Guru Guru - Mani und Seine Freunde (1975/2006 Remastered Expanded Deluxe Edition)
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Album: Guru Guru - Mani und Seine Freunde (Remastered Expanded Edition)
Released: 1975 (2005)
Genre: Jazz-Rock
Revisited Records/SPV - 304312 CD
Reissue of 1975 classic from stylishly-avant garde Kraut collective (a major influence on Nurse With Wound) featuring Hans Joachim Rodelius (Cluster) on keyboards. Ist sehr gut, ja? - Freak Emporium
Guru Guru started out around the same time and on the same label as Tangerine Dream, and the second lp I have, Hinten, is really spacey guitar rock with some effects and radio thrown in. Definite Hendrix influences and really really fun but simple space rock. Dances of the Flames (? from memory) is so much like a Mahavishnu sound that a friend of mine flipped when he heard it. The line up changes over time and the hit another peak on Mani und Seine Freunde, which is drummer Mani Neumier(sp?) with members of Kraan, Karthago, and Harmonia (which is basically Cluster, otherwise known as Mobius and Rhodelius). This one reaches a funky jazz rock sound that has that germanic tinge, I dunno how these german guys do it, but there's a sincerity these german groups that shines through even though they usually sing in English with funny accents)... - New Gibraltar Encyclopedia Of Progressive Rock
The incredible German band Guru Guru have put out lots of incredible albums in the 70's, this one is no exception, even though it's basically Mani Neumeier with members from Karthago, Harmonia and Kraan. All compositions on the first side of the record are by various Kraan members, who brought along their brand of jazz-rock and, at least to these ears, sounds very much like a missing Kraan album : Sunrise is Everywhere is an up-tempo jazzy-pop track, Chicken Rock is a very Kraan-like tune, complete with goofy humour, It's Your Turn is a lengthy instrumental jam in laid-back mood with some wonderful moog- playing from Ingo Bischof, Walking, Eating my Hot Dog is again a kind of jazzy-pop tune with goofy lyrics and memorable riff and finishing side 1 is a brief jam titled Fly Easy, as it's title suggests, lounge-jazz smoothness. Side 2 is where we get to the highly imaginative thoughts of Mani with From Another World, which is,well, from another world - very spacey intro, then an almost tribal section with various hand percussion, piccolo and chanting, back into space for a mellow jam with great synth sounds. Clocking in at 9:25, the track is a classic. Next up is the novelty track, Woodpecker's Dream. During it's near 9 minute duration we go through a kind of dreamy, lullaby section with forest noises and cuckoo, running water etc. then comes another percussion section with what can only be described like a conversation between 2 woodpeckers, then more spaciness. Fantastic !! The last 2 short pieces are quirky and round off this wonderfully eclectic and experimental album in good spirit - Tom Ozric, ProgArchives.com
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, ProgWeed.net
GURU GURU were one of the wildest and most imaginative bands to emerge from the 1970`s Krautrock scene and gave definition to the term. Fulled by a combination of LSD and loud raunchy experimental music which might seem to be unstructured, it indeed incorporated many styles, from jazz to pop. These influences became more and more evident as the band’s career progressed.
The constant member was drummer Mani Nuemier and the band up to the mid-1970`s led a communal life. Guitarist Ax Genrich formerly of AGITATION FREE and bass player Uli Trepte completed the trio which remained intact until 1973 when Trepte went solo and was replaced by jazz man Hans Hartman whose playing resembled that of John Wetton in KING CRIMSON. GURU GURU`s music in the early 1970`s, as many will say was the absolutely freakiest of the day and sometimes had an outright deranged sense of humor on behalf of Mani Nuemier. A turning point for the band came in 1974 with the replacement of Genrich on guitar with ex-Eiliff guitarist Houschang Nejadepour who brought eastern sensibilities to the band as well as a more streamlined sound. They almost sounded like a reincarnation of the MAHAVISHNU ORCHESTRA of 1972 minus the violin and keyboards.
Nevertheless this line up was to be short lived and Nejadepour was temporarily replaced by Connie Viet. Many personal changes were to follow as the band moved into more funkier and jazzier stylings but at the same time frequently revisiting it’s drugged out roots. Tracks such as “Atomolch” and “Moroso” demonstrate this from “Heydu” and “Globetrotter”. A 1978 live album also reflects Mani’s desire to stay connected with band’s spaced out origins. The band remains active to this day and also has a huge following in Japan where they have often toured and has gone through no less than 26 personal changes. Mr. GURU GURU himself, Mani Nuemier, one of the greatest drummers ever is a German rock icon. - ProgArchives.com
If one were to compile a list of the most important German rock pioneers of all time, then Guru Guru would surely occupy one of the top places. After their live premiere in the late summer of 1968, the band maintained its position throughout the Seventies, Eighties and Nineties as one of the most colourful German groups of all time, formed by drummer, vocalist and composer Mani Neumeier. "Our style is a permanent break in style", the anarchistic, yet creative Neumeier describes his original musical vision which brought clear contrast into the German music landscape. From the very beginning his group, originally influenced by free jazz, worked in a more varied style than any other, always experimenting with diverse rhythms and different musical styles, ranging from ethnic to rock and psychedelic.
Early on, the press recognised a kind of German counterpart to the British rock giants of the time, "If it weren't for publicity playing a major part in fame and recognition, Guru Guru would have long since earned a reputation for being the Cream of the Seventies", wrote the editor of the German music magazine Sounds some 30 years ago. From 1973 on, the "Elektrolurch" became the focus of their fiery live performances. Neumeier's alter ego, in which he would dance around a big cauldron like some cannibal, wearing a self-made mask and military trousers. While doing this, he would blow up jumbo balloons with a coloured vacuum cleaner and drag caged chicken onto the stage, letting them free and chasing them into the audience! Furthermore, he also invented the so-called "Mani-Tom", an inflatable drum. The pitch of the drum could be varied through the varying amounts of air that it contained. Guru Guru were always a very technically skilled show band. Neumeier himself was a highly creative drummer, a rock circus entertainer with thrilling musical visions.
The band emphasised their colourful image with infamous stage performances that fell somewhere between genius and insanity, balancing slapstick and culture. Throughout the Seventies, the band chose to follow the typical commune style ideal with the musicians, their girlfriends, acquaintances and road crew all living together in a big old farm in the Odenwald forest. Guru Guru recorded many records with different line ups which, depending on your taste, were either relentlessly torn to pieces ("absolutely terrible music", New Musical Express on "Dance Of Flames", 1974) or euphorically praised ("actually one of the best German records", Musik Express on "Tango Fango", 1976). In 1976 the band performed on Rockpalast, a televised concert show on German TV network WDR, and also acted in the TV film "Notwehr" for the ZDF TV network. In the movie, they portray a rock music combo, who settle in a small village but are rejected by the locals who think they are layabouts.
In the summer of 1979 the group embarked for the first time on a 35 date tour of the USA and proved to be a worthy ambassador for German rock music and culture. American daily paper, the Illinois Entertainer acknowledged Guru Guru as "one of the most colourful and dynamic bands" and praised their eclectic mixture of styles. As a result of his complex musical preferences, Neumeier alternated the band's line-up regularly. In the beginning Guru Guru played as a trio, mixing acid rock with other styles. They progressed to a quartet, mixing jazz with ethnic styles. Later they would expand to five, six or seven members and incorporated electronic and South American elements to their music. Additionally, individual members released solo albums which featured guests from the cream of German rock bands such as Kraan and Cluster.
The musicians continued to earn their living solely through touring. To date, Neumeier and Guru Guru have performed over 3000 (!) concerts in Europe, America and Japan and they have released 23 albums in various incarnations. Since 1980, Neumeier has been a practising Zen Buddhist. "Regarding that, I'm still connected with the whole hippie ideal, living together, love of nature, ecological awareness. All that still counts for me". Towards the end of the 90's, an updated version of the "Elektrolurch" was born with the addition of J?rgen Engler from German industrial metal band Krupps, proving just how modern and forward thinking they continued to be.
The significance of Guru Guru continues to be just as relevant in today's musical climate. In the summer of 1998, the band celebrated their 30th concert anniversary in front of 5000 enthusiastic people at the Finkenbach Festival near Heidelberg and documented the event on the album "30 Jahre Live". Two years later Neumeier released the album "2000 Gurus" and since then he has regularly toured throughout the Far East. To coincide with a series of re-issues of classic Guru Guru albums, Revisited Records released the band's brand new studio album in October 2005. "In The Guru Lounge" proves just how innovative and original the band is in this present day. - Matthias Mineur
Let's briefly think back to 1975 and the main political events that were unfolding. In Germany, the radical left wing terrorist group RAF (Red Army Party) spread fear and terror, compelling the government to pass emergency legislation. In May 1975 arrested RAF leader, Ulrike Meinhof committed suicide in her prison cell at Stuttgart-Stammheim and this escalated the situation between the terrorists and the federal government. The United States had elected Jimmy Carter as their new president, the first southerner to come to power since 1849. The death of Dictator Franco signalled the end of decades of dictatorship in Spain.
In the world of music, 1975 was a critically important year also. International masterpieces such as Jethro Tull's "Minstrel In The Gallery", Zappa's "One Size Fits All", Led Zeppelin's "Physical Graffiti" and Pink Floyd's "Wish You Were Here" all arrived in record stores. The German music scene also had its share of important releases with Kraan's brilliant "Let It Out". Atlantis released their album "Get On Board" which had been influenced by their US tour and Kraftwerk released the successor to "Autobahn" with "Radio-Activity1'. But one of the most important German acts from the south of the country, Guru Guru was in crisis mode. Guitarist Ax Genrich had already left the band the year before and the temporary live line up of guitarists Sepp Jandristis and Klaus Walz as well as bassist J?rgen "Yogi" Karpenkiel no longer existed.
Band leader Mani Neumeier was forced into a decision and was encouraged by his friends in Kraan to go solo. "Hellmut Hattler, the bassist of Kraan, said to me, just do a solo album, we'll help you with if. No sooner had the suggestion been made and Neumeier entered Conny Plank's studio together with Kraan musicians Hattler, Peter Wolbrandt (guitar), Jan Fride (percussions), and Ingo Bischof (keyboards) and Karthago percussionist Thommy Goldschmidt. "Mani und seine Freunde" was produced in just eight days and certainly ranks among one of the best records of Neumeier's career. The technical expertise that came from Kraan and the varied compositions of Guru Guru's leader proved to be a successful combination. "The record company gave me a free hand so we could give free reign to our ideas", says Neumeier as he recalls another thrilling chapter in his life.
About half of the songs were written by Neumeier, while the other half were created with in partnership with the guest musicians. The opener "Sunrise Is Everywhere" was composed by Peter Wolbrandt, "It's Your Turn" was a song written by keyboardist Ingo Bischof. The collaboration between Neumeier and Hattler, which gave birth to the number "Chicken Rock", was particularly well received by fans.
Apart from his friends in Kraan, Neumeier also secured the services of Dieter M?bius, from the bands Cluster and Harmonia. M?bius contributed an electrifying synthesiser part for the song "1, 2, 3, 4, Marsch'n'Rock". Aside from vocals and drums, Neumeier also performed various exotic instruments such as baby piano, Maniscope, and the Tonj?germeister. "The work on 'Mani und seine Freunde', from today's view, belongs to the best time I ever experienced in the studio", says Neumeier still full of enthusiasm today in 2005. "When you listen to the record today, you have to say that once again, we were very much ahead of our time in 1975"-
The album is also very important from anther perspective. Before this record Neumeier had only ever worked in a band environment. With his first solo album completed, he became emancipated as an independent musician. "This album gave me self confidence and it showed me that I can realise my ideas with every other musician".
As a previously unreleased bonus track, this re-issue features a live recording of the song "From Another World", illegally recorded as a bootleg on March 23rd, 1974 at the Underground in Bonn-Muffendorf. This remains the only recording in existence of the line-up featuring Mani Neumeier, Klaus Walz, Yogi Karpenkiel and Sepp jandristis and was given to Guru Guru's leader as a gift from a fan. - Matthias Mineur, CD Notes
1 Sunrise Is Everywhere 02:56
2 Chicken Rock 03:13
3 It's Your Turn 07:13
4 Walking, Eating My Hot Dog 03:38
5 Fly Easy 02:34
6 From Another World 09:49
7 Woodpecker's Dream 08:50
8 1,2,3,4, Marsch'n'Rock 01:36
9 Drink Wine 02:16
10 From Another World (live bonus track) 09:21
Champion Jack Dupree - keyboards
Gerd Dudek - wind
Ax Genrich - guitar
Dieter Moebius - keyboards
Ingo Bischof - keyboards
Christa Fast - vocals
Jan Fride - keyboards
Tommy Goldschmidt - percussion
Hellmut Hattler - bass
Sepp Jandrisits - guitar
Jogi Karpentiel - bass
Mani Neumeier - drums, keyboards, producer
Conrad Plank - guitar, keyboards
Peter Wolfbrandt - guitar
Roedelius - keyboards
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