Sun City (album)

Last updated
Sun City
1985-SunCity.jpg
Studio album by
Artists United Against Apartheid
ReleasedOctober 25, 1985
RecordedSummer 1985
Studio
Genre
Length45:33
Label EMI Manhattan
Producer
Singles from Sun City
  1. "Sun City"
    Released: 16 October 1985 [1] [3]
  2. "Let Me See Your I.D."
    Released: 1985
  3. "Silver and Gold (promo)"
    Released: 1985
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [4]
Christgau's Record Guide A− [5]
Rolling Stone Not rated link

Sun City is the first and only album by Artists United Against Apartheid, released on October 25, 1985, [1] [6] by EMI Manhattan Records. The Little Steven-led project features contributions from more than 50 artists from the rock, hip hop, soul, funk, jazz, reggae, latin, and world music genres. [1] [3] [6] The album contains two versions of the "Sun City" protest song against apartheid in South Africa as well as other selections in the same vein from that project. [1]

Contents

History

Initially intending to record the song "Sun City" for his third solo album Freedom – No Compromise , Little Steven (real name Steven Van Zandt) instead approached producer Arthur Baker to help record a "We Are the World"-inspired anti-apartheid protest single. In the song, Van Zandt urges artists to boycott the Sun City resort in South Africa, where artists such as Queen, Elton John, Linda Ronstadt and Rod Stewart have accepted invitations to perform. [7] [8] Van Zandts's mission was to raise awareness of the racial segregation enforced by the white government in South Africa, and to encourage the cultural boycott [7] the United Nations had imposed in the early 1980s. [9] [10] "I had been doing research on American foreign policies," Van Zandt said, "and South Africa was on my list of engagements we were involved with, which I felt our government was on the wrong side of. By then, I had heard Peter Gabriel's "Biko," which was just a terrific inspiration." [11]

With assistance from ABC News journalist Danny Schechter, Van Zandt and Baker assembled a wide variety of artists from Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan and Lou Reed to Gil Scott-Heron, Miles Davis and Africa Bambaataa. [7] Rock critic Dave Marsh called it "the most diverse line up of popular musicians ever assembled for a single session." [12] However, the recordings quickly became an album-length project of its own, [7] and the Sun City album was recorded in summer 1985 [13] at 15 different recording studios in New York, Los Angeles, Boston, Dublin and London. [6]

In addition to the title track, other songs were recorded at the time to complete an album's worth of material. Drummer-musician Keith LeBlanc and Danny Schechter came up with "Revolutionary Situation", an audio-collage set to music that took its title from the words of South Africa's then-interior minister Louis Nel condemning the state of the country. Amid a background of yapping police dogs, sounds of mayhem and revolt in the township, LeBlanc and Schechter mixed in angry declarations by activists like Alan Boesak, Bishop Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Nelson Mandela's daughter Zindzi, looped with what was at that time the most recent interview with her father, recorded in 1961.

"No More Apartheid" is an improvisational piece featuring Peter Gabriel and Indian violinist L. Shankar. [1] "Peter Gabriel came in and just started chanting. Weird African chant, out of nowhere ... Then he started harmonizing with himself," Van Zandt recalled. Drummer Keith LeBlanc then added drums to the chant, and Van Zandt put down guitar and synthesizer parts. [14] [15]

Inspired by meetings with other artists who volunteered, Bono of U2 went back to his hotel room and wrote "Silver and Gold" the same evening. The song was quickly recorded, with guitarists Keith Richards and Ron Wood of the Rolling Stones, and drummer Steve Jordan. Wood's guitar work is notable for using Keith's switchblade as a slide. "Silver and Gold" was also distributed separately as a promotional single. A last-minute inclusion, the song was left off the track listings of the original 1985 album and cassette pressings and considered to be a hidden track. Bono later explained, in an appearance on the US syndicated radio show "Rockline" with Bob Coburn, that he submitted the tape of the song after the album's artwork had been printed by EMI Manhattan Records. [16] When Razor and Tie reissued the album in 1993, the song was included on the track listings. U2 also recorded two versions of the song: a live version in the Rattle and Hum film and album, and a studio version on the B-side of "Where the Streets Have No Name".

"The scariest encounter of the Sun City project had to be Miles Davis," recalled Van Zandt. "I wrote the intro for him to play… He's just not friendly. He makes Lou Reed look like a pussycat… He came in, sat down and I played him the "Silver and Gold" tape. He's sitting next to me, and he talks real low and slow, and right in my ear: "Hey man, do you want me to fucking play or what?" So he does his take, and I asked him to redo it with the mute on. I went and reassembled his old quintet with Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter on bass and Tony Williams on drums." [17]

"Let Me See Your I.D." – based on a line from Gil Scott-Heron's "Johannesburg" [18] – features vocal contributions from Scott-Heron and various rappers and singers. All were told to feel free to express their feelings about the subject any way they wanted lyrically. Then audio from news footage, excerpts from Nelson Mandela's speeches, and sound effects were added, and turned into an anti-apartheid montage. [15]

Critical reception

Music critic Robert Christgau felt that each side of the album closes with "a well-meaning failure", writing that "Revolutionary Situation"'s "collage of indistinct South African voices over Keith LeBlanc humdrum is an object lesson in political correctness that might have made a collectible B, and Bono's country blues is simply ignorant." He added that Gil Scott-Heron's "superrap" on "Let Me See Your I.D." "is as astute and moving rhythmically as it is ideologically," and that "No More Apartheid" is a "worthy successor" to Peter Gabriel's "Biko." Christgau also highlighted the two versions of the title track, which he felt "can grow on you in a big way." [5]

AllMusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine wrote retrospectively that the album is "extremely listenable," saying, "it's one of the few charity or protest albums that stands up to repeated listenings, thanks to the extended instrumental workouts." Unlike Robert Christgau, Erlewine felt that "Silver and Gold" was "the finest moment" on the album. [4] Trouser Press called the album "a powerful record given weight by the cause and the challenge." [19]

Release

Sun City was a modest success, reaching #31 on the Billboard 200 pop albums chart. It did much better in terms of critical reaction, placing at #5 on the Pazz & Jop Critics Poll for albums for that year. Sun City got the final spot on Rolling Stone's list of the best 100 albums of the 1980s in 1989 and 2016. [20] [21]

The album was issued on CD by Razor & Tie in 1993 – but, after the end of apartheid in 1994, eventually went out of print.

In 2019, the album was remastered for release as part of Van Zandt's career-spanning box set Rock N Roll Rebel: The Early Work . The digital deluxe edition of the album was released on December 6, 2019 containing four bonus tracks. The digital deluxe edition also includes the reissued Let Me See Your I.D. bonus EP.

Track listing

Adapted from the 2019 reissue liner notes. [22]

Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)FeaturingLength
1."Sun City" Steven Van Zandt  7:12
2."No More Apartheid"Artists United Against Apartheid Peter Gabriel, L. Shankar 7:10
3."Revolutionary Situation"Artists United Against ApartheidCompiled and edited by Keith LeBlanc and The News Dissector 6:06
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)FeaturingLength
4."Sun City (Version II)"Van Zandt 5:44
5."Let Me See Your I.D."Artists United Against Apartheid Gil Scott-Heron, Miles Davis, Grandmaster Melle Mel, Peter Wolf, Sonny Okosuns, Malopoets, Duke Bootee, Ray Baretto, Peter Garrett 7:30
6."The Struggle Continues"Artists United Against Apartheid Miles Davis, Stanley Jordan, Herbie Hancock, Sonny Okosuns, Ron Carter, Tony Williams, Richard Scher7:05
7."Silver and Gold" Bono Bono, Keith Richards, Ron Wood, Steve Jordan 4:42

Personnel

Adapted from the 2019 reissue liner notes, except where noted. [22]

Charts

Chart (1985-1986)Peak
Position
Austrian Albums [23] 25
Dutch Albums [24] 23
German Albums [25] 34
New Zealand Albums [26] 34
Norwegian Albums [27] 16
Swedish Albums [28] 13
Swiss Albums [29] 17
US Billboard 200 [30] 31

Related Research Articles

<i>Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J.</i> 1973 studio album by Bruce Springsteen

Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J. is the debut studio album by the American singer-songwriter Bruce Springsteen. It was produced from June through October 1972 by Mike Appel and Jim Cretecos at the budget-priced 914 Sound Studios. The album was released January 5, 1973, by Columbia Records to average sales but a positive critical reception.

<i>Rebel Yell</i> (album) 1983 studio album by Billy Idol

Rebel Yell is the second studio album by the English rock singer Billy Idol, released on 10 November 1983 by Chrysalis Records. After the release of his 1982 eponymous debut studio album, Idol continued his collaboration with producer Keith Forsey and multi-instrumentalist Steve Stevens. The album was recorded at Electric Lady Studios in New York. Initially recording without a drummer, utilizing only the LinnDrum and Roland TR-808 drum machines, Forsey and Stevens later decided to hire Thommy Price to play drums on some of the songs. Musically, Rebel Yell is a new wave album with hard rock and other influences. The cover sleeve and images were shot by Brian Griffin. Idol got the idea of the album's title after attending a party with the Rolling Stones and drinking Rebel Yell bourbon whiskey.

<i>Reggatta de Blanc</i> 1979 studio album by the Police

Reggatta de Blanc is the second studio album by British rock band the Police, released on 5 October 1979 by A&M Records. It was the band's first release to top the UK Albums Chart and features their first two UK number-one singles: "Message in a Bottle" and "Walking on the Moon". In early 1980, the album was reissued in the United States on two 10-inch discs, one album side per disc, and as a collector's edition with a poster of the band.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steven Van Zandt</span> American musician and actor (born 1950)

Steven Van Zandt, also known as Little Steven or Miami Steve, is an American musician and actor. He is a member of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band, in which he plays guitar and mandolin. He has appeared in several television drama series, including as Silvio Dante in The Sopranos (1999–2007) and as Frank Tagliano in Lilyhammer (2012–2014). Van Zandt has his own solo band called Little Steven and the Disciples of Soul, intermittently active since the 1980s. In 2014, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the E Street Band. Van Zandt has produced music, written songs, and had his own songs covered by Springsteen, Meat Loaf, Nancy Sinatra, Pearl Jam, Southside Johnny, Artists United Against Apartheid, and the Iron City Houserockers, among others.

<i>Graceland</i> (album) 1986 studio album by Paul Simon

Graceland is the seventh solo studio album by the American singer-songwriter Paul Simon. It was produced by Simon, engineered by Roy Halee and released on August 25, 1986, by Warner Bros. Records. It features an eclectic mixture of genres, including pop, rock, a cappella, zydeco, isicathamiya and mbaqanga, inspired by the music of South Africa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sun City (South Africa)</span> Luxury resort and casino in North West, South Africa

Sun City is a luxury resort and casino, situated in the North West Province of South Africa. It is located between the Elands River and the Pilanesberg, about 140 km northwest of Johannesburg, near the city of Rustenburg. The complex borders the Pilanesberg National Park. It is made up of a number of themed sub-resorts with hotels on each, including the original Sun City Resort, The Cabanas, The Cascades and the Lost City.

Artists United Against Apartheid was a 1985 protest group founded by activist and performer Steven Van Zandt and record producer Arthur Baker to protest against apartheid in South Africa. The group produced the song "Sun City" and the album Sun City that year, which is considered a notable anti-apartheid song.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Biko (song)</span> 1980 song by Peter Gabriel

"Biko" is an anti-apartheid protest song by English rock musician Peter Gabriel. It was released by Charisma Records as a single from Gabriel's eponymous third album in 1980.

<i>Billy Idol</i> (album) 1982 studio album by Billy Idol

Billy Idol is the debut studio album by English rock singer Billy Idol, released on 16 July 1982 by Chrysalis Records. After the breakup of the band Generation X and the release of his first solo extended play, Don't Stop (1981), Idol began working on his debut album. Produced by Keith Forsey, Billy Idol is a rock album with strong influences of new wave music.

<i>Men Without Women</i> (album) 1982 studio album by Little Steven and the Disciples of Soul

Men Without Women is the debut solo studio album by American musician Steven Van Zandt, credited as Little Steven and the Disciples of Soul. It was released on October 1, 1982 by EMI America. The title track was inspired by the Ernest Hemingway collection of short stories of the same name.

<i>Voice of America</i> (Little Steven album) 1984 studio album by Little Steven

Voice of America is the second solo studio album by Little Steven & the Disciples of Soul released on May 7, 1984, four weeks before Bruce Springsteen released Born in the U.S.A.

<i>Freedom – No Compromise</i> 1987 studio album by Little Steven

Freedom – No Compromise is the third solo studio album by Little Steven, released in May 1987 by EMI.

<i>Barking at Airplanes</i> 1985 studio album by Kim Carnes

Barking at Airplanes is the ninth studio album by American singer-songwriter Kim Carnes, released on May 5, 1985, by EMI America Records.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sun City (song)</span> 1985 single by Artists United Against Apartheid

"Sun City" is a 1985 protest song written by Steven Van Zandt, produced by Van Zandt and Arthur Baker and recorded by Artists United Against Apartheid to convey opposition to the South African policy of apartheid. The song declared that all the artists involved would refuse to perform at Sun City, a resort which was located in the bantustan of Bophuthatswana, one of a number of internationally unrecognized states created by the South African government to forcibly relocate its black population.

<i>From South Africa to South Carolina</i> 1975 studio album by Gil Scott-Heron and Brian Jackson

From South Africa to South Carolina is a studio album by the American vocalist Gil Scott-Heron and the keyboardist Brian Jackson. It was released in November 1975 by Arista Records. Scott-Heron performed "Johannesburg" and "A Lovely Day" on Saturday Night Live in December 1975. The album was reissued in the late 1990s via Scott-Heron's Rumal-Gia label, distributed by TVT Records.

<i>Dedication</i> (Gary U.S. Bonds album) 1981 studio album by Gary U.S. Bonds

Dedication is a 1981 album by American singer Gary U.S. Bonds.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Music in the movement against apartheid</span> One of the methods of opposition used against the apartheid regime

The apartheid regime in South Africa began in 1948 and lasted until 1994. It involved a system of institutionalized racial segregation and white supremacy, and placed all political power in the hands of a white minority. Opposition to apartheid manifested in a variety of ways, including boycotts, non-violent protests, and armed resistance. Music played a large role in the movement against apartheid within South Africa, as well as in international opposition to apartheid. The impacts of songs opposing apartheid included raising awareness, generating support for the movement against apartheid, building unity within this movement, and "presenting an alternative vision of culture in a future democratic South Africa."

<i>Soulfire</i> (Little Steven album) 2017 studio album by Little Steven

Soulfire is the sixth solo studio album by Little Steven, released on May 19, 2017. It marks his first studio album since 1999's Born Again Savage. The album consists of Van Zandt's versions of songs that he either wrote or co-wrote for other artists and describes it as "me covering me!" In June 2017, Rolling Stone ranked Soulfire number 28 on their list of the "50 Best Albums of 2017 So Far."

<i>Rock N Roll Rebel: The Early Work</i> 2019 box set by Little Steven

Rock N Roll Rebel: The Early Work is a box set collection by Little Steven, released on December 6, 2019. The set contains Van Zandt's first five studio albums remastered from the original master tapes for the first time ever. The box set also features 51 bonus tracks, including demos, studio outtakes, b-sides, remixes, and live tracks, many of which are previously unreleased. The set also includes the 1985 album Sun City by Van Zandt's protest supergroup Artists United Against Apartheid.

"Johannesburg" is a song by Gil Scott-Heron and Brian Jackson, with music provided by the Midnight Band. It is the first track on Scott-Heron and Jackson's collaborative album From South Africa to South Carolina, released in November 1975 through Arista Records. The lyrics to "Johannesburg" discussed opposition to apartheid in South Africa, and likened apartheid to the disenfranchisement of African Americans in the United States. The song became a popular hit, reaching No. 29 on the Billboard R&B chart in 1975. According to Nelson George, "Johannesburg" played a role in spreading the cultural awareness of apartheid.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Harrington, Richard (October 16, 1985). "Musical Protest to Apartheid". Washington Post . Retrieved October 4, 2022.
  2. ↑ Hilburn, Robert (November 10, 1985). "Pop Records : Fall Album Roundup : From Miles To Bruce - The Passion Of 'Sun City'". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved October 4, 2022.
  3. 1 2 Van Matre, Lynn (October 13, 1985). "Van Zandt's 'Sun City' Album Project Gives Rock A Voice Against". Chicago Tribune . Retrieved October 4, 2022.
  4. 1 2 Sun City at AllMusic
  5. 1 2 Christgau, Robert (1990). "A". Christgau's Record Guide: The '80s . Pantheon Books. ISBN   0-679-73015-X . Retrieved August 16, 2020– via robertchristgau.com.
  6. 1 2 3 Pareles, Jon (October 21, 1985). "'Sun City' Gets A Range Of Authority". New York Times . Retrieved October 4, 2022.
  7. 1 2 3 4 Giles, Jeff (December 8, 2015). "How Steven Van Zandt Took on Apartheid With 'Sun City'". Ultimate Classic Rock . Retrieved October 4, 2022.
  8. ↑ "Sun City Resort - Entertainment". South Africa Tourism. Retrieved October 4, 2022.
  9. ↑ Chilton, Martin (October 25, 2021). "'Sun City': How Little Steven Took On Apartheid, Opened The World's Eyes". uDiscoverMusic . Retrieved October 4, 2022.
  10. ↑ "South Africa's Academic and Cultural Boycott". South African History Online . February 3, 2017. Retrieved October 4, 2022.
  11. ↑ Young, Robin (December 10, 2013). "The Music Of Liberation: Steven Van Zandt And Danny Schechter On 'Sun City'". WSHU . Retrieved October 4, 2022.
  12. ↑ Jones, Josh (August 3, 2021). "How Steven Van Zandt Organized the Sun City Boycott and Helped Catalyze the Anti-Apartheid Movement (1985)". Open Culture . Retrieved October 4, 2022.
  13. ↑ "The Making of Sun City". African Activist Archive. Retrieved October 4, 2022.
  14. ↑ Wardlaw, Matt (October 4, 2021). "Steven Van Zandt Recalls Spark That Lit All-Star 'Sun City' LP". Ultimate Classic Rock . Retrieved October 4, 2022.
  15. 1 2 3 Van Zandt, Stevie (2021). Unrequited Infatuations: A Memoir. New York City: Hachette Books. p. 186. ISBN   9780306925429.
  16. ↑ "Rockline Radio - Interviews and music from classic rockers and cutting edge superstars!".
  17. ↑ Bell, Max: "Ever meet Hendrix?"; Classic Rock #138, November 2009, p40
  18. ↑ George, Nelson (September 28, 1985). "The Rhythm and the Blues". Billboard . p. 63. Retrieved October 4, 2022.
  19. ↑ "Compilation Reviews - Sun City". Trouser Press . Retrieved October 4, 2022.
  20. ↑ "The 100 Best Albums of the 1980's". Rolling Stone. No. 565. 1989-11-16.
  21. ↑ "100 Best Albums of the Eighties". Rolling Stone. 16 November 1989. Retrieved 2016-11-21.
  22. 1 2 Rock N Roll Rebel: The Early Work (Box set liner notes). Little Steven. Wicked Cool Records. 2020.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  23. ↑ "Austrian Charts". Ö3 Austria . Retrieved October 4, 2022.
  24. ↑ "Dutch Charts" . Retrieved October 4, 2022.
  25. ↑ "German Charts". GfK Entertainment charts . Retrieved October 4, 2022.
  26. ↑ "New Zealand Charts". Official New Zealand Music Chart . Retrieved October 4, 2022.
  27. ↑ "Norwegian Charts". VG-lista . Retrieved October 4, 2022.
  28. ↑ "Swedish Charts". Sverigetopplistan . Retrieved October 4, 2022.
  29. ↑ "Swiss Charts". Swiss Hitparade . Retrieved October 4, 2022.
  30. ↑ "Billboard 200". Billboard . Retrieved October 4, 2022.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.