Sly Stone S/D

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