Recording history and tape provenance
The album sits apart from most of Sun Ra's catalogue. It draws on funk, R&B and fusion rather than free jazz or the big-band Afrofuturist material.
AllMusic compares the title track's pace and tone to Charles Mingus's "Goodbye Porkpie Hat." It hears the closer, "There Are Other Worlds (They Have Not Told You Of)," as nearer Ra's 1960s style. That track has the spoken voices about outer space that recur across his work.
The Arkestra personnel include Eddie Gale on trumpet, with solos from John Gilmore and Marshall Allen, and Richard Williams on bass.
A separate set of alternate mixes by Bob Blank was given a limited release in 1978 for an Arkestra gig at Georgia Tech. They circulated little until the later Strut and Art Yard reissues.
Original Philly Jazz pressings (1978)
AllMusic notes the album was extremely rare in its original pressing, which reflects a small run from a tiny label with limited distribution.
The commonly described original has a metallic silver foil cover with magenta accents, and silver labels with red printing.
A Discogs account from someone who received a copy directly from Philly Jazz co-founder Tom Buchler around release describes something plainer. That copy has a black-and-white photocopy pasted onto white sleeve stock, a photocopy on yellow paper on the back, and a plain label.
Its hand-etched runout reads "SUN RA LANQUIDITY (P) 1978 PHILLY JAZZ INC (C) CAPITOL 9/14/78 PJ-1006-A." That places the pressing at a Capitol plant. Whether the photocopy sleeves are an earlier promotional batch or inconsistent early production is unresolved. Both are documented as genuine 1978 product.
At least one cataloguing source gives the original number as PJ666. PJ-1006 appears in that runout and elsewhere, so PJ666 looks like a transcription error rather than an alternate number.
The Strut and Art Yard box set
The 4LP box, catalogue STRUT237LPB, carries the widely distributed mix and Blank's alternate mixes, each cut loud at 45rpm across two LPs, per retailer listings. The two sets reproduce their respective original sleeves, foil and magenta for one, yellow sheets on white for the other.
Sources disagree on who remastered it. Retailer copy credits Technology Works, while The Carvery states that Frank Merritt remastered it there. Neither has been reconciled here.
LondonJazzCollector is blunt about the alternate mixes. The reviewer notes a rhapsodic reception in the music press. Their own verdict is dense, stodgy and overdubbed for heavy bass next to the original.
The same review collects Discogs owner reports of inconsistent pressing quality. Those include warped copies, a tight spindle hole and records that play like a worn copy straight out of the sleeve.
Vinyl Me, Please "Translucent Red" (2021)
The VMP edition was mastered by Dave Cheppa, limited to 750 hand-numbered copies on translucent red vinyl in a metallic foil cover.
A detailed owner review on that page names a "Rainbo" pressing of another reissue run as essentially unlistenable through pressing defects. The same owner calls the VMP copy clean, consistent and close to flawless.
That owner also criticises the box set for not exploiting the 45rpm format, calling it 45rpm on cruise control. They recommend the VMP pressing as the one to own. It is one detailed account rather than a consensus.
Later Strut editions
Strut's single-LP edition, STRUT237LP, presents the original mix alone in packaging that reproduces the foil and magenta sleeve.
Strut later issued a 25th-anniversary edition as STRUT237LPC. Retailer listings describe a tip-on sleeve with an obi strip and an A2 poster. Liner notes come from Tom Buchler, Michael Ray, Danny Ray Thompson and Bob Blank.
Buyer's guide by budget
$$$: The Strut single-LP edition, STRUT237LP, or the 25th-anniversary STRUT237LPC for the packaging.
$$$$: The Vinyl Me, Please edition, if a copy of the 750 can be found, or the Strut box for the alternate mixes.
$$$$$: An original 1978 Philly Jazz pressing, scarce and priced accordingly.
Pressing tier summary
| Tier ⇅ | Pressing | Cat# | Year ⇅ | Format | Source / Mastering | Notes | Market ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | Philly Jazz original | PJ-1006 | 1978 | Stereo, 33⅓ | Bob Blank. Pressed at a Capitol plant | First pressing. Foil and photocopy sleeve variants both documented | $1,320VG+ $1,726NM $1,929M |
| A | Vinyl Me, Please "Translucent Red" | – | 2021 | Stereo, 33⅓ | Dave Cheppa | 750 hand-numbered copies. Rated the cleanest modern pressing in one comparison | $63VG+ $82NM $92M |
| A | Strut and Art Yard box set | STRUT237LPB | 2021 | Stereo, 45rpm, 4LP | Technology Works per retailers, Frank Merritt at The Carvery per the studio | Both mixes. Owner reports of pressing faults. Alternate mixes divide opinion | – |
| B | Strut single LP | STRUT237LP | – | Stereo, 33⅓ | Not credited | Original mix only, in foil and magenta packaging | – |
| – | Strut 25th-anniversary edition | STRUT237LPC | – | Stereo, 33⅓ | Not credited | Not rated. Tip-on sleeve, obi, A2 poster | – |
References
- Wikipedia, "Lanquidity": https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lanquidity
- AllMusic, "Sun Ra: Lanquidity": https://www.allmusic.com/album/lanquidity-mw0000620871
- LondonJazzCollector, "Sun Ra: Lanquidity (1978) Art Yard Strut 2023 Reissue": https://londonjazzcollector.wordpress.com/2024/11/01/sun-ra-lanquidity-1978-art-yard-strut-2023-reissue/
- Elusive Disc, "Sun Ra – Lanquidity 45rpm 4LP box set": https://elusivedisc.com/sun-ra-lanquidity-45rpm-4lp-box-set
- The Carvery, "Sun Ra's 'Lanquidity' – The Definitive Edition": https://thecarverystudio.com/?p=4109
- Discogs, "Sun Ra – Lanquidity" (Vinyl Me, Please edition, with owner comparison): https://www.discogs.com/release/19716562-Sun-Ra-Lanquidity