- There's a Riot Goin' On (Expanded Edition) · 1971
- Stand! (Deluxe Edition) · 1900
- Fresh (Deluxe Edition) · 1973
- Greatest Hits · 1970
- Stand! (Deluxe Edition) · 2007
- Dance To The Music (Bonus Tracks Edition) [2007 Remaster] · 1968
- Fresh (Deluxe Edition) · 1973
- Stand! (Deluxe Edition) · 1968
- Fresh (Deluxe Edition) · 1973
- There's a Riot Goin' On · 1971
- Greatest Hits · 1970
- There's a Riot Goin' On (Expanded Edition) · 1971
- There's a Riot Goin' On (Expanded Edition) · 1971
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.
Artist Playlists
- A funk pioneer invites you to dance to the music.
- Their original tunes have been the source material for some of modern music’s biggest hits.
- Soul meets rock and launches a musical revolution.
- Leur énergie débordante était propice au métissage.
Compilations
More To Hear
- Anderson .Paak drops his Smokey Robinson collab.
- Anderson .Paak drops his Smokey Robinson collab.
- 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
It’s impossible to tell the story of the ’60s counterculture without Sly Stone. A product of the Church of God in Christ (and later a San Francisco radio DJ who peppered his soul sets with Dylan and The Beatles), the songwriter, producer, multi-instrumentalist and creative thrust of Sly & The Family Stone fused the elation of gospel with the radical edge of psychedelia and funk. Despite cosmetic differences, these styles held similar goals: transcendence of self through surrender to music. Politically astute and proudly integrated (Stone was one of the few black artists to perform at Woodstock), the band and their sound became a bellwether for the era, mixing protest and party in equal measure. The Denton, Texas–born Stone pioneered funk while also blowing out its borders—just listen to There’s a Riot Goin’ On, which turned the genre inwards, capturing the bleakness and paranoia of America just as the country was becoming mired in Vietnam. And while Stone projected unity (“Everyday People”), he also carved out a space that felt unapologetically black (“Don’t Call Me N****r, Whitey”), a balancing act that made him a guidepost for Prince, Outkast and dozens of others, regardless of genre. Even when things got dark, both in his life and on record, his songs embodied a tremendously uplifting promise: that music could be revolutionary and still get people dancing.
- ORIGIN
- San Francisco, CA, United States
- FORMED
- 1967
- GENRE
- R&B/Soul