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The basis for this was once again a studio project initiated in 1972 by Rolf-Ulrich Kaiser, the label owner of Ohr, Pilz, Die Kosmischen Kuriere and Kosmische Musik. The band, named The Cosmic Jokers, was made up of experienced musicians from various Krautrock bands who were under contract with him: Klaus Schulze (synth) ex Tangerine Dream, Ash Ra Tempel, Manuel Göttsching (g) and Dieter Dierks (b) ex Ash Ra Tempel, Jürgen Dollase (keyb) and Harald Grosskopf (dr, perc) ex Wallenstein. From February to May 1973, a series of psychedelic jam sessions were recorded at Dieter Dierks' studio. Allegedly, all the musicians were under the influence of drugs at the time of the recordings, which is said to have been Kaiser's intention. Musically, this seems entirely plausible, as the self-titled debut album contains an extreme musical trip through time and space, largely improvised and combined with bluesy elements from Göttsching's electric guitar and spacey synthesizer sounds.
Parts of these experimental, legendary sessions were released in 1974 on Kaiser's label Kosmische Musik on five LPs, the last one as Sternenmädchen • Gilles Zeitschiff. Incidentally, this was done without the musicians' knowledge, which later led to lengthy legal disputes. For space rock and Krautrock fans, this first, now very rare LP is a highly sought-after collector's item.
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