2nd Chance: Sun Ra - Hidden Fire 1 & 2 (1988)

The two Hidden Fire albums are the last new Saturn releases (some items from the 70s and 80s were re-pressed by Blast First and were sold at concerts till 1992). These two LPs are extremely confusing. They were initially issued without labels. Labeled copies sometimes have the wrong volume numbers. Labels do not give track titles, either. 

557. [374]  Sun Ra

Hidden Fire 1/2

Sun Ra (syn, org, voc); Michael Ray (tp); Ahmed Abdullah (tp); Tyrone Hill (tb); Marshall Allen (as); John Gilmore (ts, timb); Danny Ray Thompson (bars); Kenny Williams (bars); Eloe Omoe (as, bcl, cacl); James Jacson (bsn, Inf-d); Billy Bang (vln); Owen Brown Jr. (vln); June Tyson (vln, voc); Art Jenkins (voc, space voice); John Ore (b); poss. Luqman Ali (d); Buster Smith (d); poss. Pharaoh Abdullah [Thomas Thaddeus] (perc).

The Knitting Factory, NYC,
January 29, 1988

unidentified improvisation     Saturn Sun Ra 12988II
unidentified blues
unidentified title [AJ voc]     Saturn Sun Ra 12988B
unidentified title AJ voc]

Saturn Sun Ra 13188III/12988II, Hidden Fire 1, was released on LP in 1988, as was Saturn Sun Ra 13088A/12988B, Hidden Fire 2.  Location from Greg Drusdow; personnel rlc and Drusdow.  Some copies are labeled Hidden Fire 3/4, but this is identical to Hidden Fire 1; Side A or "volume 3" has the matrix number 13188III, and Side B or "volume 4" has the matrix number 12988II (thanks to Bob Rusch for this information).

unidentified blues

558. [375]  Sun Ra

Hidden Fire 2/
A Night in East Berlin -- My Brothers the Wind and Sun #9

same personnel

The Knitting Factory, NYC,
January 30, 1988

My Brothers the Wind and Sun #9 [AJ voc]     Saturn Sun Ra 13088A, Leo LR-149 [CD]

Saturn 13088A/12988B, Hidden Fire 2, was released in 1988.  Location and personnel as above.  There were no track titles on the Hidden Fire LPs.  ct believes that this piece opened one of the band's sets at the Knitting Factory that night.

This same track (which took up one side of Hidden Fire 2) resurfaced on a tape sold to Leo Records; there the title was given as "My Brothers the Wind and Sun #9," and the provenance was incorrectly given as a concert in Europe in 1990.  Leo reissued this track in May 1995 as part of the reorganized CD LR 149, A Night in East Berlin.

559. [376]  Sun Ra and his Cosmo/Love Arts Space Arkestra

Hidden Fire 1

Sun Ra (syn, org, voc); Michael Ray (tp, voc); Ahmed Abdullah (tp, voc); Tyrone Hill (tb, voc); Marshall Allen (as, ob, fl, perc); John Gilmore (ts, timb); Eloe Omoe (as, bcl); Kenny Williams (bars); James Jacson (bsn, Inf-d); Bruce Edwards (eg); Owen Brown Jr. (vln); unidentified (vln); John Ore (b); Buster Smith (d); poss. Luqman Ali (d); Art Jenkins (voc, space voice); June Tyson (voc).

The Knitting Factory, NYC,
January 31, 1988

Lecture (Ra)     audience tape

unidentified title (Ra) [syn riff and ens; van solos and duet; AJ voc; freak out ens; ob, syn, bcl, bowed b, AJ voc; syn, ens riffs; sax theme statement; Ray, tp; sax theme; falsetto ts; syn, AJ voc]

Retrospect (Ra) /
This World is Not My Home (Ra) [SR voc]     Saturn Sun Ra 13188III
Easy to Love (Porter)     audience tape
Days of Wine and Roses (Mancini)
Chloe (Moret-Kahn)
Sunset on the Nile (Ra) [SR, ens voc]
Face the Music (Ra) /
Do Not Stand in My Way (Ra) [SR declamation, ens voc]

The entire afternoon lecture (35 min.) and concert (85 min.) are preserved on an audience tape, according to Charles Blass.  The long piece that opens the musical portion is otherwise unknown from Ra recordings; it may be "The Cosmic Coordinator," a composition of legendary difficulty that John Gilmore referred to in interviews.

Saturn 13188III/12988II, Hidden Fire 1 (or Hidden Fire 3/4) was released in 1988.  Titles ct and rlc; personnel Blass and ct.  The violin solo on "Days of Wine and Roses" sounds like Billy Bang, but Blass (who was at the concert) is positive that Bang was not present.

The two Hidden Fires are the last new Saturn releases (some items from the '70s and '80s were repressed by Blast First in 1989 and were sold at concerts without labels.  Labeled copies sometimes have the wrong volume numbers, and the labels do not give track titles.  Copies were sold by the band's roadies under misleading titles as well.

from Campbell/Trent  The Earthly Recordings 2nd ed.

Hidden Fire 1

1. Track No. 01 - Retrospect - This World Is Not My Home    14:58 

2. Track No. 02 - Untitled Improvisation    9:29 

3. Track No. 03 - Untitled Blues    7:46

Hidden Fire 2

4. Track No. 01 - unknown title    18:11 

5. Track No. 02 - unknown title    9:42 

6. Track No. 03 - unknown title    14:01

-FLAC-
RS1 + RS2 (linked files)
HF1 + HF2 (linked files)

or

-320-

RS

HF

LP Rip & Scans courtesy of Paul W.