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Guru Guru

One of the very few giants of the German krautrock era to still be going strong today and remain as challenging as ever (along with Faust), Guru Guru are masters of experimental heavy psych scene. Although the band has gone through numerous different lineups throughout the years, the only remaining member and founder is Mani Neumeier. Already renown within the free-jazz scene as a unique drummer, it's quite fascinating to hear his influence on such a heavy sound for the time. The band's experimentations with hallucinogenic drugs at the time is proudly put to the front in their sound (just check out titles like Stone In and Der LSD-Marsch - which is where Shinsuke Michishita took the name for his own band thirty years later), often tweaking and pushing it to strange new realms. The band is also known for their leftist political views which were often an important part of their wild live gigs at the time (they would read manifestos and other political texts). Fans of Pärson Sound and/or Amon Düül 2's heavier moments will totally dig this stuff up and should absolutely hunt down the band's early albums. Unfortunately, I find that starting with their fourth eponymous album, Guru Guru seem to have softened and dulled down a bit letting go of their angry, experimental sound (which would only reappear on their more recent albums and collaborations). I will most likely not be getting these mellower albums, try as I might, I have never been able to appreciate them as much as their earlier "gloves down" approach.

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