Cosmic Jokers: Galactic Supermarket (1974)

The Cosmic Jokers were no doubt one of the most controversial creations in the Krautrock scene. It’s because the musicians involved did not know they were actually this group or had any intention to release this stuff on record for the public to buy. Rolf Ulrich Kaiser, head honcho of Ohr Records, who, in 1973, just after the releases of Tangerine Dream’s Atem and Ash Ra Tempel’s Join Inn, changed the name of his label to Kosmische Musik (he also was in charge of the Pilz label, which also became Kosmische Musik, so artists on Pilz, like Popol Vuh, ended up on Kosmische Musik). Sometime in 1973, Manuel Göttsching (Ash Ra Tempel), Dieter Dierks (well known studio engineer), Klaus Schulze (Ash Ra Tempel, Tangerine Dream, and of course, well-known solo artist), Jürgen Dollase (Wallenstein) and Harald Großkopf (Wallenstein, Ash Ra Tempel, Klaus Schulze) did some late-night after-hours jams in the studio just to screw around. Little did they know that Rolf Urich Kaiser would actually release these albums, he did so without their knowledge or even giving them permission. None of these musicians realized this was released until Göttsching went into a Berlin record store in 1974 and he recognized what was being played was him and several labelmates gathered together and jamming away as The Cosmic Jokers.

Galactic Supermarket was the second in a series of albums, and along with those aforementioned musicians, you also get some extra help from Gille Lettman (girlfriend of Kaiser) and Rosi Müller (girlfriend of Manuel Göttsching, who herself appeared on some Ash Ra Tempel albums) here, just doing the occasional female voices. This one is more rock-oriented than the first one. Drums are used much more extensively, plus Göttsching’s trademark guitar playing, which gives this album that undeniable Ash Ra Tempel feel. The album has two side-length cuts. “Kinder des Alls” starts off sound very much like something off Ash Ra Tempel’s Join Inn, same similar guitar, and it goes on for several minutes. Then comes a really majestic Mellotron passage that’s simply amazing! Parts of this album sounds like each band member was playing their own thing, but somehow it all works. “Galactic Supermarket” starts off with some nice organ work, and throughout the band goes through different changes, with some really trippy passages. The organ passages throughout this album are not unlike early Schulze, like Cyborg (no surprise there, he was using the same Farfisa organ). This, after all, was before Schulze started buying a whole bunch of synthesizers and going full-on electronic in the mid ’70s (with albums like Timewind, Moondawn, Bodylove 1 and 2, Mirage, X, etc.). The Cosmic Jokers caused no end to trouble for the musicians in question. They filed lawsuits against Kaiser, bringing an end to Ohr/Kosmische Musik. The albums were also pulled off the market (luckily you can get them as CD reissues on the French Spalax label, as well as some Japanese label). You can be sure a group like Tangerine Dream sensed that bullshit right away (they didn’t want to be the next victim) and there’s a good reason why they stayed out of it and signed to a more reputable label (Virgin Records). Kaiser’s career was destroyed and he was driven out of Germany.

This isn’t some bunch of kids jamming in their garage, not knowing what they’re doing. These are top-rate musicians, even when they were screwing around, really created some fantastic music, as Galactic Supermarket proved! Despite the wonderful musical quality, Klaus Schulze would forever convince you these albums are crap and an embarassment. I can’t see why. This is truly top-quality music with even top-quality production! I guess Schulze hated these albums because no one got paid for it (those albums only lined the pockets of Kaiser), and I don’t blame anyone for starting those lawsuits. Manuel Göttsching did think more fondly of the albums, because he saw the musical quality behind them, even if he too wasn’t too pleased about being ripped off.

I also need to mention that Julian Cope adore the Cosmic Jokers, and who can blame him? Although I can’t always agree with him on many music acts (usually more traditional progressive rock acts, which he isn’t too fond of), he usually seems to hammer the nail when it comes for Krautrock.

Controversy aside, The Cosmic Jokers’ Galactic Supermarket is truly one of the highlights of Krautrock for me, and any Klaus Schulze or Ash Ra Tempel fan should own this!