4 stars If you are slightly interested in the german prog genre krautrock you will know who GURU GURU is. It's one of the best and most influential krautrock bands besides "Amon Düül II", "CAN" and "Faust".
Their third release "Känguru" is in principle composed of the same ingredients as their forerunners "Hinten" and "UFO" but the guitar isn't that dominant any longer and the tracks aren't as aggressive as on "UFO". Simultaneously they added the humorous component that was completely nonexistent on "UFO" yet. Examples would be the funny singing on "Oxymoron" or the spoken introduction to "Immer lustig".
"Oxymoron" is made of a dull rhythm, thereto Manni Neumaier sings strange lines with an even stranger voice. I'm sure that various types of drugs played pranks on them before or during the recording sessions. But that's kind of normal for krautrock bands and could be a possible reason for the experimental style of the whole genre. "Immer Lustig" wich, roughly speaking, means something like "always funny" commences with the mentioned introduction and proceeds with a kind of military marsh rythm but rapidly changes into a typical psychodelic rock track with some of krautrock characteristical free form sections. The next track "Baby cake walk" is structured relative similarly but is more reminiscent of "UFO" because of its harshness. The lyrics of the last track "ooga booga" are largely made up of these two words wich are presented in the typical funny Neumaier style. After a percussion commanding prelude it later on passes into the guitar dominated krautrock style.
"Känguru" for sure belongs to the most significant krautrock releases and maybe is more typical for this genre than "UFO". If you want to acquaint krautrock this is a good starting point because it shows clearly what this awesome genre is all about. I liked it right away and it belongs to my absolute favorites in the krautrock genre. For sure it is a bit strange if you listen to krautrock for the first time but I'm sure that you will enjoy this release. 4 Stars for a good and very representative krautrock album.
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5 stars
When speaking about Krautrock, GURU GURU were often neglected and put in the "second division" of that music style, after the "big four": CAN, FAUST, NEU and AMON DUUL II. But, their third album "Kaenguru" is easily the best of their early, classic line-up trio of Neumeier, Trepte and Genrich. Filled with crazy and nonsense lyrics, extended space jams and druggy guitar solos, this album is a high point of their first phase, before going into more jazzy exploration on the subsequent albums. "Oxymoron" and "Ooga Booga" are a required portion of any self-esteemed Krautrock collection.
Tracks Listing
Side 1
1. Oxymoron (10:33)
2. Immer Lustig (15:37)
Side 2
3. Baby Cake Walk (10:57)
4. Ooga Booga (11:11)
Total Time: 48:18
Musicians
- Ax Genrich / guitar
- Uli Trepte / bass
- Mani Neumeier / drums, keyboards
- Conrad Plank / guitar, keyboards
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