The Gurus

One of the earliest rock outfits to fuse substantial Middle Eastern elements with psychedelic textures, the Gurus ultimately wove more such influences into their style than nearly any other 1960s group. The pair of singles they issued on United Artists during 1966 and 1967 struck some listeners as contrived, yet these tracks stood as solid, exploratory pieces that blended raga-rock textures with spellbinding melodies and keening vocals. Although a full-length album had been slated and promoted for 1967, the project remained unreleased, and the ensemble disbanded without attracting broad attention.

The Gurus coalesced in Greenwich Village near the start of 1966 after jeweler Ron Haffkine conceived the notion of a Middle Eastern-inflected rock ensemble. Once the two singles were completed, the lineup grew unstable following Jonathan Talbot’s exit to join the New York Electric String Ensemble. The decision to scrap the album proved decisive for the beleaguered outfit. Years later, however, Sundazed issued the long-shelved collection The Gurus Are Hear! on CD in 2003, appending previously unheard outtakes and variant mixes. In the end the strongest material had already appeared on the two commercially released singles, both of which fortunately appear on the disc; the remaining tracks proved less exotic and contained songs less compelling than those chosen for the 45s. Michael “Jason” Weinstein, who took over on bass after Talbot’s departure, also contributed harmonica to the Rascals’ chart-topping 1967 single “Groovin’.”