Guru Guru (& related) ~ Germany

Kanguru (1972)

---June 2005

Closest early era Guru Guru got to mixing song craft with their unique blitzed out acid psych sound. Comes off like a twisted 8th dimension Jimi Hendrix. Pretty hard not to call this a classic, though it would be just as easy to see how this could turn people off.

---12/22/25

For whatever reason, I'm not really all that familiar with Kanguru, Guru Guru's third effort, despite owning the LP for well over 30 years. I had dumped my Brain CD not too long ago, and later thought this title warranted owning in both formats. So this listen was appointed to the top because of the reacquisition of the latest CD, as the LP hasn't been chosen randomly in 20 years. I didn't realize I had any notes until a search came up with the above. Let's see how it goes this time.

For some reason I remember the opening to 'Immer Lustig', not so much the rest. The translated title certainly reflects Mani Neumeier's silliness on the back cover. I'm just as unfamiliar with the predecessor Hinten, and I feel like knowing that album better would help me frame my narrative for Kanguru. And the transition from UFO to here. Kanguru is without a doubt still off the rails in high intensity heavy cosmic acid psych. Which was becoming unusual at that time. Even Amon Duul II had settled by 1972, though groups like Ash Ra Tempel were still climbing that mountain. Having said that, there is a distinct move towards composition here, as loose as they may be. As the music goes off into space and grinds its way through various jams, suddenly a cohesive new rhythm would appear complete with an unheard melody. There's no indication when this may happen, it's completely random. This isn't progressive rock in the slightest, but it does have some similarities in the unpredictability. When reading my short notes from 20 years ago, I managed to distill fairly well what's happening here. I would think Kanguru would be an easier introduction to Guru Guru than UFO, unless you are already predisposed to the insane German psych underground like I was (and documented below).

Ownership: 

1972 Brain (LP). Gatefold. Green Brain Metronome.

2025 Made in Germany (CD). Digisleeve. Booklet with historical liner notes (same notes as the 2009 Revisited reissue).

1992 (LP acquired); 1996 (Brain CD acquired); 6//05 (notes); 12/22/25 (MIG CD acquired / review)

Dance of the Flames (1974)

This is the odd album out in the Guru Guru canon. Former Eiliff guitarist Houshang Nejadepour took over the reins from Ax Genrich, and it's obvious he took over the musical direction of Guru Guru at this point too. And they needed it, after releasing the halfway stupid (and halfway great) self-titled 4th, and the ridiculous Don't Call Us We Call You albums. Heavily influenced by the McLaughlin / Santana opus Love Devotion and Surrender, Nejadepour gives us an intense guitar centric blast of emotional instrumental rock. Neumeier gets a rare chance to shows his formative jazz percussion chops while special mention should go to jazz bassist Hans Hartmann (AR & Machines, ID Company) who turns in a monster performance. Still, you can just hear Mani in the studio "oh please, please, let me do one goofy thing, pleeeassssssse." And so he gets his fun on the first track with a Donald Duck impersonation and bad vocals throughout (though the music is excellent). "Very nice Mani... now go back to your drum kit and shut up". 'The Girl From Hirschhorn' is a truly remarkable track, an extremely intense emotional and melodic workout, and the song that states this album was going to be a great departure from whatever came before it. 'The Day of Timestop', and 'God's Endless Love for Men' could have been lifted from Mahavishnu Orchestra's "The Inner Mounting Flame" sessions. 'Rallulli' sounds more like acoustic Embryo than Guru Guru.

After one album of spiritual enlightenment, Mani obviously wanted no part of that, and the group went back to being the goofball vehicle it had become, and never again was Guru Guru to release anything of that much interest IMO. Houshang was gone. Neumeier himself, however, did immerse in interesting projects, even today with the UFO styled Neumeier – Genrich - Schmidt and Gurumaniax projects. But Guru Guru as a band never again reached the heights of Dance of the Flames. Whatever happened to Nejadepour? What a talent!

Ownership:

1974 Atlantic Germany (LP)

2006 Revisited / SPV (CD). Tri-fold digi-pak. The liner notes include a full history of Guru Guru and a separate one for the album itself. Nice photos and an excellent 7+ minute live track round it out. It does sound to my ears that this was mastered from vinyl however. 

1989 (LP acquired); 1997; 9//06 (CD acquired / review); 8/6/15 (update)

 

Gurumaniax - Psy Valley Hill (2010)

Presumably, the members of Gurumaniax need no introduction, nor does its core group Guru Guru, so off to my notes we go.

Almost everyone I know that is aged 70 tends to be a doddering Grandfather, or someone who fiddles in the yard / garden to pass the day. Some are more active of course - maybe they travel extensively, run a restaurant, or they still immerse themselves in day-to-day corporate business. But absolutely no one I know at age 70 has recorded a KRAUTROCK ACID FREAKOUT album, as has Mr. Neumeier, who was already 30 when the monumental UFO was released in 1970. Joining Mani is the youngster guitarist Ax Genrich who was only 25 when UFO was launched. And Belgian bassist Guy Segers (Univers Zero) fills in ably for Uli Trepte (RIP) - himself no spring chicken. The music squarely fits into the exploratory Ohr years of Guru Guru, with heavy psychedelic jams offset by spacey parts. What an inspiration to see these guys still possess the spirit of their youth. I just hope I still have the excitement of listening to this stuff at 70! Gurumaniax's music make kids in their 20s put on the oxygen masks. I love it.

Ownership: 2010 Bureau B (CD)

4/10/13 (acquired / review)

 

UFO (1970)

I knew it was the best album in the stack. It was only a matter of time to when I could get home and hear it. Home to the United States that is. It was London, May of 1987, and I had picked up a pile of records from the Virgin Megastore, plus many others from our swing through Continental Europe. But I knew UFO was going to be the big winner. It was the Pop Import release of course, but even those were extinct in the record stores back home in Dallas. The day-glo gatefold cover of an orange flying saucer against the textured yellow background. The Ohr/ear symbol at the top (perfectly simulated with the new Captain Trip Japanese mini-LP release - right down the exact slickness of the cover). The giant ear on Uli Trepte's profile. Even the birthdates were telling. 1940, 1941 and 1945. To say, at the time of recording, roughly 25, 29 and 30 years old - pointing to the value of experience over youthful naivete. The track names 'Stone In', 'Girl Call', 'Next Time See You at the Dalai Lhama', 'UFO', and 'Der LSD-Marsch'. The liner notes in English: Soon the UFOs will land and mankind will meet much stronger brains and habits. Lets get ready for that. - P. Hinten. There were German notes as well, and they looked cool too. It had to be everything I imagined an unhinged German psychedelic record to be. I had read about it, and now I had it my hands. I could barely wait to fly home. Jet-lag be damned, it was on the home stereo the moment I walked in the door. It was an experience I would never forget.

Blam, blam goes Ax Genrich's massive fuzz guitar. BASH goes Mani Neumeier's gong / cymbals / percussion. Uli Trepte adds a bass line, and we're already in MID JAM form 15 seconds into the recording! And it gets only more intense from there. Brain frying acid guitar as the pace picks up and moaning wordless chants cascade over the mayhem. This isn't a mindless jam ala the Acid Mother's Temple. Everything is coherent, with a purpose, the work of 3 experienced jazz trained road warriors. They were already masters of their trade, but applied to a new kind of instrumental psychedelic free rock. 'Stone In' is 5:42 of perfection. Maybe the greatest opening sequence in psychedelic history. 'Girl Call' follows and is no less powerful, allowing us a viewpoint in what might have been the first minute of 'Stone In', before launching into another insane jam. The transition from the heightened tensions of 'Girl Call' to the fast paced Eastern oriented jam of 'Next Time See You at the Dalai Lhama' still sends shivers down my spine. By the end of Side 1, I can say with some conviction: It is perfect.

We theoretically flip the record over and visit the lengthy title track. Here Guru Guru shows their abstract side. An exercise in psychedelic decomposition. Rhythmnless. Intense to the point of painful. Out of the abyss rises 'Der LSD-Marsch', and the acid guitar trio is back in form, igniting your stereo in flames. If it went another hour, it would only be better. I can think of less than 10 albums I'd say that about.

21 years after that first encounter, I hear UFO better than ever. A true all-time classic that has transcended time.

Ownership:

1970 Ohr (LP). Gatefold. Original 56 version. 

2008 Captain Trip (CD). Gatefold papersleeve.

5/17/87 (Pop Import LP acquired); 8/20/08 (CD acquired / review); 12/4/21 (update)

Also own and need to revisit: Hinten; Guru Guru (1973); Hot on Spot / Inbetween; Psychedelic Monsterjam; The Intergalactic Travel Agency

I've owned many other titles, some I need to revisit, others I know can be left at the door.

6/8/09 (new entry)