NR Essentials #13: Sun Ra Arkestra - Nuclear War
 

Sun Ra Arkestra
Nuclear War
1982, Y Records

It's sort of hard to know where to begin on this one. This is a record that maybe a lot of people know because of it's title track -- Ra's 'big hit' in the 1980's, featuring a rare example of his vocal stylings. So then. I guess I'll begin with the title track. "Nuclear War" is a super-tight and ridiculously funky diatribe against nuclear war. It's so slick and smooth, that you almost don't realize that yr nodding along IN AGREEMENT to lines like "it's a motherfucker / don't you know / when they push that button / your ass gotta go" and "what'cha gonna do??? / without your asssssss?" It's a devastatingly brilliant song that while stylistically seems a million billion lightyears away from the 1980's in America, it's actually a fine assessment of the times (made of course, by a Martian). I'm a long time collector of Sun Ra, and have dipped into many factets of his work, but if someone said to me "where do I start with Sun Ra", I guess I'd tell them to hear this single. It just seems so anthemic. So representative even while it is sort of a niche piece. [*plus the lyrics are quoted in BASKET CASE, one of the finest pieces of American 80's sleeze cinema.]

But it's not just the opening number that's essential. This album is incredible. Ra's playing is brilliant throughout, and it would appear that a lot of this material was aimed at a wider audience than he had in his living years. The pieces are consice, and to the point, but always wonderful. Ra stretches time and space on "Retrospect" and then flips a fantastic standard ("Drop Me Off In Harlem") before recruiting a wonderful vocalizer-ette on standout (and b-side to the "Nuclear War" single) "Sometimes I'm Happy".

Like I said, Ra had many different versions of a sound that he touched over his long career. And this is just one of those versions. In fact, even though he uses the F-word a ton of times on the opening track, this is a pretty straight forward piano jazz album. But that shouldn't detract anyone. Because perfect a perfect jazz album is... well... perfect. And this is one of them.

I'll look into this one. Right now I am listening to Heliocentric Vol. 1

Oddly enough, I've heard thirty-something of his albums and not this one! Strange since it's one of his more notable ones. I'm only familiar with the title track, which is fucking badass.

it gets the rollins approval.

this is the first one I ever heard, a long time ago. Didn't know what to think of it at the time but have since recognized it as a classic.

I have about 20 of his albums. This one I sort of got later. In fact, I had a less than legit copy of A FIRESIDE CHAT WITH LUCIFER first. FIRESIDE had the same side A as NUCLEAR WAR, and then a different side B. Interesting. Certainly not as solid. He did this sort of thing a lot. Kind of mixing up versions of his small press albums.

[ps, adam... I want you to hear "No Snakes Alive" from the King Geedorah album (NR Essentials #12. I know yr not super into hip hop, but I feel like you'd dig that one.]

ITS A MOTHERFUCKER DONT YOU KNOW...


yo la tengo version is cool too....

It is! I actually think their NUCLEAR WAR EP was really cool. I can actually listen to all 4 takes in one sitting without getting bored with it.

I'm curious, what are everyone's top 1-3 Sun Ra recordings? Besides this one, I really like the Sun Ra Sextet AT THE VILLAGE VANGARD. Then it gets a lot tougher to name "Top Sun Ra albums" since there's so many that I go back to often.

definitly his best album from the 80s, but overall nothing he did after the 60s compared to the early stuff. whatever even the worst sun ra records are worth listening to just for his ideas alone. he was inconsistent, but great, perhaps the greatest.

Top three Sun Ra:

1. The Magic City
2. The Heliocentric Worlds of Sun Ra, Vol. 1
3. Sleeping Beauty

You must spread some Reputation around before giving it to noisereductions again.

fuck that; cosmos,astro black,space is the place,lanquidity,night of the purple moon are from the 70s and better than almost all from the 60s

most of the 80s albums have the almighty ahmed abdullah and some have mega special guests like billy higgins,don cherry and lester bowie