The Black Sun Ensemble – s/t (1985) (24/44 Vinyl Rip)

This legendary and extremely rare private pressing from 1985 precedes the first of the Reckless Records LP by a few years, and is little known and heard even by BSE fans, changing hands for in excess of US$100 in recent times. Even at this early juncture, guitarist Jesus Acedo's fret skills were extraordinary, sending out glistening, baroque cascades of semi-acoustic guitar joy across the mystical mescaline landscapes surrounding his Tucson, Arizona home base.

This reissue isn't exactly the same as the original, as two tracks for which the masters were lost have been replaced by two newly-discovered and totally unheard tracks from the same sessions. We think that this makes the two releases complementary and essential – the true BSE fan will want to track down both. Over to Byron Coley from his sleeve notes for the release: "It is difficult to think of a band that has ever produced psychedelic music that sounded even remotely like the original Black Sun's. Impossible to place either spatially or temporally (I defy anyone to name this album's regional origin or year of recording in a blindfold test), the music here still sounds as gorgeous to me as it did when I first stumbled across it. The magnificent weight of Jesus' guitar work is always a surprise. From the midst of the most gently-drawn sand waves he rises with his scimitar gleaming black in the hot desert sun to fulfil a mission whose orders only he can hear. What more could you ask for? I mean, really?"

This is a rip from a vinyl reissue that came with a blank cover + 2 photocopies of the original cover. The record label says: (C) 1985 Burning Sands Music Inc. BMI Made in USA; Vinyl matrix: PYK 1000 SW327

Tracks
01. Heart of the sky · A christmas song 04:34
02. Mayan dance · Acoustic guitar solo 02:13
03. Dove of the desert · Blues in B minor 03:49
04. Golden rays · Improvisation in C scale 04:43
05. Emerald eye · Acoustic folk song 03:52
06. Red ocean · For dulcimer and upright bass in 3/4 03:55
07. Ice breaker · Fuzztone guitar 02:55
08. Blue thunder · Improvisation in the key of A 04:49
09. Ruby eyes of China · Acoustic folk song 04:53
10. Cobracalia · Duet for electric guitar in 4/4 beat 03:56
11. Mandolin winds · Chord progression with John on hand drums 03:24
12. A chunk of mandolin love · A mother's day song 04:01
Total Time: 46:59

Musicians
Jesus Acedo: guitars
Michael Glidewell: bass
John Brett: drums