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SUN RA

Sun Ra

Inside The Light World: Sun Ra Meets The Ovc (RSD24 EDITION)

    THIS IS A RECORD STORE DAY 2024 EXCLUSIVE AND WILL BE AVAILABLE INSTORE ON SATURDAY APRIL 20TH ON A FIRST COME FIRST SERVED BASIS, LIMITED TO ONE PER PERSON.

    IF THERE ARE ANY REMAINING COPIES THEY WILL BE MADE AVAILABLE ONLINE AT 8PM ON MONDAY APRIL 22ND.






    Sun Ra

    At The Showcase - Live In Chicago 1977 (RSD24 EDITION)

      THIS IS A RECORD STORE DAY 2024 EXCLUSIVE AND WILL BE AVAILABLE INSTORE ON SATURDAY APRIL 20TH ON A FIRST COME FIRST SERVED BASIS, LIMITED TO ONE PER PERSON.

      IF THERE ARE ANY REMAINING COPIES THEY WILL BE MADE AVAILABLE ONLINE AT 8PM ON MONDAY APRIL 22ND.






      Sun Ra

      A Fireside Chat With Lucifer - 2024 Reissue

      An F-bomb saturated hip-hop call & response club cut...from Sun Ra?! While the most renown track in this omniversal opus is the atomic expletive-filled repartee ‘Nuclear War,’ there is so much more to this dark mysterious journey through the mind of Sun Ra.

      The sprawling, suite-like 20-minute title track sustains a lyrical edge in spite of an open framework and textures, which encourage sonorities to surface and emerge from the band as if there was no human intention behind them. In opposition to ‘Nuclear War,’ Ra’s organ playing here was built less on bombast and sonic terror than it is on whispers, stutters, shivers, and swells.

      Fireside Chat offers a wide stylistic array, as was the artist’s intent, reflecting his eclectic, seemingly irreconcilable approach to compositional extremes. With Sun Ra you get everything... except predictability.

      First ever reissue of this iconic album!

      TRACK LISTING

      Nuclear War
      Retrospect
      Makeup
      A Fireside Chat With Lucifer

      Sun Ra

      The Futuristic Sounds Of Sun Ra - Craft Jazz Essentials

        This special 60th Anniversary reissue of groundbreaking jazz artist Sun Ra’s iconic 1962 album The Futuristic Sounds of Sun Ra features all-analogue re-mastering by Kevin Gray at Cohearent Audio, pressed on 180-gram vinyl at RTI. The package includes Tom Wilson’s original liner notes, plus insightful new essays by jazz historian Ben Young, as well as by Irwin Chusid, who is also a journalist, radio personality, and author. 

        TRACK LISTING

        Side A
        1. Bassism
        2. Of Sounds And Something Else
        3. What's That?
        4. Where Is Tomorrow?
        5. The Beginning
        6. China Gates
        Side B
        1. New Day
        2. Tapestry From An Asteroid
        3. Jet Flight
        4. Looking Outward
        5. Space Jazz Reverie 

        Sun Ra

        Haverford College, Jan 25, 1980

          Soothing Sounds for Saturnians! Sun Ra, notorious for his aggressive keyboard attack and seemingly schizophrenic stylings, here offers a unique selection playing the celeste-like Fender Rhodes electric piano, which has a distinct sound (think Doors' "Riders on the Storm") and an interesting history.

          This is Ra sound at his most relaxed and contemplative state.

          This Sun Ra 1980 solo set at Haverford College has been kicking around the internet and in the digital libraries of Ra collectors for years, though it has not previously been properly mastered or commercially issued. Like many events in Ra's history, this gig has a story that goes beyond the music. Ra's presence onstage that night came about through an unforeseen chain of events that unfolded up until concert time.

          This is a very unique performance. Sun Ra is notorious for his aggressive keyboard attack and seemingly schizophrenic stylings-- which can musically rocket from A to Z and back without transitional bridges.

          This set offers a marked contrast. Ra's instrument here is the celeste-like Fender Rhodes electric piano, which has a distinct sound (instantly recognizable in the Doors' "Riders on the Storm") and an interesting history. There are few pyrotechnics in this performance, and much restraint. Ra sounds relaxed and contemplative. It's Soothing Sounds for Saturnians. - Irwin Chusid

          TRACK LISTING

          LP Tracks:
          Love In Outer Space
          Haverford Impromptu 1
          Rhapsody In Blue
          St. Louis Blues
          Medley: Intro- Space Is The Place- Over The Rainbow
          Haverford Impromptu 2
          We Live To Be (previously Unissued)
          Take The A Train (previously unissued)

          CD Tracks:
          Love In Outer Space
          Haverford Impromptu 1
          Rhapsody In Blue
          St. Louis Blues
          Medley: Intro-Space Is The Place-Over The Rainbow
          Haverford Impromptu 2
          We Live To Be (previously Unissued)
          Take The A Train (previously unissued)
          Haverford Encore Duet (Featuring Walt Dickerson)

          Sun Ra

          Space Is The Place - Verve By Request Edition

            Space Is The Place – highlighted by the rousing 21-minute title track – is both an essential album and a great onramp for new listeners to travel the spaceways of Sun Ra’s other-worldly blend of avant-garde jazz, experimental rock, and Afrofuturism.

            This Verve By Request title is pressed on 180-gram vinyl at Third Man in Detroit. 

            TRACK LISTING

            Side A
            1. Space Is The Place
            2. Images
            Side B
            3. Discipline 33
            4. Sea Of Sound
            5. Rocket Number Nine

            Sun Ra & His Arkestra

            Jazz In Silhouette - 2023 Reissue

              Cosmic Myth Records is dedicated to issuing reamstered and fully authorized out of print titles from Sun Ra's independent Saturn Records catalog. Sun Ra's Jazz in Silhouette was enshrined in the Penguin Jazz Guide's "Core Collection" as an album that "will someday be recognized as one of the most important post-war jazz records."

              Remastered with extra tracks - extra disc also includes Sound Sun Pleasure LP. Features the original space nymph cover art, which only appeared in cropped and washed out reproductions on an early 60s version.

              Sun Ra

              Space Is The Place

                Allow yourself to envision or feel a world away with this deluxe package of 3LPs, a BluRay Disc & DVD or 2CD Bluray & DVD Discs of the film, and lots more! The audio portion contains the original music composed for the film, which was eventually released as a soundtrack in 1993. It also features The Mathematics Of The Altered Destiny a third previously unissued LP recorded in the same soundtrack sessions but is finally being released half a century after it was recorded. This newly discovered LP is heavy on the prose of Sun Ra, as he and June Tyson bestow countless bits of information and inspiration onto the listener.

                The film soundtrack is an entirely different journey than the 1973 Blue Thumb LP it shares its title with. We suggest you take both journeys. These recordings were sourced from the Sun Ra tape vault, then were digitally restored to make an album this special sound the best it possibly could.The BluRay contains the entire glorious film complete with film artifacts, and was sourced from the restoration prepared by Rapid Eye Movies of Germany. The bonus features on the BluRay are composed of Ra and Ra-centric material from the Modern Harmonic archives, including video from the Outer Space Visual Communicator footage.An additional track from these sessions, "The Idea Of The Greater Age" can be found on the CD version of this album or on the album Some Skin: A Modern Harmonic Bongo & Percussion Party.

                Sun Ra & His Blue Universe Arkestra

                Universe In Blue - 2023 Reissue

                  A collection of torrid live club performances at the legendary NYC venue Slugs. Originally released in 1972, these recordings provide an intriguing glimpse of the Arkestra's repertoire and virtuosity towards the end of their first decade in New York. Universe In Blue has never been available on CD, and only a previous unofficial vinyl version was available prior to 2022.

                  Includes liner notes by Irwin Chusid, and an expanded essay by Jazz historian Ben Young.

                  Sun Ra

                  Marshall Allen Presents Sun Ra And His Arkestra:In The Orbit Of Ra - 2023 Repress

                    Strut and Art Yard join forces for a special release to mark what would have been Sun Ra’s 100th birthday with ’In The Orbit Of Ra’, a new collection curated by the longest serving member of the Arkestra and current bandleader, Marshall Allen. Bringing together Ra highlights from over 25 years of music, the album is the first internationally released compilation to provide an introduction to the music of Sun Ra, curated personally by the Arkestra and mastered from the original tapes. With a catalogue of well over a hundred albums, Sun Ra forged his own direction in music from the mid ‘50s until his passing in 1993, injecting space age cosmic philosophy, ancient Egyptian history and lyrical poetry into a unique and freeform jazz sound. His music evolved constantly with relentless rehearsals, live gigging and recording schedules, developing a second?sense chemistry with his fellow Arkestra band members. Together, their emphasis would often be on improvisation and “the moment”, constantly re?interpreting and evolving their sound. Elements of magic and ritual would regularly feature in their performances and would lend the Arkestra a mystical aura.

                    For this exclusive new collection, Strut join forces with Art Yard to gain access to the inner sanctum of the Arkestra. In addition to the track selection, the release features recollections and contributions from some of the core Arkestra line?up including Marshall Allen, Michael Ray, Knoel Scott and Danny Ray Thompson. For the music, Allen’s selection takes us through the huge variety and intricacy of the Arkestra’s work covering the ‘60s to early ‘80s, from the celestial blues of ‘Spontaneous Simplicity’ and ‘Plutonian Nights’ to the urgent jazz of ‘Rocket Number Nine Take Off For Planet Venus’ and ‘Dance Of The Cosmo Aliens’. The album features an exclusive previously unreleased Sun Ra track from the Art Yard archives, the acoustic ‘Trying To Put The Blame On Me’ recorded live in Rome in 1977, along with a previously unreleased Part 1 of ‘Reflects Motion’ from 1962 and an unheard extended version of ‘Island In The Sun’ from the late ‘60s.

                    ‘In The Orbit Of Ra’ is released on 2CD and 2LP. Physical formats feature full interview with Marshall Allen along with rare and previously unpublished photos by Val Wilmer.

                    TRACK LISTING

                    LP 1
                    1. Sun Ra And His Myth Science Arkestra – Somewhere In Space
                    2. Sun Ra & His Solar‐Myth Arkestra – The Lady With The Golden Stockings
                    3. Sun Ra And His Afro Infinity Arkestra – Somebody Else’s World
                    4. Sun Ra – Spontaneous Simplicity
                    5. Sun Ra & His Solar‐Myth Arkestra – Plutonian Nights
                    6. The Sun Ra Arkestra – Angels And Demons At Play
                    7. Sun Ra – Island In The Sun
                    8. Sun Ra – Rocket Number Nine Take Off For Planet Venus
                    9. Sun Ra – Solar Differentials 

                    LP2
                    1. Sun Ra And His Arkestra ‐ Afro Black
                    2. Sun Ra And His Intergalactic Infinity Arkestra - Have You Heard The Latest News From Neptune
                    3. Sun Ra – Dance Of The Cosmo Aliens
                    4. Sun Ra – Trying To Put The Blame On Me
                    5. Sun Ra And His Solar Arkestra – Planet Earth
                    6. Sun Ra And His Myth Science Arkestra – The Nile
                    7. Sun Ra And His Solar Arkestra – Reflects Motion
                    8. Sun Ra And His Solar Arkestra – Reflects Motion (part 2)
                    9. Sun Ra – Ancient Ethiopia 10. Sun Ra And His Arkestra – Interplanetary Music
                    11. Sun Ra And His Myth Science Arkestra – We Travel The Spaceways  

                    Sun Ra

                    Discipline 27-11 - 2023 Repress

                      A bona fide Sun Ra classic, 'Discipline 27-11' was recorded by Impulse! producer Ed Michel in October 1972 at Streeterville Studios in Chicago and involved the largest Arkestra lineup Sun Ra had ever taken into a studio session. The recordings spawned two albums, the celebrated 'Space Is The Place' and 'Discipline 27-11' which would remain its rather mysterious occult twin. Official reissue remastered from the original tapes.

                      TRACK LISTING

                      A1: Pan-Afro
                      A2: Discipline
                      A3: Neptune
                      B1: Discipline 27-II

                      Sun Ra

                      Singles - The Definitive 45s Collection - Vol. 1 1952-1961 - 2023 Repress

                        Strut present the definitive collection of singles released by Sun Ra across his illustrious career, spanning 1952 to 1991. Released prolifically during the 1950s and more sporadically thereafter, primarily on the Saturn label, the 45s offer one-off meteorites from Ra’s prolific cosmic journey, tracing the development of his forward-thinking “Space-Bop” and his unique take on jazz and blues traditions. The collection is hugely varied, ranging from Ra’s spoken word recitations and his early work with Chicago vocal groups to the different phases of his Arkestra, small group and duet recordings. The singles are also unpredictable vehicles for Ra’s music, combining different tracks from different sessions and occasionally making available music which was recorded many years beforehand.

                        As with his LPs, most 45s were only pressed in small runs and have since become extremely rare and sought after. Only a small handful of copies of ‘Love In Outer Space’ b/w ‘Mayan Temple’ and ‘The Blue One’ b/w ‘Orbitration In Blue’ have ever been seen; some have only been discovered in physical form in recent years; some were planned and pencilled but allegedly never made it to vinyl (including ‘Saturn’ and ‘Velvet’ from the Jazz In Silhouette LP) and some appeared as limited one-off magazine singles and posthumous releases, including ‘Hell #1’ aka ‘Out There A Minute’.

                        All formats feature fully remastered tracks, rare photos, original 45 artwork, Francis Gooding’s extensive sleeve notes, an interview with Saturn Records founder Alton Abraham by John Corbett and detailed track by track and session notes by Paul Griffiths.

                        The set is the most comprehensive collection of Ra’s singles to date. Sleeve note writers Francis Gooding and Paul Griffiths brilliantly illustrate the role of the single within Ra’s career and break down each release with detailed track by track notes. Working with Sun Ra LLC and Sun Ra archivist Michael D. Anderson, Strut has also assembled the best possible master sources for each track.


                        TRACK LISTING


                        1. Sun Ra – I Am An Instrument
                        2. Sun Ra – I Am Strange
                        3. The Nu Sounds With Sun Ra – Chicago Usa
                        4. The Nu Sounds With Sun Ra – Spaceship Lullaby
                        5. The Cosmic Rays With Sun Ra And Arkestra – Daddy’S Gonna Tell You No Lie
                        6. The Nu Sounds With Sun Ra And Arkestra – A Foggy Day
                        7. Billie Hawkins With Sun-Ra And His Orchestra – I’M Coming Home
                        8. Billie Hawkins With Sun-Ra And His Orchestra – Last Call For Love
                        9. Sun-Ra And His Arkistra – Soft Talk
                        10. Sun-Ra And His Arkistra – Super Blonde
                        11. Le Sun-Ra And His Arkistra – Saturn
                        12. Le Sun-Ra And His Arkistra – Call For All Demons
                        13. Le Sun-Ra And His Arkistra – Demon’S Lullaby
                        14. Le Sun-Ra And His Arkistra – Super-Sonic Jazz
                        15. Le Sun-Ra & His Arkistra – Medicine For A Nightmare
                        16. Le Sun-Ra & His Arkistra – Urnack
                        17. The Qualities – It’S Christmas Time
                        18. The Qualities – Happy New Year To You!
                        19. Yochanan (The Space Age Vocalist) – M Uck M Uck (Matt Matt)
                        20. Yochanan (The Space Age Vocalist) – Hot Skillet Momma
                        21. The Cosmic Rays With Le Sun Ra And Arkestra – Bye Bye
                        22. The Cosmic Rays With Le Sun Ra And Arkestra – Somebody’S In Love
                        23. Le Sun Ra And His Arkestra – Hours After
                        24. Le Sun Ra And His Arkestra – Great Balls Of Fire
                        25. Sun Ra And His Astro Infinity Arkestra – October
                        26. Sun Ra And His Astro Infinity Arkestra – Adventur In Space
                        27. The Cosmic Rays With Sun Ra And Arkestra – Dreaming
                        28. The Cosmic Rays With Sun Ra And Arkestra – Daddy’S Gonna Tell You No Lie
                        29. Hattie Randolph With Sun Ra And His Astro Infinity Arkestra – Round Midnight
                        30. Hattie Randolph With Sun Ra And His Astro Infinity Arkestra – Back In Your Own Back Yard
                        31. Le Sun Ra And His Arkestra – Saturn
                        32. Le Sun Ra And His Arkestra – Velvet
                        33. Yochanan “A Space Age Vocalist” With Sun Ra And His Arkestra – The Sun One
                        34. Yochanan “A Space Age Vocalist” With Sun Ra And His Arkestra – Message To Earthman
                        35. Yochanan With Sun Ra And His Arkestra – The Sun Man Speaks
                        36. Sun Ra And His Arkestra – Space Loneliness

                        Sun Ra Arkestra

                        Living Sky

                          For more than two decades alto saxophonist Marshall Allen has carried on the legacy and sound of the Sun Ra Arkestra - He turned 98 in 2022 and as evidenced by Living Sky, his influence and leadership remain undiminished

                          On the group's first recording since the pandemic and their Grammy nomination, bandleader Marshall Allen and company give us something we can hold onto, an instrumental album rich in spirituality to guide us through the unknown yet again. The album includes the first studio recording of Sun Ra's elaboration of Frederic Chopin's "Prelude in A Major", first instrumental recording of Ra's "Somebody Else's Idea". Features Allen's "Day of the Living Sky", a meditative work that is a belated response to Sun Ra's composition "Night of the Living Sky" which is also featured in the album.

                          Cover art by Damon Locks.

                          Mixed & mastered by two time Grammy winner Dave Darlington.

                          TRACK LISTING

                          Chopin (Frédéric Chopin)
                          Somebody Else’s Idea (Sun Ra)
                          Day Of the Living Sky (Marshall Allen)
                          Marshall's Groove (Marshall Allen)
                          Night Of The Living Sky (Sun Ra)
                          Firefly (Marshall Allen)
                          Wish Upon A Star (Leigh Harline)

                          Sun Ra

                          The Futuristic Sounds Of Sun Ra - 2022 Reissue

                            60th Anniversary Edition of groundbreaking jazz artist Sun Ra’s iconic 1962 album The Futuristic Sounds of Sun Ra. Originally produced by Tom Wilson, this is the first Sun Ra LP to be recorded by Arkestra in NYC. This new edition is pressed on 180-gram vinyl at RTI with ALL-ANALOG Mastering by Kevin Gray at Cohearent Audio. Includes new essays by Irwin Chusid & Ben Young.


                            Sun Ra

                            Lanquidity - 2021 Reissue

                              Recorded in New York in the Summer of 1978 for Philly Jazz (who attempted to form the Ra-legion Cosmo-Fan Club!), this legendary (and previously ultra-rare) LP is maybe the closest Sunny ever got to a crossover album! That's not to say that the out-of-this-world arrangements have been toned down (far from it!), but you can hear the influence of disco and fusion on tracks like "Where Pathways Meet" and "That's How I Feel". It's had a few re-issues over the years, including an amazing deluxe version, which was enough to get my pants moistened, but now it has been reissued on vinyl with all original artwork, and some amazing liner notes in which they interview Bob Blank (the engineer), Michael Ray, Danny Thompson (Arkestra musicians) and Tom Buchler (from Philly Jazz) - I have well and truly soaked my trolleys!! Definitely one of the top five all-time greatest Sun Ra albums - if you've never bought one before, I reckon that this is the perfect introduction to THE GENIUS OF SUN RA!!!

                              TRACK LISTING

                              A1. Lanquidity
                              A2. Where Pathways Meet
                              A3. That’s How I Feel
                              B1. Twin Stars Of Thence
                              B2. There Are Other World (They Have Not Told You Of)

                              Sun Ra

                              Lanquidity (Deluxe Edition)

                                Strut present the definitive edition of Sun Ra’s classic ‘Lanquidity’ album from 1978 with brand new 4LP box set and 2CD editions.

                                Recorded overnight at Bob Bank’s Blank Tapes on 17th July 1978 after the Arkestra had appeared on Saturday Night Live, the album is unique in the Ra catalogue. “Most critics felt that it was more of a fusion-inspired record,” explains Michael Ray. “As the name suggests, the album is liquid and languid.” Bob Blank continues, “Musically, it was very ad hoc and freeform. There were horn charts but most tracks came out of improvised jams. Sun Ra just did his thing.”

                                Comprising five effortlessly fluid pieces, the album eases in with Lanquidity. Danny Ray Thompson remembers, “This was one of Sun Ra’s on-the-spot compositions. It is almost like an Ancient Egyptian Stargazing Ceremony, mapping out the stars and the planets.” Where Pathways Meet is “Sun Ra’s funky version of an Egyptian march. Pharaoh is sending his troops off to fight and this is his pep-talk!” continues Thompson. “The music seems to take different pathways but still converges.” The loping groove of That’s How I Feel, features the reflective trumpet lines of Eddie Gale with solos by John Gilmore and Marshall Allen: “Marshall comes in with that snake charming oboe.” Says Thompson. The funky Twin Stars Of Thence weaves around Richard Williams celebrated elastic bassline while the haunting closer, There Are Other Worlds (They Have Not Told You Of), is pure “space music.” The poet Mama Nzinga described it as ‘The essence of light. Spirit takes a ride inside the deep dark space of just being.”

                                The new box set edition of ‘Lanquidity’ features the widely distributed version of the album alongside alternative mixes by Bob Blank originally released in limited quantities for a 1978 Arkestra gig at Georgia Tech. Both versions of the album are cut loud at 45 rpm over 2LPs each.

                                Housed in a silver foil box, both LP sets reflect the original Phlly Jazz artwork. The first comes in a foil / magenta sleeve while the second features 2 x yellow A4 sheets pasted onto a white sleeve. Also included is a 12-page over-sized booklet featuring unseen photos by Veryl Oakland and liner notes by Tom Buchler (Philly Jazz), Michael Ray and Danny Ray Thompson (Sun Ra Arkestra) and Bob Blank.

                                The 2CD version is housed in a foil digipak.

                                TRACK LISTING

                                4LP TRACKLISTING:
                                A1. Lanquidity
                                B1. Where Pathways Meet
                                B2. That’s How I Feel
                                C1. Twin Stars Of Thence
                                D1. There Are Other Worlds (They Have Not Told You Of)
                                E1. Lanquidity (Alternate Version)
                                E2. Where Pathways Meet (Alternate Version)
                                F1. That’s How I Feel (Alternate Version)
                                G1. Twin Stars Of Thence (Alternate Version)
                                H1. There Are Other Worlds (They Have Not Told You Of) (Alternate Version)

                                2CD TRACKLISTING:
                                CD 1
                                1. Lanquidity
                                2. Where Pathways Meet
                                3. That’s How I Feel
                                4. Twin Stars Of Thence
                                5. There Are Other Worlds (They Have Not Told You Of)
                                CD 2
                                1. Lanquidity (Alternate Version)
                                2. Where Pathways Meet (Alternate Version)
                                3. That’s How I Feel (Alternate Version)
                                4. Twin Stars Of Thence (Alternate Version)
                                5. There Are Other Worlds (They Have Not Told You Of) (Alternate Version)

                                Sun Ra

                                Nidhamu

                                  In the years leading up to 1971, Sun Ra wrote many compositions and poems specifically inspired by the ancient African Kingdoms and many others with associated mythological and heliocentric connotations. As such, a visit to Egypt and the opportunity for the Arkestra to play there was a matter of necessity. Ra’s first ever concerts outside of the US had occurred in late summer and autumn of 1970 with performances in France, Germany and the UK and a second European tour was arranged for late 1971. At the end of that second tour, Ra caught wind of cheap flights from Denmark to Cairo.

                                  This release comprises recordings made by Arkestra member Thomas “Bugs” Hunter made in December 1971 in the streets around the Mena House Hotel, Giza, from a concert held at the house of Goethe Institute ex-pat Hartmut Geerken in Heliopolis, from a live Cairo TV channel broadcast and a concert at the Ballon Theatre in Cairo.

                                  The impact and significance of these few weeks upon Sun Ra can be measured by the growth and development of his output over the next few years; the immediate post-Egypt period included new studio and live recordings on the Saturn, Blue Thumb, Atlantic and Impulse labels and the ‘Space Is The Place’ movie. Ra also edited the three LPs of the ‘Live In Egypt’ series which were subsequently released on his Saturn record label and its affiliated twin, Thoth Intergalactic: ‘Dark Myth Equation Visitation’, ‘Nidhamu’ and ‘Horizon’.


                                  TRACK LISTING

                                  A1. Space Loneliness No. 2
                                  A2. Discipline No. 11
                                  A3. Discipline No. 15
                                  B1. Nidhamu

                                  Sun Ra & His Myth Science Arkestra

                                  When Angels Speak Of Love

                                    This 1963 set establishes Sun Ra's Arkestra as a New York band, sonically coupled to developments in the decidedly urbane downtown arts underground.The stargazing clamor of the music reflects the intensity of a cultural crossroads where concrete and dust pervade any skyward view, from East 3rd Street to Mars and beyond. One of Sun Ra's rarest releases, it had negligible circulation through shops. While most of the Saturn output couldn't get any rarer or mysterious than it already was, 'When Angels Speak of Love' was released in 1966, it was the most elusive and mysterious in the Sun Ra catalog. It's speculated that the record was issued in two micro runs, with estimates around 150 copies. Hard core collectors around the world had been searching for this gem to no avail until Evidence Records' released a CD of the music in 2000. This updated offering utilizes the actual master tapes and we get to hear the Arkestra in its cosmic mid-60's prime via mono and stereo fidelity. Features three additional stereo tracks, with liner notes by jazz historian Clifford Allen.

                                    Sun Ra And His Arkestra

                                    El Is A Sound Of Joy / Black Sky And Blue Moon

                                      Shining sounds from the dawn of the Sun Ra Arkestra. "El is A Sound of Joy" was recorded in 1956 and appeared the following year on the very first Saturn LP, Super-Sonic Jazz. Incredible is the fact that saxophonist Charles Davis, here providing the soulful baritone anchor line (counterpoint to Ra's formidable left hand), remains in the front-line of today's Sun Ra Arkestra directed by Marshall Allen. Shuffle swing breakdown jets leisurely, casually, masterfully, painting lush, post-modern impressions of ancient future worlds, of space, of time … of Chicago's elevated trains … Reaching for the sky, for Joy …. The “Joy” coda dovetails magically into the intro theme of "Black Sky And Blue Moon," before downshifting into another dimension of romantic outrospection. We follow The Nu Sounds, aka Cosmic Rays, on a faraway journey to the land of late-50s Chicago singing groups, the Arkestra supporting with quiet grace, pulsing in Nubians of Plutonia mode. An uncanny blend of antique blackness and bright satellites, ethereal voices perfectly in tune; thanks to Ra's disciplined coaching (plus Modern Harmonic's expert re-mastering), their sweet dynamics and exact harmonics are crystal clear. Flute solo from Marshall Allen. Hearts swelling like the full moon, ripening in the darkness to the point of bursting.

                                      Sun Ra

                                      Outer Spaceways Incorporated - White / Purple Vinyl Edition

                                        THIS IS A RECORD STORE DAY 2014 EXCLUSIVE AND WILL ONLY BE AVAILABLE INSTORE ON THE DAY (SATURDAY APRIL 19th) AND LIMITED TO ONE PER PERSON.

                                        IF THERE ARE ANY REMAINING COPIES THEY WILL BE MADE AVAILABLE ONLINE FROM SATURDAY APRIL 26th.


                                        On vinyl for the first time in over three decades, this limited edition Record Store Day release will feature a white and purple psychedelic color LP and exclusive cover art.
                                        .

                                        TRACK LISTING

                                        Somewhere There
                                        Outer Spaceways Incorporated
                                        Saturn
                                        Song Of The Sparer
                                        Spontaneous Simplicity

                                        Recorded live November 9th 1970 at Queen Elizabeth Hall in the South Bank Centre, "Live In London 1970" captures Ra and his many pals in full jazzprov mode. This was Sun Ra's first UK appearance, and he brought along fire eaters, golden robed dancers and 16 musicians. Tornadoes of percussion, eerie cello glissandi, ferocious blasts and tendrils of electronic sound from Ra's Farfisa organ and Moog syth all made this a bit of a free-jazz psychedelic happening. This double CD recording captures it all, if all in a little bit 'cassette recorder from the audience' lo-fi mode.


                                        Sun Ra

                                        Heliocentric Worlds Of Sun Ra Vol 1


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