off the wall bass grooves and jamming, distorted sounding guitar. The occasional appearance of vocals in Stone In further adds to the weirdness of this song, being sparse and drowned out by everything else, sounding lonly vaguely like an attempt to actually sing, more sounding along the lines of general vocal noises. I love the last minute of this song, where the constant bassline escalates slowly while a layer of fuzz over the sound becomes increasingly prominent while the guitar becomes more random and all over the place, and it's definitely a track that makes an immediate impression on you. Girl Call starts off in a slower manner, with a more gradual buildup into the wall of noise that is to come, with a scratchy, all around nasty guitar tone that I really love for its gritty nature. The second half of the song is really where things shine however, the song speeds up an ends up sounding heavily garage rock, similar to if the 13th Floor Elevators decided to go in an even weirder direction than what they did. Next Time See You At The Dalai Lhama is easily my favourite song here however, being somwhat more structured, but also even further carrying the 13th Floor Elevators sound in certain respects, reminding me of the song Roller Coaster, with a messy, yet relentless pace that seems to be in a constant state of tripping over itself, but always picking itself back up and running with it. This is also the one song that has something vaguely resembling something catchy in the form of that constant, off kilter beat and riff that just never seems to end, which adds another layer of greatness to it, making it incredibly trippy all around.

The secon half of the album is less eventful, instead focusing on ambience and soundscapes, obviously none of them sounding even close to normal. There are a lot more instances of sonic experimentation here, and its an interesting listen, the issue is that in the case of the title track, I really don't feel like it warrants being over 10 minutes long, and that a couple of minutes from the start could have been removed to make the rising guitar chords and sound similat to that of a rocket blasting off come that much quicker. I like aspects of this song for sure, but on the whole, I feel like it could have used some trimming. Der Lsd-Marsch is a better take on this ambient approach, having an ominous feel to it, with a creeping bassline and a constantly increasing volume on the distorted guitar chords. There's a slightly stronger semblace of traditional krautrock here, with the repetitive nature of the beats, which I appreciate, as it's then contrasted by the heavy psyche sound that the band puts forward. Definitely a great song that closes off the album in an excellent manner.

I'm definitely looking forward to checking more of this band out, as this album was amazing to me, combining ekements of heavy psyche and garage rock into their sound to make a noisy, unconventional record that ticks many boxes for me. The groovier songs are where this album shines the most, but those slower, more subtle ones definitely have a lot of merit as well. This is definitely not an accessible album, with the entire 36 minute journey being drenched in layers upon layers of noise and distortion, but at the same time, this album is great for those into that sort of psychedelic rock. Definitely a great, albeit slightly flawed krautrock album that is almost one gigantic high, if not for some sections of its title track.

Best songs: Stone In, Next Time See You At The Dalai Lhama, Der Lsd-Marsch

Weakest songs: Ufo

Verdict: While not an easy album to get into, due to the highly experimental, freeform nature of these songs combined with an almost constant heavy, distorted nature, those who are into heavy psyche and the more strange side of krautrock will find this to at the very least be an interesting album, and at most find it to be absolutely great.

Originally released in 2007, this kick-ass archival recording has now been re-licensed (in MP3 form) by the Berlin production company Play Loud! along with other Guru Guru performances from the 1970s and beyond. The gig itself, from April 1972, saw the band at an early apex in its long (and, at this writing, still very active) history, in a year that arguably marked the high tide of Krautrock iconoclasm.

Essentially, it's a live rendition of the classic Guru Guru album "Känguru", minus only the song "Immer Lustig". But the differences between the studio and concert versions are startling, and provide a far more honest portrait of a band renowned (then and now) as a vital live act. After hearing this set, don't be surprised to find the album that inspired it, which this reviewer awarded five unconditional stars, sounding more like a contractual afterthought.

Compare the track times here to the studio originals. In concert Mani Neumeier and company stretched the music to absurd and thrilling length, with colorful Hendrix-inspired jamming (note the recurring "Purple Haze" quote in "Baby Cake Walk") and near-telepathic stage rapport. Not surprisingly, the protracted grooves can often sound aimless, but never without purpose: a contradiction that somehow makes perfect sense with this particular trio.

And even with the not-much-better-than-bootleg quality of the tape, apparently recorded from the back rafters of a very large arena, it's still easy to be swept up by the energy, enthusiasm, and sheer musical joy of the performances. Neumeier and bassist Bruno Schaab (a recent replacement for ex-Guru Uli Trepte) are buried deep behind the echo-heavy mix. But it's primarily Ax Genrich's show anyway, and his indefatigable chops are all over the album, fearlessly switching from distorted electric guitar to comic-relief banjo midway into "Ooga Booga", while Mani Neumeier clicks and clacks a pair of ersatz castanets. Neumeier's drum solo, soon afterward, is a model of unrestrained economy: another plausible Guru Guru paradox.

The visual distractions of a live concert, typically a large part of the Guru Guru experience (judging from the occasional audience laughter here) are absent, of course. But the album sounds exactly like what it must have once been: one heck of a show, and the Play Loud! people deserve our thanks for bringing it back to life.