This LP, recorded shortly before Sun Ra and his band left Chicago for points east, exemplifies some of the problems with dating, and confirming personnel on, Arkestra LPs. Fate in a Pleasant Mood does not have a date printed on the jacket or LP itself; these songs are cobbled together from several recording sessions, and the personnel performing on the tracks vary. The album notes make no mention of either fact. Arkestra members Lucious Randolph and Ron Hardy can be heard on some of the album’s songs, though they are not listed on the jacket. In this particular case, the 1967 Impulse Records rerelease attempts to correct the original’s omissions and mistakes.
Listen to a clip of Sun Ra and his Arkestra's "Space Mates".
View front and back of album