| Reviews Biography Guru Guru should be one of the corner stone acts of any Krautrock collection.  The first three albums with their classic lineup of Neumeier, Genrich and Trepte, and in particular, the first and third, are all essential German rock opuses.  After KanGuru they reportedly went downhill, though there are apparently a number of very good tracks buried within the confines of their apparently mediocre, fusion-oriented latter day catalog.  They merged with members of the group Kraan in the mid 70s for Mani und Seine Freunde.  The band continues to exist to this day in various forms, though I don't believe anything of gripping interest has been released.  However, one pleasant surprise did emerge in 1995 when an old demo of an Ula Trepte solo project, featuring members of Embryo, resurfaced.  This is reportedly quite good, although newcomers would be advised to stick to the band's first three classic albums. - Greg Northrup [January 2002] UFO (1970) Guru Guru's classic debut album has to be one of the definitive moments in the Krautrock chronology. It is a monster work, and one which severely assaults the consciousness with waves of desert scorched guitar lashes along with acid laced, enchantingly amorphous rhythmic pulsing. On first listen the album appears sloppy, disjointed, confused and almost incomprehensible. Further listens will reveal a well of focused, completely intentional creative drive that makes UFO one of Krautrock's most immense sonic statements. Open minded listeners, and fans of the kind of cosmic jamming that typify many of the other guitar oriented Krautrock bands, will no doubt adore the album. While lacking the up-tempo, driving fury of say, Ash Ra Tempel's debut, UFO finds Guru Guru creating hulking, downbeat walls of guitar drenched intensity. Like Black Sabbath on an orgasmic acid trip, the rhythm section shows little regard for set "beats", time signatures and the like, preferring to create bruising heaps of bass grooves and cymbal crashes, speeding up, slowing down and falling completely off the tracks as they see fit. Above this, guitarist Axel Genrich contributes layers of blistering guitar, guiding the band from climax to shivering cataclysm. Once the initial shock wears off, UFO is actually a thoroughly enjoyable album, though among the more adventurous works in an already pretty "out there" musical climate. Indeed, I might even prefer subsequent albums like Hinten and, in particular, KanGuru on a purely aesthetic level, given their greater compositional cohesiveness and ability to retain a groove. Parts of the title track are a little too empty and cacophonous even for me. That said, UFO remains the band's biggest statement. Hell, how can one help but view an album with a title like "Der LSD Marsch" with fondness? - Greg Northrup [January 2002] Click Here for Tracklist and Lineup Info Hinten (1971) Despite possessing one of the most tasteless album covers I've ever seen, the second album in Guru Guru's classic early 70s trilogy is another fine example of bombed out Krautrock bliss. Fittingly, it's sort of in between the complete deep space mayhem of their revolutionary UFO and the more (relatively) structured, riff-oriented blitzkrieg of KanGuru. Once again, newcomers to the genre might find it difficult to get into. While the rhythmic drive of the album is a little more logical than the thrilling cacophony of UFO, the frenetic, soaring guitar and sheer irreverence will send those not attuned to the style screaming away in droves. The goofy, addictively eccentric vocal style of the band makes its first appearance here, making itself known through strange grunts and spoken word nonsense. Musically, the album begins at a point that isn't too dissimilar from Hendrix or Cream; ball busting riffs and wailing, psychedelically inspired guitar solos. However, Guru Guru takes this approach into the stratosphere, complementing it with free form structures, strange electronics and often straight up noise. While the album doesn't provoke the same kind of priceless "what the fuck?" reaction as UFO, or provide the same level of sheer enjoyment as its follow-up, KanGuru, it's not a terrible starting place in that it strikes a middle ground between the two, and might be the most representative of the band's early style. . - Greg Northrup [January 2002] Click Here for Tracklist and Lineup Info KanGuru (1972) Guru Guru's third album is easily my favorite from the band, and probably one of my favorite German albums overall. After hinting at a more focused approach on their last album, Hinten, Guru Guru resurfaces as a tightly wound ensemble centered around some serious grooves and earth shattering riffs. Indeed, KanGuru is certainly the most accessible of the first three albums. Driving guitar and bass themes create massive walls of sound that can easily compete with Black Sabbath in the heaviness department. Of course, Guru Guru doesn't take themselves nearly as seriously, and counter this with exhilarating guitar runs, intense, unrestrained jams and nonsensical lyrics. The only caveat here I suppose is the prominence of the vocals, which I love, but many might see as unnecessarily goofy. For me, Uli Trepte's eccentric grunts and warbles perfectly accent the mountainous grooves contained herein. "Oxymoron" is a kick ass opener, highlighted by a stunted, addictive main riff accentuated by a rhythmic vocal motif. "Immer Lustig" is the piece that most recalls UFO, with wide, abstract brushstrokes of sound. "Baby Cake Walk" and "Ooga Booga" are where the album really hits "classic" status for me. These tracks just kill. Explosive guitar runs and surging, heavy-as-fuck bass riffs along with that off the wall, percussive vocal warble. An incredibly eccentric album that remains fairly accessible, although the more adventurous listener will perhaps find UFO even more invigorating. In my book, KanGuru stands as a true blue Krautrock classic. - Greg Northrup [January 2002] Click Here for Tracklist and Lineup Info Essen 1970 (1970) [CD - Garden of Delights - GOD 075 - 2003] As far as archival live releases go, they generally don’t get a whole lot better than this. Guru Guru were one of the quintessential exporters of that peculiarly chaotic and irreverent strain of rock and roll that emerged in Germany the late 60s. Despite having an exceptionally long, and quite prolific, career, it’s really the first three or four Guru Guru albums that cemented their names in the selective pantheon of true Krautrock immortals. Upon hearing that an archival Guru Guru release was on the market, my first instinct, of course, was to make sure it was culled from their classic era. Thankfully, Essen 1970, as indicated by its title, definitely falls within the preferred time window. The material is drawn from the period between their first album, the audaciously bombastic debut UFO, and the crazed, relatively more focused, assault of their second album, Hinten. Things couldn’t be more perfect, at least in that regard. Unfortunately, that doesn’t quite s eal the deal. A few years ago, some classic-era live Guru Guru material surfaced in conjunction with an aborted Uli Trepte solo project (entitled Hot on Spot/In Between), but the results were less than satisfying, due in large part to the poor sound quality. Fortunately, Essen 1970 manages to finally deliver on the promise of that earlier release. It would be tough to match the track selection, opening as it does with a brooding “Stone In” from the first album, followed by a climactic, mind-blowing take on fan favorite "Der LSD Marsch." The album closes with a work from their upcoming album Hinten in “Bo Diddley,” and the version here is considerably more disorderly than the one which would end up on the record. Guru Guru’s approach at this stage manages to reference the avant-garde and, especially, free jazz, while being fully immersed in psychedelia. It’s an effective blend, whirling uncontrollably from muscular, Sabbath-y bass riffs to guitar freakouts and arrhythmic, free-form madness. Sure the cymbals are a little loud, and the Axel Gengrich’s guitar onslaught could stand to be a little more audible, but besides that, there is little to fuss over with this release. This is propulsive, brain-frying, guitar-driven Krautrock that would make as good an introduction to the group as any of their studio albums. - Greg Northrup [October 2003] Click Here for Tracklist and Lineup Info