Rediscoveries of Lost Gems- A New Beginning
Most of you have probably noticed that there have been some changes on Eclectic Grooves over the past week. Recently my girlfriend dropped a thought in my mind that promoting my blog on Facebook might not be such a bad idea. I have been reluctant to make this move for various reasons, but I have finally decided that it is time to give in to the gods of social media and just do this. If you feel so inclined to help me generate more interest in the blog, please click on the Facebook "like" button at the bottom of the posts to let your friends know that you enjoy that particular post. If enough people do this, it could seriously generate some interest in the blog and inspire more conversation among music lovers across the world.
In addition to this, you will notice that there is a new plug-in on the blog called Networked Blogs. I needed to add this in order to get my blog post announcements to appear on Facebook. Apparently it is possible to remove this after the blog has been successfully registered with the site, but I think I will keep it on here for the time being. It seems to be a good way to gauge how many people are ccurrently following the blog. To those of you who have already chosen to follow the blog with Networked Blogs, I really appreciate your help with exposing my blog to a wider audience.
Now, on to today's music. I have been tossing around the idea of reintroducing the Rediscoveries of Lost Gems series that was initially started a couple years ago on Eclectic Grooves. The purpose of this series is to celebrate audio relics from the past that were generally underappreciated by the listening public when they were first released. My original inclination was to feature only albums that are out-of print or extremely rare so I don't get the RIAA breathing down my neck. However, I have recently decided to feature some commercially available albums that will be available to download for one week only. Since these links will expire after a short time-frame, you will want to check back often to make sure that you don't miss out on the goods.
Todays lost gem is Guru Guru''s 1971 sonic behemoth of an album entitled UFO. I scoured the web to see if this one is out-of print, and I was unable to find anything to the contrary. With this being the case, I will keep this album posted indefinitely for your listening pleasure.
From the opening notes of slow burner "Stone In", it is evident to me that 90% of the stoner rock bands owe a huge debt to these crazy Kraut rockers. On this track, pounding, relentless drums serve as the backbone to the acid-soaked guitar frenzy of lead guitarist Ax Genrich. This segueways into "Girl Call" , with blistering solos riding over the top of a mellow groove that eventually rises to a crescendo that is unparalleled by most psychedelic rock that's been released since. On the middle track of the album, "Next Time See You at the Dalai Lhama", they slightly toned down the guitar solos in favor of a sturm and drang rhythm that closes with unintelligible chanting over tribal drums that sound like they came from an Alan Lomax field recording. The next two songs take up more than half the record, with the epic title track finding the group playing with a more improvisational sound that is reminiscent of the sound of a rocket taking off at full speed with scorching feedback and rumbling percussion. The album closes with another propulsive guitar jam, "Der LSD- Marsch", which starts out slow, features a jazzy drum solo in the middle and finishes with an incendiary solo that could literally melt your turntable.
I hope you enjoy this album, and be on the lookout for more Rediscoveries of Lost Gems.
Guru Guru- UFO
In addition to this, you will notice that there is a new plug-in on the blog called Networked Blogs. I needed to add this in order to get my blog post announcements to appear on Facebook. Apparently it is possible to remove this after the blog has been successfully registered with the site, but I think I will keep it on here for the time being. It seems to be a good way to gauge how many people are ccurrently following the blog. To those of you who have already chosen to follow the blog with Networked Blogs, I really appreciate your help with exposing my blog to a wider audience.
Now, on to today's music. I have been tossing around the idea of reintroducing the Rediscoveries of Lost Gems series that was initially started a couple years ago on Eclectic Grooves. The purpose of this series is to celebrate audio relics from the past that were generally underappreciated by the listening public when they were first released. My original inclination was to feature only albums that are out-of print or extremely rare so I don't get the RIAA breathing down my neck. However, I have recently decided to feature some commercially available albums that will be available to download for one week only. Since these links will expire after a short time-frame, you will want to check back often to make sure that you don't miss out on the goods.
Todays lost gem is Guru Guru''s 1971 sonic behemoth of an album entitled UFO. I scoured the web to see if this one is out-of print, and I was unable to find anything to the contrary. With this being the case, I will keep this album posted indefinitely for your listening pleasure.
From the opening notes of slow burner "Stone In", it is evident to me that 90% of the stoner rock bands owe a huge debt to these crazy Kraut rockers. On this track, pounding, relentless drums serve as the backbone to the acid-soaked guitar frenzy of lead guitarist Ax Genrich. This segueways into "Girl Call" , with blistering solos riding over the top of a mellow groove that eventually rises to a crescendo that is unparalleled by most psychedelic rock that's been released since. On the middle track of the album, "Next Time See You at the Dalai Lhama", they slightly toned down the guitar solos in favor of a sturm and drang rhythm that closes with unintelligible chanting over tribal drums that sound like they came from an Alan Lomax field recording. The next two songs take up more than half the record, with the epic title track finding the group playing with a more improvisational sound that is reminiscent of the sound of a rocket taking off at full speed with scorching feedback and rumbling percussion. The album closes with another propulsive guitar jam, "Der LSD- Marsch", which starts out slow, features a jazzy drum solo in the middle and finishes with an incendiary solo that could literally melt your turntable.
I hope you enjoy this album, and be on the lookout for more Rediscoveries of Lost Gems.
Guru Guru- UFO
Comments
I sold UFO in the '80s when I was broke. Those original Ohr gatefolds must fetch a good price these days. I'll be curious to hear it again. BTW I'm pretty certain it's in print, as I've seen it regularly in the local shop for the past several years.
Thanks for the info on Guru Guru. I can kind of see how they came out of free jazz, as parts of this are pretty free-form in their construction. That's crazy that a lot of the songs were shorter on the record, as some of these tracks are over 10 minutes long. As far as to whether it is still in print, I usually check Amazon to see if it's available. Amazon said that it was only available by sellers, and it was a hefty price tag for UFO.
Best,
Kevin