Tonal Views: An Illusrated Sun Ra Discography
This discography is split into three sections: studio, concert, and compilation/ archival, with the studio section split into five chronological subsections. The album entries are accompanied by scans of either C. D. surfaces, hype stickers, or obis, if applicable. The arrangement within each section is chronological by recording date except that unknown or imprecise recording dates for many Sun Ra albums means that can only rougly be arranged chronologically.
This is the second Sun Ra discography in a series, the first being ‘Atonal Views: Fifteen Hybrid and–or Variable Sun Ra Albums’ at my personal website, the World's Wide Web; that discography will eventually be incorporated into this page. The information here comes from the two editions of Robert L. Campbell and Christopher Trent's discography; Discogs entries and scattered additional information from reissue liner notes and the like; and most of all the Bandcamp pages and liner notes for the official reissues that have come out in recent years. These releases, part of the larger Sun Ra Archive project, have come out on the labels Cosmic Myth (run by the Archive itself), Modern Harmonic, and Strut. Or they have merely been available as downloads at the Bandcamp page; these for convenience's sake are noted here as released by Enterplanetary Koncepts, the name given to the official operation's publishing company, since the Cosmic Myth label is not used for the download-only releases. The Archive is run by Michael D. Anderson and Irwin Chusid.
For additional background, detailed information about the Chicago portion of Sun Ra's career, see Campbell, Trent, and Robert Pruter's ‘From Sonny Blount to Sun Ra: The Chicago Years’, which is based on the corresponding part of the Campbell-Trent discography. Besides the Bandcamp page, there is an official Sun Ra site that, among other things, includes documention of Rodger Coleman's ‘Sun Ra Sundays’ blog posts, 2008-2015 (these are also available, updated and complete, in the book version published 2022), and all four issues of the Sun Ra Arkive magazine; there was also a Sun Ra Arkive blog.
This page is a work in progress. Please excuse the occasional error (and let me know about it at jkaw1979@hotmail.com); in some cases, the download-only reissues of certain albums have not yet been noted.
studio recordings - early Philadelphia years - Impulse
studio recordings - after Imupulse
studio recordings - later years
compilations and archival albums
~
Sun Ra - Sun Song
Recorded July 12th, 1956
- originally titled Jazz by Sun Ra Vol. 1, released 1957 by Transition Records (Discogs)
- reissued 1967 by Delmark Records, retitled Sun Song (Discogs)
- reissued 1990 by Delmark (Discogs) with one bonus track: ‘Swing a Little Taste’, originally released on the various-artists compilation Jazz in Transition (Discogs)
- reissued 2014 as a download by Enterplanetary Koncepts under the title Jazz by Sun Ra without the bonus track (Bandcamp)—not remastered apparently and making no reference to the Delmark versions, the rationale behind this reissue, with its unfortunate return to the original drab title, is hard to discern
- reissued 2022 again by Delmark as a C. D. with the same bonus track (Discogs)
A: ‘Brainville’ - ‘Call for All Demons’ - ‘Transition’ - ‘Possession’ - ‘Street Named Hell’
B: ‘Lullaby for Realville’ - ‘Future’ - ‘New Horizons’ - ‘Fall Off the Log’ - ‘Sun Song’
- Bonus tracks: ‘Swing a Little Taste’
- Compositions credited to Sun Ra except ‘Possession’ (Harry Revel) and ‘Lullaby for Realville’ (Richard Evans)
- Since the earlier Deep Purple tracks [see Sound Sun Pleasure!! below as well as the discography of hybrid and partial albums] amount to roughly 23 minutes, and have never been released as a separate album (or mini-album or E. P.), Sun Song stands quite undisputed as the debut Sun Ra album, a rare bit of clarity in a massive, unwieldy discography.
~
Le Sun Ra and His Arkestra, Super-Sonic Jazz
Recorded ca. October 1956
- released 1957 by El Saturn Records (Discogs)
- reissued 1991 by Evidence Music (Discogs)
- reissued 2025 by Cosmic Myth Records (Bandcamp) (Discogs) with a bonus disc, of which at least two tracks were previously released, as ‘October’ b/w ‘Adventur in Space’, the latter title obviously misspelled on the original 45; no discographical information is provided about the other bonus tracks in the liner notes
A: ‘India’ - ‘Sunology’ - ‘Advice to Medics’ - ‘Super Blonde’ - ‘Soft Talk’ - ‘Sunology - Part 2’
B: ‘Kingdom of Not’ - ‘Portrait of the Living Sky’ - ‘Blues at Midnigh’ - ‘El Is a Sound of Joy’ - ‘Springtime in Chicago’ - ‘Medicine for a Nightmare’
- Compositions credited to Sun Ra except ‘Soft Talk’ (Julian Priester)
- ‘Soft Talk’ b/w ‘Super Blonde’ released as a 45, credited to Le Sun-Ra and His Arkistra, as such reissued on the Strut version of Singles
- ‘Sunology - Part 2’ (later inscribed ‘Sunology Part II’) despite its title could more accurately be called an alternate take of ‘Sunology’
~
Sun Ra and the Arkestra, Sound of Joy
Recorded ca. 1956 and November 1957
- released 1968 by Delmark Records (Discogs)
- reissued 1994 by Delmark (Discogs) with two bonus tracks: ‘As You Once Were’ - ‘Dreams Come True’
A: ‘El Is a Sound of Joy’ - ‘Overtones of China’ - ‘Two Tones’ - ‘Paradise’ - ‘Planet Earth’
B: ‘Ankh’ - ‘Saturn’ - ‘Reflections in Blue’ - ‘El Viktor’
- Compositions credited to Sun Ra except ‘Two Tones’ (Pat Patrick/ Charles Davis)
- This album's content overlaps with that of Sun Ra Visits Planet Earth; see below and the discography of hybrid and partial albums
~
Sun Ra and His Solar Arkestra Visits Planet Earth
Recorded ca. 1956 and late 1957-early 1958
- released 1966 by Saturn Records (Discogs)
- reissued 1992 by Evidence Music as one of a "two-for" (Discogs) with Interstellwar Low Ways [see below]
- reissued 2015 by Enterplanetary Koncepts as a download (Bandcamp)
A: ‘Planet Earth’ - ‘Eve’ - ‘Overtones of China’
B: ‘Reflections in Blue’ - ‘Two Tones’ - ‘El Viktor’ - ‘Saturn’
- Compositions credited to Sun Ra
- This album's content overlaps with that of Sound of Joy; see the discography of hybrid and partial albums; in brief, ‘Reflections in Blue’, ‘Two Tones’, and ‘El Viktor’ are the same versions as heard on Sound of Joy while ‘Saturn’ is also the same take but tape-transfer problems affected the Sound version; ideally a reissue of Sound would keep that album intact while including the extra (side A) Visits Planet Earth content, plus the two bonus tracks included on the reissue of Sound of Joy as a bonus half-album; apropos the proposal above regarding Sound Sun Pleasure!!, alternately this half-album could be paired with the Deep Purple tracks instead of the Angels and Demons at Play B-side tracks, which as noted below were originally released as singles
~
Sun Ra and His Arkestra, Jazz in Silhouette
Recorded March 6th, 1959
- released 1959 by El Saturn Records, credited to Le Sun Ra and His Arkestra (Discogs); pressings from 1961 onward credited to Sun Ra and His Arkestra
- reissued 1991 by Evidence Music (Discogs)
A: ‘Enlightenment’ - ‘Saturn’ - ‘Velvet’ - ‘Ancient Aiethiopia’
B: ‘Hours After’ - ‘Horoscope’ - ‘Images’ - ‘Blues at Midnight’
- Compositions credited to Sun Ra except ‘Enlightenment’ (Sun Ra/ Hobart Dotson) and ‘Hours After’ (Sun Ra/ Everett Turner)
Reissued 2023 by Cosmic Myth Records with a bonus disc and a total of 14 bonus tracks (Bandcamp) (Discogs), six of which comprise Sound Sun Pleasure!!; of the other eight bonus tracks, four are stereo versions of Jazz in Silhouette tracks (namely, ‘Hours After’, ‘Velvet’, ‘Ancient Aiethiopia’, and an incomplete recording of ‘Horoscope’); the remaining four tracks: previously-unreleased versions of ‘State Street’ and ‘Blues from Saturn’ and single versions of ‘Hours After’ and ‘Great Balls of Fire’ (each included on both Singles compilations)
- Note that ‘Enlightenment’ is now inscribed ‘Enlightment’, matching inscriptions on early pressings, recording logs, and copyright documentation
- The 2023 reissue reverses the B and A sides, because early pressings of the L. P. had also had the B side first. Whether Sun Ra or anyone else actually preferred this track order is presumably unknown, and as with the download-only reissue of Sun Song as Jazz by Sun Ra (without the bonus track) noted above, the official Sun Ra operation perhaps shows signs of "as-issued purism"; even the argument for ‘Enlightment’ put forth by John Corbett in the liner notes is not entirely convincing, as the reader is left wondering why Sun Ra and others in later decades signed off on multiple instances of the composition being titled ‘Enlightenment’
~
Sun Ra and His Astro Infinity Arkestra, Sound Sun Pleasure!!
Recorded March 6th, 1959
- released 1970 by El Saturn Recods (Discogs)
- reissued 1991 by Evidence Music (Discogs) with seven bonus tracks, collectively originally released as side A of the album known as either Deep Purple or Dreams Come True; see the discography of hybrid and partial albums; see also Jazz in Silhouette for a newer reissue of this album
- reissued 2014 by Enterplanetary Koncepts (Bandcamp)
- as noted above, this album is included with the 2023 reissue of Jazz in Silhouette
A: ‘'Round Midnight’ - ‘You Never Told Me that You Care’ - ‘Hour of Parting’
B: ‘Back in Your Own Back Yard’ - ‘Enlightenment’ - ‘Could Have Danced All Night’
- Besides ‘Enlightenment’, credited to Sun Ra/ Dotson, this album is comprised of standards
- This version of ‘Enlightenment’ (‘Englightment’) is the same as that found on Jazz in Silhouette, but mixed in stereo instead of mono [see above]
- The Deep Purple tracks work well paired with this album but could also be paired with the B side of Angels and Demons at Play [see below], with the A side of that album paired with The Nubians of Plutonia
~
Sun Ra and His Myth Science Arkestra, Angels and Demons at Play
Recorded 1956 (side B) and 1960 (side A)
- released 1965 by El Saturn (or "Saturn") Records (Discogs)—both the notes for the official download reissue and Campbell/Trent give the '65 release date, not the commonly-cited '67
- reissued 1993 by Evidence Music as one of a "two-for" (Discogs) with The Nubians of Plutonia
- reissued 2016 by Enterplanetary Koncepts as a download (Discogs)
A: ‘Tiny Pyramids’ - ‘Between Two Worlds’ - ‘Music from the World Tomorrow’ - ‘Angels and Demons at Play’
B: ‘Urnack’ - ‘Medicine for a Nightmare’ - ‘A Call for All Demons’ - ‘Demon's Lullaby’
- Compositions credited to Sun Ra except ‘Tiny Pyramids’, ‘Angels and Demons at Play’ (both, Ronnie Boykins) and ‘Urnack’ (Julian Priester)
- ‘Medicine for a Nightmare’ b/w ‘Urnack’ also released as a 45, credited to Le Sun-Ra and His Arkistra; this version of ‘Medicine’ is supposedly the Angels version, as many discographers state; but the Strut version of Singles instead includes the version identified as a previously-unreleased alternate take in the notes for the Evidence version of Singles; the alternate take is also included on the bonus disc of the deluxe edition of Super-Sonic Jazz, suggesting perhaps that the Strut Singles includes the wrong ‘Medicine’
- ‘Call for All Demons’ b/w ‘Demon's Lullaby’, also released as a 45, credited to Le Sun-Ra and His Arkistra, as such reissued on the Strut version of Singles
- ‘Call for All Demons’ also released as the B-side track of an early version of ‘Saturn’, credited to Le Sun-Ra and His Arkistra; both reissued on the Strut version of Singles; ‘Saturn’ also on the earlier Evidence version of Singles; note that this version of ‘Saturn’ is distinct from the two other early versions noted so far: the Sound of Joy/Visits Planet Earth version and the Jazz in Silhouette
- ‘Demon's Lullaby’ also possibly released, or at least planned for release, as a 45 with ‘Super-Sonic Jazz’, a song described by Campbell and Trent as similar to ‘Super Blonde’; both reissued on the Strut version of Singles; ‘Super-Sonic Jazz’ also on the earlier Evidence version of Singles
- Unlike the B-side tracks, the A side of Angels and Demons at Play features recordings otherwise unavailable elsewhere; given that the 45s noted here were released before 1965, the argument can be made that Angels counts as a hybrid album but for now the singles are not being factored into the separate hybrid-album discography
Sun Ra and His Myth-Science Arkestra, The Nubians of Plutonia
Recorded 1958 or 1959
- released 1966 by El Saturn Records (Discogs); some editions titled The Lady with the Golden Stockings
- reissued 1993 by Evidence Music as one of a "two-for" with Angels and Demons at Play [see above]
- reissued 2014 by Enterplanetary Koncepts as a download (Bandcamp) (Discogs) with three previously-unreleased bonus tracks: ‘Images in a Mirror’, ‘Ankhnaton’, and ‘Spontaneous Simplicity’; and a fourth bonus track, ‘Black Sky and Blue Moon’, previously released on The Second Stop Is Jupiter
A: ‘Plutonian Nights’ - ‘The Lady with the Golden Stockings’ (also known as ‘The Golden Lady’) - ‘Star Time’
A: ‘Nubia’ - ‘Africa’ - ‘Watusa’ - ‘Aiethiopia’
- Compositions credited to Sun Ra except ‘Watusa’ (André Pitts/ Terri Vanne Sherrill)
~
Sun Ra and His Astro Infinity Arkestra, Holiday for Soul Dance
Recorded July 1960
- released 1970 by Saturn Research (Discogs)
- reissued 1991 by Evidence Music (Discogs)
- reissued 2014 by Enterplanetary Koncepts as a download
A: ‘But Not for Me’ - ‘Day by Day’ - ‘Holiday for Strings’ - ‘Dorothy's Dance’
B: ‘Early Autumn’ - ‘I Loves You Porgy’ - ‘Body and Soul’ - ‘Keep Your Sunny Side Up’
- Besides ‘Dorothy's Dance’, credited to Phil Cohran, this album is comprised of standards
~
Sun Ra and His Myth Science Arkestra, Interstellar Low Ways
Recorded 1960
- released 1966 by El Saturn Records (Discogs), originally titled Rocket Number Nine; retitled 1967
- reissued 1992 by Evidence Music as one of a "two-for" with Sun Ra and His Solar Arkestra Visits Planet Earth [see above]
- reissued 2014 by Enterplanetary Koncepts as a download (Bandcamp) (Discogs)
A: ‘Onward’ - ‘Somewhere in Space’ - ‘Interplanetary Music’ - ‘Interstellar Low Ways’
B: ‘Space Loneliness’ - ‘Space Aura’ - ‘Rocket Number Nine Take Off for Planet Venus’
- Compositions credited to Sun Ra
- ‘Space Loneliness’ b/w ‘State Street’ also released as a 45
- ‘Interplanetary Music’ retitled ‘Interplanetary Music No. 1’ for the 2014 reissue
~
Sun Ra and His Myth Science Arkestra, We Travel the Spaceways
Recorded 1960-1961 except one track recorded 1956
- released 1967 by El Saturn Records (Discogs)
- reissued 1992 by Evidence Music as one of a "two-for" with Bad and Beautiful (Discogs) [see below]
- reissued 2014 by Enterplanetary Koncepts (Bandcamp)
A: ‘Interplanetary Music’ - ‘Eve’ - ‘We Travel the Spaceways’ - ‘Tapestry from an Asteroid’
B: ‘Space Loneliness’ - ‘New Horizons’ - ‘Velvet’
- As suggested at the official page for the 2014 reissue, this short album consists mostly (that is, five of the seven tracks) of alternate recordings of songs featured on other albums, the exceptions being ‘Space Loneliness’ and ‘New Horizons’, the latter of which is out-take from the Sun Song sessions
~
Sun Ra and His Myth-Science Arkestra, Fate in a Pleasant Mood
Recorded June 1960
- released 1965 by Saturn Research (Discogs)
- reissued 1993 by Evidence Music as a "two-for" with When Sun Comes Out (Discogs) [see below]
- reissued 2014 as a download by Enterplanetary Koncepts (Discogs) with one bonus track: a previously-unreleased version of ‘Lights of a Satellite’
A: ‘The Others in Their World’ - ‘Space Mates’ - ‘Lights of a Satellite’
B: ‘Distant Stars’ - ‘Kingdom of Thunder’ - ‘Fate in a Pleasant Mood’ - ‘Anknaton’
- Compositions credited to Sun Ra except ‘Distant Stars’ (Sun Ra/ Ronnie Boykins) and ‘Kingdom of Thunder’ (Sun Ra/ Marshall Allen)
~
Hybrid albums (often, to be exact, half-albums combined to form hybrid albums) are already a distinguishing feature of the self-released Saturn Records titles. These albums also did not necessarily include accurate personnel and date information. Nonetheless, as much as the Sun Ra Arkestra remained obscure when they moved from Chicago to New York, they had recorded (if not released) several albums that serve as cohesive, integral parts of Sun Ra and the Arkestra's work. A personal favorite is Fate in a Pleasant Mood, the first Sun Ra album that I became familiar with, when I was a teenager first learning about Jazz; ‘Space Mates’ notably includes a beautiful flute solo by Marshall Allen. But that album was not released until 1965. The straight-ahead, or "in," approach of the early Arkestra is captured well on Sun Song, Super-Sonic Jazz, Jazz in Silhouette, both released soon after they were recorded. Interstellar Low Ways and The Nubians of Plutonia are arguably superior choices for a listener seeking to delve into the overall experience of Sun Ra and the Arkestra, but, again, they were not released until the mid-1960s. Sound Sun Pleasure!! and Holiday for Soul Dance, both also not released at this point, are good minor companions to the early Arkestra sound, comprised as they are of renditions of standards, with the exception of ‘Enlightenment’ on the former (which was a repeat of a track from Jazz in Silhouette anyway). As noted, Sound of Joy, Visits Planet Earth, and Angels and Demons at Play are all to some extent hybrid or minor albums—and were also not released until several years after being recorded.
~
Sun Ra and His Arkestra, Bad and Beautiful
Recorded 1961
- released 1972 by El Saturn Records (Discogs), credited to Mr. Sun Ra and His Arkestra
- reissued 1992 by Evidence Music as one of a "two-for" with We Travel the Spaceways [see above]
- reissued 2014 by Enterplanetary Koncepts as a download (Discogs) with one bonus track: ‘Street of Dreams’
A: ‘The Bad and the Beautiful’ - ‘Ankh’ - ‘Just in Time’ - ‘Search Light Blues’
B: ‘Exotic Two’ - ‘On the Blue Side’ - ‘And This Is My Beloved’
- Compositions credited to Sun Ra except ‘The Bad and the Beautiful’ (David Raksin/ Dory Previn), ‘Just in Time’ (Betty Comden/ Adolph Green/ Jule Styne), ‘And This Is My Beloved’ (Robert Wright/ George Forrest), and ‘Street of Dreams’ (Victor Young/ Sam Lewis)
- ‘Ankh’ retitled ‘Ankh #2’ for the 2014 reissue
~
Sun Ra and His Solar Arkestra, Art Forms of Dimensions Tomorrow
Recorded ca. 1961
- released 1965 by El Saturn Records (Discogs)
- reissued 1992 as one of a "two-for" by Evidence Music with Cosmic Tones for Mental Therapy [see above]
- reissued 2014 by Enterplanetary Koncepts (Bandcamp) as a download with one bonus track, ‘Chicago, Southside’, and one track, ‘Cluster of Galaxies’, unabridged
A: ‘Cluster of Galaxies’ - ‘Ankh’ - ‘Solar Drums’ - ‘The Outer Heavens’
B: ‘Infinity of the Universe’ - ‘Lights of the Satellite’ - ‘Kosmos in Blue’
- Compositions credited to Sun Ra
~
Sun Ra, The Futuristic Sounds of Sun Ra
Recorded October 10th, 1961
- released 1962 (Discogs); some editions titled We Are in the Future; latest reissue out of many released in 2022
A: ‘Bassism’ - ‘Of Sounds and Something Else’ - ‘What's That?’ - ‘Where Is Tomorrow?’ - ‘The Beginning’ - ‘China Gates’
B: ‘New Day’ - ‘Tapestry from an Asteroid’ - ‘Jet Flight’ - ‘Looking Outward’ - ‘Space Jazz Reverie’
- Compositions credited to Sun Ra except ‘China Gates’ (Harold Adamson/ Victor Young)
~
Sun Ra and His Myth-Science Arkestra, When Sun Comes Out
Recorded November 1962
- released 1963 by El Saturn Records (Discogs)
- reissued 1993 by Evidence Music as a "two-for" with Fate in a Pleasant Mood [see above]
- reissued 2014 by Enterplanetary Koncepts (Discogs) as a download with the unabridged version of the track ‘Circe’ and two bonus tracks: ‘Dimensions in Time’, originally released in abridged form as ‘Primitive’ on the album Space Probe (see the discography of hybrid and partial albums), and ‘The Nile, Pt. 2’ (with, accordingly, ‘The Nile’ now retitled ‘The Nile, Pt. 1’)
A: ‘Circe’ - ‘The Nile’ - ‘Brazilian Sun’ - ‘We Travel the Spaceways’
B: ‘Calling Planet Earth’ - ‘Dancing Shadows’ - ‘The Rain-Maker’ - ‘When Sun Comes Out’
- Compositions credited to Sun Ra
~
Sun Ra and His Solar Arkestra, Secrets of the Sun
Recorded 1962
- released 1965 by El Saturn Records (Discogs)
- reissued 2008 by Atavistic (Discogs) with one bonus track: ‘Flight to Mars’
- reissued 2014 by Enterplanetary Koncepts as a download (Bandcamp) (Discogs) without ‘Flight to Mars’ but with three other bonus tracks instead: ‘Reflects Motion, Pt. 1’; ‘Reflects Motion, Pt. 3’; ‘Project Black Mass’, with the original ‘Reflects Motion’ now titled ‘Reflects Motion, Pt. 2’
A: ‘Friendly Galaxy’ - ‘Solar Differentials’ - ‘Space Aura’
B: ‘Love in Outer Space’ - ‘Reflects Motion’ - ‘Solar Symbols’
- Compositions credited to Sun Ra
~
Sun Ra and His Myth Science Arkestra, Cosmic Tones for Mental Therapy
Recorded 1963
- released 1967 by El Saturn Records (or Saturn Research) (Discogs)
- reissued 1992 by Evidence Music as one of a "two-for" with Art Forms of Dimensions Tomorrow (Discogs)
- reissued 2014 by Enterplanetary Koncepts (Bandcamp) as a download with one bonus track, ‘Twilight’, possibly recorded later, 1964 or 1965
A: ‘And Otherness’ - ‘Thither and Yon’ - ‘Adventure Equation’
B: ‘Moon Dance’ - ‘Voice of Space’
- Compositions credited to Sun Ra
~
Sun Ra and His Myth Science Arkestra, When Angels Speak of Love
Recorded 1963
- released 1966 by El Saturn Records (Discogs)
- reissued 2000 by Evidence Music (Discogs)
A: ‘Celestial Fantasy’ - ‘The Idea of It All’ - ‘Ecstasy of Being’
B: ‘When Angels Speak of Love’ - ‘Next Stop Mars’
- Compositions credited to Sun Ra
Reissued 2019 by Cosmic Myth Records with three bonus tracks (Discogs): the stereo versions of ‘Celestial Fantasy’, ‘When Angels Speak of Love’, and ‘Next Stop Mars’, the last of which is significantly shorter than the mono version
~
Sun Ra and His Astro-Infinity Arkestra, Continuation
Recorded 1963
- released 1970 by El Saturn Records (Discogs)
- reissued 2013 by Corbett vs. Dempsey (Discogs) with a bonus disc of nine previously-unreleased tracks: ‘Blue York’, ‘Meteor Shower’, ‘The Myth’, ‘Ihnfinity’, ‘Conversation of the Universe’, ‘The Beginning Of’, ‘Endlessness’, ‘Red Planet Mars’, ‘Cosmic Rays/The Next Stop Mars’; this same material was remastered and reissued 2014 as the downloads Continuation, Vol. 1 and Continuation, Vol. 2
A: ‘Biosphere Blues’ - ‘Intergalactic Research’ - ‘Earth Primitive Earth’ - ‘New Earth’
B: ‘Continuation To’ - ‘Jupiter Festival’
- Compositions credited to Sun Ra
~
Sun Ra and His Solar Arkestra, Other Planes of There
Recorded 1964
- released 1966 by El Saturn Records (Discogs)
- reissued 1992 by Evidence Music (Discogs)
A: ‘Other Planes of There’
B: ‘Sound Spectra/Spec Sket’ - ‘Sketch’ - ‘Pleasure’ - ‘Spiral Galaxy’
- Compositions credited to Sun Ra
~
Sun Ra and His Solar Arkestra, The Heliocentric Worlds of Sun Ra, Vol. 1
Recorded April 20th, 1965
- released 1965 by ESP-Disk' (Discogs)
- reissued 2010 by ESP-Disk' as part of The Heliocentric Worlds of Sun Ra (Discogs)
A: ‘Heliocentric’ - ‘Outer Nothingness’ - ‘Other Worlds’
B: ‘The Cosmos’ - ‘Of Heavenly Things’ - ‘Nebulae’ - ‘Dancing in the Sun’
- Compositions credited to Sun Ra
Sun Ra and His Solar Arkestra, The Heliocentric Worlds of Sun Ra Volume 2
Recorded November 16th, 1965
- released 1966 by ESP-Disk' (Discogs); early pressings included alternating mixes of ‘The Sun Myth’; later pressings and reissues apparently include what Trent et al. identify as the second version, distinguished by the absence of the vocals heard in the other mixes; the first version is included on The Sun Myth (African Chant) (see the discography of hybrid and partial albums)
- reissued 2010 by ESP-Disk' as part of The Heliocentric Worlds of Sun Ra
A: ‘The Sun Myth’
B: ‘A House of Beauty’ - ‘Cosmic Chaos’
- Compositions credited to Sun Ra
~
Sun Ra and His Solar Arkestra, The Magic City
Recorded ca. April 19th-21st and September 24th, 1965
- released 1966 by Saturn Research (Discogs)
- reissued 1993 by Evidence Music (Discogs) with the B-side tracks in stereo
Reissued 2017 Discogs), the entire album now in stereo and with two bonus tracks: ‘Other Worlds (Alternate)’ and ‘The Magic City (Mono Version Ending)’, the latter track present because the stereo mix of ‘The Magic City’ faded out earlier than the mono; ‘Other Worlds (Alternate)’ was originally released on Heliocentric Worlds Vol. 3: The Lost Tapes, titled ‘Interplanetary Travelers’, but is included here because it was recorded April, 1965, at the same sessions as this album's B-side tracks, unlike the rest of the Lost Tapes tracks; note, however, that it was also released on both Out There a Minute and The Sun Myth (African Chant) (see the discography of hybrid and partial albums)—in other words, at this point it is one of Sun Ra's greatest hits! Issue it again—why not?
A: ‘The Magic City’
B: ‘The Shadow World’ - ‘Abstract Eye’ - ‘Abstract "I"’
- Compositions credited to Sun Ra
~
Sun Ra and His Astro Infinity Arkestra, Strange Strings
Recorded 1965
- released 1967 by Saturn Research (Discogs)
- reissued 2007 by Atavistic (Discogs) with one bonus track, ‘Door Squeak’
- reissued 2024 by Cosmic Myth Records (Bandcamp) (Discogs) without the bonus track on the 2007 reissue but with four different additional bonus tracks on the C. D. reissue, five on the double L. P. and download editions—maybe a cassette version with only two of the bonus tracks, and a reel-to-reel with only one of them, or a Minidisc with three of them); joking aside... of these bonus tracks, one is a studio out-take titled ‘Cosmos Miraculous’ that had been released on the 2014 download-only reissue (Discogs); the remainder are exclusive to the 2024 reissue: an additional out-take, titled ‘Crystal Spheres (Between Worlds)’; a concert recording, titled ‘Untitled St. Peter's’; a Sun Ra interview excerpt, titled ‘Ra Explains the Bandura’; and the fifth, only on the double L. P. and download, is another out-take, ‘Moon Orbit’; as if that all were not confusing enough, two additional bonus tracks from the 2014 download reissue (Discogs) were later made part of the archival release Thunder of the Gods [see below]
A: ‘Worlds Approaching’ - ‘Strings Strange’
B: ‘Strange Strings’
- Compositions credited to Sun Ra
~
Sun Ra, Monorails and Satellites
Recorded ca. 1966
- released ca. 1968 by Saturn Research (Discogs)
- reissued 1991 by Evidence Music (Discogs) and 2019 [see below]
A: ‘Space Towers’ - ‘Cogitation’ - ‘Skylight’ - ‘The Alter Destiny’
B: ‘Easy Street’ - ‘Blue Differentials’ - ‘Monorails and Satellites’ - ‘The Galaxy Way&rsquo
- Compositions credited to Sun Ra except ‘Easy Street’ (Alan Rankin Jones)
Sun Ra, Monorails and Satellites Volume II
Recorded ca. 1966
- released ca. 1969 (Discogs)
- reissued 2019 [see below]
A: ‘Astro Vision’ - ‘The Ninth Eye’ - ‘Solar Boats’
B: ‘Perspective Prisms of Is’ - ‘Calundronis’
- Compositions credited to Sun Ra
Sun Ra, Monorails & Satellites: Works for Solo Piano Vols. 1, 2, 3
Released 2019 (Discogs); in addition to the first and second Monorails albums, on the first disc, this reissue includes a unleased third volume, on the second disc; six of the nine tracks on this third volume had been previously released as bonus tracks on a 2014 download-only reissue of Monorails (Discogs)
A: ‘Soundscapes’ - ‘The Eternal Tomorrow’ - ‘Today Is Not Yesterday’ - ‘World Island Festival’
B: ‘The Changing Wind’ - ‘Don't Blame Me’ - ‘Gone with the Wind’ - ‘How Am I to Know’ - ‘Yesterdays’
- Compositions credited to Sun Ra except ‘Don't Blame Me’ (Jimmy McHugh/ Dorothy Fields), ‘Gone with the Wind’ (Allie Wrubel/ Herb Magidson), ‘How Am I to Know’ (Jack King/ Dorothy Parker), and ‘Yesterdays’ (Jerome Kern/ Otto Harbach)
~
Sun Ra and His Astro Infinity Arkestra, Atlantis
Recorded 1967-1969
- released 1970 by Saturn Research (Discogs)
- reissued 1972 by ABC-Impulse (Discogs) with an alternate version of the track, ‘Yucatan’
- reissued 1993 by Evidence Music (Discogs) with both versions of ‘Yucatan’
- reissued 2014 by Enterplanetary Koncepts as a download (Bandcamp), again with the bonus track, except that now it is the unabridged recording, finally allowing the listener to hear the full two-part ‘Yucatan’
A: ‘Mu’ - ‘Lemuria’ - ‘Yucatan’ - ‘Bimini’
B: ‘Atlantis’
- Compositions credited to Sun Ra
~
LeRoi Jones/ The Sun Ra Myth-Science Arkestra, A Black Mass
Recorded 1968?; released 1968 (Discogs)
- reissued 1999 (Discogs), credited to Amiri Baraka (LeRoi Jones)/ Sun Ra and the Myth Science Arkestra
A: ‘A Black Mass’
B: ‘A Black Mass’
- Play written by Baraka; music uncredited, presumably composed by Sun Ra/ the Arkestra
~
studio recordings - early Philadelphia years - Impulse
Sun Ra and His Astro Infinity Arkestra, My Brother the Wind
Recorded late 1969 and ca. 1970
- released 1970 by Saturn Research (Discogs)
- reissued 2017 by Cosmic Myth Records, titled My Brother the Wind Vol. 1 (Bandcamp) (Discogs) with 12 bonus tracks, the longest of which, ‘Space Probe’, was originally released on the album of the same name (see the discography of hybrid and partial albums); another of which, ‘The Perfect Man (Master Take)’ was originally released as a single, and as such is available on both Singles compilations; the remainder of the bonus tracks: two alternate takes of ‘The Perfect Man’, three false starts and one "Warmup and Breakdown" of ‘The Perfect Man’; and a "Warmup" for ‘My Brother the Wind’; a 2014, download-only reissue did not include the bonus tracks and presumably was not remastered
A: ‘My Brother the Wind’ - ‘Intergalactic II’ - ‘To Nature's God’
B: ‘The Code of Interdependence’
- Compositions credited to Sun Ra
~
Sun Ra and His Intergalactic Infinity Arkestra, The Night of the Purple Moon
Recorded 1970
- released 1970 by Thoth Intergalactic (Discogs)
- reissued 2007 by Atavistic (Discogs) with four bonus tracks, one of which is an alternate take of ‘Love in Outer Space’ from the album sessions, the other three tracks being previously-unreleased home recordings, dated 1964
- reissued 2014 by Enterplanetary Koncepts as a download (Bandcamp) with the same alternate take of ‘Love in Outer Space’ plus an additional 1975 version of that song featuring vocalist David Henderson and an alternate take of ‘The Night of the Purple Moon’; the other three bonus tracks from the 2007 C. D. are not included.
A: ‘Sun-Earth Rock’ - ‘The All of Everything’ - ‘Impromptu Festival’ - ‘Blue Soul’ - ‘Narrative’ - ‘Outside the Time Zone’
B: ‘The Night of the Purple Moon’ - ‘A Bird's Eye-View of Man's World’ - ‘21st Century Romance’ - ‘Dancing of the Living Image’ - ‘Love in Outer Space’
- Compositions credited to Sun Ra
~
Sun Ra and His Astro Infinity Arkestra, My Brother the Wind Vol. II
Recorded ca. 1969-1970
- released 1971 by El Saturn Records (Discogs)
- reissued 1992 by Evidence Music (Discogs) and 2014 by Enterplanetary Koncepts as a download (Bandcamp); on the original release the group is also billed as Sun Ra and His Intergalactic Infinity Arkestra; both the C. D. and download reissues feature an unabridged version of ‘Walking on the Moon’; both versions also have the B-side tracks before the A-side tracks to make for more of a cohesive listening experience, as the solo Sun Ra performances on the Farfisa organ and Minimoog synthesizer, for which this album is most known, run from ‘The Wind Speak’ through ‘The Design-Cosmos II’ on the L. P.'s A side.
A: ‘Somewhere Else’ - ‘Contrast’ - ‘The Wind Speaks’ - ‘Sun Thoughts’ - ‘Journey to the Stars’ - ‘World of the Myth "I"’ - ‘The Design-Cosmos II’
B: ‘Otherness Blue’ - ‘Somebody Else's World’ - ‘Pleasant Twilight’ - ‘Walking on the Moon’
- Compositions credited to Sun Ra
~
Sun Ra and His Solar-Myth Arkestra, The Solar-Myth Approach
Recorded varied dates ca. 1962-1970
- originally released 1971 as a double album (The Solar-Myth Approach (Vol. 1)/The Solar-Myth Approach (Vol. 2)) by BYG Records (Discogs); though at times reissued in this form (such as the 20001 Charly Records The Solar-Myth Approach Vol. 1 & 2 (Discogs), more reissues have kept the two volumes separate, as they were released in 1972
- Vol. 1 released 1972 by BYG Records (Discogs)
- reissued 1978 by Affinity (Discogs)
- reissued 2001 by Get Back/ Sun Spots (Discogs)
- reissued 2020 by Enterplanetary Koncepts as a download (Bandcamp)
A: ‘Spectrum’ - ‘Realm of Lightning’ - ‘The Satellies Are Spinning’
B: ‘Legend’ - ‘Scene Three, Took 4’ - ‘They'll Come Back’ - ‘The Adventures of Bugs Hunter’
- Vol. 2 released 1972 by BYG Records (Discogs)
- reissued 1983 by Affinity (Discogs)
- reissued 2001 by Get Back/ Sun Spots (Discogs)
- reissued 2020 by Enterplanetary Koncepts as a download (Bandcamp) with one bonus track: ‘Scene 1, Take 1 (True-Speed Version)’, as that track was (probably) mastered at the wrong speed on all previous releases; see the liner notes at the Bandcamp page for information about this matter, as well as the latest estimates regarding the recording dates of the wide variety of material on these two albums
A: ‘The Utter Nots’ - ‘Outer Spaceways Inc.’ - ‘Scene 1, Take 1’
B: ‘Pyramids’ - ‘Interpretation’ - ‘Ancient Ethiopia’ - ‘Strange Worlds’
- Compositions credited to Sun Ra
~
Sun Ra, Astro Black
Recorded May 7th, 1972
- released 1973 by ABC Records/ Impulse (Discogs)
- reissued 2018 by Modern Harmonic (Bandcamp) (Discogs); this recording was mixed in quadrophonic sound and, apparently, with proper decoding equipment a digital quadrophonic mix can be sourced from the C. D. (read the Discogs entry for the pertinent information)
A: ‘Astro Black’ - ‘Discipline "99"’ - ‘Hidden Spheres’
B: ‘The Cosmo-Fire’
- Compositions credited to Sun Ra
~
Sun Ra and His Astro Intergalactic Infinity Arkestra, Discipline 27-II
Recorded October 1972
- released 1973 by El Saturn Records (Discogs)
- reissued 2017 by Corbett vs. Dempsey (Discogs); this recording was mixed in quadrophonic sound and, apparently, with proper decoding equipment a digital quadrophonic mix can be sourced from the C. D. (read the Discogs entry for the pertinent information)
A: ‘Pan Afro’ - ‘Discipline 8’ - ‘Neptune’
B: ‘Discipline 27-II’
- Compositions credited to Sun Ra
~
Sun Ra, Space Is the Place
Recorded October 19th-20th, 1972
- released 1973 by Blue Thumb Records (Discogs)
- reissued 1998 by Impulse!/ GRP Records/ MCA Records/ Universal Music (Discogs)
A: ‘Space Is the Place’
B: ‘Images’ - ‘Discipline 33’ - ‘Sea of Sound’ - ‘Rocket Number Nine’
- Compositions credited to Sun Ra
~
Sun Ra and His Astro Infinity Arkestra, Pathways to Unknown Worlds
Recorded 1973
- released 1975 by ABC Impulse (Discogs)
- reissued 2000 as part of a "two-for" with an untitled bonus track and, as a bonus disc, a previously-unreleased album Friendly Love (Discogs) [see below]
- reissued 2019 (Discogs) with the same bonus track correctly presented as part of an unabridged version of ‘Extension Out’—on the 2000 reissue, the "Untitled" track had faded out; in addition, the 2019 reissue includes three more bonus tracks, all from the same studio sessions: one, ‘View from a Mountain Top’, previously unreleased; the other two tracks originally released on Of Mythic Worlds: ‘Intrinsic Energies’ and ‘Of Mythic Worlds’ (see the discography of hybrid and partial albums for information about the new version of Of Mythic Worlds created by this rearragement of tracks)
A: ‘Pathways to Unknown worlds’
B: ‘Extension Out’ - ‘Cosmo-Media’
- Compositions credited to Sun Ra
Sun Ra and His Astro Infinity Arkestra, Pathways to Unknown Worlds + Friendly Love
The entry for Friendly Love is in the Compilations and archival albums section
~
studio recordings - after Impulse
Sun Ra and His Arkestra, The Antique Blacks
Recorded August 17th, 1974
- released 1974 by El Saturn Records (Discogs)
- reissued 2009 by Art Yard (Discogs), billed as Sun Ra and His Myth Science Solar Arkestra, with one bonus track, ‘You Thought You Could Build a World without Us’
- reissued 2015 by Enterplanetary Koncepts as a download (Discogs) with the same bonus track included but the entire album resequenced to correspond to the original performance and as such including previously-unreleased portions (put another way: ‘There Is Change in the Air’, ‘You Thought You Could Build a World without Us’, and ‘The Antique Black’; were performed as a single suite but where chopped up for the original L. P.; the 2009 C. D. in turn kept the same tracking, with the bonus track tacked on to the end). Also note that, like Of Abstract Dreams [see below], this album documents a radio performance (at WXPN, University of Pennsylvania) and as such is not considered a concert album
A: ‘Song No. 1’ - ‘There Is Change in the Air’ - ‘The Antique Blacks’
B: ‘This Song Is Dedicated to Nature's God’ - ‘The Ridiculous "I" and the Cosmos Me’ - ‘Would I for All That Were’ - ‘Space Is the Place’
- Compositions credited to Sun Ra
~
Sun Ra, Cosmos
Recorded August 1976
- released 1976 by Cobra in Europe and Inner City Records in the U. S. (Discogs)
- reissued 2016 by Enterplanetary Koncepts as a download (Bandcamp) (Discogs)
A: ‘The Mystery of Two’ - ‘Interstellar Low Ways’ - ‘Neo Project No. 2’ - ‘Cosmos’
B: ‘Moonship Journey’ - ‘Journey among Stars’ - ‘Jazz from an Unknown Planet’
- Compositions credited to Sun Ra
~
Sun Ra, Solo Piano Volume 1
Recorded May 20th, 1977
- released 1977 by Improvising Artists Inc. (Discogs); note that the concert album St. Louis Blues: Solo Piano [see below] could be considered Volume 2, as both albums were relased by the same label
A: ‘Sometimes I Feel like a Motherless Child’ - ‘Cosmo Rhythmatic’ - ‘Yesterdays’
B: ‘Romance of Two Planets’ - ‘Irregular Galaxy’ - ‘To a Friend’
- Compositions credited to Sun Ra except ‘Sometimes I Feel like a Motherless Child’ (traditional) and ‘Yesterdays’ (Jerome Kern)
~
Sun Ra and His Arkestra, Some Blues but Not the Kind That's Blue
Recorded October 14th, 1977
- released 1977(?) by El Saturn Recods; some editions titled My Favorite Things
- reissued 2008 by Atavistic (Discogs) with three bonus tracks, one of which is untitled, possibly from the same session as the album; the remaining two both being alternate takes of the album track ‘I'll Get By’, but recorded earlier, May 3rd, 1973
- reissued 2015 by Enterplanetary Koncepts as a download (Bandcamp) (Discogs) with only one of these bonus tracks: the two alternates of ‘I'll Get By’ excluded; the album out-take now titled ‘Outer Reach Intensity-Energy’
A: ‘Some Blues but Not the Kind That's Blue’ - ‘I'll Get By’ - ‘My Favorite Things’
B: ‘Nature Boy’ - ‘Tenderly&rsquo - ‘Black Magic’
- ‘Some Blues but Not the Kind That's Blue’ credited to Sun Ra; otherwise this album is comprised of standards: ‘I'll Get By’ (Roy Turk), ‘My Favorite Things’ (Oscar Hammerstein II and Richard Rodgers), ‘Nature Boy’ (Eden Ahbez), ‘Tenderly’ (Walter Gross and Jack Lawrence), and ‘Black Magic’ (Harold Arlen and Johnny Mercer)
~
The Sun Ra Quartet Featuring John Gilmore, New Steps
Recorded January 1978
- released 1978 by Horo Records (Discogs)
- reissued 2014 by Enterplanetary Koncepts as a download (Bandcamp) (Discogs)
A: ‘My Favorite Things’ - ‘Moon People’
B: ‘Sun Steps’ - ‘Exactly like You’
C: ‘Friend and Friendship’ - ‘Rome at Twilight’
D: ‘When There Is No Sun’ - ‘The Horo’
- Compositions credited to Sun Ra except ‘My Favorite Things’ (Oscar Hammerstein II/ Richard Rodgers)
The Sun Ra Quartet Featuring John Gilmore, Other Voices, Other Blues
Recorded January 1978
- released 1978 by Horo Records (Discogs)
- reissued 2014 by Enterplanetary Koncepts as a download (Bandcamp) (Discogs)
A: ‘Springtime and Summer Idyll’ - ‘One Day in Rome’
B: ‘Bridge on the Ninth Dimension’ - ‘Along the Tiber’
C: ‘Sun, Sky and Wind’ - ‘Rebellion’
D: ‘Constellation’ - ‘The Mystery of Being’
- Compositions credited to Sun Ra
~
Sun Ra, Lanquidity
Recorded July 17th, 1978
- released 1978 by Philly Jazz (Discogs)
- reissued 2000 by Evidence Music (Discogs)
A: ‘Lanquidity’ - ‘Where Pathways Meet’ - ‘That's How I Feel’
B: ‘Twin Stars of Thence’ - ‘There Are Other Worlds (They Have Not Told You Of)’
- Compositions credited to Sun Ra
Reissued 2021 by Strut/ Art Yard (Discogs) with a bonus disc featuring an alternate mix of the album
~
Sun Ra and His Arkestra, The Other Side of the Sun
Recorded November 1st, 1978 and January 4th, 1979
- released 1979 by Sweet Earth Records (Discogs)
- reissued 2000 by Universe (Discogs) and 2015 by Enterplanetary Koncepts as a download (Bandcamp)(Discogs)
A: ‘Space Fling’ - ‘Flamingo’ - ‘Space Is the Place’
B: ‘The Sunny Side of the Street’ - ‘Manhattan Cocktail’
- Compositions credited to Sun Ra except ‘Flamingo’ (Ted Grouya and Edmund Anderson) and ‘The Sunny Side of the Street’ (Jimmy McHugh)
~
Sun Ra and His Outer Space Arkestra, On Jupiter
Recorded May and October 16th, 1979
- released 1979 by El Saturn Records (Discogs)
- reissued 2008 by Art Yard, credited to Sun Ra and His Solar Arkestra (Discogs)
- reissued 2021 by Enterplanetary Koncepts as a download (Bandcamp) (Discogs) with one bonus track, a concert recording from 1978
A: ‘On Jupiter’ - ‘UFO’
B: ‘Seductive Fantasy’
- Compositions credited by Sun Ra
~
Sun Ra and His Arkestra, Sleeping Beauty
Recorded June 1979
- released 1979 by El Saturn Records (Discogs)
- reissued 2008 by Art Yard, billed as Sun Ra and His Intergalactic Myth Science Solar Arkestra (Discogs)
- reissued 2022 by Enterplanetary Koncepts as a download (Bandcamp) (Discogs) with the three tracks that comprise Strange Celestial Road as bonus tracks, plus two additional bonus tracks, both concert recordings, from 1978 and 1980
A: ‘Springtime Again’ - ‘Door of the Cosmos’
B: ‘Sleeping Beauty’
- Compositions credited to Sun Ra
Sun Ra, Strange Celestial Road
Recorded June 1979
- released 1980 by Rounder Records (Discogs); as noted above, all tracks included on the download reissue of Sleeping Beauty
A: ‘Celestial Road’ - ‘Say’
B: ‘I'll Wait for You’
- Compositions credited to Sun Ra
~
Sun Ra, God Is More than Love Can Ever Be
Recorded July 1979
- released 1979 by El Saturn Records; some editions titled Days of Happiness (Discogs)
- reissued 2018 by Cosmic Myth Records (Discogs)
A: ‘Days of Happiness’ - ‘Magic City Blues’ - ‘Tenderness’
B: ‘Blithe Spirit Dance’ - ‘God Is More than Love Can Ever Be’
~
Sun Ra and His Outer Space Arkestra, Omniverse
Recorded September 13th, 1979
- released 1979 by El Saturn Records (Discogs)
- reissued 2021 by Modern Harmonic (Discogs) with two bonus tracks, both concert recordings, from 1977 and 1979
A: ‘The Place of Five Points’ - ‘West End Side of Magic City’ - ‘Dark Lights in a White Forest’
B: ‘Omniverse’ - ‘Visitant of the Ninth Ultimate’
- Compositions credited to Sun Ra
~
Sun Ra and His Outer Space Arkestra, A Fireside Chat with Lucifer
Recorded September 1982
- released 1983 by Saturn Research (Discogs)
- reissued 2014 by Enterplanetary Koncepts as a download, 2020 by Modern Harmonic on C. D. (Discogs)
A: ‘Nuclear War’ - ‘Retrospect’ - ‘Makeup’
B: ‘A Fireside Chat with Lucier’
Compositions credited to Sun Ra
Sun Ra and His Outer Space Arkestra, Celestial Love
Recorded September 1982
- released 1984 by El Saturn Records (Discogs)
- reissued 2015 by Enterplanetary Koncepts as a download, 2020 by Modern Harmonic on C. D. (Discogs), with one bonus track: ‘Drop Me Off in Harlem’, which had originally been released as the only track unique to the 1984 Y Records album Nuclear War, which was otherwise comprised of tracks from A Fireside Chat with Lucifer and Celestial Love
A: ‘Celestial Love’ - ‘Sometimes I'm Happy’ - ‘Interstellarism’ - ‘Blue Intensity’
B: ‘Sophisticated Lady’ - ‘Nameless One # 2’ - ‘Nameless One # 3’ - ‘Smile’
Compositions credited to Sun Ra except ‘Sometimes I'm Happy’ (Irving Caesar and Vincent Youmans), ‘Sophisticated Lady’ (Duke Ellington), and ‘Smile’ (Charlie Chaplin)
The Sun Ra Arkestra, Nuclear War
Released 1984 by Y Records (Discogs) - reissued 2001 by Atavistic (Discogs) - As indicated above, the reissues of A Fireside Chat with Lucifer and Celestial Love have made this album redundant
~
studio recordings - later years
The Sun Ra Arkestra, Reflections in Blue
Recorded December 18th and 19th, 1986
- released 1987 by Black Saint (Discogs)
A: ‘State Street Chicago’ - ‘Nothin' from Nothin'’ - ‘Yesterdays’
B: ‘Stay It Isn't So’ - ‘I Dream Too Much’ - ‘Reflections in Blue’
- Compositions credited to Sun Ra; except ‘Nothin' from Nothin' (Pat Patrick), ‘Yesterdays’ and ‘I Dream Too Much’(Jerome Kern), ‘Say It Isn't So’ (Irving Berlin)
The Sun Ra Arkestra, Hours After
Recorded December 18th and 19th, 1986
- released 1989 by Black Saint (Discogs)
A: ‘But Not for Me’ - ‘Hours After’ - ‘Beautiful Love’
B: ‘Dance of the Extra Terrestrians’ - ‘Love on a Far Away Planet’
- Compositions credited to Sun Ra except ‘But Not for Me’ (George and Ira Gershwin) and ‘Beautiful Love’ (Haven Gillespie, Wayne King, Egbert Van Alstyne)
~
Sun Ra, Blue Delight
Recorded December 1988
- released 1989 by A&M Records (Discogs)
A: ‘Blue Delight’ - ‘Out of Nowhere’ - ‘Sunrise’ - ‘Nashira’
B: ‘They Dwell on Other Planes’ - ‘Gone with the Wind’ - ‘Your Guest Is as Good as Mine’ - ‘Days of Wine and Roses’
- Track order on the C. D. is different: ‘Nashira’ is the penultimate track
- Compositions credited to Sun Ra except ‘Out of Nowhere’ (Johnny Green and Edward Heyman), ‘Gone with the Wind’ (Herbert Magidson and Allie Wrubel), ‘Nashira’ (Julian Priester), and ‘Days of Wine and Roses’ (Henry Mancini)
Sun Ra, Somewhere Else
Recorded December 1988, November 1989
- released 1993 by Rounder Records (Discogs)
‘Priest’ - ‘Discipline/Tall Trees in the Sun’ - ‘'S Wonderful’ - ‘Hole in the Sky’ - ‘Somewhere Else, Part 1’ - ‘Somewhere Else, Part 2’ - ‘Stardust for Tomorrow’ - ‘Love in Outer Space’ - ‘Everything Is Space’ - ‘Tristar’
- Compositions credited to Sun Ra
Sun Ra, Purple Night
Recorded November 1989
- released 1990 by A&M Records (Discogs)
A: ‘Journey towards Stars’ - ‘Friendly Galaxy’ - ‘Love in Outer Space’ - ‘Stars Fell on Alabama’
B: ‘Of Invisible Them’ - ‘Neverness’ - ‘Purple Night Blues’
- Compositions credited to Sun Ra except ‘Stars Fell on Alabama’ (Mitchell Parrish and Frank Perkins)
~
The Sun Ra Arkestra, Mayan Temples
Recorded July 24th and 25th, 1990
- released 1992 by Black Saint (Discogs)
‘Dance of the Language Barrier’ - ‘Bygone’ - ‘Discipline No. 1’ - ‘Alone Together’ - ‘Prelude to Stargazers’ - ‘Mayan Temples’ - ‘I'll Never Be the Same’ - ‘Stardust from Tomorrow’ - ‘El Is the Sound of Joy’ - ‘Time after Time’ - ‘Opus in Springtime’ - ‘Theme on the Stargazers’ - ‘Sunset on the Night on the River Nile’
- Compositions credited to Sun Ra except ‘Alone Together’ (Howard Dietz and Arthur Schwartz), ‘I'll Never Be the Same’ (Jack Lloyd and David Rose), and ‘Time after Time’ (Ernst R. Ball and J. Keirn Brennan)
~
Sun Ra and His Arkestra Featuring Pharoah Sanders and Black Harold
Recorded December 31st, 1964
- released 1976 (Discogs)
- reissued 2009 (Discogs) with five bonus tracks, credited to Sun Ra with Pharoah Sanders and Black Harold
- reissued 2018 as a download, also credited to credited to Sun Ra with Pharoah Sanders and Black Harold and titled Judson Hall, New York, Dec. 31, 1964
~
Sun Ra, Nothing Is...
Released 1966 (Discogs)
- reissued 2010 (Discogs), titled College Tour Vol. 1: The Complete Nothing Is..., with the original album and 17 bonus tracks on two discs
~
Sun Ra, Nuits de la Fondation Maeght Vol. 1
Recorded August 3rd and 5th, 1970
- released 1971 (Discogs); reissued 2020 as a download
Sun Ra, Nuits de la Fondation Maeght Vol. 2
Recorded August 3rd and 5th, 1970
- released 1971 (Discogs); reissued 2020 as a download
Sun Ra, Nuits de la Fondation Maeght
Both albums reissued 2025 as part of the four-C. D. (or six-L. P.) set (Discogs); though significantly expanding upon the original two albums, one track, ‘Cosmic Explorer’, is abridged for unknown reasons
~
Sun Ra and His Intergalactic Research Arkestra, It's After the End of the World: Live at the Donaueschingen and Berlin Festivals
Recorded October 17th and November 7th, 1970
- released 1971 (Disocgs) in its original five-track configuration
Sun Ra and His Intergalactic Research Arkestra, Black Myth/Out in Space
Reissued 1998 (Discogs) with a different track order, eight of 14 tracks previously unreleased
~
Sun Ra and His Myth Science Arkestra, The Paris Tapes: Live at le Théâtre du Châtelet 1971
Recorded 1971
- released 2010 (Discogs)
~
Sun Ra and His Astro-Intergalactic-Infinity Arkestra, Dark Myth Equation Visitation (Live in Egypt Vol. I)
Recorded December 12th and 16th, 1971
- released 1972 (Discogs)
- partially reissued 2008 as one of a "two-for" with Nidhamu (Discogs)—only the Sun Ra interview excluded—and in its entirety 2020 as part of Egypt 1971 (Discogs), which also includes two bonus discs (In Heliopolis and Egyptian Oasis) with a total of 19 bonus tracks; as part of the rearrangement and remastering of this material, the track ‘Nidhamu’ has now been identified as a studio recording from June 18th, 1971, the composition actually being ‘The Outer Darkness’; a live recording of the real ‘Nidhamu’ is found on In Heliopolis; despite Egyptian Oasis being identified as "Unreleased Recordings," the liner notes point out that ‘We Sing This Song’ had been released on the album The Outerspaceways Inc. (A Tonal View of Times Tomorrow, Vol. 3), later reissued as Spaceways (see the discography of hybrid and partial albums)
Sun Ra and His Astro-Intergalactic-Infinity Arkestra, Nidhamu (Live in Egypt Vol. II)
Recorded December 12th and 17th, 1971
- released 1972 (Discogs)
- reissued 2008 as one of a "two-for" with Dark Myth Equation Visitation and 2020 as part of Egypt 1971 [see above]
Sun Ra and His Arkestra, Horizon
Recorded December 17th, 1971
- released 1972 (Discogs)
- reissued 2008 (Discogs) with four bonus tracks, credited to Sun Ra and His Solar Arkestra; and 2020 as part of Egypt 1971 [see above], also in the 2008 11-track configuration
~
Sun Ra, Live at Slug's Saloon
Recorded June 7th and August 19th, 1972
- released 2008 (Discogs)
~
Sun Ra and His Blue Universe Arkestra, Universe in Blue
Recored 1971-1972
- released 1972 (Discogs)
- reissued 2022 (Discogs) with two bonus tracks
~
Sun Ra, Live in Paris at the "Gibus"
Recorded October 1973
- released 1973 (Discogs)
~
Sun Ra and His Intergalactic Research Arkestra, Planets of Life or Death: Amiens '73
Recorded October 21st, 1973
- released 2015 (Discogs)
~
Sun Ra, Concert for the Comet Kohoutek
Recorded December 22nd, 1973
- released 1993 (Discogs)
~
Sun Ra, At the Showcase: Live in Chicago 1976-1977
Recorded February 21st, 1976, and November 4th and 10th, 1977
- released 2024 (Discogs)
Sun Ra, The Soul Vibrations of Man
Recorded November 1977
- released 1977 (Discogs); reissued 2016 as a download by Enterplanetary Koncepts (Bandcamp) (Discogs)
Compositions credited to Sun Ra
Sun Ra and His Arkestra, Taking a Chance on Chances
Recorded November 1977
- released 1977 (Discogs); reissued 2018 as a download by Enterplanetary Koncepts (Bandcamp) (Discogs)
The recordings that comprise these two albums also come from the band's residencey at the Showcase, November 1977; they are different from the performances documented on At the Showcase.
~
Sun Ra, St. Louis Blues: Solo Piano
Recorded July 3rd, 1977
- released 1978 (Discogs)
- reissued 2018 as a download by Enterplanetary Koncepts (Discogs) with audience noise removed; this concert also released a film, titled Solo Piano (Discogs) with ‘Sometimes I Feel like a Motherless Child’ replacing ‘Ohosnisixaehr’
A: ‘Ohosnisixaehr’ - ‘St. Louis Blues’ - ‘Three Little Words’ - ‘Honeysuckle Rose’
B: ‘Sky and Sun’ - ‘I Am We Are I’ - ‘Thoughts on Truth’
Compositions credited to Sun Ra except ‘St. Louis Blues’ (W. C. Handy), ‘Three Little Words’ (Bert Kalmar), and ‘Honeysuckle Rose’ (Andy Razaf and Fats Waller)
~
Sun Ra and His Myth Science Arkestra, Disco 3000
Recorded January 23rd, 1978
- released 1978 by El Saturn Records (Discogs)
- reissued 2007 by Art Yard, titled Disco 3000 (Complete Milan Concert 1978) (Discogs) with eight bonus tracks
- reissued 2022 by Enterplanetary Koncepts as a download (Bandcamp) (Discogs) with a different track order (‘Friendly Galaxy/Third Planet’ now presented as a single track instead of being split between the first and second discs, as it was on the 2007 reissue) and minor edits, credited to Sun Ra and His Arkestra, and an additional bonus track, ‘Jazzisticoloy’, originally released on Sound Mirror (see the discography of hybrid and partial albums); left answered is why ‘Jazzisticoloy’ was not included on the 2007 reissue if, as the 2022 liner notes state, the 2007 version was based on a "tape of the full concert" and "replicated the sequence of the original concert"
A: ‘Disco 3000’
B: ‘Third Planet’ - ‘Friendly Galaxy’ - ‘Dance of the Cosmo-Aliens’
Sun Ra and His Arkestra, Media Dreams
Recorded January 9th, 1978
- released 1978 by El Saturn Records (Discogs)
- reissued 2008 by Art Yard (Discogs) with seven bonus tracks, including ‘Of Other Tomorrows Never Known’, originally released on Sound Mirror (see the discography of hybrid and partial albums); another of these bonus tracks, ‘Images’, is actually an unabridged version of ‘Twigs at Twilight’—the latter still included in its original form; similarly, another bonus track is an unabridged ‘An Unbeknowneth Love’ though the abriged original is still included
- reissued 2022 by Enterplanetary Koncepts as a download (Bandcamp) (Discogs) with a different track order (essentially, ‘Twigs at Twilight’ no longer included twice; and the abridged ‘An Unbeknowneth Love’ excluded) and other, minor edits
A: ‘Saturn Research’ - ‘Constellation’ - ‘Yera of the Sun’
B: ‘Media Dreams’ - ‘Twigs at Twilight’ - ‘An Unbeknowneth Love&rsuo;
~
The Sun Ra Arkestra, Live from Soundscape
Recorded November 11th, 1979
- released 1994 (Discogs); limited double-disc edition includes on the second disc a recording of a talk that Sun Ra gave November 10th (Discogs)
~
Sun Ra, Haverford College Jan. 25, 1980
Released 2023 (Discogs)
~
The Sun Ra Arkestra, Sunrise in Different Dimensions
Recorded February 24th, 1980
- released 1981 (Discogs); abridged version released as a C. D., 1991 (Discogs): three tracks removed
- reissued 2014 as a download by Enterplanetary Koncepts with all tracks included
~
Sun Ra and His Arkestra, Dance of Innocent Passion
Recorded 1980
- released 1981 (Discogs)
- reissued 2015 as a download by Enterplanetary Koncepts (Discogs)
~
Sun Ra, Aurora Borealis
Recorded ca. Dec. 4th, 1980
- released 1981 (Discogs)
- reissued 2015 as a download (Bandcamp) by Enterplanetary Koncepts with three bonus tracks
~
Sun Ra, Oblique Parallax
Sun Ra and His Omniverse Jet-Set Arkestra, Beyond the Purple Star Zone
Recorded December 26th, 1980-January 1st, 1981
- Oblique released 1981 (Discogs), Zone, 1982 (Discogs), both by El Saturn Records
- both albums reissued together, 2010, by Art Yard, credited to Sun Ra and His Omniverse Jet-Set Arkestra and titled Detroit Jazz Center 1980: Beyond the Purple Star Zone - Oblique Parallax—or at least that is one interpretation of the title; on the C. D. spine and back cover, it is only Detroit Jazz Center 1980, whereas the disc itself only sports the original album names; all parts of the title are included on the front cover (Discogs)
- both albums reissued as downloads, 2015, by Enterplanetary Koncepts (Bandcamp; Bandcamp); the liner notes of these reissues point out a peculiarity of these albums: ‘Beyond the Purple Star Zone’, the title track of the second album, had already been included on Oblique, as the beginning portion of ‘Journey Stars Beyond’. The two tracks are edited and mixed (very slightly) differently.
~
Sun Ra, Ra to the Rescue
Recorded 1982
- released 1983
- reissued 2022 (Discogs) with bonus tracks originally released on an album variously titled When Spaceships Appear, Cosmo-Party Blues, and Children of the Sun (see the discography of hybrid and partial albums), plus two previously-unreleased bonus tracks
~
Sun Ra and His Arkestra, Love in Outer Space
Recorded December 11th, 1983
- released 1988 (Discogs); L. P. version includes five tracks, the C. D. version, seven tracks
~
Sun Ra, Excelsior Mill
Recorded 1984
- released 2024 (Discogs)
~
John Cage/ Sun Ra, John Cage Meets Sun Ra
Recorded June 8th, 1986
- released 1987
- reissued 2016 (Discogs), titled John Cage Meets Sun Ra: The Complete Concert June 8, 1986 Coney Island, NY, 10 of its 16 tracks previously unreleased; concert film reissued 2019 (Discogs) with a bonus seven-inch 45 that includes two of the tracks from the 2016 reissue
~
Sun Ra, Hidden Fire 1
Sun Ra, Hidden Fire 2
Recorded January 29th-31st, 1988
- both albums released 1988 by Saturn Research (Discogs; Discogs)
- reissued 2025 by Strut as a double L. P. and download (Bandcamp) (Discogs)
~
The Sun Ra Arkestra, Live at Pit-Inn Tokyo, Japan, 8, 8, 1988
Recorded August 8th, 1988
- released 1988 (Discogs)
- reissued 2024 (Discogs) with a bonus disc; an earlier alternate version of this reissue released 2015 as a download by Enterplanetary Koncepts (Discogs)
~
The Sun Ra Sextet, At the Village Vanguard
Recorded November 14th, 1991
- released 1993 (Discogs); Campbell and Trent explain that the ensemble at these Village Vanguard concerts of November 12th-17th were billed as Sun Ra and His All-Star Inventions, perhaps originally conceived as a John Gilmore-led group; Chris Anderson plays piano; Sun Ra, synthesizer
~
Sun Ra and His Omniverse Arkestra, Destination Unknown
Recorded March 29th, 1992
- released 1993 (Discogs); reissued 2020
~
compilations and archival albums
Sun Ra and His Intergalactic Solar Arkestra, Soundtrack to the Film Space Is the Place
Recorded 1972
- released 1993 (Discogs)
Reissued 2023 (Discogs) with an additional album, The Mathematics of the Altered Destiny, on the second disc as well as D. V. D. and Blu-Ray copies of the film, with bonus audiovisual content
~
Sun Ra, The Singles
Released 1996 (Discogs)
Disc One: 1954-1960 The Nu Sounds: ‘A Foggy Day’ - The Cosmic Rays: ‘Daddy's Gonna Tell You No Lie’ [demo version] - ‘Dreaming’ - ‘Daddy's Gonna Tell You No Lie’ - The Cosmic Rays with Le Sun Ra and Arkestra: ‘Bye Bye’ - ‘Somebody's in Love’ - Le Sun-Ra and His Arkestra: ‘Saturn’ - ‘Supersonic Jazz’ - The Qualities: ‘Happy New Year to You!’ - ‘It's Christmas Time’ - Yochannan: ‘Muck Muck (Matt Matt)’ - ‘Hot Skillet Mama’ - Le Sun Ra and His Arkestra: ‘Great Balls of Fire’ - ‘Hours After’ - Juanita Rogers and Lynn Hollings with Mr. V's Five Joys: ‘Teenager's Letter of Promises’ - Juanita Rogers with Mr. V's Five Joys: ‘I'm So Glad You Love Me’ - Yochanan with Sun Ra and His Arkestra: ‘The Sun One’ - ‘The Sun Man Speaks’ - ‘The Sun Man Speaks’ [alternate version] - Sun Ra and His Astro Infinity Arkestra: ‘October’ - ‘Adventure in Space’ - Yochanan with Sun Ra and His Arkestra: ‘Message to Earthman’ - ‘Message to Earthman’ [alternate version] - Sun Ra and His Arkestra: ‘State Street’
See the entry for Angels and Demons at Play above for information about the connections between a few of these singles and that album
Disc Two: 1960-1982 Sun Ra and His Myth Science Arkestra: ‘The Blue Set’ - ‘Big City Blues’ - Little Mack: ‘Tell Her to Come On Home’ - ‘I'm Making Believe’ - Sun Ra and His Outer Space Arkestra: ‘The Bridge’ - ‘Rocket #9’ - Sun Ra and His Astro-Solar-Infinity Arkestra: ‘Blues on Planet Mars’ - ‘Saturn Moon’ - Lacy Gibson: ‘The Sky Is Crying’ - ‘She's My Baby’ - ‘I Am Gonna Unmask the Batman’ - ‘I Want an Easy Woman’ - Sun Ra and His Astro-Galactic Infinity Arkestra: ‘I'm Gonna Unmask the Batman’ - ‘The Perfect Man’ - ‘Journey to Saturn’ - ‘Enlightenment’ - Sun Ra: ‘Love in Outer Space’ - ‘Mayan Temple’ - Sun Ra and His Arkestra: ‘Disco 2100’ - ‘Sky Blues’ - Sun Ra: ‘Rough House Blues’ - ‘Cosmo-Etensions’ - Sun Ra and His Outer Space Arkestra: ‘Quest’ - ‘Outer Space Plateau’
‘Daddy's Gonna Tell You No Lie’ [demo version] b/w ‘A Foggy Day’, 7-inch 45, El Saturn Records, 1983; both tracks also released on Singles, 2016
Original releases:
‘Dreaming’ b/w ‘Daddy's Gonna Tell You No Lie’, 7-inch 45, El Saturn Records, 1960; both tracks also released on Singles, 2016
‘Bye Bye’ b/w ‘Somebody's in Love’, 7-inch 45, El Saturn Records, 1958; both tracks also released on Singles, 2016
‘Saturn’ b/w ‘Call for All Demons’; this is the same recording of ‘Call for All Demons’ as above, also included on Angels and Demons at Play, and as such not included on this version Singles; both tracks included on the 2016 version of Singles
‘Super-Sonic Jazz’ (not to be confused with the album of the same name) was possibly released as a single with ‘Demon's Lullaby’; ‘Demon's Lullaby’ included on Angels and Demons at Play, and as such not included on the 1996 version of Singles; both tracks included on Singles, 2016
‘It's Christmas Time’ b/w ‘Happy New Year to You!’, 7-inch 45, El Saturn Records, 1961; reissued 2011 by Norton Records and 2024 by Strut; both tracks also released on Singles, 2016
‘M Uck M Uck (Matt Matt)’ b/w ‘Hot Skillet Mama’, 7-inch 45, El Saturn Records, undated, recorded ca. 1957; both tracks also released on Singles, 2016
‘Hours After’ b/w ‘Great Balls of Fire’, 7-inch 45, El Saturn Records, 1958; both tracks also released on Singles, 2016
‘Teenager's Letter of Promises’ b/w ‘I'm So Glad You Love Me’, 7-inch 45, Pink Clouds Records, 1960; not included on Singles, 2016
‘Message to Earthman’ b/w ‘The Sun One’, 7-inch 45, El Saturn Records, 1961; (sort of) reissued 1968 as ‘The Sun Man Speaks’ b/w ‘Message to Earthman’, the A-side being an alternate version of ‘The Sun One’; the B-side being the same version of ‘Message’ as compared to the alternate, released for the first time on this compilation; the alternate ‘Sun One’ also previously unreleased; the two alternate takes are not included on Singles, 2016
‘October’ b/w ‘Adventur in Space’, 7-inch 45, El Saturn Records, 1967; both tracks also released on Singles, 2016
‘Space Loneliness’ b/w ‘State Street’, 7-inch 45, El Saturn Records, 1960; the A-side track released on Interstellar Low Ways, and as such not included on this version of Singles; both tracks included on the 2016 version of Singles
‘The Blue Set’ b/w ‘Big City Blues’, 7-inch 45, El Saturn Records, 1960; both tracks also released on Singles, 2016
‘Tell Her to Come On Home’ b/w ‘I'm Making Believe’, 7-inch 45, El Saturn Records, 1962; both tracks also released on Singles, 2016
‘The Bridge’ b/w ‘Rocket #9&Rsquo;, 7-inch 45, El Saturn Records; ‘The Bridge’ reissued as a single-sided single, 1982; both tracks also released on Singles, 2016
‘Blues on Planet Mars’ b/w ‘Saturn Moon’, 7-inch 45, El Saturn Records, 1969; both tracks also released on Singles, 2016
‘The Sky Is Crying’ b/w ‘She's My Baby’, 7-inch 45, Repeto, 1968; not included on Singles, 2016
‘I Am Gonna Unmask the Batman’ b/w ‘I Want an Easy Woman’, 7-inch 45, Repeto, 1969; not incluced on Singles, 2016; this version of ‘I'm Gonna Unmask the Batman’ is different from the versions heard on the following 7-inch and on Of Abstract Dreams
‘I'm Gonna Unmask the Batman’ b/w ‘The Perfect Man’, 7-inch 45, El Saturn Records, 1974; both tracks also released on Singles, 2016; ‘The Perfect Man’ also included on the 2017 reissue of My Brother the Wind, as the latest evidence suggests the track was recorded during the sessions for that album; ‘I'm Gonna Unmask the Batman’ is from the radio session documented on Of Abstract Dreams, different from the version featured on that album
‘Journey to Saturn’ b/w ‘Enlightenment’, 7-inch 45, El Saturn Records, ca. 1974; both tracks also released on Singles, 2016
‘Love in Outer Space’ b/w ‘Mayan Temple’; this version of ‘Love in Outer Space’ is the recording from The Night of the Purle Moon with a vocal performance overdubbed—it is also included on the 2014 download-only reissue of The Night of the Purle Moon; both tracks also released on Singles, 2016
‘Disco 3000’ b/w ‘Sky Blues’, 7-inch 45, self-released, undated; both tracks are abridged versions of those found on the expanded reissues of Disco 3000 [see above]; the scans currently at Discogs show that the track is named ‘Disco 3000’, not ‘Disco 2100’ or ‘Disco 2021’; both tracks also released on Singles, 2016
‘Rough House Blues’ b/w ‘Cosmo-Extensions’, 7-inch 45, El Saturn Records, 1978; both tracks also released on Singles, 1996
‘Quest’ b/w ‘Outer Space Plateau’, 7-inch 45, El Saturn Records, 1982; both tracks also released on Singles, 1996
~
Sun Ra, The Great Lost Sun Ra Albums: Cymbals & Crystal Spears
Released 2000 (Discogs)
- Cymbals recorded March 8th, 1973
- Crystal Spears recorded February 3rd, 1973
Cymbals: ‘The World of the Invisible’ - ‘The Order of the Pharaonic Jesters’ - ‘The Land of the Day Star’ - ‘The Mystery of Two’ - ‘Land of the Day Star’
Crystal Spears: ‘Crystal Spears’ - ‘The Eternal Sphynx’ - ‘The Embassy of the Living God’ - ‘Sunrise in the Western Sky’
- Three of Cymbals' tracks, ‘The World of the Invisible’, ‘The Order of the Pharaonic Jesters’, and ‘The Land of the Day Star’, were originally released in 1973 as side B of Deep Purple (see the discography of hybrid and partial albums)
Sun Ra, Crystal Spears
Crystal Spears reissued 2018 (Bandcamp) (Discogs)
Sun Ra, The Cymbals/Symbols Sessions: New York City 1973
Cymbals reissued 2018 with bonus disc, titled Symbols (Bandcamp) (Discogs); the tracks on the bonus disc, also recorded March 8th, 1973: ‘The Universe Is Calling’ - ‘Space Landing’ - ‘Of Drastic Measures’ - ‘Of Otherness’ - ‘Myth Evidential’ - ‘Destination of the Known Unknown’
~
Sun Ra and His Astro Infinity Arkestra, Friendly Love
Recorded 1973; released 2000 as a bonus disc of the reissue of Pathyways to Unknown Worlds [see above]
‘Friendly Love I’ - ‘Friendly Love II’ - ‘Friendly Love III’ - ‘Friendly Love IV’
~
Sun Ra and His Arkestra, Greatest Hits: Easy Listening for Intergalactic Travel
Released 2000 (Discogs)
~
Henry Dumas/ Sun Ra, The Ark and the Ankh
Released 2001 (Discogs)
~
Sun Ra, Spaceship Lullaby
Released 2003 (Discogs)
~
Sun Ra, Heliocentric Worlds Vol. 3: The Lost Tapes
Released 2005 (Discogs), reissued as part of The Heliocentric Worlds of Sun Ra [see above]
~
Sun Ra, The Creator of the Universe
Recorded May 4th and June 10th, 1971; released 2007 (Discogs); Volume One of the Lost Reel Collection
Sun Ra, The Creator of the Universe
Recorded summer 1971 and 1972; released 2007 (Discogs); Volume Two of the Lost Reel Collection
Sun Ra, The Creator of the Universe
Recorded early 1970s; released 2007 (Discogs); Volume Three of the Lost Reel Collection
Sun Ra, Dance of the Living Image
Recorded December, 1974; released 2007 (Discogs); Volume Four of the Lost Reel Collection
Sun Ra, The Universe Sent Me
Recorded July 9th, 1972, and September 8th, 1973; released 2008 (Discogs); Volume Five of the Lost Reel Collection
Sun Ra, The Road to Destiny
Recorded October 18th, 1973; released 2010 (Discogs); Volume Six of the Lost Reel Collection
~
Sun Ra and His Arkestra, Interplanetary Melodies: Doo Wop from Saturn and Beyond Vol. One
Released 2009 (Discogs)
Sun Ra and His Arkestra, The Second Stop Is Jupiter: Doo Wop from Saturn and Beyond Vol. Two
Released 2009 (Discogs)
Sun Ra and His Arkestra, Rocket Ship Rock
Released 2009 (Discogs)
~
Sun Ra & His Astro-Infinity Arkestra, Other Strange Worlds
Released 2014 (Discogs); label hype sticker seen above also used for the other three Roaratorio releases [see below]
~
Sun Ra & His Astro-Infinity Arkestra, Sign of the Myth
Released 2014 (Discogs); this album's content overlaps with the bonus tracks found on the reissue, The Cymbals/Symbols Sessions [see above]; see the discography of hybrid and partial albums
~
Sun Ra, Singles: The Definitive 45s Collection 1952-1991
Released 2016 (Discogs)
CD 1: Sun Ra: ‘I Am an Instrument’ - ‘I Am Strange’ - The Nu Sounds with Sun Ra: ‘Chicago USA’ - ‘Spaceship Lullaby’ - The Cosmic Rays with Sun Ra and Arkestra: ‘Daddy's Gonna Tell You No Lie’ - The Nu Sounds with Sun Ra and Arkestra: ‘Foggy Day’ - Billie Hawkins with Sun-Ra and His Orchestra: ‘I'm Coming Home’ - ‘Last Call for Love’ - Sun-Ra and His Arkistra: ‘Soft Talk - ‘Super Blonde - Le Sun-Ra and His Arkestra: ‘Saturn’ - ‘Call for All Demons’ - ‘Demon's Lullaby’ - ‘Super-Sonic Jazz’ - ‘Medicine for a Nightmare’ - ‘Urnack’ - The Qualities: ‘Happy New Year to You!’ - ‘It's Christmas Time’ - Yochanan (The Space Age Vocalist): ‘M uck M uck (Matt Matt)’ - ‘Hot Skillet Mama’ - The Cosmic Rays with Le Sun Ra and Arkestra: ‘Bye Bye’ - ‘Somebody's in Love’ - Le Sun Ra and His Arkestra: ‘Hours After’ - ‘Great Balls of Fire’
CD 2: Sun Ra and His Astro Infinity Arkestra: ‘October’ - ‘Adventur in Space’ - The Cosmic Rays with Sun Ra and Arkestra: ‘Dreaming’ - ‘Daddy's Gonna Tell You No Lie’ - Hattie Randolph with Sun Ra and His Astro Infinity Arkestra - ‘Round Midnight’ - ‘Back in Your Own Back Yard’ - Le Sun Ra and His Arkestra: ‘Saturn’ - ‘Velvet’ - Yochanan "A Space Age Vocalist" with Sun Ra and His Arkestra: ‘The Sun One’ - ‘Message to Earthman’ - Yochanan with Sun Ra and His Arkestra - ‘The Sun Man Speaks’ - Sun Ra and His Arkestra: ‘Space Loneliness’ - ‘State Street’ - ‘The Blue Set’ - ‘Big City Blues’ - Sun Ra and His Arkestra Featuring Pat Patrick: ‘A Blue One’ - ‘Orbitration in Blue’ - Sun Ra and His Arkestra: ‘Hell #1 (a.k.a. Out There a Minute)’ - Little Mack with Sun Ra and His Arkestra: ‘Tell Her to Come On Home’ - ‘I'm Making Believe’
CD 3: Sun Ra and His Outer Space Arkestra: ‘The Bridge’ - ‘Rocket # 9’ - Sun Ra and His Astro-Solar-Infinity Arkestra: ‘Blues on Planet Mars’ - ‘Saturn Moon’ - Sun Ra and His Astro-Intergalactic Infinity Arkestra: ‘Journey to Saturn’ - ‘Enlightenment’ - ‘I'm Gonna Unmask the Batman’ - ‘The Perfect Man’ - Sun Ra and His Arkestra: ‘Love in Outer Space’ - ‘Mayan Temple’ - Sun Ra: ‘Sky Blues’ - ‘Disco 2021’ - ‘Rough House Blues’ - ‘Cosmo-Extensions’ - Sun Ra and His Outer Space Arkestra: ‘Quest’ - ‘Outer Space Plateau’ - Sun Ra Arkestra: ‘Nuclear War’ - ‘Sometimes I'm Happy’ - ‘On Jupiter / Cosmo Drama (Prophetika 1)’ - ‘Cosmo Drama (Prophetika 2)’ - Sun Ra - ‘I Am the Instrument’
Original releases:
‘I Am Strange’ b/w ‘I Am an Instrument’, 7-inch 45, Norton Records, 2009
‘Chicago USA’ b/w ‘Spaceship Lullaby’, 7-inch 45, Stop Smiling Issue 24, 2005 (single accompanying the magazine); the liner notes for Singles: The Definitive 45s Collection 1952-1991, despite noting that these two tracks were originally released on the Atavistic archival album Spaceship Lullaby [2003] also contradictorily (incorrectly) state that the tracks were originally released on this 7-inch
‘Daddy's Gonna Tell You No Lie’ [demo version] b/w ‘A Foggy Day’, 7-inch 45, El Saturn Records, 1983; both tracks also released on Singles, 1996
‘I'm Coming Home’ b/w ‘Last Call for Love’, 7-inch 45, Heartbeat, 1956, credited to Billie Hawkins/ Sun-Ra and His Orchestra
‘Soft Talk’ b/w ‘Super Blonde’, 7-inch 45, El Saturn Records, 1956; both tracks also included on Super-Sonic Jazz
‘Demon's Lullaby’ and ‘Super-Sonic Jazz’ possibly released, or at least planned for release, as a 45; ‘Super-Sonic Jazz’ also released on Singles, 1996; ‘Demon's Lullaby’ also included on Angels and Demons at Play
‘Medicine for a Nightmare’ b/w ‘Urnack’, 7-inch 45, El Saturn Records, 1956; this version of ‘Medicine’ is supposedly the Angels and Demons at Play version, as many discographers state; but the 2016, Strut version of Singles instead includes the version identified as a previously-unreleased alternate take in the notes for the 1996, Evidence version of Singles; the alternate take is also included on the bonus disc of the deluxe edition of Super-Sonic Jazz, suggesting perhaps that the Strut Singles includes the wrong ‘Medicine’; both ‘Urnack’ and the actual 7-inch version of ‘Medicine for a Nightmare’ are included on Angels and Demons at Play
‘Call for All Demons’ b/w ‘Demon's Lullaby’, 7-inch 45, El Saturn Records, 1956; this is same ‘Demon's Lullaby’ as above, both tracks also included on Angels and Demons at Play
‘Saturn’ b/w ‘Call for All Demons’; ‘Saturn’ also released on Singles, 1996; this is the same recording of ‘Call for All Demons’ as above, also included on Angels and Demons at Play; of the tracks included on this series of 7-inch 45s released in 1956, only ‘Super-Sonic Jazz’ is included on the 1996 version of Singles because that compilation did not repeat tracks from Super-Sonic Jazz and Angels and Demons at Play (yes, the track ‘Super-Sonic Jazz’, as seen above, is not included on the album of the same name)
‘It's Christmas Time’ b/w ‘Happy New Year to You!’, 7-inch 45, El Saturn Records, 1961; reissued 2011 by Norton Records and 2024 by Strut; both tracks also released on Singles, 1996
‘M Uck M Uck (Matt Matt)’ b/w ‘Hot Skillet Mama’, 7-inch 45, El Saturn Records, undated, recorded ca. 1957; both tracks also released on Singles, 1996
‘Bye Bye’ b/w ‘Somebody's in Love’, 7-inch 45, El Saturn Records, 1958; both tracks also released on Singles, 1996
‘Hours After’ b/w ‘Great Balls of Fire’, 7-inch 45, El Saturn Records, 1958; both tracks also released on Singles, 1996
‘October’ b/w ‘Adventur in Space’, 7-inch 45, El Saturn Records, 1967; both tracks also released on Singles, 1996
‘Dreaming’ b/w ‘Daddy's Gonna Tell You No Lie’, 7-inch 45, El Saturn Records, 1960; both tracks also released on Singles, 1996
‘Round Midnight’ and ‘Back in Your Own Back Yard’ possibly released as a single; both included on Sound Sun Pleasure!!
‘Saturn’ and ‘Velvet’ possibly released as a single; both included on Jazz in Silhouette
‘Message to Earthman’ b/w ‘The Sun One’, 7-inch 45, El Saturn Records, 1961; (sort of) reissued 1968 as ‘The Sun Man Speaks’ b/w ‘Message to Earthman’, the A-side being an alternate version of ‘The Sun One’; the B-side being the same version of ‘Message’ ; all three tracks also released on Singles, 1996; alternate versions of ‘Message to Earthman’ and ‘The Sun One’ found on the 1996 Singles are not included here
‘Space Loneliness’ b/w ‘State Street’, 7-inch 45, El Saturn Records, 1960; the A-side track released on Interstellar Low Ways, as noted above; ‘State Street’ also released on Singles, 1996
‘The Blue Set’ b/w ‘Big City Blues’, 7-inch 45, El Saturn Records, 1960; both tracks also released on Singles, 1996
‘A Blue One’ b/w ‘Orbitration in Blue’, 7-inch 45, El Saturn Records, 1964
‘Hell #1 (a.k.a. Out There a Minute)’ originally released on Out There a Minute (see the discography of hybrid and partial albums)
‘Tell Her to Come On Home’ b/w ‘I'm Making Believe’, 7-inch 45, El Saturn Records, 1962; both tracks also released on Singles, 1996
‘The Bridge’ b/w ‘Rocket #9&Rsquo;, 7-inch 45, El Saturn Records; ‘The Bridge’ reissued as a single-sided single, 1982; both tracks also released on Singles, 1996
‘Blues on Planet Mars’ b/w ‘Saturn Moon’, 7-inch 45, El Saturn Records, 1969; both tracks also released on Singles, 1996
‘Journey to Saturn’ b/w ‘Enlightenment’, 7-inch 45, El Saturn Records, ca. 1974; both tracks also released on Singles, 1996
‘I'm Gonna Unmask the Batman’ b/w ‘The Perfect Man’, 7-inch 45, El Saturn Records, 1974; both tracks also released on Singles, 1996; ‘The Perfect Man’ also included on the 2017 reissue of My Brother the Wind, as the latest evidence suggests the track was recorded during the sessions for that album; ‘I'm Gonna Unmask the Batman’ is from the radio session documented on Of Abstract Dreams, different from the version featured on that album
‘Love in Outer Space’ b/w ‘Mayan Temple’; this version of ‘Love in Outer Space’ is the recording from The Night of the Purle Moon with a vocal performance overdubbed—it is also included on the 2014 download-only reissue of The Night of the Purle Moon; both tracks also released on Singles, 1996
‘Disco 3000’ b/w ‘Sky Blues’, 7-inch 45, self-released, undated; both tracks are abridged versions of those found on the expanded reissues of Disco 3000 [see above]; the scans currently at Discogs show that the track is named ‘Disco 3000’, not ‘Disco 2100’ or ‘Disco 2021’; both tracks also released on Singles, 1996
‘Rough House Blues’ b/w ‘Cosmo-Extensions’, 7-inch 45, El Saturn Records, 1978; both tracks also released on Singles, 1996
‘Quest’ b/w ‘Outer Space Plateau’, 7-inch 45, El Saturn Records, 1982; both tracks also released on Singles, 1996
‘Nuclear War’ b/w ‘Sometimes I'm Happy’, 12-inch 45, Y Records, 1982; the A side also released on Fireside Chat with Lucifer, the B side on Celestial Love [see above]
Sun Ra Centennial 1914-2014 - Prophetika Memorial Souvenir: untitled tracks named here ‘On Jupiter / Cosmo Drama (Prophetika 1)’ and ‘Cosmo Drama (Prophetika 2)’, 7-inch 45, Norton Records, 2014
Cosmic Visions V. H. S.-C. D. box set, 1994: the C. D. single includes a 1991 version of ‘I Am the Instrument’, featuring Sun Ra solo; the V. H. S. cassette includes the films Space Is the Place and The Magic Sun
~
Sun Ra & His Astro-Infinity Arkestra, The Intergalactic Thing
Released 2016 (Discogs)
~
Sun Ra and His Arkestra, Thunder of the Gods
Released 2017 by Modern Harmonic Bandcamp) (Discogs); the two B-side tracks previously released on a 2014 download-only reissue of Strange Strings; while those tracks were likely recorded in 1965 (the recording dates of the Strange Strings have never been exactly identified), the origins of the side-A material is a bit tricker to divine, as the liner notes on the official Bandcamp page state the track likely came from Universe in Blue sessions, but Universe in Blue is comprised of live recordings and this recording is not clearly live or studio; regardless, the liner notes for the recent Universe in Blue reissue do not make note of this performance of ‘Calling Planet Earth/ We'll Wait for You’
A: ‘Calling Planet Earth/ We'll Wait for You’
B: ‘Moonshots across the Sky’ - ‘Thunder of the Gods’
~
Sun Ra, Of Abstract Dreams
Recorded 1974 or 1975; released 2018 by Strut/ Art Yard (Bandcamp) (Discogs)
A: ‘Island in the Sun’ - ‘New Dawn’
B: ‘I'm Gonna Unmask the Batman’ - ‘I'll Wait for You’
- This version of ‘I'm Gonna Unmask the Batman’ is different than that released as a single
Compositions credited to Sun Ra except ‘I'm Gonna Unmask the Batman’ (Lacy Gibson/ Alton Abraham)
~
Sun Ra & His Astro-Infinity Arkestra, Sun Embassy
Released 2018 (Sun Embassy)
~
June Tyson, Saturnian Queen of the Sun Ra Arkestra
Released 2019 by Modern Harmonic (Bandcamp) (Discogs)
~
Sun Ra and His Arkestra, Prophet
Recorded August 25th, 1986
- released 2022 (Discogs)
A: The Prophet - Infinity Excursion
B: The Prophet at Play - The Prophet Returns
C. D. and download bonus tracks: They Plan to Leave - They'll Come Back
Compositions credited to Sun Ra
~
Sun Ra, Inside the Light World: Sun Ra Meets the OVC
Recorded August 25th, 1986; released 2024 (Discogs)
A: ‘Calling Planet Earth’ - ‘Theme of the Stargazers’ - ‘Love in Outer Space (DX7 Interlude)’
B: ‘Love in Outer Space’ - ‘Stardust from Tomorrow’ - ‘El Is a Sound of Joy’ - ‘Sunset on the Nile (DX7 Interlude)’
C: ‘Sunset on the Nile’ - ‘East of the Sun’ - ‘Saturn Rings’
D: ‘Calling Planet Earth (Piano Interlude)’ - ‘Discipline 27-II’
Compositions credited to Sun Ra except ‘East of the Sun’ (Brooks Bowman)
~
Sun Ra, Uncharted Passages: New York Piano Soliloquies 1977-79
Recorded July 1977 and 1979; released 2024 (Discogs); both concert and studio recordings
~
Sun Ra, Stray Voltage
Recorded varied dates; released 2025 (Discogs)
~
Sun Ra and His Arkestra, Elliptical Objects
Recorded varied dates; released 2026 (Bandcamp); a rip-off compilation: ‘Heliocentric Worlds’, ‘Mythology Metamorphosis’, ‘World Worlds’, and ‘Intercosmosis’ are all from Volume Three of Heliocentric Worlds, released as part of the three-C. D. reissue of the first and second Heliocentric Worlds albums [see above]; ‘They'll Come Back’ is from The Solar-Myth Approach Vol. 1; ‘Journey amongst the Stars’ is from Other Strange Worlds but is abridged here; ‘The Nothing that Never Knew’ and ‘Dawn of the Sun Myth’ are from The Sun Myth (African Chant) (see the discography of hybrid and partial albums) except that the former is an abridged version of ‘The Other Beings’ on Chant and the latter was titled ‘Dawn (Greetings from Others)’ on Chant, these different titles probably given for the same unexplained reasons that this release exists at all