- Stand! (Bonus Tracks Edition) · 1900
- There's A Riot Goin' On (Bonus Tracks Edition) · 1971
- Fresh (Bonus Tracks Edition) · 1973
- Greatest Hits · 1970
- Dance To The Music (Bonus Tracks Edition) · 1968
- The Essential Sly & The Family Stone · 1968
- Greatest Hits · 1970
- There's a Riot Goin' On · 1971
- Stand! (Bonus Tracks Edition) · 2007
- Stand! (Bonus Tracks Edition) · 1969
- Higher! · 2013
- The Essential Sly & The Family Stone · 1971
- Greatest Hits · 1900
Essential Albums
- Titled as a response to Marvin Gaye’s What’s Going On, There’s a Riot Goin’ On is at once unnervingly sinister and deliciously entertaining. While Sly played most of the instruments himself, a revolving cast of guests add to the braised, fragmented funk of “Luv n’ Haight” and “Africa Talks to You (The Asphalt Jungle).” The slow, splintering grooves of “Just Like a Baby” and “Time” explore the outer reaches of insular blues, but there are small flashes of sweetness within the darkness, especially on the gorgeous and disarmingly improvisational “Family Affair.”
- The hits on Sly & the Family Stone's fourth album—“Sing a Simple Song,” “Everyday People,” “You Can Make It if You Try,” the title track—comprise the DNA of funk. And yes, it's Sly’s; he wrote, arranged, and produced the whole thing, pushing the band's ensemble sound to ambitious extremes by corralling different lead singers, Larry Graham's bullish basslines, Freddie Stone's psych-rock guitar, Rosie Stone's eerie organ runs, and swirls of ensorcelling horns. Unifying, uplifting, and visionary, this is the album that sealed Stone's legacy forever.
- Overlooked at the time of its release in late 1968 by the success of their previous album, Dance to the Music and its hit single title track, and then by the explosion of “Everyday People” from the group’s next album, their 1969 breakthrough Stand!, Life is the Sly Stone album most primed for rediscovery. It’s the first Stone album to perfectly meld the group’s R&B and soul roots into the democratic funk that became the their trademark and a major influence on every soul music and hip-hop player then and in future generations. From the opening groove of ‘Dynamite!” through Larry Graham’s fuzz bass that cuts through “M’Lady” and Sly’s own surreal growls that permeate “I’m An Animal,” through Freddy Stone’s funk guitar licks that form the basis for future guitarslingers, Life is an album years beyond its time. “Jane Is A Groupee” inspired the Philly Soul and Curtis Mayfield Superfly era, while Parliament-Funkadelic would be unthinkable without tracks such as “Plastic Jim” and “Fun.” The reissue contains three previously unreleased tracks that would have fit comfortably on the original album if not for the vinyl era’s physical limitations: Freddy Stone’s hard rock guitar on “Pressure” meshing perfectly with the Family’s horn section for an energized track that sounds inspired in part by Otis Redding’s “Respect.”
- With their second album, Sly & the Family Stone began transforming the pop music landscape. Released in 1968, the album’s title track immediately set radio and dance floors buzzing with its relentless groove and infectious optimism. Entire generations of soul, funk and hip-hop musicians take their cues from the elemental tracks contained here. That said, this is still a group in transformation. “Higher,” a rough prototype for the group’s later hit “I Want To Take You Higher,” and “Dance to the Medley” are inside looks at the group’s improvisational and experimental processes. Their sound was mapped out but, writing — or in this group’s case, uncovering — the songs that could support their explosive jams was still another lesson in an ongoing learning process. The expansive group featuring Jerry Martini’s sax, Cynthia Robinson’s trumpet and Sly and Rosie Stone’s keyboards informed the material with a swinging cinematic exuberance, but it’s the lively vocal interplay (the band had five vocalists) that gives a track like “Ride the Rhythm” its extra rush. The expanded edition includes several bonus cuts: mono single versions of the title track as well as previously unreleased recordings: “We Love All” and a vocally intense cover of Otis Redding’s “I Can’t Turn You Loose” that are worthy additions to the band’s established catalog.
Music Videos
Artist Playlists
- A funk pioneer invites you to dance to the music.
- Soul meets rock and launches a musical revolution.
- Their original tunes have been the source material for some of modern music’s biggest hits.
- Throughout the shifting times, their beat remained constant.
Live Albums
Compilations
More To Hear
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- An eclectic mix, from Sly & The Family Stone to Soundgarden.
- Little Dragon picks the 5 Best Songs on Apple Music.
- He discusses his project ALL-AMERIKKKAN BADA$$.
About Sly & The Family Stone
With its mixed-gender, interracial lineup and righteous blend of funk, soul, and psychedelic rock, Sly and the Family Stone captured the spirit of the late ’60s like no other band. • Sly and the Family Stone formed in San Francisco in 1967, with the inimitable Sly Stone at the helm. The band included two of Sly’s actual family members—brother Fred and sister Rose—and bassist Larry Graham, now famous for being Drake’s uncle. • After disappointing sales of their 1967 debut album, A Whole New Thing, the group broke through with “Dance to the Music,” the title track off their 1968 sophomore album. The single reached No. 8 on the Billboard Hot 100. • Their breakthrough fourth album, 1969’s Stand!, made the Top 20 of the Billboard 200 album charts and yielded their first of three No. 1 hits, “Everyday People.” • Sly and the Family Stone’s exuberant performance at Woodstock in 1969 is remembered as one of the festival’s high points. • Released in 1970, Greatest Hits reached No. 2 on the Billboard 200 albums chart and spawned a second No. 1 pop hit, “Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin).” • Amid intraband tensions and struggles with substance abuse, Sly and the Family Stone recorded 1972’s There’s a Riot Goin’ On, the murky funk landmark widely regarded as their masterpiece. The LP features the group’s third No. 1 pop hit, “Family Affair.” • The group disbanded in 1975, and Sly released a solo album, High On You, that same year. Over the next seven years, he would release three more albums credited to Sly and the Family Stone—none of which matched the success of their early work. • In 1993, Sly and the Family Stone were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Fellow psychedelic funkster George Clinton gave the induction speech.
- HOMETOWN
- San Francisco, CA, United States
- FORMED
- 1967