The Singles (CD)
Back in the mid-'50s, bandleader Sun Ra decided to get his music to his audience through a more direct process by starting his own label, Saturn Records. Equal parts creative futuristic vision and small-time Southern R&B bandstand hustle, these 45s were pressed in unbelievably small quantities (sometimes in runs of only 50 copies), making them the holy grail of Sun Ra collectibles. The collection of singles runs a neat 30-year time-frame and features everything from Sun Ra with an embryonic form of his Arkestra doing backup duties behind doo-wop groups and R&B slopbucket singers like 'Space Age Vocalist' Yochannon to wild-ass sonic experiements from the late '70s into the early '80s that would have atmospherically fit on any of his avant-garde albums. Pieced together for this release from the contributions of private collectors around the world -- and sonically cleaned up far beyond the audio capabilities of the original vinyl they were pressed on -- these 49 three-minute opuses will alternately confuse, astound, confound, delight, and illuminate Sun Ra fans of all stratas of involvement. A major piece of puzzle that is the man, now in place. ~ Cub Koda, All Music Guide
| Tracklisting | |
| Disk | 1 | 2 | |
| 1 | Foggy Day |
| 2 | Daddy's Gonna Tell You No Lie [Demo Version] |
| 3 | Dreaming |
| 4 | Daddy's Gonna Tell You No Lie |
| 5 | Bye Bye |
| 6 | Somebody's in Love |
| 7 | Medicine for a Nightmare [Alternate Take][#] |
| 8 | Saturn |
| 9 | Supersonic Jazz |
| 10 | Happy New Year to You! |
| 11 | It's Christmas Time |
| 12 | Muck Muck (Matt Matt) |
| 13 | Hot Skillet Mama |
| 14 | Great Balls of Fire |
| 15 | Hours After |
| 16 | Teenager's Letter of Promises |
| 17 | I'm So Glad You Love Me |
| 18 | Sun One |
| 19 | Sun Man Speaks |
| 20 | Sun Man Speaks [Alternate Take][#] |
| 21 | October |
| 22 | Adventure in Space |
| 23 | Message to Earthman |
| 24 | Message to Earthman [Alternate Take][#] |
| 25 | State Street |