guru guru
Printed From: Progarchives.com
Category: Progressive Music Lounges
Forum Name: Prog Bands, Artists and Genres Appreciation
Forum Description: Discuss specific prog bands and their members or a specific sub-genre
URL: http://www.progarchives.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=17508
Printed Date: April 26 2024 at 13:37
Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 11.01 - http://www.webwizforums.com
Topic: guru guru
Posted By: Vibrationbaby
Subject: guru guru
Date Posted: January 16 2006 at 14:24
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I don`t know how many Guru Guru fans are left out there but if you`re out there what is is it that fascinates you about this unusual band which has gone through so many transformations over the years. ------------- |
Replies:
Posted By: Zac M
Date Posted: January 16 2006 at 14:27
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I just got two of their albums over the holidays (Mani und seine Freund
and Don't Call Us...), and I am very impressed. I'm definitely
interested in hearing more of their albums.
------------- "Art is not imitation, nor is it something manufactured according to the wishes of instinct or good taste. It is a process of expression." -Merleau-Ponty |
Posted By: Easy Livin
Date Posted: January 16 2006 at 14:51
Great to see you Vibe, you've been too quiet!
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Posted By: BaldFriede
Date Posted: January 16 2006 at 15:24
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First of all Mani Neumeier and his weirdness. Guru Guru even starred in a tv-movie in 1976, under the name "Rattenfänger" ("Rat Catcher" or "Rat Catchers"; the plural of that word is the same as the singular in German); the tv-movie was named "Notwehr" ("Self-defense"). It was the line-up of the "Tango Fango" album that played in this movie, and Mani Neumeier really was impressive. Ok, he more or less played himself, but there were certain scenes in which he was very moving.
-------------  BaldJean and I; I am the one in blue. |
Posted By: BaldFriede
Date Posted: January 16 2006 at 15:30
Get "Känguru" and their 4th self-titled album; the latter contains their absolute classic "Der Elektrolurch" ("The Electric Batrachian"). ------------- BaldJean and I; I am the one in blue. |
meurglysIII wrote:Posted By: Certif1ed
Date Posted: January 16 2006 at 17:15
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I've only heard their self-titled album, and thought it was generally quite poor - and I'm quite a fan of Krautrock - the wilder and more obscure, the better. There are moments in the track "Electrolurch", but they don't really sell the band to me above, say, Amon Duul II or Erlkoenig. I definitely need to listen to more of their stuff before I can form a better overall opinion of their music - especially if they've gone through a number of changes (that sounds very interesting indeed), but I must admit I'm not sold if the self-titled album comes recommended. |
Posted By: BaldFriede
Date Posted: January 16 2006 at 17:22
The self-titled one is only recommended for "Der Elektrolurch"; the rest is not that good. But "Der Elektrolurch" is their most famous track, especially for the live-show they have when playing it (drummer Mani Neumeier appears in a batrachian costume with long tail and hops around on stage). Listen to Känguru, and you will hear their qualities. And I highly recommend their live album from 1975; one of the best live albums ever. ------------- BaldJean and I; I am the one in blue. |
Posted By: Zac M
Date Posted: January 16 2006 at 17:29
Thanks, will check them out. I know that the self-titled is pretty easy to come by, but do you know where I could get a copy of Kanguru? I checked on amazon and the lowest price was 38 dollars and searched on ebay and none were being offered up for auction. ------------- "Art is not imitation, nor is it something manufactured according to the wishes of instinct or good taste. It is a process of expression." -Merleau-Ponty |
Posted By: Certif1ed
Date Posted: January 16 2006 at 17:40
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Thanks for the recommendations, BF - as I say, I am very keen on Krautrock and felt a bit bitten by the self-titled album. I'll check out the two you mention |
Posted By: MikeEnRegalia
Date Posted: January 16 2006 at 17:42
The track title caught my interest - I'll be listening to the "Elektrolurch" later on (Napster). ------------- https://awesomeprog.com/users/Mike" rel="nofollow">Recently listened to: 
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Posted By: BaldFriede
Date Posted: January 16 2006 at 18:01
 A pic of Mani Neumeier with his Elektrolurch mask, but somehow without tail. Taken on the Burg Herzberg festival 2005. ------------- BaldJean and I; I am the one in blue. |
Posted By: timothy leary
Date Posted: January 16 2006 at 19:49
| really like the band but can`t find much of their stuff |
Posted By: Vibrationbaby
Date Posted: January 17 2006 at 10:41
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Great responses good to see that ( as Fripp would say ) there is life out there. I am strapped for time at present but I would have to say that it is the wierd and creative element of the guru guru concept which has attracted me to the band over the years. A good starting point for those not familiar with the band would be the 2 CD set Best Of . Itcovers their whole career up to 1981. If anyone has any questions about the band PM me I will be more than happy to help you out. ------------- |
Posted By: anael
Date Posted: January 18 2006 at 01:18
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any comments of Neumeier-Genrich-Schmidt Psychedelic Mosterjam? it's excellent, many trippy-jams...oh boy! holy psychedelic crap! ------------- 
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Posted By: DallasBryan
Date Posted: January 18 2006 at 01:48
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I would suggest Kanguru from their early career, although UFO is a hard psychedelic rock early gem. Dance of the Flames kicks off the later stuff and may be their best studio album. If you dont mind compilations Space Ship captures many of their early great songs, while Best of part 2(you'll not find many single CD discs of psychedelic/progressive/krautrock from the 70's better than this) captures many of the best songs after the band matured, although there were many lineup changes. Very Best of ..puts those 2 discs in one package for a pretty comprehensive cover of their career. They were a fascinating band and very diverse through their career. Truly one of the Great Bands from the early Krautrock scene. The later 70's stuff must have left Pink Floyd scratching their heads, it is over the top! They were one of the best early 70's examples of psychedelic hard rock, blues, progressive rock, experimental electronics to land on this planet!
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Posted By: oliverstoned
Date Posted: January 18 2006 at 06:57
| I love their hendrixian guitar sound! |
Posted By: Vibrationbaby
Date Posted: January 18 2006 at 10:29
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Posted By: Vibrationbaby
Date Posted: January 18 2006 at 10:31
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Posted By: flaxton
Date Posted: January 20 2006 at 16:42
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i had kangaru but left it in my cd player when i sent it to be repaired but it was gone when it came back. i still have the cover though. ------------- flaxton |
Posted By: SQUARE CD
Date Posted: April 18 2006 at 23:31
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Posted By: Big Ears
Date Posted: April 20 2006 at 11:16
| I like most of the things, including Guru Guru, that were released on the Rock on Brain label during the seventies. They have stood the test of time, but I have to listen to them on old vinyl LPs. |
Posted By: Vibrationbaby
Date Posted: April 21 2006 at 14:33
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I just got In the Guru Lounge.Really funky stuff with a lot of weird
electronic effects. Mani is still going strong in his sixties.
------------- |
Posted By: Vibrationbaby
Date Posted: December 15 2007 at 12:57
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I thought it was time to bring this thread I started a couple of years ago back from the dead. ------------- |
Posted By: Sean Trane
Date Posted: December 15 2007 at 15:48
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I still prefer the debut (awesomely titled, as it is exactly that!! A UFO) as this must be one of the most psyched out album ever, and Hiniten is also fine.
Kan Guru is also fine but weaker (the Bo Diddley thing is too long and not much fun), than Uli Trpte (bass) moves on, and a big part of the spirit leaves with him. Then, next album Ax Genrich (guitars) leaves. I don't like thenext few and you have to wait for Shearer (sax) to save the group in the long run... By today's standard, Guru Guru without him is just as unthinkable as if Mani wasn't part of it.
Saw them twice in recent years as a quartet. Afun concert, some of which can be seen on the Krautrock double DVD >> see the various artistes headings. ------------- let's just stay above the moral melee prefer the sink to the gutter keep our sand-castle virtues content to be a doer as well as a thinker, prefer lifting our pen rather than un-sheath our sword |
Posted By: nightlamp
Date Posted: December 16 2007 at 17:27
Guru Guru is incredible! I haven't heard all their incarnations-- I'm most familiar with the early power-trio lineup of Neumeier/Genrich/Trepte-- but what has drawn me to them is the quirky, virtuosic drumming, use of a tam-tam as a ride cymbal, use of live electronics, and the overall eccentric, weird, truly psychedelic vibe pouring out of the speakers. |
Posted By: Vibrationbaby
Date Posted: December 17 2007 at 11:20
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If you haven`t heard "Shake Well" or "Wah Wah" you`ll love these albums from what you`ve said above. The problem is that everyone is hung up on Kan Guru and UFO while it`s real tripped out there`s so much more to Guru Guru. All of their stuff is wonderfully warped in some way.
------------- |
Posted By: Thandrus
Date Posted: December 17 2007 at 20:54
| Add me to Guru Guru fan club. They carry some unique, humorous and fascinating spirit (yeah... even for Krautrock!!!) that will never bore me I guess. |
Posted By: Vibrationbaby
Date Posted: December 18 2007 at 10:25
Fascinating spirit very well put. And Mani says he`ll keep going as long as he lives and I believe it ! Greatest band that never sold a million albums  .
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Posted By: BaldFriede
Date Posted: January 08 2008 at 08:34
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I have always been a fan of them and even have their least accessible (by "least accessible" I mean "hardest to get anywhere", not "hardest to listen to") albums like "Jungle" (where they explore same funk territory). Mani Neumeier is an excellent drummer. ------------- BaldJean and I; I am the one in blue. |
Posted By: Sean Trane
Date Posted: January 09 2008 at 09:01
To his credit at almost 70, he's still drumming up a strrm and dancing around, making the show on stage. And his casserole solos are always entertaining the firt three times you've seen them. ------------- let's just stay above the moral melee prefer the sink to the gutter keep our sand-castle virtues content to be a doer as well as a thinker, prefer lifting our pen rather than un-sheath our sword |
Posted By: BaldFriede
Date Posted: January 09 2008 at 09:26
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Yes, he will be 70 next year. There are a few recent videos of him on youtube. He has a little old men's belly, but else is still very thin. And he hops around on stage as if he were 40 years younger.
------------- BaldJean and I; I am the one in blue. |
Posted By: Vibrationbaby
Date Posted: January 09 2008 at 14:25
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One band I would travel to the ends of the Earth to see. Not one bad album as far as I`m concerned. Even Guru Guru `88 and Jungle have that wonderful strangeness you always get with Mani. It`s so dissappointing when people say that the band was done after Kan Guru. I mean, Mani always had the most creative and adventurous musicians playing with him in Guru Guru. One of the greatest drummers in my book. He`s like a freakin`windmilling octopus.
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Posted By: Pilzkopf
Date Posted: January 09 2008 at 18:25
They're definitely one of the rare bands who still have the magic well into their careers. One of their later albums, Wah-Wah is excellent.
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Posted By: Zargus
Date Posted: January 12 2008 at 08:49
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I was thinknig of buying my first Guru guru album and i was thinking of "Dance of the flames" is that a good start? ------------- 
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Posted By: Pilzkopf
Date Posted: January 12 2008 at 10:10
It's a good album, but I would start at the beginning with UFO. -------------
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Posted By: Vibrationbaby
Date Posted: January 12 2008 at 10:25
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Posted By: BaldJean
Date Posted: January 12 2008 at 10:53
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or try their first live album from 1975. it shows the full spectrum of them
-------------  A shot of me as High Priestess of Gaia during our fall festival. Ceterum censeo principiis obsta |
Posted By: Vibrationbaby
Date Posted: January 14 2008 at 13:11
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Yeah, that`s a great live album. I`d leave the early stuff alone at first. As said earlier, it`s too bad that this material gets all the attention.
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Posted By: Sean Trane
Date Posted: October 09 2008 at 08:07
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enjoy....
http://il.youtube.com/watch?v=D2u5T-iOYpI - http://il.youtube.com/watch?v=D2u5T-iOYpI
------------- let's just stay above the moral melee prefer the sink to the gutter keep our sand-castle virtues content to be a doer as well as a thinker, prefer lifting our pen rather than un-sheath our sword |
Posted By: febus
Date Posted: October 09 2008 at 14:38
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Not to be missed is the 3-cds set 30 Jahren live.... One CD is a concert from modern day-Guru Guru The second one is kind Of Guru Guru meets ''crazy'' friends like Damo Suzuki of Can fame........a real treat The third one is a concert of the original line up back then in 1970, real stoned-psych.
Only $ 20 online....................a must-have
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Posted By: febus
Date Posted: October 09 2008 at 14:41
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Also i happen to listen more to recent Guru Guru albums than their first ones.
As mentioned above WAH WAH is fantastic; the same goes for In The Guru Lounge.
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Posted By: BaldJean
Date Posted: October 09 2008 at 15:50
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we have their latest, PSY, and it is great
------------- A shot of me as High Priestess of Gaia during our fall festival. Ceterum censeo principiis obsta |
Posted By: Vibrationbaby
Date Posted: October 10 2008 at 00:14
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Trying to get PSY. Can't find a store that can order it yet. I don't deal over the internet. ------------- |
Posted By: BaldJean
Date Posted: October 10 2008 at 00:48
order it directly from their homepage. here a link to their mail-order form: http://mani-neumeier.de/guruguru/guru_10_shop.htm - http://mani-neumeier.de/guruguru/guru_10_shop.htm ------------- A shot of me as High Priestess of Gaia during our fall festival. Ceterum censeo principiis obsta |
Posted By: Vibrationbaby
Date Posted: October 10 2008 at 06:33
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I don't use the internet for anything which involves money. Too many rip off artists out there. i listened to some samples. Worth waiting for as always. I don't even trust the mailman anymore. The clowns at Canada Post loses so much mail. Someone recently tried to send me a CD twice from the United States TWICE and both times it wasn't delivered. ------------- |
Posted By: BaldJean
Date Posted: October 10 2008 at 06:37
you suspect Guru Guru of ripping you off?  ------------- A shot of me as High Priestess of Gaia during our fall festival. Ceterum censeo principiis obsta |
Posted By: Vibrationbaby
Date Posted: October 10 2008 at 06:45
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Of course not. Mani & Co were never in it for the money and were ripped off left right and center at times. I'm going to try and get it directly through Fusion III. ------------- |
Posted By: el dingo
Date Posted: October 15 2008 at 04:03
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My mate bought Dance of the Flames when it came out and I quite liked it at the time.
I rediscovered Dagobert Duck's 100th Birthday a few months back and what strikes me over the 30 year gap is just how bloody HA HA FUNNY that track is.
Hendrix meets McLauchlin meets Walt Disney meets Lenny Bruce I'd say. Love the drum sound throughout and the outro sounds like part of a Gun n Roses outtake to me...
I've been cheffing all summer and it's been a favourite in the kitchen with the other guys.
Next Time I'll F*** the Duck has become a catchphrase and we don't even have duck on the menu.
Quack Quack. ------------- It's not that I can't find worth in anything, it's just that I can't find worth in enough. |
Posted By: superprog
Date Posted: October 15 2008 at 06:18
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i have UFO and Hinten, great psyched-up Krautrock power!!!
anybody here know of Mani's most recent collab with Acid Mothers Temple, called (u guesed it) Acid Mothers Guru Guru????
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Posted By: BaldJean
Date Posted: October 15 2008 at 07:53
great album, definitely get it ------------- A shot of me as High Priestess of Gaia during our fall festival. Ceterum censeo principiis obsta |
Posted By: Vibrationbaby
Date Posted: October 15 2008 at 11:01
------------- |
Posted By: febus
Date Posted: October 15 2008 at 11:23
Great explanation
 Dance of the Flames is a great Guru Guru album.........I don't see it as a black sheep or something different as every G.GURU album is ...different with their own wacky personality.......! My black sheep would be the first side of GURU GURU 4(i think) from 1973..the one with the medley from Eddie Cochran.........odd
 .............still love a lot side 2 with ''Der Elektrolurch'' and the great ''The Story Of Life''..,...................2 great tunes!! |
Posted By: el dingo
Date Posted: October 15 2008 at 11:32
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Thanks for that - insight is always a blessing and I'm grateful.
I can't run away from it... I still LOVE that track. I didn't know what GG fans thought at the time but it does make sense what you say. I won;t attempt to respell the guitarist;s name, but if you're in the right mood (!) the comedy element disappears and it rocks its socks off. Perhaps he's been thru a few batteries on his pedals in his time?
Guess you;ve heard it already, but if you've not Gong's You is pretty good, too. Saw Can at Dagenham Roundhouse around 73. I;m no died in the wool Krautrock fan but they were amazing live. Irwin Schmidt on vocals if I remember.
Thank you. ------------- It's not that I can't find worth in anything, it's just that I can't find worth in enough. |
Posted By: Vibrationbaby
Date Posted: October 15 2008 at 11:52
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If you can find it there`s a bootleg kicking around called UNCUTS with Dagobert Duck`s 100th Birthday, Girl From Hirschorn & Der Elektrolurch with Guitarist Connie Veit ( Popol Vuh & Gila ). Not as good as the Nejadepour versions from Dance Of The Flames though. ------------- |
Posted By: Alberto Muñoz
Date Posted: October 15 2008 at 13:08
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Good band, specially his first four a lbums -------------  |
Posted By: febus
Date Posted: October 15 2008 at 13:31
Oh! Try their last albums as well....give it a try! they're still doing amazing music.....Wah Wah!..Moshi Moshi, 2000gurus, In The Guru Lounge.......all good
 I have a friend who just got the last one PSY, they haven't lost a step...i have to get this one as well!
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Posted By: Vibrationbaby
Date Posted: October 15 2008 at 13:42
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Just managed to obtain a copy of PSY. No kidding, they definitely haven`t lost it. Wah! Wah! is great. Lots of "hendrixy" guitar.
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Posted By: febus
Date Posted: October 15 2008 at 13:47
Yes, the guuuuuitar!!
 .too bad the guitarist only lasted one album. Wah Wah is actually the GG i listen the most to!Also worth mentioning is the triple CD set: ''30 Jahre live''
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Posted By: Vibrationbaby
Date Posted: October 15 2008 at 14:09
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I think the one I listen the most to is Kan Guru. Very experimental and the first one with more refined studio tricks courtesy of the late Connie Plank. Also because it drives so many of my friends nuts. They`re like kids who won`t eat their broccoli. One of my girlfriend`s friends in high scool thought I had mental problems when I played the whole thing at a house party. This girl seriously thought that should see a shrink. I forked out about $50 for "30 Jarre Live". Worth every penny. I just saw UFO going for $47 at HMV in Montréal. I`m listening to Don`t Call Us We Call You at the moment.
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Posted By: el dingo
Date Posted: October 16 2008 at 03:11
Yeah, there's something in this broccoli thing.
I used to have to prep loads of the stuff in the kitchen and (when head chef wasn't around) found that a dose of Soon Over Babaluma helped the drudgery pass. Maybe I chopped the veg while Schmidt chopped the keyboard? ------------- It's not that I can't find worth in anything, it's just that I can't find worth in enough. |