No Condition Is Permanent

Pictured: Sun Ra.

In spite of Sun Ra’s lack of interest in the new amplified music of rock, the staging, lights, and the sheer volume of the Arkestra alone caught the attention of the new rockers. His rap and costumes had an-ticipated the excesses of the late sixties. And in the meantime he had put on weight, and with his flowing robes he began to look like [R.] Crumb’s cartoon character, Mr. Natural (and, some would say, act like him as well). But the MC5 and the Stooges also heard in the music of Sun Ra, John Coltrane, and Archie Shepp a sound which they thought they might be able to get from their amplifiers if they were overdriven. They also sought to loosen up the performances of white rockers and assume the visual and musical interaction of free jazz concerts. Under [manager John] Sinclair’s musical and political tutelage, the MC5 took rock and roll in directions it had only teased about before. They came on stage carrying rifles and guitars, their amps emblazoned with inverted American flags. They played thirty-minute songs, planned an album to be called Live on Saturn, tried to get ESP to record them, created versions of Archie Shepp’s, Pharoah Sanders’s and John Coltrane’s compositions, and recorded “Starship” on their 1969 Kick Out the Jams Elektra album, using a poem from the back cover of The Heliocentric Worlds of Sun Ra, Vol. II (“There is a land/Whose being is almost unimaginable to the/Human mind …”).

— John F. Szwed, Space Is The Place: The Life And Times Of Sun Ra.

LISTEN TO EPISODE 298 OF NO CONDITION IS PERMANENT:

DOWNLOAD EPISODE 298 OF NO CONDITION IS PERMANENT BY CLICKING ON THE THREE DOTS /\

Here’s what we played in Ep. 298 of No Condition Is Permanent:

THE FIRST SET

Isley Brothers — “Fight the Power (Part 1)” — Sweet Soul Music: 24 Scorching Classics From 1975

Okoi Seka — “Melokon Mebun Ou” — Ivory Coast Soul: Afro Funk From Abidjan From 1972 To 1982

Craig Calhill & The Offbeats — “Surfin’ Elephant” — The Surf Creature Vol. 3

Dur-Dur Band — “Ladaney (Woman’s Name)” — Mogadisco: Dancing Mogadishu (Somalia 1972-1991)

The La De Das — “How Is The Air Up There?” — Nuggets II: Original Artyfacts From The British Empire & Beyond 1964-1969

The Upsetters — “Return Of The Vampire” — The Complete UK Upsetter Singles Collection, Vol. 2

Syl Johnson — “I Feel an Urge” — The Complete Twinight Singles

IT’S MADISON TIME…

Compay Quinto — “El Diablo” — The Roots Of Chicha 2: Psychedelic Cumbias From Peru

THE SECOND SET

Bob Moore & the Temps — “Trophy Run” — Dancehall Stringbusters Vol. 2

Oliver Nayoka — “Ụwa Amalugom (The World Has Known Me)” — Aja Wele Wele

Carl Carlton — “Everlasting Love” — Sweet Soul Music: 23 Scorching Classics from 1974

Baligh Hamdi — “Zai Elhawa” — Instrumental Modal Pop of 1970’s Egypt

Sonny Steveson — “Bessie Lou” — Dangerous Doo-Wop 4

Jack Ruby / King Tubby / Errol Thompson — “Time Hard” — Black Foundation In Dub

Reigning Sound — “She’s Bored With You” — Time Bomb High School

M. Ashraf — “Beti Beta / Dance Music” — Early Pakistani Dance Music Vol. 1 (From Original 7″ Soundtracks 1967-1975)

James Knight & The Butlers — “Save Me” — Florida Funk: Funk 45s from the Alligator State 1968-1975

THE THIRD SET

Somo Somo — “Mosese 2000” — Womad Talking Book: Africa

T. Rex — “Woodland Rock [Bonus Track]” — Electric Warrior

Wganda Kenya — “Rosalía” — The Afrosound of Colombia Vol.1

Sun Ra & The Blues Project — “Batman & Robin Swing” — Batman and Robin: The Sensational Guitars of Dan & Dale

The Raw Rhythm Section — “Raw Dub” — Roots Unity 45rpm

New York Dolls — “Don’t Start Me Talkin’” — Too Much Too Soon

Juaneco Y Su Combo — “La Incognita” — The Birth Of Jungle Cumbia

The ‘5’ Royales — “Right Around The Corner” — King A&B Sides

THE FINAL SET

Gasper Lawal — “Abio’sun ni” — Abio’sun ni

The Equals — “Help Me Simone” — Greatest Hits

Les Pachas Du Canapé Vert — “Désordre Musical” — Haiti Direct: Big Band, Mini Jazz & Twoubadou Sounds 1960-1978

The Velvet Underground — “Andy’s Chest” — VU

Benny Soebardja — “Sunny Day” — The Lizard Years

LORD BUCKLEY’S WEEKLY BENEDICTION…

Cream — “As You Said” — Wheels Of Fire