Roy Ayers – Virgin Ubiquity (Unreleased Recordings 1976-1981)

My favorite song on here “I Did It In Seattle” has obvious master tape errors (speed slows down for a second like some kind of issue happened with the tape during recording or maybe mastering to vinyl and wasn’t caught by QC). Versions I’ve heard online have the same problem so maybe this is just the way it will always be 🤷‍♂️ I like to think it’s such a great song that they thought it better to release it tarnished, than to deprive the world.

Anybody know the story behind the speed fluctuations on "I Did It In Seattle"? My uneducated imagination can only think it was the master tape playback mes, and it made it that way to all the physical versions? Or maybe the master recording itself was messed up, but the song was so good (yes it is very good) that they thought it wasn't bad enough an error to bury it never to be heard 🤷‍♂️

I’m a big fan of Roy Ayers Ubiquity, I can see why the material on both of the virgin volumes might have been put aside . Don’t get me wrong the material is great , especially Liquid Love , Holiday , green and gold to name a few , but when you look at the quality music that appeared on the albums he made during the 70s early 80s I can’t see most of this as a good fit

Completely different experience to the other reviewer. All sides of my copy are completely absent of ANY pop and click. I'm well aware of that issue with new vinyl but this is exceptional. Lucky? Or was the other reviewer unlucky? Who knows. But it's not a pressing fault across the board anyway.

Clean, flat vinyl. The sonics are warm, fat AND crisp. You know when lyrics in soul and funk music say 'feel the groove' 'let your soul free' and so forth?? Well they don't say it here BUT this album is proof that such sentiments are not just disco floor 'froth' and you WILL feel it.
Sophisticated stuff. Highly recommended.

Great music, but apparently a bad factory vinyl press. Sides B, C & D particulary has audible distorted/crackly sound on a brand new vinyl. I've compared with other LPs and they sound fine and clean. I wonder if anyone else has this problem, is it a bad press?

This is an excellent compilation of previously unreleased 1970s and early 1980s material from vibes legend Roy Ayers. The big question is, why did so many of these tracks go unreleased at the time when Roy had a prolific output as both a solo artist and producer for other acts? Maybe it was because the majority feature guest female vocalists rather than showcasing Roy's singing.
Thankfully, they have now seen the light of the day as there are some really great tunes on here. Many of them are arguably better than some of the tracks that Roy released at the time. Both Merry Clayton and Carla Vaughn are excellent vocalists. The latter features on the funky opener "Boogie Down" (not the Eddie Kendricks song) and duets to cool effect with Roy on "Sugar". For my money these are the best two tracks on the album but the tracks featuring Merry, especially "Mystery of Love", are also great. Only a couple of tracks feature Roy on vibes, maybe another reason they were not issued at the time, but alongside his keyboard playing is a great ing cast of musicians. Besides his regular sidemen, there are appearances from legendary session drummer Bernard Purdie and of the band Pleasure. The good news is that these were not the only hidden treasures in Roy Ayers attic as the follow up compilations from BBE demonstrate.

Roy Ayers was working with some of the best musicians around and recorded music endlessly during this very inspired period. This collection of music gives us a look into the studio of Roy Ayers and the true quality of the band's musicianship. hard to believe these were unreleased tracks, it's just as solid as his LPs at the time

How's the sound quality on this? This shit is straight BANANAS!!!

"Reaching For The Highest Pleasure" only appear on this promo CD version of the release & appeared a year later also on "Gilles Peterson ‎– Worldwide Exclusives" compilation, great Jazz Funk composition.

A diverse production fusing the best elements of Soul, Jazz Funk, R&B and Disco! The pressing is sonically superior which adds more value to this collection of rare grooves by the master Vibraphonist. Roy Ayers & Ubiquity, the heads thank you