The Guru Guru appreciation thread

 

 

this still sends shiver down my spine soùe 30 years later....

 

I never once thought that there was anything "kosmic" about this band ... or Amon Duul 2 (who made fun of it even!) ... in my book, and all the way past Tango Fango and Dance of the Flames ... this was ... for all intents and purposes, what you would like to hear from a Jimi Hendrix or a Stevie Ray Vaughn (for example)  ... music that provided a backdrop for the expanding of the music ... to experiment ... and you can listen to all of these guitarists that have worked with Mani ... and they all have flourished and done some excellent and amazing work ...

 

But all of this is not so much a "dope" or "cosmic" thing ... which is a totally American thing, as much as it is a measure of the artistic trends in that time and place in Europe ... dude ... all of these bands were doing experimentations and improvisations, and we love them all (just about) ... and still talk about them 40 years later ... what more can you ask for ... from a piece of music?

 

In the end, Mani deserves his name amidst the great experimenters and flow drummers around ... and unlike the majority of rock drummers out there ... you will rarely get bored with this guy ... he simply doesn't repeat himself that much ... and that awful and non musical snare drum every 4th beath! ...

 

The only other rock drummer that comes to this level as Mani ... is the late Pierre Moerlin ... you're dealing with people with insanely high musical IQ ... and they are/were not afraid to trip around and experiment ... and this is what music had in those days, that is missing today ... and badly!  ... too much "prog" has no "soul" in it ... because it is composed music that is just like all the other music out there ... and some lyrics make you "THINK" that it is important.

 

It's like saying that Jimi's meandering is not what ended up defining a lot of prog and music that is more than just pop music today ... and the main reason why we remember Jimi today ... crazy, experimental, original ... and yeah .. .he was a bit of a showman ... but he knew what he was doing ... and for the first 10 years ... Guru Guru stands out as some of the best ... very best ... and deserves that credit ... and their venue ... you could say was "rock'n'roll" ... not some ... imaginary drug trip or cosmic thing, as Ash Ra Tempel kinda did ... (some ... not really!) ... nearly all of the guitarists in any Guru Guru album are probably going crazy ... because Mani is probably telling them ... I heard that already ... I want something else!

 

One more comment here ... Mani comes from the highly evolved communes that were involved in a lot of things and he knows and remembers well what it is to have a "sceance", or "meditation" or "play drums" ... which for him is probably the same thing. He also knows that politics in his field and country is ... dangerous business ... but he knows that he can entertain and get people to appreciate a trip and enjoy it at the same time ... and a Guru Guru concert was about that a lot of times, even a long time ago ... see the picture ... and the fun for it ... and then ... go hear "Das Lebendige Radio" from the Tango Fango album ... it really says it all ... they mixed a little this and that and this and that ... and you have some german cooking ... and you don't like the food?

 

 ... and when you hear this ... find it in your heart to remember that the Wall was still up ... and that folks across the way could not get a Beatles album or Rolling Stones ... much less even hear anything else as controversial/subversive ... as an anti this or that ... and Mani and his group did really well ... and should be respected as artists ... that stood up for what is right ... the same freedoms that you fight for ... (hopefully) ... and talk about in America ... but some of us seem to not give a damn when you see someone else in the same predicament.

 

Well your copies must have been the newest remaster then, my was probobly the first reales on CD from 92, but sounded pretty good anyway, even tough it hade some scratches.