Various - ARTISTS UNITED AGAINST APARTHEID - Sun City (1985) (Req)

Country:
USA
Genre:
Blues, Electronic, Hip Hop, Jazz, Rock
Style:

Pop Rock, Blues Rock, Contemporary Jazz, Future Jazz, Acoustic, Electro, Synth-pop

VIDEO:"Sun City"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lKCJWjqjQww

Credits:
Backing Vocals - B.J. Nelson , Daryl Hannah , Gil Scott-Heron , Kevin McCormick , Lotti Golden , Robert Gordon , Steve Walker , Tina B
Bass - Doug Wimbish , Ron Carter
Congas - Ray Barretto
Drum Programming - Benjamin Newberry , Keith Leblanc , Little Steven
Drums - Tony Williams* , Keith Leblanc , Ringo Starr , Zak Starkey
Guitar - Little Steven , Pete Townshend , Stanley Jordan
Keyboards - Herbie Hancock , Richard Scher , Robbie Kilgore , Zoe Yanakis
Mastered By - Bob Ludwig /Mixed By - Chris Lord-Alge , Frank Filipetti , Jay Burnett , John Davenport , Peter Darmi , Tom Lord-Alge
Percussion [Talking Drum] - Sonny Okosuns
Producer - Arthur Baker , Little Steven
Saxophone - Clarence Clemons
Scratches - DJ Cheese , Jam Master Jay
Trumpet - Miles Davis
Violin - Shankar

Tracklist:

01 Artists United Against Apartheid - Sun City
02 Peter Gabriel & Shankar - No More Apartheid
03 Keith LeBlanc - Revolutionary Situation
04 Artists United Against Apartheid - Sun City (Version II)
05 Gil Scott-Heron , Melle Mel & Duke Bootee - Let Me See Your I.D.
06 Miles Davis , Ron Carter , Stanley Jordan , Tony Williams* & Herbie Hancock - The Struggle Continues
07 U2 - Silver And Gold Guitar - Keith Richards , Ron Wood Vocals - Bono
08 Artists United Against Apartheid - Sun City (The Last Remix)
09 Artists United Against Apartheid - Sun City (Single Version)
Bonus:
10 Artists United Against Apartheid - Not So Far Away (extended)
11 Gil Scott-Heron , Melle Mel & Duke Bootee - Let Me See Your I.D. (Beat And Scratch)

Link to download:

The artist royalties from these records are going to The Africa Fund, a charitable trust based in New York City and registered with the United Nations. The income will benefit political prisoners and their families in South Africa, educational and cultural needs of South African exiles, and educational work of anti-apartheid groups in the United States.

"Today it may seem old history, but South Africa WAS a very important political issue back in the 80's, and so it nurtured many cultural projects. Among them, Sun City is an excellent mixture of afro/world feeling and hi-tech beats, courtesy of Mr Arthur Baker himself, a mixture which would be taken to new heights a few years later by Johnny Clegg and Savuka (check the huge "African Shadow Man" LP, for instance). Don't forget to check the 12"s too (Let Me See Your ID & Sun City), with their 10' something A. Baker dub versions (ouch!)"

"The Concert for Bangladesh may have been the start of benefit albums, and for a worthy cause. Sun City though, was the most militant, and demonstrated that rock and roll was about rebellion, not the Twisted Sister "We're Gonna Take It" or the whiny punk rock "I don't wanna..." attitude, but about social protest. The Sun City album took on the humanitarian crimes (read human rights violations, lack of voting rights, "relocation to phony homelands") committed by the white-minority government of South Africa from 1948, when the policy of apartheid (rhymes with both white and hate) was first introduced. Steve Van Zandt, late of the E Street Band and Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes, produced and organized this indictment of the totalitarian regime. The title refers to a whites-only "Vegas in the desert" entertainment resort symbolizing the privileges of the white minority.There are three versions of the title song, of which the opening track is the original. "Rockers and rappers united and strong" take turns singing the verses a la We Are The World, condemning Reagan's "quiet diplomacy" and phony homelands like Bophuthatswana. Pete Townshend's guitar, Ringo Starr's drums, Clarence Clemons' saxophone, and Miles Davis's trumpet contribute to the backing instrumentation.

The droning guitar and Peter Gabriel's wailing vocals form "No More Apartheid." That is followed by "Revolutionary Situation," a collage of music, bits of audio from press statements, and other revolutionary anthems compiled and edited by Keith LeBlanc and the News Dissector. Sounds of barking police dogs, protesters calling for both peace and violence, audio bits from Nelson Mandela, Piet Botha, and Ronald Reagan are put together. The ominous voice of "I am an Afrikaaner" demonstrates the powerful aura of oppression dominating the country.

The alternately energetic and laid back "Let Me See Your ID" is a series of righteously enraged raps, with even Peter Wolf and Midnight Oil's Peter Garrett contributing, with some musing, biting ironic commentary by Gil Scott-Heron, such as getting vocabulary from the media, such as Third World or casualties. On the latter, he says "nothing casual about dying, nothing casual about standing for freedom". Miles's magical trumpet-playing can be heard.

The instrumental jam "The Struggle Continues" was the first time I heard Miles Davis and this fits squarely in his post-fusion era, with support from drummer Sonny Okosuns, guitarist Stanley Jordan and keyboardist Herbie Hancock, whose instrumental solo bit is a highlight the same as Davis's trumpet was in the beginning moment of the jam.

"Silver And Gold" began life here before its inclusion on Rattle And Hum. Bono sings here without U2, aided by Rolling Stones Keith Richards and Ron Wood, about mining the above metals. The U2 frontman's voice becomes a barely contained whisper in parts, intense angst and anger in other places.

While benefit group collaborations like Band Aid, Live Aid, and USA For Africa, formed the basis of mass culture, the global village, and cultural crossover in a corporately-sponsored world, Sun City was more serious in its intent, calling for the release of Nelson Mandela and supporting the UN-sponsored cultural boycott of South Africa. Eventually, in 1990, five years after the Sun City album, Mandela was freed and became South Africa's first black African president, and I can't help thinking that Steve Van Zandt and the musicians here had a hand in that."

Read more here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artists_United_Against_Apartheid

!!NEWS for RE-FLEX fans from Jennifer!!:

I wanted to give you and everybody here a quick update from my corner of the Re-Flex "cheering section", as it were. ;)

I've recently renewed efforts to get my fan site ready to go live, where people will be able to ask questions of the band, and we will post the Q&A on the site. John Baxter has given me his blessing and encouragement to do this, so I'm excited and more than happy to oblige. I've been working on acquiring content such as press photos, etc., as well as trying to squeeze finishing it in between my actual work projects. But, when the site's ready to go, I'll post here again and let you all know so we can start getting get some fan input.

In the meantime, I've heard from JHP Productions that a video for the previously unreleased song "Mindless Dancing" is supposed to come out in the next couple of weeks or so. I've actually heard this song, thanks to Baxter, and I'm glad that it appears it will be included with the upcoming releases. It is one of their early, early numbers (late '70s from what Baxter has told me), and, IMO, sounds something along the lines of "Cut It" or "Whizz Kid" or the demo of "Praying to the Beat", for anyone familiar with those. It's a lot of fun and I do like it. I'm looking forward to the video, because I haven't the slightest idea of what it will look like -- though I can't help but visualise punk square-dancers whenever I listen to the song! (When you hear it, you'll understand.)

Also, according to JHP, the released materials will be as follows:

RE1 - "Movement of The Action Fraction"

RE2 - "Politics of Dancing"

RE3 - "Humanication"

RE4 - "Music Re-Action"

RE5 - "Jamming the Broadcast"

RE6 - "Re-Fuse" (box set)

Still waiting for word on any sort of a solid release date for this material, however... and waiting... and WAITING! Again, according to JHP, there is no actual date, yet.
I know that Baxter has been tied up with a number of other things, lately, as have I. So, we haven't chatted in a couple of weeks. But that's about all the Re-Flex news to be had, so far -- at least that I've been able to learn on this side of the Atlantic. I'll be sure to pass along anything further.

Until then...
"Keep in touch"! :)Jennifer / FFFPosted 2008.05.20 @ 6:20 p.m. (Texas Time!)