The Antique Blacks is a great live date, recorded in 1974 but not released until 1978.
This is a smallish band, and features the first recorded evidence of prominent electric rock guitar in the Arkestra, attributed only to "Sly." "Song No.
1" is a groovy sort of space bossa nova, with Sun Ra on rocksichord supported by great percussion as the other players join in.
"There Is a Change in the Air/The Antique Blacks" is a Ra poem recited with musical accompaniment as is "The Ridiculous 'I' and the Cosmos Me." "This Song Is Dedicated to Nature's God" is actually a different tune than "To Nature's God" on Live in Egypt, Vol.
1, but is the same sort of upbeat, swinging singalong.
"Would I for All That Were" is a short interlude with Moog craziness over an ominous march, which leads into a rousing version of "Space Is the Place." The Antique Blacks is notable for the recited poetry, as well as for the presence of the extroverted Sly, who adds a totally new dimension to the Arkestra sound.
This one will be tough to find, but well worth it.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Song No. 1Sun Ra | Sun Ra | Play | 08:51 | 20 MB | 44 MB |
| 2 | There Is Change in the AirSun Ra | Sun Ra | Play | 10:57 | 25 MB | 53 MB |
| 3 | The Antique BlacksSun Ra | Sun Ra | Play | 03:38 | 8 MB | 16 MB |
| 4 | This Song Is Dedicated to Nature's GodSun Ra | Sun Ra | Play | 03:57 | 9 MB | 19 MB |
| 5 | The Ridiculous "I" and the Cosmos MeSun Ra | Sun Ra | Play | 04:42 | 10 MB | 23 MB |
| 6 | Would I for All That WereSun Ra | Sun Ra | Play | 02:55 | 3 MB | 15 MB |
| 7 | Space Is the PlaceSun Ra | Sun Ra | Play | 08:10 | 18 MB | 42 MB |
| 8 | You Thought You Could Build a World Without UsSun Ra | Sun Ra | Play | 09:10 | 21 MB | 32 MB |
| 51 mins | 117 MB | |||||
| 52 mins | 247 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Marshall Allen | Percussion, Reissue, Sax (Alto), Vocals |
| 2 | Atakatune | Congas |
| 3 | Peter Beckmann | Mastering, Transfers |
| 4 | Danny Davis | Sax (Alto) |
| 5 | Peter Dennett | Reissue Producer |
| 6 | Ahk Tal Ebah | Trumpet, Vocals |
| 7 | John Gilmore | Percussion, Sax (Tenor), Vocals |
| 8 | James Jackson | Bassoon, Percussion, Vocals |
| 9 | Clifford Jarvis | Drums, Vocals |
| 10 | Sun Ra | Arranger, Composer, Mini Moog, Primary Artist, Rocksichord, Vocals |
| 11 | Sly | Guitar (Electric) |
| 12 | Baron Wolman | Cover Photo |
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |
| CD Quality | FLAC | 16bit 44.1kHz | FLAC is an audio coding format which uses lossless compression. Digital audio in FLAC format has a smaller size and retains the same quality of the original Compact Disc (CD). |