Request for Info: Guru Guru/Ax Genrich

Was Genrich really in Agitation Free?! I don't think so; I've never heard that before. But don't let that stop you from hearing them! All their records are great but I'm partial to Second.

Actually it's funny you started this thread because I was planning to go buy a copy of the Genrich Best Of disc on ATM tomorrow (which basically contains the whole of his Highdelberg lp from the mid-70's as well as a couple cuts from his 90's records); I think it might be out of print but I just discovered a local record store has copies of it. I'll report back when I hear it.

I'd love to get a burn of the third, 70's era disc included in the Live '98 3 cd set on Captain Trip, but I don't love them enough to buy that thing...

In particular - Kanguru's crisp, dry, sussstaaained guitar sound and clever, wink-wink compositions - what else out there is like that??

Maybe check out Quicksilver Messenger Service's Happy Trails or SRC's Milestones or Morgen's self-titled record or Country Joe and the Fish's Electric Music for Mind & Body or hell maybe those don't really sync up w/ Guru Guru so well but my brain hasn't been working too well lately and you need to hear 'em anyway.

Mr. Diamond, by all means, please do report on that Genrich "Best Of" disc, if you end up picking it up... I might even be interested in ordering it through your record store, if they ship stuff out.

(And I'm not making some dumb swipe at hipster trends - I fully expect that most of those people had/have vast collections of all kinds of cool music that I might never work my way around to, and so they had every reason to be checking out the latest 'rediscoveries.')

I wonder if this means I'll be asking about Os Mutantes in another four years.

Yeah, I dunno, the whole "Krautrock" thing does smack of a hipster trend. I don't really know what to say about that. I just really love a lot of the music. I mean I like the Grateful Dead, and improvisation in general, so it's not hard for me to get into something like Agitation Free.

And honestly, some of the stuff like the Manuel Gottsching records and the Cluster records and the Conrad Schnitzler stuff (especially the "Cassette Consert" series that was briefly reissued on the Art Gallery label) really do hold keys to unlocking the history of electronic/dance music in the 80's and onward.

really? i thought the hipsters had all given up on that and run screaming to the boring electronic shit that clutters up the other music and forced exposure updates these days.

Some of us were there before the hipsters arrived and are still here after they've departed. Haven't they all moved on to Prog Rock now?

I love Guru Guru and Agitation Free, but AF moreso. Their first two records seem to get more accolades, but I think much of their third record is amazing. I'm kind of surprised both of these bands aren't usually mentioned with the bigger names like Can, Faust and Neu in the krautrock pantheon.

The reason they aren't mentioned is that they aren't as good or as innovative, in fact neither are innovative at all. Early Guru Guru is quite fun in a Groundhogs kind of way, "Kanguru" is the best thing they ever did. I have a couple of later albums - they're shit.

dunno, i don't really pay attention. in point of fact, i don't know what qualifies as a "hipster" other than that they generally seem to have goatees and get into things after whoever's describing them as hipsters.

I'm still trying to track down the self-titled LP.

It's totally over-rated, "Hinten" and "Kanguru" are much better.

Uli Trepte's departure (after Kanguru) may be one of the keys to what happened...

Just picked up the self-titled at Amoeba used, and I'm glad I got it, though it certainly doesn't "hold it's own on the shelf next to Funhouse, Tago Mago and Kraftwerk's first three albums" as Allmusic claimed. "Der Elektrolurch" is the centerpiece during which Mani Neumeier would don an "electronic amphibian" mask on stage. That and "The Story Of Life" sort of merits the Hawkwind comparisons, but the first three tracks definitely are more comic than cosmic.

Space Ship (The Best Of Part I 1971-1974) on Cleopatra is probably plenty for most people. I haven't seen the first three around at all, though UFO is available on Amazon for under $20. I don't know if the rest were reissued by Universal/Revisited, but they're pretty steep on Amazon.

Just after my previous post, I downloaded Hinten and Känguru. The latter is totally their best, with Hinten not far behind. Total apeshit guitar solos, love it. Wayside actually has everything from UFO through Dance Of The Flames except for Känguru. Don't Call Us We Call You and Dance are too jazz noodly for me at the moment, but I'll totally buy Hinten.

Hopefully their best album will be reissued before long. Anyone notice the similarity between its cover and the third Pavement?

Anyone notice the similarity between its cover and the third Pavement?

Yes! I love that cover (the Guru Guru one that is)

Dug out my Guru Guru stuff. Indeed, Hinten and Kanguru are the best. UFO is next and Guru Guru I can take or leave. On the latter, "The Medley" including "Rocken mit Edward," apparently a joke on Jamming with Edward works best. No Nicky Hopkins, though.

"Bo Diddley" and "Immer Lustig" from the best two stick in the head. Unusual German power trio take on shambling Yardbirds riffs and Diddley beat which rock but don't sound Anglo or American. My copies are on Ohr/ZYX and Brain.

Who has a copy of Notwehr (1977)?

From imdb:

"A rock band moves into a farmhouse in a little village. They are eyed suspiciously by the citizens of the village. It finally comes to a killing in "self-defense" ("Notwehr" is he German word for self-defense). The most amazing thing about this movie is the acting of the rock band "Guru Guru", most notably Mani Neumeier. His character is absolutely believable. Of course he only plays himself, but it is stunning nevertheless. And the music the guys play is superb. Good acting from Günther Lamprecht too, as always. I only wish they would rerun this on TV. The first time I saw it already was a rerun; I was only 8 years old when it was first shown."

Argh. That seems mighty interesting. I don't know why my local video shop doesn't have it. They're supposed to have everything. Anyway you can get it on DVD from Amazon.de apparently.

Who has a copy of Notwehr (1977)?

From imdb:

"A rock band moves into a farmhouse in a little village. They are eyed suspiciously by the citizens of the village. It finally comes to a killing in "self-defense" ("Notwehr" is he German word for self-defense). The most amazing thing about this movie is the acting of the rock band "Guru Guru", most notably Mani Neumeier. His character is absolutely believable. Of course he only plays himself, but it is stunning nevertheless. And the music the guys play is superb. Good acting from Günther Lamprecht too, as always. I only wish they would rerun this on TV. The first time I saw it already was a rerun; I was only 8 years old when it was first shown."

Awesome!

Känguru has been reissued!!

http://www.waysidemusic.com/ProductInfo.aspx?productid=17/SPV%20306272
http://www.dustygroove.com/item.php?id=nvyrmd6svx&ref=index.php

Tango Fango (76) comes out June 29.

just got ufo reissue in the mail. impt album for me since it was on the first and only time i got completely fucking blazed.

http://comics212.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/DSCF7230.jpg

I take it that's a waxwork? Or is that what Mani looks like these days?!?!?!

It's a display in a store in Tokyo.

a music store? or just some random department store?

I saw Mani play play in brisbane a few months where he was meant to play w/ acid mothers but they cancelled. he was still entertaining on teh drums iirc

Has ILM done a quick and dirty s/d for Guru Guru? I'm totally unfamiliar with where to start for these guys--I have one track from UFO which is great and I heard the song "200 Cliches" which I think is great too, though I don't know what album/era it came from. eMusic has 8 GG albums but I'm not sure they have the ones I should start with (the earliest thing they have is "Don't Call Us, We Call You"). Never mind that they have a 40-year-long discography. Is everything after the 70s crap?

S/D would go

UFO/HINTEN/KANGURU/forget it, just get those three. actually, "200 cliches" is from "don't call us, we'll call you" from 1973, so i guess you could throw that in there. "dance of the flames" is okay, too. but after a certain point, their solo work became more interesting than guru guru, and just barely.

UFO/HINTEN/KANGURU/forget it

Nah, self-titled album is pretty good too, how can you not like "Der Elektrolurch", it's awesome! I love the two short poppy songs, Eddie Cochran medley, uh, less so.