A Love From Outer Space
The late avant-jazz experimentalist and all around funky space captain, Sun Ra, gets the cover treatment today. Primarily known for his Egypt-meets-intergalactic-travel outfits, album covers and outsider music his influence extends well past just the realms of jazz. A truncated and disparate crib sheet of self-proclaimed disciples could include Spiritualized, AR Kane, My Bloody Valentine, early Pink Floyd, Beyond The Wizards Sleeve, Gilles Peterson, Blur, the Editors as well as old school hip-hoppers Egyptian Lover, Afrika Bambatta and funkateers Parliament all but outright plundering his cosmic pharaoh style.
While he was usually taking jazz to where no man’s gone before with his avant garde improvisations, he was also known to occasionally come back down to earth to pen the sublime love sonnet and today’s satellite, Love In Outer Space, is no exception. Channeling their inner Ra today are Warp’s Jimi Tenor and NY’s Belle Boussole who effortlessly keep the soul intact on their electronic/downtempo versions. Somewhere, out beyond Pluto, Sun Ra is grinning ear to ear.
Jimi Tenor – Love In Outta Space
Belle Boussole – Love In Outer Space
Enjoy!
LS
PS Original versions for would be astronauts of Thee Versions Galore Facebook Fanclub on the wall…
Tags: Love In Outer Space, Sun Ra, Whatever happened to those Sun Ra Research? Used to love those guys...
December 14th, 2011 at 12:36 pm
Great post! I’ve heard Belle B’s great version but not JT’s. THANKS! I’ve posted a few Sun Ra covers at my blog – of course, you’re welcome to visit and find others who are likewise inspired by Mr Ra. BTW, those Sun Ra Research guys sell some Sun Ra zines, a couple of cds, and shirts on Ebay now.
December 14th, 2011 at 11:29 pm
Hey Yotte
Thanks so much. I was actually trolling your site the other day by coincidence looking for crazy artwork to get inspired by for a project I’m designing.
I’m a big fan of the Ra (though not a HUGE fan like yourself!).
Funny enough I’ve met the Sun Ra Research guys on numerous occasions. I used to work at a music magazine in SF and they would occasional drop by the office. They always had this crazy, infectious positivity about them, like they hadn’t seen another human being in 20 years and were soooo (genuinely) happy to meet you.
Despite being a hipster electronica publication I would always include them in the mag somehow, like an article on their zine or featuring one of their Ts in a fashion layout. To which they would be even MORE excited to see me!
Anyway keep up the great work on your blog, and thanks for rolling by mine!
December 23rd, 2011 at 12:18 pm
lots of funky covers for xmas and an happy 2012!
February 15th, 2012 at 10:43 am
Stumbled upon here and enjoyed trawling around, we do a similar thing over at http://vampyreverdi.wordpress.com/. Themed mixes but sometimes versions of the same song. Most recently ’3x Shimmy Shimmy Ya’.
Keep up the good work, thanks VV