Sun City
was certainly the most political of all of the charity
rock
albums of the 1980s.
Little Steven
organized a number of artists for this protest against apartheid, including such heavyweights as
Miles Davis
,
Bob Dylan
Peter Gabriel
Jimmy Cliff
Bruce Springsteen
Jackson Browne
Run-D.M.C
, and
Lou Reed
. Thankfully, the result was extremely listenable, as well as fiercely political; it's one of the few charity or protest albums that stands up to repeated listenings, thanks to the extended instrumental workouts. Arguably the finest moment on the record is one that was added at the last minute -- a spare, stripped-down version of
U2's
"Silver and Gold"
by
Bono
Keith Richards
Ron Wood
. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine