Guru Guru 1976

With their 8th studio album GURU GURU continued to explore Latin/Fusion sound that they started on the previous efforts. The music is ever more complex with increasing use of assorted percussions, keyboards, synths and saxophones, courtesy mainly of multi- instrumentalist Rolland Schaeffer. With its frequent take on light samba/bossa nova sound, at times it is close to easy-listening Muzak. What keeps it back on track is omnipresent Mani's humour and satire, which reminds us that we are not listening to some Brazilian "riviera-style" samba/jazz.

A classic of the German space genre. Their current music is a combination of Progressive Rock and New Instrumental Music, with touches of Jazz and passages dedicated to an experimentation near to Ambient. Their originality was due to the blend electronic and repetitive musics with a lot of ethnic elements from North Africa, India, etc. Very much like your early Ash Ra Tempel, Guru Guru type bands except with a cultural influence. Several Agitation Free albums were released after the group's breakup, including 1976's "Last", 1995's "Fragments" and the following years' "At The Cliffs of The River Rhine" (1998), "The Other Sides Of Agitation Free" (1999)… Their aptly titled "Last" is considered by many to be one of the best live space albums ever. Lots of acid-drenched guitar and electronics to really carry you "out there".

How is it that Eela Craig haven't gotten more attention from lovers of ‘70s Euro-rock? Is it because they were too Austrian or too arty for Krautrock lovers, who prefer the grittier, more visceral sounds of German bands like Can and Guru Guru to Eela Craig's sophisticated prog stylings? On the other side of the fence, did they miss out on inclusion in the pantheon of classic prog bands because they weren't from England, or were lumped in with the Krautrock scene? Whatever the case, their second album, One Niter, is a grand-scale prog rock masterpiece. There was a five-year gap between One Niter and the band's debut album, which gave Eela Craig plenty of time to evolve from the post-psychedelic sounds of their first effort…

Uppsala Stadshotell Brinner Igen. is the second album by Rävjunk, Scandinavia's best punk-psych band from Uppsala, Sweden. This second album includes tracks from rare singles and EPs released from 1979-1980, as well as completely unknown tracks picked by Peter Ericson (drums). Shadoks Music and Ericson were working on this album for weeks, and just before the album was done, Peter sadly passed away. This album is in memory of Peter Ericson, the great Swedish drummer and singer from Rävjunk. Uppsala Stadshotell Brinner Igen. is a great selection of songs influenced by the early pre-punk period ala Stooges/MC5, as well as the longer jamming guitar tracks of German kraut and space-rock bands. They also saw the heavy psych movement as a bright star…

Over the last five decades, krautrock pioneers Guru Guru have pushed boundaries and experimented with free jazz, rock'n'roll, Indian, South East Asian and African rhythms and scales to create their own brand of psychedelic, cosmic rock. This reissue of their acclaimed 1977 album is an excellent representative of their global experiment, which has succeeded impeccably. Recorded after long stays in India in the mid-1970s, Globetrotter is a milestone in Guru Guru's discography. Total playing time: 40 minutes. In stereo. Fully remastered.

After a stint with Gong as their trippy, hippy, new agey guitar guru of cosmically and extremely raga-esque trance rock and improv heaven, Steve Hillage went solo. He branched out to carry his own version of the Gong gospel of personal freedom via his special blend of cosmic brotherhood, Eastern religion, new age, pyramids, ley lines, crystals, and some ferocious jazz fusion and progressive rock guitar blended with space rock synths. Hillage reinterprets some well-known tunes by other artists like Donovan and George Harrison here as well as penning some of his more memorable sonic treats. His awesome riffing and speedy solos on his Fender Strat rival those of Hendrix and Frank Marino but go further compositionally via exotic scales from other cultures…