Sun Ra discography

The Sun Ra discography is one of the largest in popular music. [ [http://wc03.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&searchlink=SUN|RA&sql=11:39ftxqtgld0e~T2 allmusic ((( Sun Ra > Discography > Main Albums ))) ] ] The eccentric American jazz keyboardist, bandleader and composer recorded dozens of singles and over one hundred full-length albums, comprising well over 1000 songs, and making him one of the most prolific recording artists of the 20th century. [Szwed, John F. "Space Is the Place: The Lives and Times of Sun Ra" Pantheon, 1997, ISBN 978-0679435891; p. xvii]

Background

Many of these recordings were printed on micro labels: the lengthy list below is only a small portion of Sun Ra's discography, and most of his albums are out of print. His own "El Saturn Records" were usually printed in editions of 75 copies per album, and were sold primarily at live performances. Many of Sun Ra's early albums were recorded at home by Ra himself on wire or early tape recorders, and are decidedly lo-fi. Despite the technological limitations, Ra used some innovative recording techniques, and these recordings provided an unprecedented level of documentation, and were inspirational in showing how artists could take control of the means of production and distribution of their works.

Prior to the 1970s, most of these albums were produced in Chicago through the "El Saturn Records Research" enterprise established by Ra and his colleague Alton Abraham, while later El Saturn Records were produced in Philadelphia. A batch of the most significant recordings were licensed to Impulse! Records in the mid-1970s. They were not as successful as hoped, and were deleted from the Impulse catolog, becoming available around the world as inexpensive "cut-outs," making the music more widely available.

Most El Saturn Records were hand-decorated by Arkestra members, and these LP records sometimes sell for high prices among collectors. These El Saturn Records releases, dating from the 1950s to at least the late 1980s, typically had little or no information as to performers or recording dates, and sometimes didn't even list the songs on the album, often pressing one LP side from one era with another from a different decade, leading to some confusion among completists and fans.

After Sun Ra's death, many of his recordings were released on compact disc for the first time by Evidence Records or Ihnfinity Music.

As is the case with an artist whose output is so extensive, there is quite a bit of debate regarding his "best" albums. However, "Atlantis", "Jazz In Silhouette" (considered by many to be among his most accessible albums), "Space Is The Place" (the 1972 Blue Thumb release), "The Magic City", "Super-Sonic Jazz", "Interstellar Low Ways", "Lanquidity", "The Nubians Of Plutonia", "Secrets Of The Sun", "The Heliocentric Worlds of Sun Ra", "Mayan Temples", and "Cosmic Tones For Mental Therapy" are considered by many critics and fans of Sun Ra's work to be amongst his finest recordings. All of these recordings (except for "Secrets Of The Sun") are available on CD. Indeed, many of his best-known compositions (such as "Saturn", "Enlightenment" and "Rocket Number Nine") are on these recordings. Out of these recordings, many critics and enthusiasts feel that "Jazz In Silhouette" is the best entry-point into his work. [Planer, Lindsay. [http://allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:gnp1z84a8yv1 "Jazz In Silhouette" review] from Allmusic.com; URL accessed February 15, 2007]

Albums

* 1953 – "Sound Sun Pleasure"
* 1956 – "Angels and Demons at Play"
* 1957 – "Jazz by Sun Ra"
* 1957 – "Sound of Joy"
* 1957 – "Super-Sonic Jazz"
* 1958 – "Jazz in Silhouette"
* 1959 – "The Nubians of Plutonia" by Sun Ra and his Myth Science Arkestra (aka "The Lady with the Golden Stockings") (El Saturn Records, Impulse!)
* 1960 – "Rocket Number Nine" by Sun Ra and his Myth Science Arkestra (aka "Interstellar Low Ways")
* 1961 – "The Futuristic Sounds of Sun Ra" by Sun Ra and his Arkestra (Savoy Records)
* 1961 – "We are in the Future" by Sun Ra and his Arkestra (Savoy Records)
* 1961 – "We Travel the Spaceways" by Sun Ra and his Myth Science Arkestra
* 1961 – "Secrets of the Sun" by Sun Ra and his Solar Arkestra (El Saturn Records)
* 1961 – "Cosmic Tones for Mental Therapy" by Sun Ra and his Myth Science Arkestra
* 1961 – "Bad and Beautiful" by Sun Ra and his Myth Science Arkestra (El Saturn Records, Impulse!)
* 1961 – "Fate in a Pleasant Mood" by Sun Ra and his Myth Science Arkestra (El Saturn Records, Impulse!)
* 1962 – "When Sun Comes Out" by Sun Ra and his Astro-Infinty Arkestra (El Saturn Records)
* 1964 – "Other Planes of There" by Sun Ra and his Astro-Infinty Arkestra (Evidence)
* 1965 – "The Heliocentric Worlds of Sun Ra, Volume One"
* 1965 – "The Heliocentric Worlds of Sun Ra, Volume Two"
* 1965 – "Art Forms of Dimensions Tomorrow" by Sun Ra and his Solar Arkestra (El Saturn Records)
* 1965 – "The Magic City"
* 1966 – "Visits Planet Earth" by Sun Ra and his Solar Arkestra
* 1966 – "Other Planes Of There" by Sun Ra and his Solar Arkestra
* 1966 – "Strange Strings" by Sun Ra and his Astro Infinity Arkestra
* 1966 – "Nothing Is" by Sun Ra (ESP-Disk)
* 1966 – "Impressions of a Patch of Blue"
* 1966 – "When Angels Speak of Love" by Sun Ra and his Myth Science Arkestra
* 1966 – "Monorails and Satellites" by Sun Ra (Evidence)
* 1967 – "Atlantis"
* 1968 – "A Black Mass" by Imamu Amiri Baraka with Sun Ra and his Myth Science Arkestra
* 1968 – "Pictures Of Infinity"
* 1970 – "It's After the End of the World" by Sun Ra and his Intergalactic Research Arkestra (MPS)
* 1970 – "Holiday for Soul Dance" by Sun Ra and his Intergalactic Arkestra
* 1970 – "Sound Sun Pleasure!!" by Sun Ra and his Astro Infinity Arkestra
* 1971 – "Nidhamu" by Sun Ra and his Astro Intergalactic Infinity Arkestra (Thoth)
* 1971 – "Live in Egypt 1" by Sun Ra and his Astro Intergalactic Infinity Arkestra (Thoth)
* 1971 – "Horizon" by Sun Ra and his Arkestra
* 1972 – "Astro Black"
* 1972 - "The Night of the Purple Moon" by Sun Ra
* 1973 – "Space is the Place"
* 1973 – "Concert for the Comet Kohoutek" by Sun Ra
* 1973 – "Deep Purple"
* 1973 – "Live in Paris at the "Gibus" by Sun Ra
* 1973 – "What Planet Is This?" by Sun Ra and His Space Arkestra
* 1973 – "Outer Space Employment Agency" by Sun Ra and his Intergalactic Arkestra (Total Engery Records, recorded live at the Ann Arbor Blues & Jazz Festival, September 9, 1973, released 1999)
* 1973 – "Cymbals"
* 1973 – "Crystal Spears"
* 1974 – "Outer Spaceways Incorporated" - by Sun Ra and his Arkestra (aka "A Tonal View of Times Tomorrow, Vol. 3")
* 1974 – "The Invisible Shield" by Sun Ra and his Intergalactic Research Arkestra (aka "Janus", "A Tonal View of Times Tomorrow, Vol. 2", "Satellites are Outerspace...")
* 1975 – "What's New?" by Sun Ra
* 1976 – "Cosmos" by Sun Ra
* 1976 – "Live at Montreux"
* 1976 – "Featuring Pharoah Sanders & Black Harold"
* 1977 – "Solo Piano, Volume 1" by Sun Ra
* 1977 – "" by Sun Ra
* 1978 – "Visions"
* 1978 – "Lanquidity"
* 1978 – "Disco 3000" by Sun Ra and his Arkestra (El Saturn Records)
* 1978 – "On Jupiter" by Sun Ra and his Arkestra (El Saturn Records)
* 1978 – "The Other Side of the Sun by Sun Ra
* 1978 – "The Antique Blacks by Sun Ra and his Arkestra
* 1979 – "Omniverse
* 1980 – "Sunrise in Different Dimensions" by the Sun Ra Arkestra
* 1980 – "Sleeping Beauty" by Sun Ra and his Arkestra (El Saturn Records)
* 1982 – "Strange Celestial Road" by Sun Ra (Rounder)
* 1984 – "Nuclear War" by Sun Ra Arkestra
* 1984 – "Cosmo Sun Connection" by Sun Ra and his Arkestra
* 1986 – "A Night in East Berlin" by Sun Ra and his Cosmo Discipline Arkestra
* 1987 – "Reflections in Blue" by Sun Ra Arkestra (Black Saint/Soul Note)
* 1989 – "Blue Delight" by Sun Ra (A&M)
* 1990 – "Live in London 1990" by Sun Ra and His Year 2000 Myth Science Arkestra
* 1990 – "Mayan Temples" by Sun Ra (Black Saint/Soul Note)
* 1990 – "Purple Night"
* 1991 – "At the Village Vanguard" by Sun Ra Sextet
* 1991 – "Friendly Galaxy" by Sun Ra Arkestra
* 1992 – "Destination Unknown" by Sun Ra & his Omniverse Arkestra
* 1993 – "Somewhere Else" by Sun Ra (recorded 1988–89) (Rounder 3036)
* 1993 – "Space Is the Place (soundtrack)" by Sun Ra and His Intergalactic Solar Arkestra (recorded 1972)
* 2000 - "" by Sun Ra And His Arkestra
* 2001 - "Out in Space" by Sun Ra and his Intergalactic Research Arkestra
* 2002 – "" by Sun Ra and His Arkestra
* 2003 – "" by Sun Ra/the Vocal Groups featuring Nu Sounds, the Unitels & the Cosmic Rays
* 2005 - "Heliocentríc Worlds, Vol. 3" by Sun Ra, recorded in 1965 (ESP-Disk)
* 2007 - "Some Blues But Not The Kind Thats Blue" by Sun Ra and his Arkestra (recorded in the years 1973 [Philadelphia] & 1977 [New York] )

Other appearances

*Performs "Pink Elephants On Parade" on "", 1988

*Featured in ""Face the Sun" on The Grid's album "456 (album)"

References

External links

* [http://wm05.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:39ftxqtgld0e~T2 Sun Ra discography at All Music Guide]
* [http://www.the-temple.net/sunradisco/disco.html Sun Ra's Discography]
* [http://www.dpo.uab.edu/~moudry/discintr.htm Robert Campbell's Discography]