U.N. HAILS ROCK ATTACK ON RACISM

Rock ‘n’ roll, which was on trial last month in Washington, was saluted on Wednesday afternoon at the United Nations.

The U.N. Special Committee Against Apartheid hosted a reception in the fourth-floor penthouse of the Dag Hammarskjold Library for two dozen musicians who made “Sun City,” a record that attacks South Africa’s system of racial separation.

Serge Charles, acting chairman of the committee, praised the recording for pointing out the “falsity and deception” symbolized by Sun City, the controversial resort in the South African “homeland” of Bophuthatswana. He denounced the resort as part of “that racist regime’s” attempt to put forth “an image of reform and change and accommodation.”

Naude Beyers, an official with the South African Council of Churches, predicted that the record will be banned in South Africa, but will still be widely heard by blacks there via bootleg taping. “The most important thing about this record is the message of hope it sends to the black people of South Africa,” he said. “It shows that the world is with them.”

At the ceremony, the seven-minute video for “Sun City” was shown for the first time. The first scenes look as if they’ve been lifted from a Las Vegas tourist brochure. But those glamorous fun-in-the-sun-and-showroom glimpses of the resort give way quickly to newsreel footage that documents the racial tension and conflict in South Africa. Then come flashes of the more than 50 musicians involved in the record. They range from project organizer Steve Van Zandt to Bruce Springsteen to reggae star Jimmy Cliff to rap heroes Run D.M.C. In addition to attacking apartheid, the musicians on the record vow not to perform at Sun City. The video was scheduled to make its TV debut Wednesday night on MTV.

Van Zandt, who wrote the song after a visit to South Africa last year, said in an interview before the reception, “It’s particularly appalling when you are there. Such a false front to the abject suffering all around. While in South Africa you are in a constant state of shock. The apartheid is such an assault on your senses.

“Sun City was just the strongest image. A mile down the road from it is a shantytown. It’s not like the rest of that homeland was dressed up. They didn’t even bother with that. You see all this suffering in South Africa and then suddenly, in the middle of this hurricane of atrocity, you step into a place that looks like Las Vegas.”

Van Zandt declined to criticize pop and rock performers--including Frank Sinatra, Rod Stewart and Linda Ronstadt--who have performed in Sun City. “Let’s just put that ignorance to rest. Maybe they didn’t know what they were doing. But no one can use that excuse anymore.”

Among the other “Sun City” artists attending Wednesday’s ceremonies were Ruben Blades, Afrika Bambaataa, Run D.M.C., Joey Ramone, Stiv Bators and producer Arthur Baker.

In brief remarks, Bruce Lundvall, the head of Manhattan Records, which has released the single, alluded to a point that many of the recording artists in the room had commented on informally--the porn-rock controversy.

Expanding on his remarks afterward, Lundvall said, “When you think about the number of wonderful things that have been done by the music community on behalf of important causes, such as this and Live Aid, it makes me angry to see what those very petty people down in Washington are trying to do. “

Lundvall acknowledged that the political nature of “Sun City” has led to resistance in parts of the country, especially the South. “We have the Northeast wrapped up, but we are having problems in many places, including L.A.

“I think that the video will help radio programmers get behind the record. The encouraging thing is that people have been buying it even before they’ve heard it on the radio because they’ve heard who’s involved in it.”