Sun Ra - Space Is The Place
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Free Music Notes for Sun Ra - Space Is The Place
Free Music Review: What a bizarre delight!
Hit: 5 Stars
What a simultaneously hysterical with fits of lucidity presentation! The running battle between Ra and "Overseer" is a great subtext. Gives some insights into the man, somewhat in spite of Sun Ra's best efforts to stay a "Mystery". The cheesey effects and over the top acting has to be viewed as an ultimate camp cult movie. A JOYFUL NOISE is almost as bizarre, but probably more accessible. Most of the charm is that you can't tell whether he is plain nuts or goofing with you. I understand this was very calculated and intentional on his part.
Parliament/Funkadelic owe more to this guy than I think anybody realizes. I don't know if George Clinton has ever acknowledged his debt to Sun Ra, at least conceptually, for doing the full blown conceptual thing decades before him.
Free Music Review: Sun Ra universe will be verified by physics!
Hit: 5 Stars
What a great super-fly atmosphere, Oakland in the early 70s. Ra has some great parts, and as always the music is tops.
SPACE IS THE PLACE!
Free Music Review: well done dvd edition
Hit: 4 Stars
it is with great anticipation that I have been awaiting the plexifilms dvd release of SITP. Having seen the VHS version of the film countless times, as well as being aware of plexifilms high standards from the release of Wilco's "I Am Trying To Break Your Heart," my expectations have been high.the design of the package is clean and well done--very classy. Although this is a new transfer of the film, this is hardly a restoration in the vein of "Casablanca." There are still many blemishes and defects from the tranfer print that have not been cleaned up at all, as far as I can see. That said, color and saturation are richer, definition is clearer (especially noted in textures etc.), blacks are deeper, and there are no evident digital artifacts from compression. The soundtrack has less background noise, and hiss, but this is hardly a new 5.1 remix or anything. In fact, I have yet to determine if the soundtrack is in stereo or mono. the most significant aspects of this release is that the frame has been restored to its original widescreen presentation, and roughly 15 minutes of footage has been restored. Unfortunately, the restored footage is mostly scenes of sex and violence and does little to further the plot. I understand why Sun Ra cut this footage for the VHS edition, and I actually prefer the shorter cut of the film.
I found the interview with director and producer very good, but too short. the team comes across as being very sympathetic, supportive, and admiring of Sun Ra's music and myth. There are some nice revelations (the bad effects are not just a budgetary limitation, but a satire of cheesy 50's science fiction, sun ra wrote his own dialogue, the film was originally to be a concert film in a planetarium, etc). Considering how much more light they could have shed though it is dissappointing only because it is too short. The interview is illustrated with some gorgeous previously unseen still promo shots from the set and film.
For me the real jewel of this DVD are the "Home Movies" shot by Richard Wilkinson. Having not been there to see the earlier days of the Arkestra, those days are to me a mythic time. While watching the footage I was almost giddy with excitement, literally catching myself holding my breath in concentration! The Arkestra at the pyramids, dancing, in the studio, in the streets, in concert. Great shots of Sun Ra, John Gilmore, June Tyson, Marshall Allen...the stuff of dreams. amazing! in fact, I would pay just to see this few minutes of film.
Free Music Review: More Archetypal Than Archestral
Hit: 4 Stars
I picked up this curious period piece of psychedelic, indie-fueled moviemaking some time ago. Sorry now I waited so long to view it. It's a delightful combination of '70's pop culture, science fiction fantasy, Sun Ra musical storytelling through his Inter-Galactical Outer Space Archestra, and black pride allegory that manages to be quite on point.
Initially, I was too fascinated by the imagery and music to think much about any message. In retrospect, Sun Ra is a spiritual being from a space colony playing chess with an earthly demonic pimpmaster for big stakes: the souls of exploited people, black (mostly) and white. The pimpmaster also plays the system, selling his black brothers and sisters to addiction and prostitution for his own pleasure, trapping them in an oppressive, seemingly inescapable existence. A third main character is the media commentator--Jimmy Fay--who seems to be a shill for the pimpmaster and his worldly culture but eventually comes around (perhaps more John the Baptist than Jesus Christ) to sharing the enlightened message of Sun Ra, joining those who are delivered from bondage. All ends happily in a Sun Ra space colony of resurrected, reborn black/white humanity.
Even if you don't buy the Biblical allegory, it's still a cool trip, with a bit of harmless nudity and violence for good measure (just like Cecil De Mille).
Free Music Review: The Cinematic Vision of Sun Ra
Hit: 4 Stars
The early-1970s was a tumultuous time in American politics and the world landscape. Sun Ra weaves the political controversies with sci-fi and mythology for this 82 minute film that had a very limited run when initially released in 1974. There is a universal message in Sun Ra's production, with the music - released in a soundtrack - making for an outstanding package.
Though available in often shoddy bootlegs, this DVD is a fitting tribute to the cinematic vision of an artistic genius.
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