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Sun Ra saturn re-issues

Many of the earliest Sun Ra titles (late 50's to early '60's) on his own Saturn label have been reissued on LP from the original tapes by the original producers, which is a rare and wonderful thing. This is not news, because they have been out for a few years. I just want to mention that these pressings are excellent and the sound is suprisingly good. This is of note because the original tapes are not 'audiophile quality', and the original LP's are hard to listen to for serious audiophiles more often than not, but the material is so monumental that we MUST hear it. Ra is a pivotal figure, and the early saturns are key in his oeuvre.

They have cleaned them up MINIMALLY, which is a good thing, meaning that they only ventured in where absolutely necessary. This, and using master tapes make these reissues a rare pleasure. Often better or as good as the original LP's, and I know, I own almost all of them.

Now I am not a fan of most contemporary pressings, and certainly the '180 gram vinyl' (or whatever they call it) has been a consistent disappointment. Original pressings from the 50's-70's are almost always better. However these are worth buying if you are new to Ra. And know that a $200 original might not sound any better!

I highly recommend the following titles: We Travel the Spaceways, Atlantis, When Sun Comes Out, Interstellar Low Ways, Cosmic Tones For Mental Therapy...and the great "Magic City" (one of my all time favorites).
chashmal

Showing 7 responses by chashmal

chashmal OP
605 posts
 
Grimace: of course the original saturns sounded bad. So what. If we were so obsessed with sound quality that we couldn't listen to a record, we would indeed have a problem. Not that I am saying that you are guilty of this, far from it.

I also have a poor sounding Heliocentric Worlds LP's on ESP, including one that looks mint but sounds so-so. Even the Base records reissues sound better.

Sorry, I am holding on to my original Futuristic Sounds of Sun Ra on saturn. You should try the Jazz Record Center, and speak to Fred Cohen. It will probably run about $40.
chashmal OP
605 posts
 
Alton Abraham, the original producer, did many of them. From what I have heard crappy digital hijynx were kept to a bare minimum.

They look like bootlegs because they reproduced the original '50's and '60's covers, which were often drawings done by band members without the oversight of professional graphic designers. They are crude, weird, and very 'homemade' looking.

Ra often drew covers himself as well. I own several pieces of his original artwork done on a blank record cover. In the 70's he sold records with original drawings on them at shows. I was lucky enough to seize the opportunity and also get them signed by the entire band.

For those who want to go 'way out there', do get "The Magic City". For those who want Ra's explorations to stay within bop-framed jazz, get "Interstellar Lowways". You will find that both his bop and free jazz are absolutely his own, and nowhere near the conventional modes of these forms.
chashmal OP
605 posts
 
Those ESP's were wacky. I have some that are sonically spectacular. Others seem like a monkey on acid pressed them.

My best ESP record (sonically): a mint original of "Spiritual Unity" by Albert Ayler in mono. My worst: Marion Brown's first album, whose name I forgot (indicative of it's non-played status).

Seriously, check out Jazz Record Center here in NYC. Fred Cohen can get anything for a price.
chashmal OP
605 posts
 
Josch753: Alton Abraham did not do all the reissues, just some of them and maybe most of them. I am not sure which. They kept the liner notes the same as the originals down to the letter, so it does not say on the jacket. He certainly had the access to the master tapes. Albums like "Strange Strings" were transfered from master discs, and you can hear surface noise on it. Maybe they were metal, maybe not. The early saturns were on tape for sure though, as you can hear the hiss. I am glad they left it.

I think that the saturns are a mixed bag, but personally I love them all. I have lived with them so long that even the 'flaws' have beauty. They are a rare and wonderful thing.
chashmal OP
605 posts
 
Josch753: you probably know this, but there is a CD release called "The Lost Albums (lost tapes?)" in this series. It has 2 of those stolen albums from the 70's. They are phenomenal and sound fantastic. One is called "Cymbals" and it is pure space blues with some rockin Ra organ. My favorite in that space blues genre: "Night of the purple moon".
chashmal OP
605 posts
 
Yes Josch753, I have many many original saturns from the earliest to the lastest. I also have a really complete discography and record of recording dates not pressed compiled from Ra's own people, and I have a few discographies that just cover the records.

In terms of the saturns, what you have to be careful about is mislabeling. It was common. The later ones with the plain white covers were especially vulnerable to this. The only way to know for sure is to listen and comapre with the record label, which might be incorrect. When it comes down to it is is knowledge of Ra's material.

If you can send me a file somehow of what you need identified I can try. If not, I know several people more knowledgeable than myself you can pass it on to.

The white cover LP's look like bootlegs, but are actually saturns. Check the label first.
chashmal OP
605 posts
 
The easiest way to tell the reissue is vinyl quality. The old saturns have a dull non-lustrous finish to the vinyl. Since the covers are exact, yes, it is easy to be fooled over the net. I like the exactly reproduced covers, but I can see how this could be a problem.

The best way to get the reissues is to buy them AS reissues, obviously, from a reputable seller. Ditto the originals. If you are dealing with a place like Jazz Record Center you know it is genuine. I would not buy an original over the net anyway, for other reasons. I want to see it first.
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