Rick Clark's Music I Love Blog - Artist: Sly & The Family Stone
Sly & The Family Stone! One of the greatest bands in American music history! Talk about a powerhouse!! They could go higher with their joyously ecstatic sound than just about any another act around, and they could turn around and mine some of the darkest places where society was broken. Theirs is the music of a time, and it is also timeless. Listen to their music and tell me if the themes that drove the music aren’t as relevant as ever.
Throughout everything, the sound they carved out was utterly their own, thanks to the fabulous horn section of Cynthia Robinson and Jerry Martini (that could go from bright punctuations to muted moody touches) and Rose and Freddie Stone’s keyboard and guitar playing. Larry Graham’s thundering funky bass playing and Greg Errico’s driving drum grooves laid the inspirational foundation for many future funk rhythm sections, and Sly Stone provided the vision with his amazing songwriting, arrangements, production, and distinctive vocals.
They came out of the gate with the infectious “Dance To The Music,” quickly followed by similarly celebratory hits “Life,” “M’Lady” and “Fun.” “Hot Fun In The Summertime” and “Everyday People” felt like songs that always existed. They still have a lift to them that is hard for me to describe, other than I feel like the world is a good place when I hear them.
Sly & The Family Stone’s Greatest Hits
Then there is the ominous funk of “Thank You (Falettin Me Be Mice Elf, Agin)” … dancing with danger in the air.
“Lookin' at the devil, grinnin' at his gun
Fingers start shakin', I begin to run
Bullets start chasin', I begin to stop
We begin to wrestle, I was on the top
I want to thank you falettinme be mice elf agin
Thank you falettinme be mice elf agin”
Later in the song ….
“Flamin' eyes of people fear burnin' into you
Many men are missin' much hatin' what they do
Youth and truth are makin' love, dig it for a starter, now
Dyin' young is hard to take, sellin' out is harder
Thank you falettinme be mice elf agin
I want to thank you falettinme be mice elf agin.”
(Songwriter: Sylvester Stewart
Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin) lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc, BMG Rights Management, Downtown Music Publishing)
I love all their albums, but my two favorite albums of theirs are Stand! (which came out in 1968) and the much darker funky There’s A Riot Goin’ On (1969). These are indispensable statements of the times that capture the hope, frustration, and the emerging cynicism that there might be more Altamont than Woodstock carrying us out of the ‘60s initial vision of possibilities.
Artist: Sly & The Family Stone / Song: “Stand” from the album Stand!
I love so many of their songs, but I often find myself gravitating first to “Runnin’ Away” and “(You Caught Me) Smilin’,” which thrills me every time I hear that opener with Graham’s thick slabby bass parts and string slaps and Errico’s delightfully loose/tight drums. The way Errico floats on the cymbals during the choruses just kills me. This track, with the deliberately distorted vocal moments by Sky, is my favorite vocal of his. Freddie Stone’s guitar parts are the definition of funky greasy … not too linear and tight. I love his descending guitar part that happens around 1:24 on the track.
Sly & The Family Stone - “(You Caught Me) SMilin’” from the album There’s A Riot Goin’ On
True to the spirit of There’s A Riot Goin’ On, “Runnin’ Away” is another song where the dull distorted sonics convey the sense that things aren’t what they were when the band was singing “I Want To Take You Higher” and “You Can Make It If You Try” only a few years prior.
When I listen to the exhortations of “Stand” or the lift of “Everybody Is A Star” or the meditation on human nature and how we’re-in-this-all-together sentiment of “Everyday PeopleI,” I can’t help but feel how utterly relevant this band’s music is to these times.
I could go on and on about them, but their music speaks but better than anything I can say about them here. Hope you enjoy what you hear.