Sly Stone S/D

How about High On You from 1975? The critics seemed to like it around the time it came out. It just...tanked.

Small Talk is very good, High on You is spottier but still nice-sounding. W/r/t to the critical consensus, I think Fresh is the last great record, but the stuff that followed isn't as embarrassing as many lazy critics would have it. It's sort of a shame that the records I mention have all but been written out of history. Although the inclusion of some tracks from Small Talk and High on You (in remastered versions!) on the recent Essential Sly and the Family Stone set bodes well.

No kidding. I remember having some cassette hits compilation in college that had "Loose Booty" from Small Talk, easily one of the tightest little jams he ever did (and famously sampled on Paul's Boutique). It's almost embarrassing that the song has been available exclusively on those Rhino funk comps until this recent comp.

Maybe on the end of side A, it's track 4 on my CD. Anyway, terrific, yes! It's called Dance to the Medley and it's over twelve minutes long. A great album, Dance to the Music.

Maybe on the end of side A, it's track 4 on my CD. Anyway, terrific, yes! It's called Dance to the Medley and it's over twelve minutes long. A great album, Dance to the Music.

post-Riot Search: Fresh is fantastic, as is High On You, Small Talk, and Back on the Right Track. This stuff is *all* up there with his best work in my opinion.

Destroy: Heard You Missed ME, Well I'm Back.

why are these late-mid period Sly CDs out of print, and his last coupla albums relatively easy to track down now??

Plus, from the late records, the aforementioned "Crossword Puzzle," the title track of "Small Talk," "Same Thing (Makes You Laugh, Makes You Cry"), "Loose Booty." And from one of the early ones, "Advice."

(Plus I really want to know what the fucking chords in Family Affair are).

i rate his albums like this:
riot
stand
whole new thing
fresh
dance to the music/life

i like the others in the 70s but his songwriting was going down the pan a bit, already.

S: "Underdog," a song I love to kick a mixtape off with.

Presumably this isn't referring to the Electric Spanking of War Babies. The tracks from that album that Sly collaborated on are brilliant!

(Plus I really want to know what the fucking chords in Family Affair are).

Shakey Mo, do ya know what I own? The "Riot" SONGBOOK, with all 'em in it. I can't believe I ever found this, but I do have it, and if you want the chords to any of the songs, be glad to e-mail them to you, make copies and regular mail them, whatever. ("Family Affair" is actually quite simple!)

the lack of a closing quotation mark here had me thinking that sly had recorded a song entitled ""ha ha, hee hee, and sly's so out of tune he's nearly pushed out of that song altogether"

is out of print too, and fucking hard to track down.

yeah. no market for that.

ILM, I KISS YOU!

many others...

The series is called For the Record, not Off the Record.

< /pedant >

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/1841955914/qid=1116503480/sr=1-3/ref=sr_1_8_3/026-8727259-6275608

Destroy: Dance to the Music. I agree with Shakey: aside from the singles, this album doesn't really do anything for me. I haven't heard the post-High Epic/Warner Bros LPs, so I can't comment on 'em.

WTF does this even mean? I can understand if they weren't actually that into the four-on-the-snare Motown beats because they wanted to be doing funk, but to suggest that Sly had some other, hipper style in mind that he never got around to playing is such bullshit.

The True Story Behind This Album, August 20, 2004
Reviewer: obi odobi (Washington, D.C.) - See all my reviews

Since no one has really gotten into it here, I thought I'd write and clarify the circumstances of this recording for all of the Sly freaks, funk freaks, and other potentially-interested buyers.

By 1976, Sly's career was at an extremely low point. He hadn't had a significant commercial hit in years, he had lost his management, the original Family Stone was long gone, Sly's drug problems were apparently getting the best of him, and former bassist Larry Graham was putting Sly to shame (on record and in concert) with his more funky, pop, and upbeat version of the original Family Stone formula with his band Graham Central Station. In fact, Sly was struggling so much at this time that he actually toured (in support of his attempt at Philly International soul "Heard Ya Missed Me, Now I'm Back") as an opening act for the famous P-Funk Earth Tour in late 1976. It was a sad irony to see Sly opening for two bands (P-Funk and Bootsy's Rubber Band) that had been so inspired by HIM in the first place. At the end of tour, in fact, two of Sly's backup singers (one of which was his cousin) defected and joined P-Funk where they later recorded as The Brides of Funkenstein.

Sly dropped out of visibility, surfacing two years later in 1978 when he had left Epic and signed to Warner Brothers, and began working on his latest in a series of "comeback" LPs, "Back On the Right Track." Opinions are varied on the musical quality of this album (I think there are some great songs on there, but nothing resembling a chart hit) but commercially, it fared poorly. That must have hurt Sly after all the comeback hype. I don't think he even toured in support of the album. And I remember seeing Sly on the Mike Douglas show at this time. He was dispirited and so out of it on drugs that he could barely speak. Mike and the other guests just stared at him in disbelief.

He dropped out of sight again until around 1980, when word was that Sly was now in George Clinton's camp. The plan was for Sly to guest on some P-Funk releases, and for Clinton to produce (or co-produce) Sly's next album for Warners. This made sense, since Sly and Clinton were label mates at Warners (via Funkadelic and Bootsy). Clinton was talking the Sly project up in the press, Sly made cameo appearances during P-Funk's 1981 tour, and he and original Family Stone trumpeter Cynthia Robinson are on two versions of "Funk Gets Stronger" from Funkadelic's summer 1981 LP "The Electric Spanking of War Babies." Supposedly, the original version took up an entire side of a projected double album, but was later edited down. Personally, I love these tracks but objectively, they sound as if the main priority in the studio that day was getting extremely high, there happened to be a few instruments laying about, and the tape recorder was running. The same can be said for most of the Sly/P-Funk collaborations, the most significant of which is the P-Funk All Stars' 3-part "Hydraulic Pump" 12-inch (the complete version is available on the P-Funk All-Stars CD "Hydraulic Funk"). Like a lot of Sly's material with P-Funk (which is spread out over several releases), it sounds like they were trying to take a little bit of music and make a lot of out of it.

By late 1981, Clinton had become involved in a bitter dispute with Warners, with the end result that Funkadelic left Warners (they haven't released an album under the Funkadelic name since then). That also threw a wrench into the Sly project, which hadn't yet been completed. And supposedly, Sly just vanished, leaving the album unfinished. Warners brought producer Stewart Levine in to salvage and complete the project, and the album was released two years later in the spring of 1983 with the title "Ain't But the One Way." The cover photo (with Sly jumping over a fence wearing camouflage pants) dated back 5 years to the "Back On the Right Track" photo sessions. Sly must have been long gone if they couldn't even get an up-to-date photo for the cover of his album!

If you look at the album's personnel listing, you will see the names of many original Family Stone members, and also the names of many studio session players. That suggests that the basic tracks were cut with Sly, Clinton, the Family Stone (maybe augmented by some players from P-Funk), and that the project was completed later with Levine and the studio musicians. That's probably why the album has a glossy, generic sound to it. If you listen closely, you can hear traces of the Sly/Clinton approach underneath, especially in Sly's lyrics, singing attitude, and electric piano playing. If you want to compare the two approaches, listen to the demo version of "Who In the Funk Do You Think You Are" from the first volume of George Clinton's Family Series, and compare it with the Levine-produced version on the "...One Way" album.

As far as the music, it sounds far more inventive and inspired than Sly's previous LP "Back On The Right Track." Hardcore Sly fans know that there is not a single Sly LP without at least a few moments of genius, however fragmentary. If you're sensitive to Sly's musical "codes," you can hear that they had some good ideas going, lyrically and musically. You can hear Sly's stoned wit in good effect. But you can also hear that the ideas were left in a skeletal and incomplete state, and were completed by someone else with a very different production concept. The strongest songs to me are the poignant rehab ballad "Ha Ha Hee Hee," the cover of the Kinks "You Really Got Me," the vignette "Sylvester" (another song seemingly dedicated to Sly's mother), the "I Want to Take You Higher" retread (called "High Y'all"), and a few others.

You have to give Clinton credit for inspiring Sly to break out of the playing-it-safe mold of his recent records and push the envelope here. And Stewart Levine also deserves a bit of credit for achieving a professional sound in the end with what he had to work with.

If they had completed this album with the original team, it would probably have been the strongest and most interesting Sly album in a LONG time. It might have even been a commercial success. But unfortunately, it fell victim to music business chicanery and drug excess. "Ain't But The One Way" turned out to be Sly's de-facto farewell to the music business. He hasn't relased an album since then and for the rest of the 1980s, it seemed like he was in the news for one drug-related offence after another. The funny thing about it is that on the Mike Douglas show I mentioned above, one of the few coherent things I remember Sly saying was - and this is a quote as best I can remember - "I'm gonna release one more album and if it doesn't go platinum - BYE Y'ALL..."

A Whole New Thing is worth hearing if only for "Underdog" and "Trip to Your Heart." (I didn't know until three years ago that the latter was the source material for the ahh-uhh-AHH-ahh's in LL's "Mama Said Knock You Out.")

Would love to see a transcript of the Douglas chat.

"I Cannot Make It", too...

It should be noted that there was a Funkadelic album called The Way of the Drum recorded for MCA in 1984-5 (it was rejected by the label), so Warner Bros has nothing to do with there not having been a Funkadelic album in the last 20+ years. Universal says they've lost the masters, by the way.

and of course A Whole New Thing is out of print and never issued on CD

Um, Shakey, didn't we go over this on the FMBB a few years back where you were upset that this was on CD, but the only album that didn't get a vinyl reissue?

The story in Mojo a coupla years back on the making of RIOT is a high freak point in music journalism.

This is the only issue of MOJO I've ever bought (great story on the making of Cloud Nine by the Temptations as well), which has always made me wonder why the magazine is so hated on this board.

sounds like something I would say. (I have had a vinyl copy of it for a few years now - not a reissue tho)

The reason I bought this expensive import was to have a perfect copy instead of having to painstakingly restore my vinyl copy on my computer using an audio restoration program (Sound Forge, etc.). But instead, I found out that the CD version of the album is full of hiss, and is ACTUALLY missing the funky breakbeat clips at the beginning of "Time For Livin'", which was a hip hop sample classic. I collect many classic funk pieces, and I would advise the purist to DEFINITELY get the reissue of this on vinyl, and use an audio program to get the clicks and cracks out. You will definitely get closer to the Quadrophanic quality that way.

Yes. I hate that cover with the photo looking out from the stage or whatever is, looks so cheap and corny.

The stuff you saw on VH1 was from Don Kirschner's Rock Concert in '73, where Sly has a big hat and gold Sly buckle. It's quite cool for attitude but the music is not quite up there with the Larry Graham era Family Stone.
Check out the Dick Cavett shows, where the original line up are on form, and Sly's interviews are the most wasted I have ever seen anyone on TV.
If you want this footage and loads of others, it's all out there.

there's also a dick cavett dvd boxset, rock icons, that has an early sly episode in full. sly is late, and very high, and its kind of awkward to watch him and cavett sort of grapple with each other verbally for a bit and entirely not get wahat the other is saying (in sly's defence, cavitt seems to miss or badly receive much of sly's humour). but the music is good.

I've always been curious about the albums Sly put out in his "declining" years and whether they deserve the bad press they routinely get.

Over here in the UK Small Talk and Back On The Right Track (love the cover of the latter; Sly sitting, hands clapsed and looking doe-eyed at the camera like a penitent schoolboy) are available on CD and I note the comments above but High On You, Heard Ya Missed Me Well I'm Back and Ain't But The One Way aren't. Are they worth searching out or was Greil Marcus right in saying he didn't do himself any favours with all those I'm OK, Honest album titles?

Oh yeah, and the remix album Ten Years Too Soon - was it?

I like all of his albums, so you can probably safely ignore my opinion

High on You is fantastic.

Heard Ya Missed Me is really sad, very limp, his sonic tricks are all evaporated by that point, glossed over by some weird attempt at Philly Soul that doesn't work. Never heard Ain't But the One Way.

"Heard Ya Missed Me" isn't that bad, it grows on you! Some great basslines!

High On You is not "fantastic" — it pretty clearly runs out of gas early on. But the first two cuts (title track and esp. "Crossword Puzzle") are serious highlights. Back on the Right Track sounds a little bit like Car Wash, with a few good tunes and some great organ comping. It's worth hearing if for no other reason than "It Takes All Kinds," which is so smacked out/"I've-been-up-for-six-weeks-straight" it makes There's a Riot Goin' On sound like Enya.

Cos Enya DOESN'T sound like fucking heroin-womb music???????

small talk is underrated. been playing it all week. its basically the riot/fresh sound continued, but with strange violins and strings that could be potentially over-sappy but arent. the strings seem almost put on there to sound more like other records of the time/more polished - maybe to hide some of the records flaws, not sure, but it just gives it a more sympathetic edge and makes it sound quite diff to his other records.

has anyone read the eddie santiago or jeff kaliss books?

yeah, small talk is rad. is that the album with 'crossword puzzle'?

No, that's "High On You". As for the strings, there was a violin player in the band at the time I think?

High On You is wonderful. The last great album he made

the oldies station here plays "thank you (falletinme be mice elf agin" p much everytime i listen to it. this is a dope thing imo.

hahahaha based on strength of these quotes i might just have to buy for the record

it's out of print fwiw

did they ever do "maybe your baby"?

there are plenty of used copies going around anyway.

I highly recommend it

if just for the bit where Sly's pitbull Gun tries to eat his baby, and his wife (at the time) has to wrestle the kid away from the dog and flee the house

Just pulled down Listen to the Voices: Sly Stone in the Studio 1965-1970, which collects all his production work from that time period -- and frankly, OMG. There's a pretty awesome sampling of all the work he was doing at the time -- one of the Beau Brummels tracks sounds like Sly producing the Byrds.

But the real treasure trove on this is the circa-1970 Stone Flower stuff. The sound of There's a Riot Goin' On is there--all the Maestro King drum machines, wah guitars and clavinets, etc. plugged in direct--but the vibe as a whole is not quite as despairing. It's all great -- highlights including Joe Hicks' "Life and Death in the G&A" and 6IX's "Dynamite" and "I'm Just Like You" (the latter of which has a drum machine part one review I read described as a windshield wiper).

In particular, tho, Little Sister's "You're the One (Parts 1 + 2)" is just about one of the best things Sly ever did -- the amazing ensemble vocals, an incredible groove and an outstanding tune. It's unbelievable that this stuff hasn't been reissued until now.

Here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B2Yp2LIAGCk&feature=related

"You're the One" is indeed awesome (I've had the original 7" for awhile) - there was a different, more disco-fied version issued in the late 70s, apparently

i so so so wish little sister had completed an album. stanga and somebody's watching you are astonishing.

Yeah, if you like Sly and you don't have that comp you are totally missing out. The Joe Hicks version of "Life and Death" is just insane. Oh and finding the "Somebody's Watching You"/"Stanga" 45 for a buck was a recent triumph.

Oh and finding the "Somebody's Watching You"/"Stanga" 45 for a buck was a recent triumph.

this is the sort of story that might inspire me to start trawling dusty record stores again...

how did i miss that 65-70 compilation?? Imma go get that now. thank you!

OMG, 20 seconds into the 65-70 comp and I'm sold. Best purchase this week!

One of my fave comps of the last few years!

How did I miss this? That does look good.

I think it's a bit more uneven than people are making it out to be, but there is some real gold on there, stuff that's been unavailable/out of print for ages

Yeah, I'm not saying every track is bee's knees -- the Stone Flower stuff pretty much lords over the rest of it. But most of it is pretty-good-to-great. I also enjoy the vampy version of "You Really Got Me."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ki4GUz5Qwg

lol

so sad:

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/national/the_rise_and_fall_of_sly_stone_qijyKoYzmAqer1PA0YogSJ

that is very sad.

I want to say in that MOJO piece a couple of years ago that he was living in semi-squalor even then. Anyway, the guy's nuts and an addict. But most guys don't carry around a "get out of poverty" card like he does. If he could get his act together, he could play a few shows. But even Gil-Scott was doing better than this ...

resonance had an hour or two about sly stone, sometime, um, within the last year that's really worth checking out.

cocaine is so awesome!

ugh wtf.

I'd like to see the documentary they mention, but it looks like it barely played anywhere. It's only 74 minutes long, has eight IMDB ratings, and debuted on Netherlands television.

wow, that's bad. He's basically like the homeless dude on our block, with about the same support network (ie neighbors).

If you're curious about what Sly's camper van era recordings sound like, here's a taste

Apparently there's a new album, mostly reworkings of catalogue material with special guests. Wish I could have been a fly on the wall when he crammed Ann Wilson into the van. Okay maybe not. More good news: it's on Cleopatra Records. Further good news: dubstep mix of Family Affair. That'll get Gaga's attention.

oh good autotune

Apparently there's a new album, mostly reworkings of catalogue material with special guests. Wish I could have been a fly on the wall when he crammed Ann Wilson into the van. Okay maybe not. More good news: it's on Cleopatra Records. Further good news: dubstep mix of Family Affair. That'll get Gaga's attention.

...please tell me you're kidding.

Ned, I'm so sorry, but the universe from which I am transmitting this news is not in some alternate parallel plane.

My brain. Do you have a direct link to this info anywhere? People must be warned.

It's called (wait for it...) "I'm Back: Family and Friends" and here is the amazon link: http://www.amazon.com/Back-Family-Friends-Sly-Stone/dp/B0057JWWFU

^^it got like, three stars in Rolling Stone.

so, almost as good as the SuperHeavy album then

Yeah there was a display for this at Barnes & Noble, I picked it up and gave a firm shake of my head.

Sly is not credited as having played on the remake tracks; aside from the guest cameos the instruments were all played by Jurgen Engler and Chris Lietz. Hadn't heard of them but Wikipedia tells me they're former members of the German industrial rock band Die Krupps.

It's available on spotify if you're a masochist http://open.spotify.com/album/52C9QFWsfF3Kzb8riRPJzj if you thought that 'Dance To The Music' really needed Ray Manzarek to noodle all over it then it might be for you I guess.

If you're curious about what Sly's camper van era recordings sound like, here's a taste

this is awesome?
seriously i would buy a record of this, it totally has the kinda slinky shuffly thing i love the most about sly. am really surprised + wanna hear more

it is not awesome

I hear what you're saying about it containing some of his readily identifiable stylistic tics but still

"if i didn't love you, i wouldn't like your ass at all..."

i dig it

"Family Stone" are touring here in a month or two* - anyone know who's in this apart from Vet Stone (og backing singer) and Cynthia Robinson (og horn/backing singer)?

*on a festival with Flaming Lips, Mogwai, Portishead, Death In Vegas, Holy Fuck and Mercury Rev

I hear what you're saying about it containing some of his readily identifiable stylistic tics but still

I would buy a record of songs like that. It's really not bad.

Esp if they were hazy weirdly recorded demos like that.

yeah. i don't know whether there would be an inevitable 'let's get these into a studio & do them justice!' phase, at which the guy from the behind the scenes seinfeld segments who explains the various keyboard motifs used in the show suddenly pops up. but i would buy a record of those demos, word.

Autotune or not, it's more interesting from a stylistic standpoint than I'd expect from a guy who hasn't made a record in 30 years.

yeah it is just- like i would have expected some kind of watered down 'take' on the group's bigger/more out there in your face stuff rather than something that sits comfortably in the parameters of sloochy-solo-weird-keyboard jams

yeah. i don't know whether there would be an inevitable 'let's get these into a studio & do them justice!' phase, at which the guy from the behind the scenes seinfeld segments who explains the various keyboard motifs used in the show suddenly pops up. but i would buy a record of those demos, word.

Autotune or not, it's more interesting from a stylistic standpoint than I'd expect from a guy who hasn't made a record in 30 years.

yeah it is just- like i would have expected some kind of watered down 'take' on the group's bigger/more out there in your face stuff rather than something that sits comfortably in the parameters of sloochy-solo-weird-keyboard jams

the winding, kinda bluesy vocal melody & the keyboard part that comes in half way through are both great, i really love this

& the keyboards/organs sound great, the underlying organ part is like a robert lippok record or something

jeeeezus this is grim

have not watched, but assuming that tmz just zipped over to the guy's trailer to dig some dirt, maybe the documentary guy shouldn't have written a story about how sly lives in a van, included its permanent address & sold it to the post

I don't think TMZ did the interview, it was originally posted here...?

http://www.5min.com/Video/Exclusive---Homeless-Music-Legend-Sly-Stone-Admits-To-Recent-Drug-Use-517169072

that was so sad I had to stop watching. One thing's clear, though--Sly's voice is gone...hell Sly himself seems nearly gone. I'd rather see that dude get healthy than hear any new music.

can barely bring myself to contemplate what's happened to the guy, 'riot' is sometimes my favorite album ever and 'stand' ain't far behind. just terrible to think about.

This vintage clip is wonderful. Check out the face of the girl at 0:27. As a friend on Twitter pointed out, it reminds you what it was like before everybody became conscious of being on camera. It's pure, unselfconscious joy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWdVClbOYwI&feature=related

It was also before they invented being jaded. Also, crossing your arms and frowning.

HE SHOULD HAVE STUCK WITH BUTTERMILK!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p_Ll2AleUY0

Sly's voice is gone...hell Sly himself seems nearly gone. I'd rather see that dude get healthy than hear any new music.

^^^

decades of crack/cocaine is really hard on the vocal chords

Speaking of funk, isn't George Clinton allegedly a longtime functioning crack/cocaine addict?

yeah - GC's last arrest for cocaine/crack was in the parking lot of 7/11 in Ohio somewhere iirc...? That Clinton is even still alive and performing is a small miracle. (His voice, which was never all that melodious to begin with, is completely shot too btw). I'm not aure how Clinton has managed to keep going while someone like Sly falls by the wayside. Part of it may just be that Clinton has a much bigger support network/organization, I dunno...

What Sly needs is a Phil intervention:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OLH32F6Xvkw

Clinton kinda tight with the old purse strings... according to various ex P-Funkers

yeah there's that

Clinton also seems willing/eager to work though - tours constantly, guest appearances, albums, etc.

He's been a businessman since he ran the barbershop back in Plainfield

Parliafunkadelicment never had the massive hits that Sly did, so their commercial troughs wouldn't have been very deep (and therefore, disillusioning/disheartening/demoralizing), compared to Sly's. But yeah, Clinton never stopped touring (and he generally tended to show up to his shows).

Mind you, think he's been bankrupt at least once

huh had no idea clinton was still a drug abuser -- he just played in my neck of the woods. interviews i've read with him actually seem pretty together. guess he's figured out how to function for the most part.

Sly Stone's problem is not lack of money. It's lack of touring to make money, like GC does. But again, if Gil-Scott wasn't living in a van. there's no reason Sly should be.

I mean, how much did Sly make off Janet Jackson?

Thinking that, whatever his ups and downs, Clinton's a much less troubled individual than Sly (or Gil Scott-Heron)

I guess? Implication is that Sly would be a mess even without drugs, which I guess is possible.

Anyway, someone get this guy an ambulance chaser so that he can get paid!

http://www.whosampled.com/producer-sampled/Sly%20Stone/?sp=4

Sly was very together in the early days, but I think the success got to him (just) before the drugs

Clinton's last arrest in 2003

dude in P-Funk's road crew told me Clinton tours with a defibrillator.

it sounds more like Sly just manages his money badly/gives shit away/loses track of it etc

surely the dude should be living off of royalties alone

Yes, he must earn enough money a year not to have to live in van

Clinton must have made a load of dough from licensing his work for samples. I'm sure Sly must have been sampled extensively but nowhere near as much or as lucratively as GC.

Nonetheless he shouldn't be in the state he's in.

I have a source inside the P-Funk camp that says GC finally got off drugs earlier this year after a health scare. If so, good for him. Unfortunately, Sly's never had that kinda willpower when it comes to cleaning up, and those years of isolation must've done some damage. I mean, with or without drugs, Clinton's been more "together" than Sly since about 1973. That's more than half both their lives.

^^^wouldn't be so sure about that re: GC and sampling royalties - Clinton gave away a lot of stuff, and ownership of his publishing rights went back and forth a lot (so many lawsuits, I can't keep track)

IIRC, Clinton has been/is being royally screwed by Westbound Records, and not in the normal ways labels screw artists: his signature was forged on a re-up of a contract.

Actually, he's devoted a whole blog to that subject: http://www.funkprobosci.com/

wow

'Coming to you from George Clinton better known as lethal lip the linguistic full metal jacket of vernacular ballistic shooting off at the mouth without chapped lips, hairs on my funk while others flunk diaper rash.’

love

the article above suggested sly had been screwed over by the label, etc, and that his publishing had been sold off back in the 80s, so that, combined w/his legendary untogetherness, means this sad situ shouldn't be too much of a surprise.

seriously, after reading that 'in their own words' book a few years back, i'm amazed sly made it to the 80s.

that book is so good

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o5vu9eNMKgQ

I think Sly played on that Material/Maceo EP back in ... 1990? With Bootsy, Bobby Byrd and Bernie Worrell, among the Laswell ringers.

i've always wondered if george and sly had any memory of making this. i just imagine everyone waking up on the floor of the studio at 4 in the afternoon trying to remember what happened the night before.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kef7gR6bhUA

Sly shows up on the Axiom Funk comp with that crew...on the worst track of the bunch unfortunately. xp

^^^^

Xpost- the audio on that YouTube clip ain't the 12 inch version of "Hydraulic Pump," which has verses and is 12 minutes long. It beats the shit out of the version above, which was on the otherwise excellent Urban Dancefloor Guerillas. And yeah, they musta been high as kites.

long version is on Spotify btw

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KkPci47b2EQ

missing a minute and a half tho

You pump up and down, you pump up and down, you pump up and down and then you break it down!

I mean, how much did Sly make off Janet Jackson?

probably fuck all since Michael Jackson owned Sly's publishing by then

yep. sold 'em to MJ some time in the early 80s iirc

Sly shows up on the Axiom Funk comp with that crew...on the worst track of the bunch unfortunately. xp

exactly!!!

I know!!! ARRRGHHHHH SLY

wtf is Sly doin on this 1974 Elvin Bishop album...?

All of the box set was good wasn't it? The early lesser known psychedelic funk stuff included. Pretty weird in places.
Was surprised to find out that the last lp in there was still pretty good, just maybe not in comparison to other stuff by the same band. I think that's Small talk

hadn't realised that box 'a Collection' was a limited edition though. Or maybe had forgotten

Small Talk is totally a good album. dunno what else is in the box

small talk is great!!

there's a couple half-assed tracks on it imho but all the weird string stuff makes it stand out in his catalog and is really quite lovely

a Collection was all the lps up to Small Talk remastered and expanded. So all the discs that appeared separately in around 2009.

that they left the singles out of that Collection box set is so irritating

well I didn't buy it I guess I'm not irritated but it is sort of stupid

I thought most of the singles were present as the bonus tracks on the relevant lps

referring to Everybody is a Star, Hot Fun in the Summertime, and Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin) - all of which are key, peak-period works, especially the latter

Right, odd exclusions. Were they on the Greatest Hits set that came out in the band's lifetime? In which case it might be a bit odd that that wasn't included in the set since it has been thought of as a classic lp inits own right, obviously there would be at least some amount of duplication but it might at least mean everything was included.
Not sure why they weren't stuck on as bonus tracks. Looks like what was in terms of singles was different edits of lp tracks that had come out as singles.

Sly on the radio in '67: http://airchexx.com/2012/05/17/archives-sly-stone-on-ksol-san-francisco-1967-828-scoped/

Those singles are on the greatest hits set from 69/70, whic got remastered and released after the other albums.

You know what's a good single? "Time For Livin'."

that air check of Sly on the radio is awesome, thanks for posting.

I finally got around to watching the Sly episode of Unsung on my DVR and I had no idea they'd interviewed on camera for it! Took me a minute to accept that was actually happening.

interviewed him on camera for it, I mean. Played little bits of new music on his laptop, too. Dude has discovered autotune.

Happy bday Sly (70 yrs old today)

http://ww2.hdnux.com/photos/20/31/26/4298133/0/940x583.jpg

Big boxed set coming out this year, supposedly.

His birthday is a week today, the 15th. I just happen to know that because, in advance of said birthday (happening over our March break), I played "Everyday People" for the class today. And then, subbing for a health lesson on substance abuse that we skipped to watch a movie, played a clip of him interviewed a couple of years ago.

lol so do those come out every few years now or what

I stumbled across some alternate versions+outtakes from Back on the Right Track awhile ago that were pretty interesting. I think they came off some Japanese expanded reissue or something.

His birthday is a week today, the 15th

fuckin Chronicle lying to me again eh

also lol @ Sly as cautionary drug tale

Yeah, what I read about the box was "nearly 25% unreleased material!"

Now, if they'd actually release the live album that was supposed to come out about 10 years ago...

also lol @ Sly as cautionary drug tale

If that means I have the mohawk and the hunchback is my sidekick, then yes.

That was the exact question I posed to the class, and surprisingly a third raised their hands "Yes."

He's gonna do 3 shows with Rufus on the US east Coast

sure he is

i was thinking about it, but having lucked out with a previous sly gig at bb kings (i.e. he seemed actually engaged for a portion of the short set, so it wasn't a total wipeout), did not want to press my luck for what could turn out to be a one or two song guest appearance by sly. if i hear later that chaka dropped in, i will regret my decision terribly.

sure he is

― Hip Hop Hamlet (Shakey Mo Collier)

haha.

my thoughts exactly ..

The Howard Theatre publicist asked me if I'd like to do an interview! I said sure and then of course it got cancelled.

That was your interview.

It's the interview equivalent of "There's A Riot Goin' On" (the song).

He did a NY show with Rufus. It did not go well. DC show was postponed.

http://ginzburgsgab.blogspot.com/2013/10/rufus-with-sly-stone-bb-kings-supper.html

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zosHA330xyg

Sly comes on about a minute in, wearing a curly blond-haired wig and headband

:(((((((((

Had no idea this happened a few years back:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A8pO7s7PQXk

All I know is, if you're struggling with crippling drug addiction and mental problems, hanging with George Clinton and P-Funk is probably not the surest way to sobriety.

Tony Maiden like a motherfucker up there though. Dude soars out of the gate.

Yep, makes me want to go see Rufus. Saw some mentions that they had played with Sly in Japan some time recently. I guess that's noble of them.

I saw Sly onstage with P-Funk for a song or so circa 81 I think. He didn't do much musically back then either.

dude needs to get a neck surgeon or something. such a bummer to see him like that

he apparently refused to go to a doc after the accident where he first hurt his neck, so he's like a hunchback now

:(((((((((

^^^ that Sly/Rufus footage is really really sad.

Whats up w this new 7"? What period/year is it from?

Every time I see this revive I expect it to be an RIP thread

Sly is on a new pfunk single apparently

wait what

Yup. Covering Lord Buckley.

Great news:

http://www.factmag.com/2015/01/28/sly-stone-awarded-millions-in-unpaid-royalties-after-court-ruling/

awesome

hope he doesn't spend it all on crack

^^^

I got that Stone Flower comp over the holidays, so great. Inner sleeve is just a giant photo of his Rhythm Ace.

wish he'd managed a whole album with little sister

stanga is my jam, and i would always play it when i dj'd regularly, back in the 00s

Just thinking about Sly's utterly wasted genius makes me sad. I'm glad he got the $$$, maybe he can use some of it to get healthy.

eh he had a pretty amazing run. I am sad his last few decades have been such a mess, seems like a lot of unhealthiness/unhappiness but what do I know

Well, George Clinton finally got off crack at 70, hopefully Sly can too.

George's matter-of-fact discussion of his love affair w crack in his autobio is p eye-opening

Don't know if anyone read Duff McKagan's bio, but he talks about Sly living in a pretty awful apartment close to the whole GN'R crew before they made it big. How this guy is still alive is beyond me.

I'd be surprised if Sly ever collects on this, but who knows. I'm also surprised that anybody ever tried to be his 'manager' post-1969. As for being homeless... that's been debunked. He just moves "when things get weird." Apparently.

he wasn't living out of his car?

homeless implies being so poor you can't afford a place to live, which was not really ever the case with Sly afaik

The Funkadelic 3cd set with Sly's track just came out, Christmas just gone.

link?

http://georgeclinton.com/first-ya-gotta-shake-the-gate/

I haven't heard it

this is the sly track (or at least one of them?) which is also upthread iirc:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QbPLMpgRc-o

It's awful, unworthy of the Funkadelic name IMO.

I didn't like it much at first either. But the song does grow on you. Likewise, the new Funkadelic record is as much of an unfocused hodgepodge as GC and the P-Funk All Stars' How Late Do U Have 2BB4 UR Absent?, but even at 3 discs it's marginally more consistent, and Sly provides some of the most interesting moments. It really is Funkadelic in name only, though.

the last Clinton album that I enjoyed was Dope Dogs, each album since has been a p random smorgasbord of stuff. which, to be fair, can also be said of a fair amount of his peak period output, just with better players/ideas. Is Sly on more than one track...?

I feel like George is only as good as his collaborators and he didn't get anybody good here. Way too much autotune (especially on Sly) and songs that give you a verse and not much more for about twice or three times as long as they need to be. It gets a little better on the 3rd disc but overall I don't expect to listen to it again.

the first disc on the 'funkadelic' is truly awful.

oh, it's a /new/ funkadelic album? no thanks. :(

SLY & THE FAMILY STONE—LIVE AT THE FILLMORE EAST OCTOBER 4th & 5th 1968 4CD BOX!

http://www.complex.com/music/2015/04/sly-and-the-family-stone-premiere

radical

Just hope it turns up as affordable this side of the Atlantic.
Not sure what the $60 I've heard it is likely to be is going to translate to when it appears. I think that price may be an early Amazon pre-order thing so not sure how accurate that is anyway.

I had a few live sets by them a couple of years ago but not sure if I still have any since they may have been on a crashed harddrive.

There is a Woodstock set in the Anniversary series for the festival isn't there but the band is seriously under represented in official live sets.

There used to be a couple of multi volume dvd sets doing the bootleg rounds from what I remember too. They had some really good stuff on too

jsut saw this one for the 1st time a little while ago. so great
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2mH7194qDqI

that's a great set

I'm not super-excited about this tho tbh, not my favorite live period of theirs

I am curious to hear them do St. James Infirmary tho. that's an odd song for them to do.

mentioned in passing above, but say it again yall: I'm Just Like You: Sly's Stone Flower1969-70
---not perfect but so damn good.
Here's the trailer (too brief)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1oCyHAhJgFA
and LITA link for samples of all tracks and more info
http://lightintheattic.net/releases/1451-i-m-just-like-you-sly-s-stone-flower-1969-70

More backstory: for the Higher! box. Pre-release sampler's gone, but it was afuckingmazing. I gotta get the box, although may have a little overlap with I'm Just Like You and other collections.

Damn, missed the link, sorry:
http://www.npr.org/2013/08/18/212367961/first-listen-sly-and-the-family-stone-highlights-from-higher

jsut saw this one for the 1st time a little while ago. so great

Thanks for posting -- I always wondered where this footage was from. It was used in Montgomery Burns' Jazz series on PBS to illustrate why Miles went electric. Wynton Marsalis and George Wein talked about how Miles saw Sly at the Newport Festival in 1969, saw the effect Sly had on the audience, and realized, in Wynton's words, "that he was an old man playing trumpet in a jazz band" and thus decided to go electric.

Except, when Miles played Newport in 1969 he's already recorded In A Silent Way; the band at Newport included Chick Corea and Dave Holland; and his set at Newport included material that would later turn up on Bitches Brew. But back to Sly, I always assumed this footage was from Newport, and wondered if the other Newport sets that year -- Miles, Zeppelin, Jeff Beck, James Brown, Sun Ra -- were filmed.

ha, i just watched part of that episode last night. yeah, needed some factchecking. miles was definitely influenced by sly, but as is the norm for the burns doc, it is more complex than all that.
don't think i've ever seen footage from newport 69, though that would be great. jazz (and other things) on a summer's day part II.

Yeah, I mean, the lineup...
http://41.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lmumkogZn41qh7tzmo1_1280.jpg

all of those festivals, it seems like it'd be a no-brainer to have a film crew on hand, but obviously that did not always happen.

Totally. Or sometimes, when there was a film crew, it took decades for the film to get finished/released (Message To Love, Soul Power).

the amougies film still hasn't seen official release.

holy shit @ that festival lineup

http://www.discogs.com/Various-Recorded-Live-At-Newport-In-New-York/release/1182883

On a related note I picked this ^^^^ up the other week and it is great and oh my god why has no one released the full length live sets from Stevie and Donny et al

Like, I learned a while back that all four nights at the Bitter End Curtis Mayfield played for Curtis Live were recorded, and I'm like, I want to hear all of that.

wait so miles was second on the bill at newport??

not sure if the poster is in order of importance... maybe though. did gary burton have some huge summer of 69 hit?
and yeah, good lord, why haven't they put out a complete curtis live box set, give me a break.

Burton was definitely big-time then, and Miles was still playing clubs in the US (he didn't hit the rock halls until months later), so it's not inconceivable that Burton would headline over Miles.

But I dunno how accurate those running orders are...if I was George Wein, I'd have Zeppelin close, rather than open, the final night.

I wonder if "Jeff Beck" means the classic Rod, Dunbar, Ron Wood lineup or something different?

at least rod was there:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3lNIWaei3RI

eesh ^^ this smokes

Indeed it does!

There used to be a stream of a 1968 Detroit Jeff Beck show (with Mickey Waller and Nicky Hopkins!) on Wolfgang's Vault, but apparently it's gone. Supposedly, the Jeff Beck Group and the Who were the only two touring acts not to be blown off the Grande stage by the MC5.

Thanks to that amazing Newport Jazz Fest poster for my new display name

the bonkers incredible jazz lineup is insane on its own

then you have 69 zeppelin, mothers of invention, jeff beck group, and sly & the family stone...jimminy christmas talk about some live bands

AND an afternoon with James Brown

lol at schlitz mixed bag. might need to start some kind of noize band w/ that name.

i know there some audio boots from the festival. i have the savage rose set kicking around somewhere. (yes, of all the bands on that poster the one that most excites me is savage rose.)

Savage Rose were pretty cool. "A Trial In Our Native Town" is one of the secret roots of doom metal; if someone put that out now and people would lose their shit.

wtf that tune is nuts! never heard that before

holy shit! thanks for the tip.. amazing that's 1968

Savage Rose is also def rec to those who like or would like to like spooky folk metal---but they had several stages etc., and since we're talking jazz now, don't forget Babylon their album feat. Ben Webster
(second row of pix, far right)
http://www.soundstation.dk/images/products/large/57/133257-b.jpg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AB7zzpNV8y4

Epic/Legacy is excited to announce the debut release of SLY & THE FAMILY STONE-LIVE AT THE FILLMORE EAST OCTOBER 4th& 5th 1968, a four-disc set of previously unreleased live shows recorded during the band's rise at New York City's legendary venue. The set is out today, Friday, July 17

got the promo -- very fun stuff, though it might've been better served chopped down to two discs of highlights.

R.I.P. Cynthia Robinson:

Friends, Famliy and Fans through out the world, Cynthia Robinson, Trumpeter and Co- Founder of Sly and The Family Stone has passed.
Our condolences go out to the Robinson Family and her bandmates and all family & friends ! You are in our thoughts and prayers and we are here for you. Please continue to support the Cynthia Robinson Cancer Care Fund due to the rising medical costs ( anything helps ). This site will stay up in her memory. God bless you Cynthia ! https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=1612767712320749&id=1422867367977452

man, i rarely get "gutted" by internet death news, but this makes me so sad. such a big part of my life. where would i be without that group and her in it? they taught me to love so much of what i love.

Aw man RIP

:(((( RIP Cynthia

:( RIP

Finally listening to Heard Ya Missed Me for the first time on Spotify. On first listen, this is a *far* better record than its reputation. The arrangements are generally excellent, there is no shortage of oddball melodies and the title track is a Latin number. “Mother Is a Hippie” is great and “What Was I Thinkin’” is this record’s “Crossword Puzzle”-esque killer groove.

I have to think this record’s terrible rap has more to do with its title and his own rep in the industry at that point than the music. This is better than High On You.

I haven't listened to either of these in so long, I should just put em on blind and see how they hold.

Also I remember paying $26 for a Japanese import cd of Heard Ya Missed me at Tower Records in 1997 because apparently that's what I was willing to do for more Sly at that point.

Hate the philly soul sorta arrangements on Heard Ya Missed Me. It's his worst record.

No way it's better than "High On You" but I'm still fond of it.

It's not even better than Back on the Right Track

I used to really like Back on the Right Track -- or at least, spent a lot of time with it when I got that Charley reissue in the 90s. But I think this one is sneaky -- those "philly soul sorta arrangements" are more clever than they seem. There's a lot of Sly syncopation going on -- but also some welcome diversity in the styles: Latin, doo-wop, pop. Maybe give it another shot?

I'd have to listen to a youtube rip or something - sold back my copy years ago lol

Runs out of steam on Side 2, songwriting is far from top notch Sly but, yes, some neat arrangements, basslines etc.

I don't mind side one of Heard Ya Missed Me! Sly and Cynthia are in fine voice! The first 2 tracks are fire emoji.

Loved this passage in this review I found online of High On You:

Sly frittered away the last ten years of his career doing his best to convince the world that, as his drug habits and isolationist tendencies worsened and the Family Stone fell to pieces in a morass of guns, bulldogs, and PCP, everything was fine! Better than ever, in fact! You don’t believe me? Check out my album titles! “Heard Ya Missed Me, Well I’m Back!” “Back on The Right Track!” I wouldn’t be surprised if there was an unreleased album from that era called “I Don’t Do Drugs Anymore, So Trust Me When I Say That Everything’s Cool!”

To my ears, this very hot Coffey set, ' bout to be served up by Omnivore, has Sly-type appeal:

Dennis Coffey
One Night At Morey’s: 1968
Release date: June 1, 2018

From his early work with ’50s/’60s hit makers The Royaltones (who also backed other artists like Del Shannon)—to his run through the Motor City’s independent labels as a session ace—to his pioneering and legendary work with The Funk Brothers, backing band to massive Motown hits like “Just My Imagination,” “Ball Of Confusion (That’s What The World Is Today),” “War,” “Cloud Nine,” “Someday We’ll Be Together” and “Band Of Gold” among many others—Dennis Coffey is a guitar legend.

The ’70s didn’t slow him down for one second as he struck out on his own and had a million selling hit with “Scorpio,” in 1971. He continued his studio session work (notably appearing on “Boogie Fever” by The Sylvers), scored films and produced other artists’ albums like Gallery’s Nice To Be With You and Rodriguez’ Cold Fact.

The 2000s have found Dennis appearing on the big screen including the 2002 film Standing In The Shadows Of Motown and the 2012’s Searching For Sugarman. And to this very day you can find him playing every Tuesday night in Detroit.

One Night At Morey’s: 1968 is drawn from the residency at Morey Baker’s Showplace Lounge in Detroit by the Lyman Woodard Trio. The trio consisted of Coffey on guitar, brilliant organist, Lyman Woodard, and drummer Melvin Davis, and could be found at Morey’s once a week. They played to a dedicated, often repeat, audience so the band kept the repertoire fresh and changing. One Night At Morey’s: 1968 follows last year’s Hot Coffey In The D: Burnin’ At Morey Baker’s Showplace Lounge released by Resonance Records, also drawn from the Morey’s residency, but with an entirely different track list.

All tracks on One Night At Morey’s: 1968 are previously unissued and come directly from the vaults of Dennis Coffey and producer partner, Mike Theodore. Tracks include original compositions, “Big City Lights,” “Mindbender,” and “Union Station,” as well as surprising and funky covers of “Billie’s Bounce” by Charlie Parker, “Burning Spear” by The Soul Strings, “Cissy Strut” by The Meters, “Eleanor Rigby” by The Beatles, “Groovin’” by The Young Rascals, and “I’m A Midnight Mover” by Wilson Pickett from the pen of both Pickett and Bobby Womack.

CD / DIGITAL TRACK LIST:
I’M A MIDNIGHT MOVER
ELEANOR RIGBY
CISSY STRUT
GROOVIN’
BURNING SPEAR
IT’S YOUR THING/UNION STATION
MINDBENDER
BIG CITY LIGHTS
BILLIE’S BOUNCE
All tracks previously unissued.
Cat: OV-284

“I Don’t Do Drugs Anymore, So Trust Me When I Say That Everything’s Cool!”

lmao

Love the first half of "Heard Ya Missed Me..." and that title track is fantastic.

“I Don’t Do Drugs Anymore, So Trust Me When I Say That Everything’s Cool!”

sounds like a good "clickbait that would make a good album title"

The album title is only slightly more on the nose than the song titles and lyrics (which are nowhere to be found on the internet BTW). “Everything In You Has to Come Out,” “What Was I Thinkin’ In My Head” – every lyric on this is some perversion of the optimism of his earlier records—“Everybody Is a Star,” “Life,” “Stand”—into this staring-into-the-abyss “Holy shit, I’m gonna DIE/Please give me one more chance” desperation.

It’s obviously not as successful or revolutionary as, say, There’s A Riot Goin’ On. But in a lot of ways the result is infinitely more pained.

Thanks, don. Speaking of Dennis Coffey, his book wasn’t bad either. Recommended reading about the rise and fall and return of a studio ace running the maze of interrelated Motor City music worlds.

Remembered the first two words but had to look up the full title: Guitars, Bars and Motown Superstars.

The idea that High on You is anywhere near the banality of Heard Ya Missed Me is just ludicrous.

High On You is definitely second tier Sly, but Heard Ya Missed Me is, like, fifth tier by that measuring stick.

xxp Thanks, James! Posted your tip about the book here:
Diary of a POLL Star: what are your most/least favorite books by musos?

I'm slightly annoyed that Ten Years Too Soon is so hard to find on the interwebs. The "(I Get) High on You" remix is pretty good: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lF06ACOtc1M

All about fresh

The idea that High on You is anywhere near the banality of Heard Ya Missed Me is just ludicrous.

High On You is definitely second tier Sly, but Heard Ya Missed Me is, like, fifth tier by that measuring stick.

I'm with you.

It’s possible I just wrote more words than have been written in aggregate on that record over the last forty-two years.

I think you're overstating the "interesting" aspects of Heard Ya Missed Me by quite a lot.

I don't understand how Sly mimicking the Philly Soul sound is a good thing at all. I mean, Philly Soul and McFadden and Whitehead are fine, but I find it really disappointing that someone as unique as Sly would ditch his one of a kind sound for a (sub-par) imitation of what was essentially a cookie cutter operation. To me, that just magnifies the record's shortcomings.

At least he still sounds like himself on High on You. Granted, a not as good version of his previous self, but still undeniably him.

I feel like Heard Ya Missed Me could have been made by any number of people.

I don't really think he's mimicking Philly Soul that much tbh.

Neither do I. I noted the two songs he did seem to be – one was a small flourish on Heard Ya Missed Me, the other was on High On You.

Sly documentary in 2019!

https://deadline.com/2018/12/sly-and-the-family-stone-feature-documentary-winter-state-entertainment-1202526757/

Sounds terrible tbh

horrible title.

In all honesty I am amazed that Sly still lives. If he's making the money he's due now, then bless him.

Sure, agreed. But a movie about his last 10 yrs as a crack addic trying to get paid sounds like a p grim one

Uh yeah. I don’t really have a lot of desire to gawk at Sly in his present state.

Posting this interview as a tribute to Dr. Morbius since the portrait picture you usually see of him was taken by the interviewee:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1gbUGS8sots

Newmark kills it on “in time.” What a groove

I'd say Fresh is his second-best record.

It appears that the documentary mentioned two and a half years ago is still unreleased. It's amazing that George Clinton seems to have been the only person in the last 40 years to bring anything to completion with Sly, who is also just about the only person in Clinton's memoirs who receives a vivid portrait. Clinton spends a lot more time in his book talking about ideas than other people.

I'd say Fresh is his second-best record.

not trying to be aggressive or argumentative here, but i thought that was the generally accepted consensus? riot and fresh the firm 1 + 2, with the #3 spot *usually* going to stand, but even that was never as firm a lock as the top two.

"skin i'm in" popped up yesterday while shuffling my ipod and, MAN YES, calstars! newmark just owns the whole album and rusty allen is right there with him. just some super fat, warm grooves all over that album. very dope.

Yeah. I don’t want to disparage Ericco though, he is fantastic on the earlier stuff, full of groove and space. I guess Sly could pick ‘em

I guess I'm remembering the Rolling Stone Top 100 1967 to 1987 list, which contained BOTH Stand and Greatest Hits, despite the latter record containing about 90% of what people want to hear on the former.

that line about the midget does not fly in 2021. #slyiscancelledparty

Fresh > Riot > [if we can't choose the classic pre-Riot Greatest Hits] Dance To The Music (the medley is just sublime, some of the most exciting music comitted to tape, and as great as Stand! is, Sex Machine and the long, turgid Don't Call Me ****** are hard skips for me)

And I really love large chunks of Small Talk, High On You and Back On The Right Track

Relistening to Sex Machine now and hush my mouth, it is a jam. Stll think Dance To The Music is the stronger album, though.

Fresh > Riot

correct

Fresh is great, but Riot is the greatest album of all time

I was at a yard party last weekend where the hosts were spinning Greatest Hits and I told my friend it seemed at the time, on that sultry summer day, to be the best record ever.

https://i.imgur.com/eGm2Pqo.png

Cynthia ❤️

Timing.

Fantastic news: @NovenaCarmel just revealed that #SummerofSoul director @questlove will be making a documentary about her dad, Sly Stone. pic.twitter.com/CSANjx8WL9

— Яandall 🎧 Яoberts (@LilEdit) July 12, 2021

Fantastic news... Summer Of Soul is just brilliant, one of the best music documentaries I've ever seen.

OMG

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2sgxbpFfk0M

Whenever they knew Sly was gonna miss a gig they should have sent that dude out there and let the chips fall...

That would be almost as hilarious as this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l5C2woQLgto

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VMQhO-ee-Cw

eat your heart out mike flowers pops

at least the Dick Jensen video had a recommend for this (although, bass player absolutely ruled):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bJ_QaEir7FU

Someone undoubtedly posted about it somewhere, but I had no idea Sly put out a memoir last year. Just ordered a discounted hardcover from Book Outlet. I would much prefer a biography, but you never know.