Tango Fango

Camped in Rothenburg, Finkenbach, in the idyllic Odenwald mountains, Mani Neumeier had Guru Guru back in action in 1976 on the Brain label, and with a new lineup. Joining him was ex-Brainstorm multi-instrumentalist Roland Schaeffer, as well as guitarist Josef "Sepp" Jandrisits on guitar, and bassist Jogi Karpenkiel from Kollektiv—the two being holdovers from Neumeier's solo album. Kraan's Ingo Bischof and Karthago's Tommy Goldschmidt also came aboard, performing as guests for 1976's Tango Fango. "Tomorrow" opens brightly, with a fine and decidedly different vocal from Schaeffer. Here, Guru Guru is completely reinvented: Bouncing between rhythms that vary from calypso to bossanova, the compositions are far more focused and discrete than on past efforts, and offer a lighter-hearted fusion of sound. "Night Bear" provides a jazzier foundation, with Neumeier and Schaefer trading off vocals, before descending into a nice guitar vamp. "Banana Flip" opens the second side, offering a good-time Caribbean influence, while "L. Toro" goes for something a little deeper. The instrumental "Salto Mortadella" trots along, before the four-part "Das lebendige Radio" closes. It's a real pastiche of German gemütlichkeit, complete with yodeling, accordion and that weirdness that no Guru Guru album would be complete without, and ending with a Chuck Berry tune for good measure! From here, Neumeier would juggle Guru Guru through ever-revolving lineups well into the early 80s, and over musical terrain similar to Kraan or Frank Zappa-yet always original. Be sure to check out the excellent double-album Live, released in 1978, also on Brain. Guru Guru even managed to tour the US in 1979.