Lovers Cosmic Voyage

Released around 1976, Lovers Cosmic Voyage (no apostrophe) was a short vinyl LP credited to Sunlight — that is, Sky Saxon, during his time with the Source Family and Father Yod. The music within, recorded in 1973, is very soft, led by Sky’s mesmerizing, rolling piano. Sky extemporizes his lyrics and melodies, if you can call them that, with his uncharacteristically meditative voice frequently melting into the music. Lovers Cosmic Voyage was reissued on one side of the 2016 LP In Praise Of Our Father.

Lovers Cosmic Voyage, pressed on either pinkish-red, yellow-orange, or black vinyl in small numbers and consisting of about fifteen total minutes of music, could be considered a part of the Yodship project as heard on the Yodship and Yodship Suite 3 records: the music is extemporaneous and free, as is Sky’s singing; it features long, unbroken pieces, spliced haphazardly together; and the lyrics are dripping with dense, utopian mysticism and praise for God (i.e., Father Yod). The label mentions both “Golden Flash Records and Tapes” (nothing else seems to have ever been released under this imprint), and “Emerald Light Music — BMI” publishing. (Sky’s first post-Seeds release seems to have been a 7-inch on Emerald Light around 1974~5.)

What separates Lovers Cosmic Voyage from much of the Yodship suites is the fact that it features only piano and Sky’s voice. It was for years unclear if it was Sky himself playing piano, but his wife Sabrina said that he indeed took credit when she asked him about it years later. Furthermore, Djin Aquarian’s liner notes for the 2016 reissue refer to this piece as a “solo” recording.

But there seem to be two pianos being played simultaneously. The record’s label says “LIVE ALBUM” on both sides, and while Lovers Cosmic Voyage certainly isn’t live in the traditional sense, it may have been “live” with no overdubbing. Or Sky could have recorded piano without singing, then overdubbed another piano as he sang along “live”. (This could have been done with a multitrack recorder or even by playing back the first piano take, capturing its audio from speakers plus the second piano and vocals.) But this is all conjecture. The producer is given as White Sun Sound, presumably yet another name for Sky Saxon.

(Note: The reviewer on this page hears a piano and possibly a classical harp. It just sounds like two pianos to me.)

To imagine the music, think of Rick Wright’s “Sysyphus” piano solo from Ummagumma played by someone who was just sitting at the keys for the very first time. Lovers Cosmic Voyage consists solely of untutored meanderings up and down the keyboard and stabs of chord-like clusters, with the whole thing elevated to a blissful and sublime beauty due to the uncanny mixture of the two pianos’ gentle, unrestrained fluidity. This is the freest music imaginable, untouched by convention, artifice, or the pesky requirements of melodic structure.

The two sides of the vinyl are called Side A and Side Z; both list several song titles. These titles refer to vague areas of Sky’s formless lyrics rather than actual individual tracks. Side A is a single, unbroken performance (the first two and a half minutes being instrumental as promised on the label), while Side Z is made up of two different performances, inexpertly joined together with a crude tape splice. (This hamfisted editing is a feature of both the Yodship albums as well, further suggesting the thematic inclusion of Lovers Cosmic Voyage with them.) The splice is smoothed over on the 2016 reissue.

Sky Saxon is again very free and very high, letting his words tumble out without thought. His mood is one of pure happiness and abandon; he tells his “lady” how much he loves her, and assures his dog that she too will be included in the cosmic Venusian voyage he offers. He often gets sidetracked while singing his praises to caninedom – he seems to distractedly merge his woman and his dog into a single soft, brown-eyed figure, to somewhat creepy effect.

Regardless, Sky Saxon’s ecstatic reverie is palpable, and infectious; while some of the things he says are silly enough to break the spell, overall he is just so far gone that you start to feel, to be listening to him at all, you must be gone yourself. Yes, this record is quite a trip. Incredibly strange to the uninitiated, and not like anything most people have ever heard… even long-time Seeds and prog/psych devotees.

Lovers Cosmic Voyage was for years only available in its original, limited-press vinyl form, never having been reissued – curiously, not even on 1998’s God And Hair box set. But in 2016 Swordfish Records in the U.K. surprised Sky Saxon fans worldwide by issuing a limited edition album called In Praise Of Our Father that included Lovers Cosmic Voyage on one side; the LP was pressed on purple vinyl and 300 copies were made.

Lyrics

Sky Saxon’s “lyrics”, improvised and not falling into any rhythmic or even rhetorical structure, have been transcribed here. You can see how certain phrases were used for song titles on the record’s labels.

Side A
I look at you
See the light in your eyes
Oh I look at you
See your adorable face
And I’m in love with you
Yes I’m in love with you
Well I think I love you
More and more every day
More and more every day
Oh, just like my dog
I hope you never ever go away
Cause I need both of you so bad babe
Oh yes I do
Yes I do
So sweetheart take my hand
I have the power to take you
Ah, to Venus
Where we’ll play and play
Love our lifes away [sic]
Come on children of the sun
Come on children of the sun
Light up the world with love
Good morning everyone
Good morning
Good morning sun
And good morning lady
How is our little baby?
Sailing on
On a cosmic voyage
We are sailing on a cosmic voyage
Ah, come along

Side Z
Splashing colors of magic
Oh sweetheart, come on, sweetheart
We’re gonna follow the dream
We’re gonna follow the dream
God’s sweet dream
Don’t worry if I have any money
It’s an illusion you know
Oh come on
Heading out to the country
Heading out to the mountains
And the desert where the eagle flies
Follow your dream with your dog
Follow your dream and play with your dog
woof woof woof!
Oh Lassie, Lassie, Lassie
Noble
And when I look in your eyes, sweetheart
When I look into your eyes, sweetheart
Reminds me of my dog
Reminds me of my dog
It’s your soft brown eyes
Your soft brown eyes
Come away, just you and I and our dog
And we will sail the universe
Climb the mountains and play in the valleys
Running and skipping through the flowers
Singing like little children do
It’s all for you
Here we come, children of the sun
Here we come, children of the sun
Ya Ho Wha
Oh it’s magic
It’s God’s sweet magic
And if you only knew
So grind the bread for me baby
Grind the grain and we’ll make our bread
And eat the fruit
And put our feet
Walk through the water
And sail in a golden chariot
woof woof!
So get yourself a dog
Save one today and the holy angels will bless you

[splice]

Dancing, yes I’m dancing with my love
Dancing, yes I’m dancing with my love
And in my arms I hold a loved one
You know she’s a little girl dog
She just like a baby
And my sweetheart smiles and we understand
And our children are playing under the sun
Come along, we’ve been waiting for you
Come along, we’ve been waiting for you
La la la la la la…
Over there, there’s a field
And it’s filled with dogs and they’re all playing
Over there is a field of dogs and they’re all playing
Come on baby, let’s join them
And we can play all day
It’s magic you know
Here comes the sun
Here comes the sun

Track listing

As rendered on the original record labels. These titles are not mentioned in the 2016 reissue.

SIDE A
1. Organic Kingdom (instrumental)
2. I Am In Love With You
3. Take You To Venus
4. Children Of The Sun

SIDE Z
5. Splashing Colours Of Magick
6. Heading Out To The Country
7. Follow Your Dream With Your Dog
8. Sail The Universe
9. Dancing With My Love
10. While The Wolves And Dogs Are Playing

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