Herman Poole Blount, better known to the world as Sun Ra, lived more musical lives in his 79 years on this planet (and others) than seems possible. In the 30s he was the most rigorous bandleader in Birmingham, heading the Sonny Blount Orchestra and filling every waking moment with music or philosophical discussions, by the 40s he had moved to Chicago and performed with luminaries such as Wynonie Harris, Fletcher Henderson, and Coleman Hawkins. By the 50s he had changed his name to Sun Ra and began performing with longtime Arkestra bandmates John Gilmore and Marshall Allen. Ra started his own label, El Saturn (or Saturn), to release his own recordings as well as those featuring the Arkestra backing local R&B and doo-wop groups. Though the genres showcased here are more pop than the world has come to expect from Sun Ra, the vibe and feel is purely cosmic, producing some of the wildest, strangest R&B ever created on this side of the sun. This collection compiles Saturn singles and rare hard to find early Sun Ra in different forms/group settings including the Cosmic Rays, the Qualities, Sun Ra and his Myth-Science Arkestra, and more from 1955-1962. A must have for all true Sun Ra collectors, this is a comprehensive retrospective on the early days of this legendary music guru packed into a monstrous double LP.