The Cosmic Jokers
Cosmic Jokers

I like to think of psychedelia as a virus for which no cure has ever been found. A mutant entity that survives by adapting to every ecosystem it comes into contact with.

The contagion may be mild and barely noticed, but it can take on endemic forms, transcending the mere musical realm to deeply embed itself in the psyche of the infected.

The virus does not attack the subject by trying to take control. It stealthily infiltrates musical (and, more importantly, mental) structures, whispering lasciviously into the ear of the infected musician. "Add some Phaser to that guitar," or "Repeat that drumbeat until you faint," or even "Forget about the duration, just keep improvising!" These might be just some of the unhealthy suggestions heard by those infected. Certain places and certain cultures have experienced periodic mass infections. Germany in the late '60s - early '70s was one of the most thoroughly infected countries, as an abrupt kaleidoscopic plague permeated the music and culture of the time. One example of this pandemic is the first album by the Cosmic Jokers.

In truth, it is the brainchild of R.U. Kaiser, the mastermind of early '70s German rock, the album consists of two long suites inappropriately extracted from the sessions of Walter Wegmüller's "Tarot" and Sergius Golowin's "Lord Krishna Von Goloka". A non-band, therefore, formed by two members of Wallenstein, Manuel Göttsching of Ash Ra Tempel, Dieter Derks (owner of the homonymous studio where it was recorded), and the omnipresent Klaus Schulze. Even though it was an operation motivated by mere economic purposes, I feel compelled to warmly thank Kaiser for this venial transgression of his.

"Galactic Joke", in its 20 minutes, whirls cosmic rides based on phasers, astral keyboard carpets, and basses that open black holes. "Cosmic Joy" is permeated by an aura of immobile contemplation and temporal fixity, a track that seems to float in a gaseous state since the dawn of creation, rarely shaken by sudden percussive storms.

By the end of these 42 minutes, you will begin to experience the first symptoms of contagion: slowness of movement, exponential hair growth, slight aversion to water. With subsequent listens, a certain dryness of the mouth and an ancestral craving for all kinds of edibles will occur. As mentioned, there is no cure; I could suggest a luminary on the subject who lives in Switzerland and has just exceeded 100... but you know, Privacy...