j o n f

The first time I heard Guru Guru's debut, I found it entirely unlistenable. It seemed that there was no apparent structure to any of these tracks, just endless amounts of improvised psychedelic guitar jamming with bits of weird tape collage and noisy bass and drums added in. Just the sort of music I hate. After further listening, I've changed my mind, in a big way. UFO is brilliant. Two things elevate this album to the highest tier of progressive rock. Ax Genrich's style of guitar abuse is among the most intense I've heard. While he is invariably compared to his main influence, Jimi Hendrix, I am instead reminded of John McLaughlin: but where that man exerts a delicate, but powerful, control over his instrument, Genrich sounds like he is trying to destroy his "gitarre." The other thing that I've come to appreciate about UFO is the strength of the compositions. Take as an example the title track. An eerie, noisy soundscape opens the piece, reminiscent of the earliest Tangerine Dream before they got into synthesizers. As the intensity of the noise grows, the image of an alien spacecraft coming to life is conveyed using very human sounds. A series of high pitched squeals simulate a take-off, followed by a high-speed flight. More noise, and then the same sort of squeals, but lessened: a deceleration, perhaps? And then, the sounds of a distorted guitar, but distant, as if being played far from the microphone. More freak-out follows, including disturbing human vocals and lots of percussion and symbols. Finally, resolution: the sounds of water lapping up against something, presumably the ship we've just seen land. You'd be hard-pressed to call this music in the traditional sense, but there is a definite structure and imagery being conveyed. I'd rank this track up there with any symphonic epic I've heard. Guru Guru have become one of my very favorite groups. I'd recommend either of their next two works, Hinten or Kanguru, to those approaching Guru Guru for the first time, but for the really adventurous, UFO just may be the hot ticket. review by Jon Fry — undated —