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Sly & The Family Stone – There’s A Riot Goin’ On (1971/2013)
DSF Stereo DSD64/2.82MHz | Time – 48:01 minutes | 1,9 GB | Genre: R&B, Soul, Funk
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download – Source: ProStudioMasters | Booklet, Front Cover | © Epic Records
Recorded: 1970–71, The Record Plant, Sausalito, California
During the late ’60s, Sly and the Family Stone was the house band for the new utopia: celebratory, integrated, intent on breaking down walls, and full of relentlessly positive, idealistic energy. 1971’s „There’s A Riot Goin’ On“ directly contradicted all of these characteristics. Instead, the album represented the dark days of post-’60s disillusionment–a move from right-here/right-now ethos to reflection (‘Time’), from integration to separatism (‘Thank You For Talkin’ To Me Africa’), and from Sly’s exuberant cheerleading to a weary, craggy-voiced vocal style. Many fans considered the album a ‘downer’ at the time.
In truth, „There’s A Riot Goin’ On“ is stunningly innovative and artistically accomplished. Here Sly began playing with subtle, sophisticated rhythms, creating webs of interlocking parts and textures, foregrounding mood over pop structures. The production is murky, keeping with the dark, edgy themes of the album, yet it is packed with detail. The burbling guitars, keys, lock-pop bass, and ghostly vocals create a warm, enveloping cocoon, as on the honeyed, heavy-lidded groove of ‘Just Like A Baby,’ the percolating surge of ‘Family Affair’ (one of Sly’s finest moments), and ‘(You Caught Me) Smilin’,’ which catches a wistful flash of the old optimism. Though it may be a challenging listen for the uninitiated, „There’s A Riot Goin’ On“ rewards endless repeated listens.
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Sly & The Family Stone – There’s A Riot Goin’ On (1971) [Reissue 2013]
PS3 Rip | SACD ISO | DSD64 2.0 > 1-bit/2.8224 MHz | 47:59 minutes | Scans included | 1,93 GB
or FLAC(converted with foobar2000 to tracks) 24bit/88,2 kHz | Full Scans included | 974 MB
It’s easy to write off There’s a Riot Goin’ On as one of two things — Sly Stone’s disgusted social commentary or the beginning of his slow descent into addiction. It’s both of these things, of course, but pigeonholing it as either winds up dismissing the album as a whole, since it is so bloody hard to categorize. What’s certain is that Riot is unlike any of Sly & the Family Stone’s other albums, stripped of the effervescence that flowed through even such politically aware records as Stand! This is idealism soured, as hope is slowly replaced by cynicism, joy by skepticism, enthusiasm by weariness, sex by pornography, thrills by narcotics. Joy isn’t entirely gone — it creeps through the cracks every once and awhile and, more disturbing, Sly revels in his stoned decadence. What makes Riot so remarkable is that it’s hard not to get drawn in with him, as you’re seduced by the narcotic grooves, seductive vocals slurs, leering electric pianos, and crawling guitars. As the themes surface, it’s hard not to nod in agreement, but it’s a junkie nod, induced by the comforting coma of the music. And damn if this music isn’t funk at its deepest and most impenetrable — this is dense music, nearly impenetrable, but not from its deep grooves, but its utter weariness. Sly’s songwriting remains remarkably sharp, but only when he wants to write — the foreboding opener “Luv N’ Haight,” the scarily resigned “Family Affair,” the cracked cynical blues “Time,” and “(You Caught Me) Smilin’.” Ultimately, the music is the message, and while it’s dark music, it’s not alienating — it’s seductive despair, and that’s the scariest thing about it.
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Sly & The Family Stone – Greatest Hits (1970) [Audio Fidelity 2015]
PS3 Rip | SACD ISO | DSD64 2.0 & DST64 4.0 > 1-bit/2.8224 MHz | 40:55 minutes | Full Scans included | 2,97 GB
or FLAC 2.0 Stereo (converted with foobar2000 to tracks) 24bit/96 kHz | 37:11 min | Scans included | 847 MB
Features Stereo and Quadrophonic surround sound | Mastered by Kevin Gray | Audio Fidelity # AFZ5 215
Released in 1970 during the stopgap between Stand! and There’s a Riot Goin’ On, Greatest Hits inadvertently arrived at precisely the right moment, summarizing Sly & the Family Stone’s joyous hit-making run on the pop and R&B charts.
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Sly & The Family Stone – There’s A Riot Goin’ On (1971/2013)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/176,4 kHz | Time – 48:06 minutes | 2,09 GB | Genre: R&B
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Epic – Legacy
There’s a Riot Goin’ On has been declared by critics as one of the greatest and most influential albums ever recorded, predating sounds found in future groundbreaking albums such as Exile on Main St. and Velvet Underground and Nico. It was a complete change in directino from the high-energy pop-funk singles that were found on earlier records like Stand!. It has been considered to be one of the first instances of the type of funk music later popularized by George Clinton/Funkadelic and the Ohio Players. The records that followed There’s a Riot Goin’ On are considered to be some of the first and best examples of mature funk music, and the album has inspired musicians from a multitude of backgrounds since its initial release.
There’s a Riot Goin’ On is Sly & The Family Stone’s fifth studio album, released on November 20, 1971. It was recorded primarily in 1970 and 1971 at Record Plant Studios in Sausalito, California. Unlike their previous albums, There’s a Riot Goin’ On is more funk oriented and had a darker mood. The title was given to the record as a response to Marvin Gaye’s album What’s Going On, which was released five months previous.
The album debuted at number one on the Billboard Pop Albums and Soul Albums charts immediately upon its release, and the album’s single “Family Affair” shot to the top of the Pop Singles chart. There’s a Riot Goin’ On was certified Gold by the RIAA in 1972, and went on to ship 1 million copies.
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Sly & The Family Stone – Heard Ya Missed Me, Well I’m Back (1976/2017)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 34:04 minutes | 703 MB | Genre: Soul, Funk, R&B
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Epic – Legacy
Heard Ya Missed Me, Well I’m Back, Sly Stone’s ninth album for Epic, features a reunited Sly & the Family Stone. Sly’s previous album, the funk-filled High on You (1975), had been a solo effort. The sentiment here sure seems inviting — Sly optimistically reuniting with his group in an aim to recapture the magic of his late-’60s prime — yet the result is sadly disappointing. Rather than revisit the funk of High on You or the psychedelic pop/rock of late-’60s Sly & the Family Stone, Heard Ya Missed Me, Well I’m Back seems modeled after the Philly soul sound of the time. This in itself is fine — this was 1976, after all, and the Family Stone seemed well-suited for the horn- and chorus-filled style of Philly soul, which was then in vogue — and it certainly makes for a curious entry in the group’s catalog. However, neither the songs nor the music here is especially engaging beyond the level of curiosity. The marketplace didn’t respond well to Heard Ya Missed Me, Well I’m Back, and it’s fairly easy to hear why — nothing here sticks, even if the music is pleasant enough and even if Sly is in an optimistic mood. Sly & the Family Stone may be back here, as the title proclaims, but this isn’t the same band spiritually or musically. One suspects Epic may have pushed Sly in the Philly soul direction, given the label’s treatment of the Jackson 5 on Goin’ Places (1977). After all, the label didn’t care enough about Sly to keep him around for long; following the commercial failure of Heard Ya Missed Me, Well I’m Back, he was dropped from his contract after only two albums. ~ Jason Birchmeier
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Sly & The Family Stone – Greatest Hits (1970/2021)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/192 kHz | Time – 40:25 minutes | 1,45 GB | Genre: Soul, Funk, R&B
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Epic – Legacy
Released in 1970 during the stopgap between Stand! and There’s a Riot Goin’ On, Greatest Hits inadvertently arrived at precisely the right moment, summarizing Sly & the Family Stone’s joyous hit-making run on the pop and R&B charts. Technically, only four songs here reached the Top Ten, with only two others hitting the Top 40, but judging this solely on charts is misleading, since this is simply a peerless singles collection. This summarizes their first four albums perfectly (almost all of Stand! outside of the two jams and “Somebody’s Watching You” is here), adding the non-LP singles “Hot Fun in the Summertime,” “Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin),” and “Everybody Is a Star,” possibly the loveliest thing they ever recorded. But, this isn’t merely a summary (and, if it was just that, Anthology, the early-’80s comp that covers Riot and Fresh would be stronger than this), it’s one of the greatest party records of all time. Music is rarely as vivacious, vigorous, and vibrant as this, and captured on one album, the spirit, sound, and songs of Sly & the Family Stone are all the more stunning. Greatest hits don’t come better than this — in fact, music rarely does. – Stephen Thomas Erlewine
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