SUN RA orig SATURN Ultra RARE "We Roam the Cosmos" LP

$

114

Sun Ra

“Sub Underground Series”

"What's New" / "We Roam the Cosmos"(?) or "Space is the Place"(?)

Original 1975 LP #752 on Saturn Records (matrix #SRA 52375A/B)

Chicago address!

RARE!

OK, this one’s really weird. Side A is absolutely Side A of “What’s New,” exquisite straight-up hard bop combo sets recorded in 1962.

BUT: Side B (matrix #52375B, on label as ES-752B) I can find no mention of ANYWHERE - not in the on-line discography, and not in Geerken’s massive “Omniverse” book. The discographies all say that this LP is “What’s New,” and that is surely true for Side A. They also say that Side B is the same as Side A of The Invisible Shield.

It isn't.

Another thing it is definitely NOT is the similarly-named "Sub Underground" LP, a live show recorded at Temple in the early 70's. 

What it IS, is a full-side, mind-shattering cosmo-rant built (initially) on the armature of “Space is the Place.” It begins with that song fading in, raucous and already well in progress, with Ra (I assume) intoning with June Tyson (again, I assume) repeating in chorus: “We roam the cosmos, my brother and I… my brother the wind… and my brother the sun…” The musicians quiet down, leaving Tyson to escalate her chorus into an intense acapella shriek that overloads the mike and sends the recording into the distorted red-zone. Then Ra shouts “I march on the planets, using the planets as stepping stones,” and the phrase “stepping stones” turns into an endlessly repeated mantra, now accompanied by bass and drumming. It all goes on for a while. The side ends with yet another incredible in-the-red Ra rant: “upon this planet of ignorance / the black man walks / surrounded by white angels / who look at them in shock and astonishment / that they don’t know that they are surrounded by THE ANGELS OF GOD!!!” With that the voices explode in a crescendo of repeated howls. Rather than ending, the side fades out at the end - giving one the impression that this is just a slice of a session of pentacostal mania that was going on before we got there and will continue after we are gone.

Sound crazy? IT IS! It is really, really intense. 
 

I am sure that this is a hybrid of some sort, but I can find no mention of matrix #52375B anywhere, and I combed through the discographies looking for it. The label may be of help (see photos). This was in a bunch of stuff purchased directly from band members more than 15 years ago, but it does not appear to be a test pressing. The closest I could find was this old listing, which appears to be identical to mine: <http://www.popsike.com/SUN-RA-Whats-New-WE-ROAM-THE-COSMOS-orig-Saturn-LP/4710978874.html>. This listing describes the song as "We Roam the Cosmos," which certainly sounds appropriate (it describes the side-long affair as a "cosmo-drama" which fits the bill), but once again, I can find no  mention of said song in the literature available to me - though I have been told that this is the original 1st pressing, and that later versions replaced Side B with the "Invisible Shield" tracks.

Like I said, a mystery.

Side A:

What's New (Burke-Haggart)

Ra-p; Al Evans-flg; John Gilmore-ts; Marshall Allen-fl; Danny Davis-as (in a rare inside solo; definitely not Allen; check out Sun Earth Rock on Night of the Purple Moon); Calvin Newborn-eg; Ronald Boykins-b; prob. Tommy Hunter-d. New York 1962

Wanderlust (Calvin Newborn)

Jukin' (Al Evans)

Same personnel and session, Allen also picc. New York 1962

Autumn in New York (Duke)

Ra-p; John Gilmore-ts; unknown-b, poss. Tommy Hunter-d. Most likely also New York 1962.

Side B:

We Roam the Cosmos / Space is the Place (version)

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LP is in excellent VG+++ condition, some occasional minor surface sounds, overall very clean and quiet. Sleeve is white stock (some wear, no splits) with neat handwriting on upper left corner (see photo).

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