TAROT

Basically this is another Cosmic Joker/Couriers album, as the album is credited to the Swiss artist Walter Wegmuller, but Berkers, Dollasse, Grosskopf (all three from Walenstein), Schulze (after his TD and ART days but not yet into his solo career proper), Henke & Gotsching (both from Ash Ra Tempel) and Westrupp (of W&W) are all present on this double album (and double Cd as well). Please read my friend Phillipe Blache's excellent intro on the Kosmische Muziek on the Wegmuller entry-page for more on the ramifications of this German movement that was one of the specificity of the Krautrock movement.

In either case, this lengthy double concept album (you guessed it about Tarot) is one of the most expensive album around in its full original form: indeed the vinyl came out with a full deck of cards drawn buy Wegmuller himself from 68 to 74 partly in association with Sergius Golowin, another driving spike of the Cosmic Joker/Courrier thing. While Wegmuller takes on vocal duties (more often reciting duties really), the music is really up to the all star line-up ion the album, recording in the well know Dieter Dierks studios and released on the legendary Ohr label. The music is just as suitably spacey as you could ever wish it to be, and while not fascinating, it is often enthralling, even if the concept is rather hard to follow (unless you grasp German good enough), but who cares, anyway? Tarots are not one of my passions, anyway. But there is a storyline explained in two languages, but I never paid attention to it as the album can be enjoyed without that side of the oeuvre. As you can easily guess, there are imperfections and lengths, but nothing to scare anyone, even the most demanding progheads.

While there are more essential Cosmic Couriers projects, this one is also much worthy of your investigation, but forget looking after the original vinyl, though. The Spalax reissue (in digipack) is an excellent bet. Hard not to give its fourth star.