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Reviews (19)
05 Jan, 2009
A Unique and Wonderful Sun Ra recording
2 of 2 found this helpful “Night of the Purple Moon” is one of my favorite Sun Ra albums, and until recently it was only available as a rare vinyl LP. For current Sun Ra fans, you surely know that there is an absolute plethora of Sun Ra albums available, and that none of them even begin to capture the spectacle that was the Arkestra performing live.
For those of you who are curious about Le Sun Ra and his Omniverse, it is mind–boggling to even contemplate how to dive in. I would not be surprised to hear that there were a hundred Sun Ra albums, I have owned a couple of dozen, at least. I was fortunate enough to see the Arkestra several times in the 1970s and 1980s, and each time was wonderful, but there were some shows that really stood out, as with any performer(s).
Sonny’s reputation as a screeching weirdo who came from the Planet Saturn invariably preceded him, and consequently “the squares” avoided him like the plague. What many people do not know is that he was an arranger for Fletcher Henderson’s big band in the 1930s and 1940s, and that the Arkestra could swing in the most conventional fashion with the best of them!
“Night of the Purple Moon” is neither of those things. It is a rare live quartet recording (NYC 1970) in a relaxed setting, with an intimate flavor. The instrumentation is Sonny on Rocksichord, electric bass (guest Stafford James) percussion and reeds. It moves along (it might be more accurate to say “rocks” than “swings” along) with an easy, steady pace, and rarely gets out of control, although it is hardly conventional in any sense.
It is a very refreshing change of pace, even for those of us who love the intense honking, and the only comparable record he made was “My Brother the Wind” (also only available on vinyl, and not to be confused with “My Brother the Wind part 2” which is totally different) in the small, relaxed setting.
I used to own an original Thoth International pressing on vinyl, which was dreadfully recorded and pressed, and a modern 180 gram vinyl reissue which was the same recording but a much better pressing. Both are compressed and muted–sounding, unfortunately, but perhaps that should be part of the charm.
This clean remastering includes some bonus material, which is always a mixed blessing: freebies are always good, in general, but there is a lot to be said for maintaining the artistic integrity of the original. In any case, this is a MUST–HAVE in any Sun Ra collection, and might even be a great place to start as a neophyte. Highly Recommended.
30 Dec, 2008
A Great Collection - Worth Buying for the Book !
3 of 3 found this helpful CAN was possibly the greatest rock band that ever existed. I can hear the chorus of howls from people crying “blasphemy – have you never heard of the Beatles?” etc. Rock music is a predominantly Anglo phenomenon, between the deep black American blues roots imported by Englishmen in the 1950s-60s and shipped back over here a decade later, updated (sanitized and whitened, many would argue) by the likes of the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Animals, and their many peers. Furthermore, some people might say “Can, that’s just krautrock” as if to denigrate it by placing a label on it, to belittle it by stereotyping it.
None of that matters to me. CAN existed for a decade (plus some additional later work) and left behind a body of work that compares favorably with the greatest of the rock experimenters and explorers: the Beatles, whose work was as evolutionary as it was revolutionary, Velvet Underground, Captain Beefheart, the top shelf list is not long. There were many flashes of extraordinary brilliance, the Pink Floyd with Syd comes immediately to mind, Hendrix, early Soft Machine, but for solid, sustained, continuous pioneering work, over a significant period of years, that really changed the landscape? Few can do it.
CAN was an amazing collection of personalities, age, education, inclination, nationality, how could they have possibly fit together? And without a clear leader? Obviously, Irmin was the oldest and most educated, and after Hildegard started managing, that was certainly a ruling coalition, but the band was refreshingly egalitarian musically, if not personally as well. It is customary for Americans to picture Germans as stiff and cold, but the incredible rhythms (Jaki gets some, but not all, of the credit here) and international influences show that they can rock along with the very best of them. This from a band whose members included thirty–something ex-Stockhausen students and jazz drummers!
Most fans agree that there were 3 periods in the existence of CAN, the early period with Malcolm, the middle period with Damo, and the later period. The middle period with Damo, and the stunning masterwork “Tago Mago” are often looked to as the zenith of CAN’s accomplishment, but I am quite partial to the early period with Malcolm. That period is documented only on “Monster Movie” part of “Soundtracks” a few scattered tracks that found their way onto “Limited Edition” and the later–released “Delay 1968” which was poorly recorded but contains some great music. Certainly, the Damo period was the time when the band matured and grew the most, and when the rock world really began to take notice of the band. After Damo’s departure, the group continued on competently, but the magic began to dissipate.
The history of the band itself would fill a book, so I will simply advise that you read one. If you want my record buying advice, I would say to buy the albums in the order that they were originally released, and stop when you get bored.
I intend to post this as an ebay guide, and again as a review for “The Can Box” which contains an amazing book that is worth the price of the set. The documentary film in this set is wonderful and the concert footage is nice too. If you are a CAN fan, you need this documentary, in spite of the fact that it is roughly edited and does not flow particularly well, it is essential. It has been released in several forms, VHS, DVD box, etc. Hold out and buy the box with the great book in it. It will be worth the wait
31 Dec, 2008
Space is the Place - Sun Ra and the Arkestra
4 of 4 found this helpful I love this completely ridiculous movie. It is totally silly and could very easily be a good example of an early 1970s Blaxploitation movie (remember that genre?). The budget was minuscule and the special effects were "special" more in the sense of "special education" if you know what I mean. So I like bad movies... Am I saying that this is another "Godzilla"? Hardly. More along the lines of Ed Wood, as far as visual effects go. Perhaps the most absurd is the spaceship, which is intended to look like a pair of sunglasses, it ends up looking like a huge pair of flying breasts in a tan brassiere.
Constructed with Sun Ra's vision, which did not waver throughout his long life and career, was that he was a sort of angel sent to Earth to help enlighten us. He saw himself as a leader and a teacher, and that the world was just simply not ready for him. You might look at my review of the excellent biography of the same name, or better yet, buy it and read it. Then you will have a better understanding of Herman Sonny Blount and his universe.
The plot of this movie is a sort of cosmic western, where the forces of good and evil play out a scenario based on a game of cards - to decide the fate of the world. Sonny and his (spaceship) crew are making a brief visit to Earth, and their adventures (and mis-adventures) in the repressed black community of 1972 Los Angeles are a crisp and painful period piece. The characters are stiff and cliched, as you might imagine, and the dialogue is wooden. But it really is a grand concept, a clear underlying vision, and they did what they could with what little resources they had to work with. If you can overlook the crudeness of the execution, there really is some substance to it, in the Omniverse.
With this DVD release, you also get some nice bonus short films such as "home movies" of the Arkestra visiting the pyramids in Egypt. (If you want actual concert footage and music, you should seek out the short black and white film called "The Magic Sun" from the mid-60s that is exquisite.) But for Sun Ra's only actual narrative movie with a plot and a script - this is it. Go ahead and buy it. You have read this far, so you must be interested. You can spare a twenty dollar bill and half an inch of shelf space. And you really don't have the right to expect much more. You will get some good laughs, both intended and unintended by the filmmakers, and see and hear some (maybe 10%) good music, too.