Sergius Golowin / Lord Krishna Von Goloka (CD)

Description

With the Cosmic Jokers.

24-page booklet includes biography, interviews, bibliography, original notes from the LP, lyrics, and Kosmische Kuriere discography.

1973-Switzerland/Germany

Format: CD

#Ref: Lion 628

Release date: 2008

Release notes

In 1973, Rolf Ulrich Kaiser’s visionary powers acted as a catalyst for an authentic combination of acid, music and sprituality: the mystical LSD-fueled musical project “Lord Krishna von Goloka.” For this adventure into Indian and Oriental mythologies and legends, Kaiser asked esoteric Swiss artist (he was a friend of Giger’s), poet, specialist on Alpine folklore, and friend of Timothy Leary, Sergius Golowin, to join a group of musicians including Klaus Schulze and members of Wallenstein and Witthüser + Westrupp. It was perhaps mere coincidence that Golowin’s classic treatise on witches, herbs, and magic mushrooms was published that same year (Magie der verbotenen Märchen); the book was fast becoming a cult item—it was secretly xeroxed in what was then-Communist East Germany, and later distributed in the hippie-underground there. Sergius Golowin’s intellectual and spiritual world of occultism, popular legends, and shamanism were the foundation for the project. He was responsible for the lyrics, which consisted of incantatory recitations in German over the multi-textural compositions.

“The first release of what has become known as the Cosmic Jokers series, a Cosmic Courier super-session organized by Rolf-Ulrich Kaiser… (Sergius Golowin) handles the vocals on this extraordinary album, recanting verse over music that sounds like a hybrid of Ash Ra Tempel and the Third Ear Band, full of rich musical textures adrift with Mellotron and synthesizers. A timeless work of beauty that has no equal.” —Crack in the Cosmic Egg

“In which, Rolf-Ulrich Kaiser offered us the second of his great Mage Recordings. After Timothy Leary (KK5001) had so moved the producer with 7Up, ‘The Kaiser’ and his Starmaiden Gille Lettmann decided to stay in Switzerland and record some more wise old men. As with Leary, the recording of Sergius Golowin, the middle-aged ex-MP, was nothing less than a full-on Vision-saga. Six musicians accompanied Golowin’s pronouncements throughout the LP, and it’s most remarkable of all that the speaker showed such restraint, often letting the band fly off into Ash Ra Tempel-land at any opportunity. It makes the most sensational combination and a long Kosmiche-epic of high magic proportions. Opening with the 15 minute plus “Der Grigen”, the LP announced its intention with sombre pre-Christian keyboards then softly, softly into the ritual…a slow amoeba production, at first scouting but soon positive in its holy direction. The huge unfolding driving thing called “Die Hoch-Zeit” covers the whole of Side 2, in which Klaus Schultze’s drums are combine harvesters in a Canadian wheat field 50 miles across. Massive choirs of mellotron hold the distant horizon and the machine that is the music covers the land like locusts. Dry dry music. Arid heavy tragedy — Side 2 of Joy Division’s ‘Closer.’ Golowin doesn’t even say a word for about the first eight minutes… There is no doubt this is the very highest magic — believe me. The Ur-klang of Mesolithic Man… No intellectual ever made music such as this… His voice and that music. A righteous vision.” —Julian Cope, Krautrocksampler

“The emergence of the great mythologies stands directly at the beginning of mankind’s history. In them the occupation with the large questions occurs: From whence do we come? What and who are we? Where do we go? When our ancient ancestors began to argue with appropriate ideas, dreams and emblems (the most valuable pictures), what developed from it, and was passed on to their descendants, was the birth of all that we call culture.” —Sergius Golowin, excerpt from Die grossen Mythen der Menschheit (the Great Myths of Mankind)

Our Lion Productions edition comes with a 24-page booklet which includes a Sergius Golowin biography, plus translated excerpts from interviews and texts, a list of Golowin’s writings, translations of the original LP notes, text, and lyrics, as well as a Kosmischen Kuriere label discography. And on a personal note, we have long thought the song ‘Die Weiße Alm’ to be perhaps the perfect cosmic folk track… blissed out and uplifting, without being cloying.

Tracklisting

1. Der Reigen (16:57) 2. Die weiße Alm (6:09) 3. Die Hoch-Zeit (19:38)