Larry Young – Unity

This is upsampled from the Ron McMaster CD not real HR

My entry way to this record was by the recent RGV CD reissue which is cool, before I got back into the vinyl game… just picked this up and holy shit..those subtle details and warmth…sparkling highs…
I do have to mention to those that don’t know.. for best results, clean with a high quality vacuum cleaner before you play it!! I use a KAB EV1 (My brand new copy had a film of dust on it) and then replace the sleeve with a Mofi inner or the like…this extra step is well worth it! Ok!!
I know some people have complained about the stereo mix with the hard panning…the placement of your speaker set up will affect this and YMMV, however, for me, equally placed speakers and a listening point that is of some distance in a “sweet spot” brings this mix into Unity!
This one is a classic of classics and the music surely speaks for itself.
Equipment:
Rega P8> Hana ML>Pro-ject Tube Box DS3 B>Jolida Fusion tube preamp>modified Sansui AU999 as a power amp>Yamaha NS 1000M

Get this: some d-bag swapped out the 2022 for the 2014 and returned it to Amazon. I bought said used copy of the 75th and discovered the switcheroo today. But, know what? I'm not even mad. I paid $15 for a minty Yoshida mastering, and it sounds very nice!

I picked up a used copy of this one at my local record store; it was a blind buy, had no idea what to expect. I really, really enjoyed this album! I did not hear any distortion. Vinyl is flat and quiet. Recorded sound is vibrant and full with perhaps slightly muddy bass on the lowest organ notes. I guess it's all in the ear of the listener, and things sound different on different equipment. What I hear is Joe Henderson and Elvin Jones coming out of the right speaker, Woody Shaw coming out of the left speaker, and the organ positioned just about in the center or slightly left of center on the soundstage.

For me, this is just a fun record. It puts me right in touch with the great joy that music brings into my life.

Larry Young took the Hammond B-3 to outer space on UNITY, a landmark organ jazz album that was at least a planet or two away from soul jazz. Highlights include "Zoltan", "The Moontrane", "Monk's Dream" and "Beyond All Limits". This is a Scorpio/Rainbo pressing, and it's not quite as rich sounding as the recent Classic Vinyl Series release, but it's a Van Gelder recording, and it sounds perfectly fine. My copy plays like new, nice and clean, with no noticeable surface noise.

I hate to be a dissenter among so many glowing reviews of this release, but here goes... I have a few other Blue Note reissues and they are great. I was familar only with the mono mix of this record, and was disappointed by this version. In this stereo mix, the instruments are hard panned to each side so listening with headphones is distracting and doesn't sound -- pardon the pun -- "unified." Even worse, distortion / crackles are present in the left channel (on the organ). I thought it was from a poor pressing on the first copy I bought, so I returned it and got a replacement. (Tr. A1-A2 are the worst) The distortion was still there. On a close listen to the remastered RVG mono mix on YouTube, I can hear the distortion at a very low level, but is mostly masked by the other instruments in the mix since it isn't as isolated. It's hard to believe it could be from the original recording given the amazing quality of so many RVG engineered records, but I do hear it. I'll be curious if anyone else has opinions regarding this.

What a great performance! A must have, for any serious jazz listener. Get it while you can, Highly recommended!

A definite 10 out of five *****
Thick, flawless, silent and may I say pleasantly cheap one not to miss out on, it's a keeper!

One of the top 3 BN Classic titles. Very well mixed and flawless pressing.
Just buy it and thank me later.

Awesome pressing and sound on this one not a pop or click. Highly recommend.