The Black Five (1975) by Roy Ayers Ubiquity Producer credit: Roy Ayers was sampled in Stolen Moments, Pt. 2 by Common and Black Thought (1997). Apr 17, 2008 Roy Ayers- Virgin Ubiquity 2 The genius of Roy Ayers knows no end - and as this set of unreleased work from the 70s proves, Roy was always working at top form back in the day - even above and beyond his classic albums from the time! Roy Ayers' Virgin Ubiquity, Vol. 2: Unreleased Recordings 1976-1981 is another hodgepodge of demos and outtake cuts that were left off official releases for various reasons. That said, for Ayers fans, the set is consistent. 'I Am Your Mind, Pt. 2' is an alternate of the classic, and offers a solid contrast. 'Slow Tarzan (Funk in the Hole)' is a slippery little groove track with nothing much. Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for ROY AYERS - Virgin Ubiquity Remixed - 2 CD -.Mint Condition. RARE at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products! BBE Music is excited to present the first repress since 2006 of Roy Ayers classic Virgin Ubiquity albums, with brand new sleeve notes by Sean P. When two volumes of previously unreleased Roy Ayers tapes entitled ‘Virgin Ubiquity’ hit the racks courtesy of BBE in 2004/5, it was a little mystifying as to why these recordings had remained in the can for so long.
| Roy Ayers discography | |
|---|---|
| Studio albums | 33 |
| Compilation albums | 26 |
| Video albums | 1 |
| EPs | 1 |
| Soundtrack albums | 1 |
This is the discography of American vibraphonist and record producerRoy Ayers.
Studio albums[edit]
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | US R&B | US Jazz | UK | ||
| West Coast Vibes |
| — | — | — | — |
| Virgo Vibes |
| — | — | — | — |
| Stoned Soul Picnic |
| — | — | — | — |
| Daddy Bug |
| — | — | — | — |
| Ubiquity |
| — | — | — | — |
| Let's Do It |
| 33 | 15 | — | — |
| You Send Me |
| 48 | 16 | — | — |
| Fever |
| 67 | 25 | — | — |
| No Stranger to Love |
| 82 | 22 | — | — |
| Love Fantasy |
| 157 | 47 | — | — |
| Africa, Center of the World |
| 197 | 43 | — | — |
| Feeling Good |
| 160 | 45 | — | — |
| Silver Vibrations[a] |
| — | — | — | — |
| Drivin' On Up[a] |
| — | — | — | — |
| In the Dark |
| — | 50 | — | — |
| You Might Be Surprised |
| — | 31 | — | 91 |
| I'm the One (For Your Love Tonight) |
| — | — | — | — |
| Wake Up |
| — | 60 | — | — |
| Nasté |
| — | 71 | 18 | — |
| Perfection |
| — | — | — | — |
| '—' denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | |||||
Roy Ayers Ubiquity[edit]
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | |
|---|---|---|---|
| US [1][5] | US R&B | ||
| He's Coming |
| — | — |
| Red Black and Green |
| — | — |
| Virgo Red |
| — | — |
| Change Up the Groove |
| 156 | — |
| A Tear to a Smile |
| — | — |
| Mystic Voyage |
| 90 | 13 |
| Everybody Loves the Sunshine |
| 51 | 10 |
| Vibrations |
| 74 | 11 |
| Lifeline |
| 72 | 9 |
| Starbooty |
| 146 | — |
| '—' denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | |||
Collaborative albums[edit]
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions |
|---|---|---|
| US R&B | ||
| The Jack Wilson Quartet featuring Roy Ayers (with Jack Wilson) |
| — |
| Ramblin' (with the Jack Wilson Quartet) |
| — |
| Unchain My Heart (with Bruno Carr, Miroslav Vitouš and Sonny Sharrock, as Roy Ayers Quartet) |
| — |
| Step in to Our Life (with Wayne Henderson) |
| 45 |
| Prime Time (with Wayne Henderson) |
| 62 |
| Music of Many Colors (with Fela Anikulapo Kuti) |
| — |
| Smiling Faces (with the Soul Society) |
| — |
| Spoken Word (with Bonita Brisker) |
| — |
| Room at the Top (with the James Taylor Quartet and Ian Anderson) |
| — |
| '—' denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | ||
Soundtrack albums[edit]
| Title | Album details |
|---|---|
| Coffy[b] |
|
Live albums[edit]
| Title | Album details |
|---|---|
| Live at the Montreux Jazz Festival |
|
| Fast Money[c] |
|
| Searchin' |
|
| Hot |
|
| Good Vibrations |
|
| Live from West Port Jazzfestival Hamburg (with Ray Gaskins Band and Jocelyn Brown) |
|
Roy Ayers Virgin Ubiquity Ii Rar
Compilations, bootlegs, remix and demo albums[edit]
| Title | Album details |
|---|---|
| Daddy Bug & Friends |
|
| The Best of Roy Ayers |
|
| Lots of Love[a] Drive[a] My Vibes[a] |
|
| Double Trouble (with Rick James) |
|
| Good Vibrations |
|
| Vibrant |
|
| Shining Symbol: The Ultimate Collection |
|
| King of Vibes (Roy Ayers Super Collection) |
|
| Evolution: The Polydor Anthology |
|
| Vibesman (Live at Ronnie Scott's) |
|
| Searchin' (Live) / Hot |
|
| Good Vibrations / The Essential Groove - Live |
|
| In the Dark / You Might Be Surprised |
|
| The Collection |
|
| Juice |
|
| Smooth Jazz |
|
| Daddy Bug / Virgo Vibes |
|
| Essential Vibes |
|
| For Café Après-Midi |
|
| Destination Motherland: The Roy Ayers Anthology |
|
| Snoop |
|
| Virgin Ubiquity (Unreleased Recordings 1976-1981) |
|
| Mahogany Vibe |
|
| Virgin Ubiquity II (Unreleased Recordings 1976-1981) |
|
| Virgin Ubiquity Remixed |
|
| Step Into Our Life & Prime Time (with Wayne Henderson) |
|
| Searching for Sunshine (1973-1980) |
|
Notes[edit]
- ^ abcde'Silver Vibrations' and 'Drivin' On Up' were recorded at the same session and released separately in 1983 via Uno Melodic Records.[6] 'Lots of Love' was also released in 1983 via Uno Melodic, and consist of three songs from 'Silver Vibrations' and all songs from 'Drivin' On Up' located in different sequences. In 1988, 'Lots of Love' was re-released via Ichiban Records titled as 'Drive'. In 2005, 'Lots of Love' was reissued under the title 'My Vibes' by Snapper Music along with eight unreleased cuts Ayers recorded in 1999.[7]
- ^Also a studio album.
- ^'Fast Money' was re-released via Castle Music titled 'Live at Ronnie Scott's' in 2001. In 2002, Sanctuary Visual Entertainment re-released 'Live at Ronnie Scott's' as a video album titled 'Live at Ronnie Scott's - London 1988'.
References[edit]
- ^ ab'Roy Ayers Chart History'. Billboard 200. Retrieved September 6, 2018.
- ^ abc'Roy Ayers Chart History'. Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums. Retrieved September 6, 2018.
- ^'Roy Ayers Chart History'. Jazz Albums. Retrieved September 6, 2018.
- ^'ROY AYERS | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company'. Official Charts Company. Retrieved September 6, 2018.
- ^'Ubiquity Chart History'. Billboard 200. Retrieved September 6, 2018.
- ^Project, Jazz Discography. 'Roy Ayers Discography'. www.jazzdisco.org.
- ^Ankeny, Jason. 'My Vibes: The Best of the Uno Melodic Years - Roy Ayers | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic'. AllMusic.
External links[edit]
- Roy Ayers discography at AllMusic
- Roy Ayers discography at Discogs
- Roy Ayers Quartet discography at Discogs
- Roy Ayers Ubiquity discography at Discogs
Roy Ayers Virgin Ubiquity 2 Rar Player
Win yourself both editions of Roy Ayers ‘Virgin Ubiquity‘ albums on glorious vinyl, courtesy of WhoSampled.
First released back in 2004/2005, BBE Music’s ‘Virgin Ubiquity’ compilations of previously unreleased Roy Ayers cuts have become sought after collector’s items in their own right. At the time of their initial release it was somewhat mystifying that these lost recordings had evaded release for so long. At a time when CD deluxe editions were, if you’ll pardon the pun, ubiquitous, it was something of a marvel that such a large volume of cuts from Ayers’ most productive period had remained hidden for such a time.
Curated by BBE label boss Pete Adarkwah from Roy’s original tapes, the recordings featured on the two compilations date from 1976 to 1981, a period which begins with ‘Everybody Loves the Sunshine’ (Ayers’ most sampled track with over 140 documented samples and counting) and closes with Roy’s production of Sylvia Striplin’s ‘You Can’t Turn Me Away’ (another oft-sampled cut which found favour with Junior M.A.F.I.A., Erykah Badu and more than 20 others).
In between those two heavily sampled landmarks sit many of Ayers’ most recognisable cuts and productions, including ‘Running Away’ and RAMP’s ‘Daylight’ (both sampled by A Tribe Called Quest) and ‘Searching’ (sampled by Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth and Ed O.G. & Da Bulldogs among others).
The tracks on this compilation evoke that golden period but comprise entirely previously unreleased tracks. Some are previously unheard versions of songs which did see a full release (an alternative recording of 1975’s ‘Mystic Voyage’ for example), whilst others offer hints of better known material recorded at the time. Most, however, are entirely new (old) cuts: full tracks, largely with vocals that neither sound like demos nor cast offs.
Those reading the albums liner notes will see no shortage of familiar names among the Ubiquity personnel who appear on these archive recordings. Heavily sampled funky drummer Bernard Purdie and Edwin Birdsong (an artist whose solo material has been sampled by Daft Punk and De La Soul among others) are just two examples from this all star line up.
There is enough material across both volumes of ‘Virgin Ubiquity’ for 3 or 4 self-contained albums alone, so these recordings come from what is arguably the peak of Ayers’ recording career. Ayers himself says “at that time I was writing 30 to 40 songs per day-I was on a magnificent roll. It’s amazing, all these records that I never got round to releasing.”
Ayers also recgnises the manner in which Hip Hop was established new interest in this archive material and his back catalogue generally: “People love that old analog sound. Something aboutthat period of time turns people on. I suppose the sound is the reason why a lot of the Hip-Hoppers sample me, too.”
COMPETITION: BBE Music are offering 5 lucky readers the chance to win a pair these fantastic compilations on vinyl! To be in with a chance of winning, all you need to do is answer the following question:
“Roy Ayers’ ‘1977 track ‘Running Away’ was sampled in which classic track by A Tribe Called Quest?” [Clue: The answer can be found on WhoSampled!]
Email your answers to competitions@whosampled.com with ‘Roy Ayers Competition’ in the subject heading. Entries must be received no later than 5pm (GMT) on 5th February 2020. Winners will be randomly selected from the correct answers and notified by email.