Guru Guru

 Dudeous Maximus, great taste in music, as usual. "Green Eyed Lady" was my favourite song on the radio during the summer it came out! I was just a kid, but I can remember grooving to it on a jukebox while vacationing in Maine with my family. Still a great song, after all these years! I also really loved Golden Earring's "Radar Love" back then (still do!), but then, who didn't? (besides WA#KERS, that is....)

True Confession: The first single I ever bought (on 45, natch), was "Sugar Sugar" by the Archies. (Hey! I was very young!) I made up for that with my first elpee, though: Simon & Garfunkel's essential "Sounds of Silence."  I got my parents to order it for me from the record club. I must have been about eight years old. Yes, I was cool when still given to drool....

(Cue high-pitched and off-key little boy's voice) "I am a rock, I am an i-i-island"

( For Peter Rideout & whoever does not know who Guru Guru is )

Unfortunately this band is not represented over the web that well so I will try to giv a brief synopsis for those not familiar with this pioneering band. They were formed in 1968 by Swiss born leader and drummer Mani Nuemaier in Hamburg, West Germany. ( I think it was Hamburg ). Nuemaier had played in various jazz bands in Switzerland and Germany before forming a trio called Guru Guru Groove which ultimately became Guru Guru with "Ax" Grenich on guitar and Uli Trempte on bass. They recorded an album called UFO in 1970 on for the old Ohr label. It was a totally spaced out  psycedelic album with titles like Der LSD Marsch and overdriven electric guitars dominated which made no bones about who their influences were. The two follow up albums Hinten in 1971 and Kanguru in 1972 were similar but more polished . Kanguru was certainly more structured and proved to their audiences that there was more to Guru Guru than dropping acid, turning the amps up to eleven and lettin' her rip. Every thing from free form jazz to straight rock could be heard here and it became the fan favourite. If I would have to compare this music to anything it would be early Amon Duul II. Anyway, the next two albums were more subdued and moved towards more straight rock compositions ( if that can be said of Guru Guru ). The first personel change came in late 1973 when Uli Trempte left to go solo and was replaced by Hans Hartman on bass and their release that year (on Atlantic Records), Don't Call Us, We'll Call You spawned a Guru Guru trademark song called "Der Elektrolurch" a spaced out track about an electric amphibian-like creature. A few compilations came out during this era and a new album was released in April 1974 with a new guitar player, Persian born Houschang Nejadepour formerly of the recently disbanded jazz/rock group Eillif. Apart from one trippy track which opens side two this album can easily be mistaken for a Mahavishnu Orchestra album from 1972or 73! Nejadepour certainly sounds like McLaughlin in terms of speed, phrasings, riffs and assimilation of Asian  techniques into his playing.I've tricked a few people into thinking that this is a long lost Mahavishnu bootleg! This was my favourite Guru Guru album but unfortunately this incarnation lasted only a few months in 1974. Unfortunately also, is that it is not available on CD officially. I have an excellent copy of a bootleg which was obviously made by copying a vinyl disc. Nuemaier, who was the only constant in the group went on to perform and record with various musicians under the name Guru Guru but in a more jazz-rock vien occasionally re-visiting the Guru Guru acid days here and there. 1978's Guru guru Live contains an excellent mix of early and more contemporary tracks of the day. As far as I know the band is still active having played gigs in Germany and Holland as recently as last year. Throughout the 1980's and 90's Nuemaier has recorded a number of solo albums as well as albums under the GuruGuru name. You might want to check out Moishi Moishi (1997) Wah Wha (1995) or Mani In Germany (1981) For the earlier recordings go for Space Ship Vols. I & II, great compilations and  very representative how the band evolved chronologically. Mani Nuemaier has a web-site www.guru-guru.com/start.htm but last time I checked it it was in German. There! Guru Guru 101!

 I like the title "Kanguru" best, so I voted for that one! Did the old elpee have a pouch to put the record in? Was it bouncy music? Did the needle jump all over the place when you played it?

Seriously, Vibe, who were they, where & when were they from, and what other bands could you compare these obvious Prog icons to?