Nuclear War

2011 repress, originally reissued 2001. "Nuclear War stands as one of the great monuments in the latter part of Sun Ra's enormous oeuvre. It's an LP that by all rights should have been one of his breakthroughs, featuring one of the tightest versions of the Philadelphia-era Arkestra in a program that includes an appealing mix of standards and Ra originals. The title track is arguably to the '80s what 'Space Is The Place' was to the '70s . Ra's anthem for the decade, a piece that perfectly reflected certain apocalyptic aspects of his philosophy and his underlying quest for a better future. Ra thought very highly of this recording. He personally approached Columbia Records, certain that it was a winner, and when they didn't opt to issue it he reportedly became depressed and bitter. Eventually, Ra sold the music to an outfit called Y Records, a very interesting British independent label whose catalogue included important post-punk LPs by the Pop Group and the Slits, some outstanding reggae and a couple of records of improvised music. In London at the beginning of the '80s, musical worlds were colliding, and people like Steve Beresford and David Toop actively crossed all kinds of genre borders, confusing rock and dub and jazz and noise. Y Records producer Dick O'Dell first put out 'Nuclear War' as a 12-inch single -- the idea of Ra on an extended play disco plate was, in its own way, sheer brilliance! -- b/w the glorious June Tyson vehicle 'Sometimes I'm Happy,' and two years later the full record was issued on Y Records in Italy. But the LP never went into full distribution and as a result the few copies that trickled into circulation became some of the rarest entries in Ra's discography."