Hugh Mundell's Dub & Sun Ra's Solar Drums In The Echo Chamber...plus a Sun Ra Poem

Hugh Mundell's Africa Must Be Free By 1983 was a big album in 1979. After the Punky Reggae party some of us were still buying reggae albums and singles. How much we cared whether Africa would be free is debatable but the quality of that album was not. So there was the dub version too, which I've been playing today having just downloaded it, being reminded of why some of us went so mad for it the first time 'round. Some dubs are ordinary but these do it right, all ingredients mixed to perfection...drum-bass-boom-drop cavern of sound coming on warm and strong.

Proto-dub echoes from who else but Sun Ra because, as you know, he pre-dated/dicted everything from Free Jazz to Fusion and Improv, didn't he? More or less. Solar Drums is from 1962. 1962. Yes. 

Here's a poem he wrote, which is like a condensed version of those 'be positive' help books for aspiring creative people. Come on, let's join hands with our 'friends of skill'...

The Friends Of Skill (1972)

We must not say no to ourselves

When there is a greater deed to do

We must not say can't

If it is not imperative that we should

But we never should really believe that we can't

Whenever it is for our necessity good

We must not synchronise with anything less than art-wise dignity

It is either that we are natural-constructive-achievers

or something less than the natural self.

The rendezvous time is here

I see a prophesy:

Across the thunder bridge of time

We rush with lightnin' feet

To join hands with those

THE FRIENDS OF SKILL

Who truly say and truly do.

(from The Immeasurable Equation, which is a bit pricey but worth every penny/cent)