Like dozens of Sun Ra tracks recorded in the late 1950s, this material was released in the late 1960s on the Saturn label, and reflected musical styles Sunny had long since moved beyond. These LPs were pressed in very limited quantities and sold at Arkestra concerts, many of which presented new material radically at odds with the post-swing and hard bop contained on the vinyl. “The Golden Lady” (a.k.a. “The Lady with the Golden Stockings) features an exquisite alto solo by James Spaulding. “Africa” reunites Sunny and his doo-wop group The Nu Sounds (a.k.a. The Cosmic Rays) singing vocals on this exotic tune. “Watusa” (a.k.a. “Watusi”), also of African derivation, became a staple in the Arkestra repertoire. “Aiethopia” is a remake of “Ancient Aiethopia” (Ethiopia), which appeared on Jazz in Silhouette. Also included on this digital edition are four unreleased stereo recordings from the period: “Images In A Mirror” (different from the version on Jazz in Silhouette), “Ankhnation” (a.k.a. “Ankhnaton”), “Spontaneous Simplicity,” and “Black Sky and Blue Moon,” which features vocals by The Nu Sounds/Cosmic Rays.
A1 Plutonian Nights 4:20
A2 The Golden Lady 7:40
A3 Star Time 4:15
B1 Nubia 8:13
B2 Africa 5:04
B3 Watusa 2:35
B4 Aiethopia 7:11
