Sun Ra. Sun Ra. Sun Ra. Sun Ra. S-U-N R-A. Sun Ra the defier of Moloch. Sun Ra the intergalactic symbol of life and cosmic movement. Sun Ra the destroyer of only the vilest worlds. Sun Ra the creating of only the finest mental silk. Sun Ra. Sun Ra. Sun Ra. Sun Ra whose aural recordings are works of God. These 10 nuggets of truth  stand out to the writer of this column as very special vibrations. Onward. Onward!

Cosmic Tones For Mental Therapy

A preemptive strike for Psychedelia and P-funk, this album was years ahead of its time. Every instrument is recorded with significant echo, making the hectic parts a regular phantasmagoria of texture. 

When Angels Speak of Love

One of the rarest Sun Ra albums, When Angels Speak of Love is also one of the most baffling in tone. At first it seems very accessible, but with repeated viewings the oddity becomes clear. With screeching horns, unnerving piano melodies, and otherworldly chanting, this is a cleverly disguised work of avant-garde music. 

Mayan Temples

One of Sun Ra's final recordings, this one is notable for heavily featuring Sun Ra's piano virtuosity and John Gilmore's fierce, atonal saxophone attack. It also includes three performances of Jazz standards, something rare in this era of Sun Ra recordings.

The Nubians of Plutonia

This album is the perfect synthesis between Ra's earlier standard jazz work and his later avant-garde, free form work. Each track accessible yet contains enough experimental noodling and drum work that it is still a challenging listen. Something I would recommend for first time listeners. 

Art Forms of Dimension Tomorrow

This album made leaps and bounds in advancing avant-garde recording techniques. Tommy Hunter, the bands drummer and engineer, was able to produce massive reverberation on the drum recording. This creates an album that is essentially Jazz-inflected musique-concrete. If it caught on it would have made a subgenre, but as it came out in 1965 and nobody bought it, that didn't happen.

The Magic City

The Magic City is perhaps the most complete sounding album of Sun Ra's discography. His other works, while excellent, can be a bit shambolic production wise. This album sounds very professional and flows very well. It is very accessible. 

Atlantis

A beautiful piece of free-improvisation, this album features bass riffs that clearly inspired Bootsy Collins. The title track is a lovely, spacious experiment in tonality. 

We Travel The Spaceways

Something about this album just bleeds 60's cool. In another world, it could be a James Bond soundtrack. If James Bond was black and from the future. 

Jazz By Sun Ra

Sun Ra's debut album, it is anything but conventional. In 1956, at the height of modal jazz, Sun Ra released a starry, groovy record. It's a daring move for a daring thinker.

When Sun Comes Out

1963's "When The Sun Comes Out" is unique in that it focuses on percussive elements instead of horn melodies, a first for Ra. Sparse piano and horn arrangements glide underneath mountainous rhythms. Congos, bongos, drums, all layered over each other in glorious church erected in the name of groove. Simply wonderful. It needs to be listened to and sampled more.