Just before Demonoid went down there was somebody on there reworking the Detroit Jazz Cafe discs because apparently they had been mistransferred and gave a double image or something. I think he would have gradually worked his way through a lot of that material but the medium went down and I now don't know if he was continuing.
I love the band from around that era, seems to be amongst the more psychedelic stuff. Especially when he's electric and funky. IO think he covers some other styles in that set cos there's so much of it.
I just came across the repeat of the These advert for the box set further up the thread. If that set was selling for £45 I'm kicking myself for missing it.
― Stevolende, Saturday, 8 September 2012 22:25 (eleven years ago) link
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/511e00fsqJL._SS500_.jpg
This comp looks like a bit of a bargain, £8.99 on Amazon:
- Jazz by Sun Ra- Jazz in Silhouette- The Futuristic Sounds of Sun Ra - another one I can't identify
Any thoughts? I'm relatively new to Sun Ra but have been enjoying the Singles comp loads. This set seems to concentrate on his early early output.
― millmeister, Saturday, 15 September 2012 16:52 (eleven years ago) link
that one is "super-sonic jazz"
it is some of his more "pedestrian" stuff by which i mean there are no freakouts, special effects, weird instruments, overdubs, etc. it is mostly late 50s jazz played w/ a slightly skewed perspective, kind of like if you got four or five thelonious monks in a room together and let them jam in a room.
that said ... BUY IT
― the late great, Saturday, 15 September 2012 17:10 (eleven years ago) link
BTW i've never heard "jazz by sun ra"
instead of pedestrian i might as well have said "accessible", there is no more than a touch of avant-garde on this stuff
but i LOVE the three albums i've heard, especially super-sonic jazz, and i listen to them a lot
in fact, "futuristic sounds" was the first sun ra i ever bought, and i definitely didn't "get it" ... i was like huh? this isn't avant-garde freakout space jazz at all?!?!
― the late great, Saturday, 15 September 2012 17:18 (eleven years ago) link
I just looked at the John Szwed Space Is The place a couple of days ago for the first time in ages. I was looking for what he says on the late 70s/early 80s era and he barely touches on it. Seems to go over the whole era in a few pages.Subsequently I'm wondering if there is anything that does go into things a bit more deeply. A critical discography or something, even if not a more in depth bio.What other books are there on Ra?
― Stevolende, Saturday, 15 September 2012 17:28 (eleven years ago) link
i don't trust old records on cd that have been "enhanced".
― scott seward, Saturday, 15 September 2012 17:29 (eleven years ago) link
oh and by the way, Atlantis! wow, what a record!
atlantis is pretty decent but the artwork is next-level! is that mighty cthulhu?!?
― the late great, Saturday, 15 September 2012 17:31 (eleven years ago) link
http://static.rateyourmusic.com/album_images/s346712.jpg
― the late great, Saturday, 15 September 2012 17:33 (eleven years ago) link
― the late great
thanks - will get on board. probably a fairly safe introduction to Sun Ra... which the Singles collection is not. it's all over the place (in a good way!!).
― millmeister, Saturday, 15 September 2012 20:12 (eleven years ago) link
it's not really going to help you understand why people think sun ra is special but it's a great set of transitional bop/cool into post-bop/modal jazz and very accessible AND it's an awesome price, i paid at least 10 bucks for each of those
― the late great, Saturday, 15 September 2012 20:17 (eleven years ago) link
!
http://fromnowherehere.blogspot.com/2013/03/esp-sun-ra-radio-tribute-14-hrs-in-6.html
― Ned Raggett, Friday, 8 March 2013 16:30 (eleven years ago) link
Well now. Guess I know what I'll be doing this weekend.
Thanks for posting that!
― Tarfumes The Escape Goat, Friday, 8 March 2013 16:47 (eleven years ago) link
I started listening to this today and it's been excellent so far. Thanks!
― fit and working again, Monday, 11 March 2013 01:16 (eleven years ago) link
he's the subject of toady's jazz profiles on wkcr. heard the Sound of Joy album which was great. i didn't realize he started playing electric piano in 1956.
― mizzell, Sunday, 12 May 2013 19:18 (eleven years ago) link
Who knows which album has the weird jaunty acoustic version of "Outer Spaceways Incorporated" on it?
― inventionsforjohn, Sunday, 12 May 2013 22:55 (eleven years ago) link
which jaunty acoustic version?
― the late great, Sunday, 12 May 2013 23:01 (eleven years ago) link
idk. but if you haven't heard the paris tapes 1971, you should check it out. the untitled synthesizer solo that closes it is so amazing. it really does sound like it is following an extraterrestrial musical logic that we are only on the cusp of comprehending. in general, his keyboard playing on that is top notch... how it kind of intervenes in the midst of the performance and does its own thing, that is less recognizable as "jazz" or "music" than what the other players are doing.
― Treeship, Sunday, 12 May 2013 23:03 (eleven years ago) link
It's a version of the "Outer spaceways" from "space is the place" but with only acoustic guitar and maybe some keyboards, clavi/moog type things that sound like guitars, and sombre sounding vocals.
I cant remember which album, but it's a studio one, and the rest of it isn't related to "space is the place".
― inventionsforjohn, Sunday, 12 May 2013 23:09 (eleven years ago) link
I meant 'wonky', not 'jaunty'.
― inventionsforjohn, Sunday, 12 May 2013 23:13 (eleven years ago) link
There is a very mellow and stripped down version on Solar Myth Approach disc 2 with the only instrumentation some distant bassoon-ish sounds and Ra's funky rocksichord electric piano.
― liam fennell, Sunday, 12 May 2013 23:17 (eleven years ago) link
That's the one thanks. allmusic says it's only 1:21, doesn't sound right/fair. Any recommendations for more similar melancholy/sombre ra tracks?
― inventionsforjohn, Sunday, 12 May 2013 23:33 (eleven years ago) link
Sleeping Beauty from the album of the same name is a 12:00 minute long space lullaby! And some of his very best stuff, IMO. It is from the late 70s. It features the whole Arkestra and the whole album is very lush, down tempo and sleepy sounding. Very aptly named and with very good/clean high fidelity sound quality. Still pretty "out" at times but in a nice calm way that doesn't disturb the overall mood. Sunny plays Fender Rhodes on this album and the singers do a lot of humming and whisper-singing.
― liam fennell, Monday, 13 May 2013 12:12 (eleven years ago) link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IpYa_HW_GxI
― liam fennell, Monday, 13 May 2013 12:15 (eleven years ago) link
That's just what I needed, thanks for sharing.
Anymore?
― inventionsforjohn, Monday, 13 May 2013 13:02 (eleven years ago) link
yeah that's a great albumhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VBNTfXfJhhs
― four Marxes plus four Obamas plus four Bin Ladens (Shakey Mo Collier), Monday, 13 May 2013 15:32 (eleven years ago) link
Sleeping Beauty is awesome, thanks. I'm also loving the On Jupiter album.
― mizzell, Tuesday, 14 May 2013 14:12 (eleven years ago) link
Agreed, On Jupiter is tons of fun! Ditto Strange Celestial Roads and Languidity from the same era and which have the same funky/groovy aesthetic.
― liam fennell, Tuesday, 14 May 2013 14:27 (eleven years ago) link
yeah this was a great period for Ra, maybe my favorite
― four Marxes plus four Obamas plus four Bin Ladens (Shakey Mo Collier), Tuesday, 14 May 2013 15:39 (eleven years ago) link
Just got Continuation, which I'd put up there with Strange Strings or Cosmic Tones for Mental Therapy -- utterly unclassifiable, and absurdly ahead of its time.
― Tarfumes The Escape Goat, Tuesday, 14 May 2013 15:47 (eleven years ago) link
There's a period I'd still like to know the extents of from late 70s tol early 80s when they're doing liquid electric space jazz stuff. My introduction to the band was through Strange Celestial Road which my brother got as a review copy when he was at Birmingham University. Think that was the copy I wound up with though it may have been a different one prompted by my liking his copy. Period includes Lanquididty, Sleeping Beauty, possibly Disco 3000 and a few others. I love that stuff to bits.Is Cosmos as good?
― Stevolende, Tuesday, 14 May 2013 17:06 (eleven years ago) link
& to repeat a question I asked a while back, is there a critical discography of his work anywhere. Book form or website. Would love to know what was what at a glance. I need to hear more by him & probably always will. He can be a tad addictive.
― Stevolende, Tuesday, 14 May 2013 17:08 (eleven years ago) link
most authoritative written work about Ra is surely the Szwed book?
― four Marxes plus four Obamas plus four Bin Ladens (Shakey Mo Collier), Tuesday, 14 May 2013 17:11 (eleven years ago) link
which includes a discography, although I don't think he has details on every single release (dunno if such a thing is even really possible, is there actually someone out there that's heard everything?)
― four Marxes plus four Obamas plus four Bin Ladens (Shakey Mo Collier), Tuesday, 14 May 2013 17:12 (eleven years ago) link
cosmos is the best of that period imo
― the late great, Tuesday, 14 May 2013 17:13 (eleven years ago) link
There was a nice pictorial spread of Sun Ra album covers in an issue of wax poetics years ago, I think. But not complete and not much critical review iirc.
― Trip Maker, Tuesday, 14 May 2013 17:20 (eleven years ago) link
I think when I first asked the question re critical discography I'd just looked up the era I'd really enjoyed and seen that he'd covered it all in about a page or two. Certainly far less in depth than I was looking for. Subsequently wondered what else there had been written about the music the band had performed.
― Stevolende, Tuesday, 14 May 2013 21:15 (eleven years ago) link
Search: The Antique Blacks― Xochipilli, Friday, May 11, 2007 5:22 PM (6 years ago)
YES
― the late great, Wednesday, 12 June 2013 06:33 (ten years ago) link
definitely, been giving that and Sleeping Beauty a lot of play lately.
― Fanois och Alexander (Merdeyeux), Wednesday, 12 June 2013 06:50 (ten years ago) link
what else has that weird funky fusion thing you get on e.g. Antique Blacks or Lanquidity?
― Fanois och Alexander (Merdeyeux), Wednesday, 12 June 2013 06:52 (ten years ago) link
the beginning of atlantis
― the late great, Wednesday, 12 June 2013 07:00 (ten years ago) link
strange celestial roads, night of the purple moon
those are more in the vein of antique blacks, less so lanquidity. but ra has a soul jazz sort of vibe going in all three
― the late great, Wednesday, 12 June 2013 07:01 (ten years ago) link
On Jupiter
― Bathory Tub Blues (Shakey Mo Collier), Wednesday, 12 June 2013 15:43 (ten years ago) link
Xp Sleeping Beauty is incredible. I love how beloved Sun Ra is on this board.
― Treeship, Wednesday, 12 June 2013 16:02 (ten years ago) link
Picked up The Paris Tapes on your recommendation, Treeship. That synth solo at the end is brilliant!
― Tarfumes The Escape Goat, Wednesday, 12 June 2013 16:04 (ten years ago) link
and just listened to Black Myth...is Eloe Omoe using some kind of a Varitone or something? Sounds like he's got some kind of octave-doubler dealie happening.
"Disco 3000" is pretty great
― Sir Lord Baltimora (Myonga Vön Bontee), Wednesday, 12 June 2013 17:51 (ten years ago) link
I enjoy it a lot, altho as must have been pointed out here before, there is nothing remotely disco about ti
― Bathory Tub Blues (Shakey Mo Collier), Wednesday, 12 June 2013 18:04 (ten years ago) link
if you like disco 3000 you should check out media dream - it's from the same italian tour
― the late great, Wednesday, 12 June 2013 18:40 (ten years ago) link