Rolling Stone 500 Greatest Albums of All Time - Rated 119/500!
Nothing said it better than the title of Sly & The Family Stone's 1967 debut album. They were, indeed, A Whole New Thing! Over his first six groundbreaking Epic LPs, Sly Stone - a maverick studio genius who heard things nobody else did - turned the worlds of Soul, R&B, funk and psychedelia completely upside-down with his breathtakingly innovative band, the Family Stone. Pop music was shaken to its very core by this racially-mixed aggregation of men and women whose lyrics, deftly laced with political and social commentary, were woven through groovy rhythms and infectious melodies that made standing still virtually impossible. Even their clothes were mind-bendingly cool!
By the time the Family Stones fourth album was released in 1969, the dam had burst: They were full-fledged rock stars! No fewer than four tracks from Stand! were certified national smashes, led by the euphoria-producing I Want to Take You Higher and Slys heroic, rainbow-coalition-evoking plea for racial tolerance, the unforgettable Everyday People. At the time, People seemed like the apocalyptic blast from Gabriels trumpet, waking the world to the beginning of a Brand New Day.
"A greatest-hits album in all but name, Stand! is party politics at its most inclusive and exciting singer-leader Sly Stone at the top of his ecumenical-funk game. A DJ and producer in San Francisco during the Dawn of Hippie, Stone fortifies that utopian energy with the bonfire momentum of the civil-rights movement in motivational-soul sermons such as "Stand!" and "You Can Make It if You Try" without denying the divisions that threatened civil war ("Don't Call Me Nigger, Whitey"). And let's give due respect to the biracial, bi-gender Family Stone, whose rainbow thump here was a big influence on P-Funk and the electric Miles Davis." - www.rollingstone.com
"The title song from Stone's classic black-rock LP became a civil rights anthem. But when a test pressing got a muted reaction on San Francisco radio, Stone added the funky coda, played by what his A&R man Stephen Paley called 'old-men horn players,' since the Family was unavailable. 'He wrote out parts for the horn players and even passed out W-4 forms,' said Paley. 'He was that together.'" - Rolling Stone
Features:
High-Definition Vinyl LP
Selections:
1. Stand!
2. Dont Call Me Nigger, Whitey
3. I Want to Take You Higher
4. Somebodys Watching You
5. Sing a Simple Song
6. Everyday People
7. Sex Machine
8. You Can Make It If You Try
Nothing said it better than the title of Sly & The Family Stone's 1967 debut album. They were, indeed, A Whole New Thing! Over his first six groundbreaking Epic LPs, Sly Stone - a maverick studio genius who heard things nobody else did - turned the worlds of Soul, R&B, funk and psychedelia completely upside-down with his breathtakingly innovative band, the Family Stone. Pop music was shaken to its very core by this racially-mixed aggregation of men and women whose lyrics, deftly laced with political and social commentary, were woven through groovy rhythms and infectious melodies that made standing still virtually impossible. Even their clothes were mind-bendingly cool!
By the time the Family Stones fourth album was released in 1969, the dam had burst: They were full-fledged rock stars! No fewer than four tracks from Stand! were certified national smashes, led by the euphoria-producing I Want to Take You Higher and Slys heroic, rainbow-coalition-evoking plea for racial tolerance, the unforgettable Everyday People. At the time, People seemed like the apocalyptic blast from Gabriels trumpet, waking the world to the beginning of a Brand New Day.
"A greatest-hits album in all but name, Stand! is party politics at its most inclusive and exciting singer-leader Sly Stone at the top of his ecumenical-funk game. A DJ and producer in San Francisco during the Dawn of Hippie, Stone fortifies that utopian energy with the bonfire momentum of the civil-rights movement in motivational-soul sermons such as "Stand!" and "You Can Make It if You Try" without denying the divisions that threatened civil war ("Don't Call Me Nigger, Whitey"). And let's give due respect to the biracial, bi-gender Family Stone, whose rainbow thump here was a big influence on P-Funk and the electric Miles Davis." - www.rollingstone.com
"The title song from Stone's classic black-rock LP became a civil rights anthem. But when a test pressing got a muted reaction on San Francisco radio, Stone added the funky coda, played by what his A&R man Stephen Paley called 'old-men horn players,' since the Family was unavailable. 'He wrote out parts for the horn players and even passed out W-4 forms,' said Paley. 'He was that together.'" - Rolling Stone
Features:
High-Definition Vinyl LP
Selections:
1. Stand!
2. Dont Call Me Nigger, Whitey
3. I Want to Take You Higher
4. Somebodys Watching You
5. Sing a Simple Song
6. Everyday People
7. Sex Machine
8. You Can Make It If You Try
