Search & Destroy: Sun Ra

yeah, the Szwed book? It is really good ...
this one is pretty brand new, i believe. less a biography and more of a dig into Sun Ra's influences / influence, it seems.

ooh that sounds like just what I need. Swed's book is excellent. I should probably revisit it sometime.

i listened to "the eternal myth revisited" set a couple years back. less a cd set and more a really long radio show type thing. it's really excellent.

I dip into Szwed's book at random fairly often, it's so rich

some notes made while listening to the aforementioned new singles set---started these comments on What Are You Listening To; here's more after listening more:

Sun Ra's Singles---The Definitive 45s Collection 1952-1991: 63 tracks, a lot more than the one on the Evidence label (this is on Strut), and from the original masters, while at least some of the Evidence collection was from the low-budget 7" vinyls. Sounds great, and while the guest singers (who gradually disappear, as Ra and the Arkestra speak and sing up, occasionally but very assertively), are uneven, they all shine sometimes. My favorite is Yochanan, AKA The Space Age Vocalist and The Man From The Sun, who belts 50s novelty free r&b numbers "M uck M uck (Matt Matt)" and Skillet Mama" and also delivers the word from further afield.

The two opening songpoems by Mr. Ra are instant grabbers.”I Am An Instrument” is very sweet and humble, waiting for the player; “I Am Strange” begins in the midst of a man’s amazed and somewhat apprehensive self-awareness, his vibrations, then moves through the window to the wind’s imploring, perhaps lamenting regard of the man, whom the wind cannot approach too closely; can only wait and call for the man’s contact, must submit to this desire, for windy powers are too great for initiative (this seems like the genesis of My Brother The Wind). More songs than the previous singles collection on the Evidence label.

The rock 'n' roll/r&b appeal of some vocals and more instrumentals, (including the original Sun Ra single versions of “Rocket No. 9” and “Love On Outer Space”, both of which are covered on NRBQ’s 2016 monster box High Noon, and reminding us that Q-pilot Terry Adams long ago declared that his band was the child of Sun Ra and Sun Records) can also come across kinda Latinoid, in a way that could attract the soul jazz club-goers, Chicago electric bluesters---all of it fitting into what some older customers of my Deep South music store in the 90s meant by "blues", sometimes. And, early on, some straight-up swing---nice, sometimes a little neat for my taste--and some tentacles extended, but soon assimilated, though not forgotten---this is Disc I, on II things def get out, though "The Bridge", which is cosmic and must be walked after "fire is poured on dry leaves" and one way left to go, is immediately followed by "I'm Gonna Unmask Batman" and it keeps zig-zagging like that. And the catchier pop-blues-jazz approaches stuff can pull in darker rays, like on "Nuclear War": "Radiation breeds mutation" (group singers repeat), "And when they push that button, you can kiss yo' ass bye-bye, bye-bye, bye-bye." ("Bye-bye, bye-bye, bye-bye.")
After all several appearances by a frequently angry angel, the aforementioned sweet and humble “I Am An Instrument” returns, now pointing out that man is an instrument too, waiting for the plucking of his heart strings: “The heart can speak more than the mind” (thus providing a reminder of the mind passing the conductor’s bation, as demonstrated recently on “On Jupiter/Cosmo Drama (Prophetika 1)” by the angel, who may be fate and certainly sounds in a pleasant mood, on this occasion, with good news:”Something is, but nothing is too”,and while positives include “The life you liiive, and the thoughts you think, and the death you die”, negatives include immortality, because that’s impossible---”Election Day is coming, which one will you vote for? If you care to reach for thee impossible, that’s my department.”)

i'm still really familiar with the old singles collection, which is just some great, classic ra. i do like some of the tracks that showed up on the '09 "rocket ship rock" compilation - ebah's version of "i am gonna unmask the batman" (surely one of the all-time sun ra classics) and the utterly demented "space stroll" by don (dino) dean.

Dang, Don (Dino) Dean's not on here! Another reminder that I need to check out Rocket Ship Rock and other stray comps. Also, turns out I was right the first time: The CD version of Singles---The Complete 45s is indeed three discs; anyway here's https://sunrastrut.bandcamp.com/album/singles

Also, speaking of guest/client vocalists, here's another one from my notes:
Hattye Randolph presents Sun Ra & His Astro-Infinity Arkestra with a seemingly unlikely gift, “Back In Your Own Backyard”, and they return the favor, simultaneously: this little blue mirrorverse is singing after supper, totally at home, knowing we travel even sitting back, and everywhere is outer space, also vice versa, like/in music maybe especially.

Verified Purchaser and Top 100 Reviewer Stuart Jefferson mentions these on Amazon:
There's also single CDs like the two volume set "Doo-Wop From Saturn and Beyond", with titles "Interplanetary Melodies" and "The Second Stop Is Jupiter". These sets contain largely unissued tracks but are still full of that Ra magic. There's also "Rocket Ship Rock" (more issued/unissued sides), and "Spaceship Lullaby" (vocal groups), both which are worth hearing for Ra fans.

I've been listening to Monorails and Satellites, Vol. 2 for the first time. Nothing to say but wow, for now. I've been neglecting to keep up with what's become available on Spotify, now that apparently some issues with who has the rights to what have been thrashed out.

definitely picking up "discipline 27-ii" for RSD but what about "janus"?

it got one vote up and one vote down on this thread

i'm fascinated by the idea that bugs hunter was a big part of the janus sessions ... always loved his tape experiments on "cosmic tones" and the track below too

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6U6AHT5xfzo

that Discipline 27-II reissue looks great, too bad I probably won't be able to get my hands on it

I'm lukewarm on Janus, seemed like a patchwork reissue with different sessions mixed up iirc

i picked up both and i'm happy i did!

right now very much enjoying the sun ra and merzbow cd

Bunch of great liner notes/things I haven't heard here: https://sunramusic.bandcamp.com/

yeah I just got turned on to that Bandcamp stuff via this

https://daily.bandcamp.com/2017/10/13/sun-ra-album-guide/

I know how I'm spending my weekend

this year i choose to listen to all sun ra, chronologically.

really been digging The Nubians of Plutonia recently.

i'm only 21 albums away from it!

that journey covers a lot of astronomical units!

is that including "the eternal myth, revealed"?

one year i decided i was going to listen to all of duke ellington's recordings chronologically. i think i got up to 1932?

is that including "the eternal myth, revealed"?

not at the moment, i don't think! i'm starting off with this as my guide: https://www.discogs.com/artist/2219395-The-Sun-Ra-Arkestra?sort=year%2Casc&limit=250&page=1

My friend saw one of the four Arkestra shows this past weekend. Marshall Allen is 93! Apparently he was supposed to sit some of it out, but I guess he played the entire time.

http://campber.people.clemson.edu/earthlies.jpg

has anyone ever owned or even SEEN a copy of hartmut geerken's discography?

you mean the book titles “sun ra omniverse”? or something else?

"omniverse" yeah, that's the one. looks like it was reprinted in 2015, but probably it was also revised / updated?

i can't find much about it except for a long and glowing review of the 1994 ed. on amazon.

geerken's own website doesn't help much, although it looks like the guy has written a LOT about SR (and in a number of languages).

http://www.hartmutgeerken.com/26.html

nevermind, this is the info i was looking for. among many other things, it includes a revised discography co-authored by christopher trent (who did "earthly recordings"). also the photographs look amazing.

http://artyardrecords.co.uk/omniverse-sun-ra/

from the art yard website:

The new, completely revised edition features:

Unpublished photographs of Sun Ra and the Arkestra by Hartmut Geerken and Val Wilmer.

Fully revised discography by Chris Trent, co-author of The Earthly Recordings of Sun Ra.

Articles by Geerken, Amiri Baraka, Chris Cutler, Robert L. Campbell, Salah Ragab, Gabi Geist and others.

New full colour images of hundreds of Sun Ra album covers, posters, handbills and ephemera, including reproductions of rare hand drawn and coloured LP sleeves.

I have the 2015 Art Yard edition. Worth it for the photos alone, nicely printed, and the discography is great to have.

that looks amazing. $72 via forced exposure

I have been sloooowly making my way through in roughly chronological order over the past few years but using this as a guide, which lists everything in chronological order by the oldest track on each record.

I have a copy of “omniverse”, I rarely look at it because (like most of the books i own) it’s simply faster and easier to look up info on the internet. but yeah, it’s a nice book for sure!

i have a small collection of ra related books

my favorites are “this planet is doomed” (edited collection of spoken word transcripts) and “space, interiors and exteriors” (poems, aye aton’s art, his photos of the murals in the philadelphia arkestra commune, production stills from space is the place, etc)

if anyone here hasn't already read the "Space Is The Place" bio, that's very good as well

Art Yard's been doing some cool releases too, I have a double 10" of "lost archive" recordings that's pretty damn good

the pink one? i have a pink double 10” that’s amazing!!

yes, that one!

is anyone interested in doing a sun-ra-in-chronological-order listening thread?

i'd be interested in following along for sure

sure

yeah, I'd give it a shot!

okay, great.

it's my feeling that, after a brief look at sonny's work as a sideman in the 1940s + one of the singles compilations, it would be best just to move right through the arkestra records by release date (going by discogs as KM has been). when material is repackaged for a later release, or when the recording date(s) precede the release date by a significant amount, we can just address it in the thread. and, well, unless there's any objection to that i'll get this thread started in the next couple of days.

My friend saw one of the four Arkestra shows this past weekend. Marshall Allen is 93! Apparently he was supposed to sit some of it out, but I guess he played the entire time.

― Josh in Chicago, Monday, January 1, 2018 4:42 PM (yesterday) Bookmark

i am not your friend (well, i would be if we met but I'm not the friend you're talking about) BUT i also saw one of these shows and he was scooting around the whole time, seemed energetic for a person of his age and his final note of the concert (on that weird electronic voice thing) was the final note i heard played in 2017. i liked that.

Compared to when I saw Pharaoh Sanders with the Underground Duo a bit back, and Sanders barely played anything of note (no pun intended) and merely shuffled around in oversized beat up sneakers like a dude who had seen better days. And Sanders is almost 20 years younger than Marshall Allen!

I got the Live At Montreux set finally cos I was in HonestJohn's just before Xmas.
I think it was the second thing I heard by them. So been meaning to pick it up for years.
I was looking at the 2cd compilation of the Detroit Jazz festival sets which I think had been released individually on Total Energy. Are they good.

one of those sets (Life Is Splendid) might be the best live gig I've heard of theirs

we have the Detroit Jazz Center residency set. maybe i will join by listening to all 26 hours, 13 minutes, and 16 seconds of it along with you all.

btw Lech, pick a day, gather the troops and let's all have a Chicago get together. At the least I'll be at Constellation this Saturday.

only if you promise to never call me that again ;)

gathering the troops is not my forte but i will deliver the message

we have probably already been in the same place at the same time a bunch of times!

I said Detroit Jazz Festival and meant Ann Arbor, getting bits of Michigan confused.I have a version of the Detroit Jazz centre as flacs. Think some of it is pretty good. I think the version i have may be one that repeats and I haven't gone through all the folders or discs yet.