Artists United Against Apartheid - Sun City (1985)

Note: this release was originally purchased as a LP, later replaced by a CD.

I picked up this CD purely for nostalgia's sake and was quickly reminded what a great album it is (well, the first six tracks, at least). The music moves through funk, rock, hip-hop, and jazz without worrying too much about stylistic consistency; it’s less about cohesion and more about in-your-face urgency, which I guess was the point. If you're interested in the album's origin story, there's a great "making of" video available as well as an informative 2021 interview with organizer Steven Van Zandt.

Press of the time:

• Rolling Stone: "The Sun City project is about informing and motivating people. That we can dance while we're organizing is this record's greatest triumph."
• Musician: "If this project works at all, it will make you mad as hell at the way the world works when it comes to racial relations."
• Stereo Review: "I wish this record were better than it is."
• CashBox: "this is one of the most substantial social issue albums compiled."
• Billboard
• Robert Christgau: A-

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard 200: #31
• Billboard R&B: #28
• CashBox: #31
• Rolling Stone: #40

Tracks: The Sun City single is the best "supergroup" charity single ever released, easily besting Do They Know It's Christmas, We Are The World, Hands Across America, etc. It was named the best single of 1985 in the Village Voice's annual Pazz & Jop Critics Poll. (I ranked it slightly lower, #37 for the year.) It's so choice, in fact, that we're treated to two different mixes of the thing. So many good parts: the Miles Davis intro, the aggressive drums, the chanting, and how coolly Lou Reed delivers the line, "Look around the world, baby, it cannot be denied." We're also treated to a wordless Peter Gabriel track that is better than it should be for something created on the spot (No More Apartheid), an attempt to capitalize on the success of the Paul Hardcastle single "19" (Revolutionary Situation), Gil Scott-Heron speaking truth to power (Let Me See Your I.D.), and an all-star jazz group supporting Miles Davis (The Struggle Continues). The only stinker is the last track, Silver And Gold. These days, the subject matter of apartheid is historical, but Scott-Heron's spoken word poetry about having to have papers to prove that you're a citizen continues to be timely, unfortunately.

And they were telling me that when you walk around in South Africa
You gotta carry this little black book with you
Tells everyone whether you're supposed to be in a given area or not
Damn thats about like my life 'cause I got to do that when I go Philly

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: I bought the album not long after it was released and it got plenty of playing time in my private(!) dorm room during my sophomore year as an undergrad. Oddly, I don't remember any of my peers ever listening to it or discussing apartheid with me.

More recently, I had a pastor who had grown up in South Africa and immigrated to the US as an adult. An Afrikaner, he would occasionally share stories of growing up during apartheid. They were eye-opening at best, horrifying at worst.