Superb rock steady, from the dark end of the street. Recorded for Sonia Pottinger, on the eve of Delano Stewart’s leaving the group to join Lee Perry. So nice The Heptones did it twice.

‘Verve By Request.’

The first definitive reissue of this 1977 session recorded at the Bluebird in Bloomington, Indiana; restoring previously excised material, a true running order, and the natural transitions between pieces.
‘The Arkestra were at the peak of their powers in 1977, releasing revered albums like The Soul Vibration Of Man and My Favorite Things, with Arkestra regulars Marshall Allen, Danny Ray Thompson, Michael Ray and Luqman Ali among the core musicians. Ra also continued his touring in Europe with historic gigs in Italy. During this period, Arkestra live performances were often loosely structured into thematic blocks that moved from reflections on jazz history to cosmic ‘space narrative’ sections featuring collective chants, extended Africa/Egypt-inspired grooves and selections from the Great American Songbook. This recording brings in all of these features with re-imagined versions of standards like Take The A Train, St. Louis Blues, and title track Over The Rainbow, alongside rarely recorded Ra compositions like Make Another Mistake and Amen Meni Many Amens. Ra conducted improvisations to guide the listener seamlessly from one musical scene to the next. As he described it: ‘It’s like a party—we enjoy ourselves and everybody’s invited to enjoy it with us.’
Newly remastered using the original source tapes; extensive new liner notes by Chris Cutler

‘Experimental jazz, chanson, bluesy folk and various strains of outsider music permeate a rich layering of music boxes, walkie-talkies and plastic straws, plucked charrango and banjo, kazoos, flutes and snake-charming ocarina, accordion and melodica, found percussion and traditional tuned drums. The moods switch from child-like and epiphanic (Tarzan en Tasmanie, Madrigal for Lola) to babbling (Pocarina), mysterious and dark (Septième Ciel, Rugit Le Coeur) to tender and simple (Rainbow de Nuit, Chevalier Gambette); from murky, suspenseful melancholy (Levy Attend, Eno Ennio) to pensive psychedelia (Un Cercueil à Deux Places). A world of echoes. A tale of tales. You’ll be whistling and humming along on first listen.’