Everybody Loves the Sunshine

Personnel: Roy Ayers (vibraphone, vocals, electric piano, Arp synthesizer, Arp string ensemble, percussion), Chicas (vocals), Ronald quot;Headquot; Drayton (guitar), Philip Woo (piano, electric piano, Arp synthesizer, string ensemble), John quot;Shaunquot; Solomon (bass), Doug Rhodes (drums), Chano O' Ferral (congas, percussion, vocals). All songs written or co-written by Roy Ayers except quot;Keep on Walkingquot; (Gino Vannelli). Personnel: Roy Ayers (vocals, harp, electric piano, vibraphone, percussion, background vocals); Chano O'Ferral (vocals, congas, percussion); Las Chicas (vocals, background vocals); Philip Woo (piano, electric piano); Doug Rhodes (drums). Recording information: Electric Lady Studio; Larrabee Studio. Photographers: Dave Heffernan; Leonid Lubianitsky. Arranger: Roy Ayers. The story goes that Lionel Hampton gave a five-year-old Roy Ayers his first set of mallets, a monumental occasion that eventually led to Ayers's mastery of the vibraphone. Sometimes called the quot;Godfather of Acid Jazz,quot; Ayers revolutionized his instrument as leader of the group Ubiquity, and-incorporating elements of soul, R&B, and blues-was able to formulate a unique brand of laidback jazz/funk. Not to be confused with his 1976 mellow jazz classic of the same name, the double disc collection EVERYBODY LOVES THE SUNSHINE surveys the career of legendary West Coast vibraphonist Roy Ayers from that watershed effort through to the eve of 2000. This Atom Records compilation brings together lesser known recordings, rarities, smash hits, and original selections from albums such as LOTS OF LOVE, DRIVE, WAKE UP, and JUICE, as well as the original EVERYBODY LOVES THE SUNSHINE.

Roy Ayers's had long made his shift into R&B/soul by 1976's Everybody Loves the Sunshine. His recordings of this period can be very hit and miss, and in this particular record, you get both. The title track, "Everybody Loves the Sunshine," is a quintessential song from the mid-'70s. While it might not have slammed the charts like Wild Cherry's "Play That Funky Music," it's still a revered classic. It evokes that feeling of sweltering concrete in Brooklyn where the only relief is the local fire hydrant. Entirely sung by a choir repeating the same lines throughout, the rhythm section rolls along with a perfectly looped laid-back groove. It moves along lazily, hypnotically, and sluggishly as the sun slows things down to the right speed and "folks get down in the sunshine." The rest of the album contains Ayers classics such as the burning percussive funk of "It Ain't AYour Sign It's Your Mind," the spacey cosmic soul of "the Third Eye," the bumping rubbery disco in "People and the World," and the two horn-scorched closers "Tongue Power," and "Lonesome Cowboy." ~ Sam Samuelson, Rovi

Performer	Roy Ayers
Music genre	Jazz, Contemporary Jazz
Music subgenre	Soul/R&B
Music release type	Compilation
Media format	CD
Original release date	1993
Language	English
Has parental advisory label	N
Number of discs	1
Track listing	1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10
Record label	UNIVERSAL
Composer	Roy Ayers
Songwriter	songwriter
Music producer	Roy Ayers
Track name	Everybody Loves the Sunshine
Is edited	N
Is enhanced	N