Standing With Sly

This album is 50 years old today and to me it's not a bit dated.  Sly was way ahead of his time.  The story goes that Miles Davis went to a Jazz fest to see what the young folks were listening to and found out that this mixed race band with female vocalists and musicians were getting all the young kids to dance and have fun.  He knew that Jazz was not as popular as it once was and this style of music is something that needed to give Jazz a kick in the ass.  With only eight songs it gave anyone who heard it a good kick in the ass too.  All the albums by Sly are worth getting and this is the best jumping point.

I remember being a little kid and my father coming up to me handing me a cassette tape that he picked up from Shell Gasoline when he filled up. He would get one each week for a total of I think four weeks. Each cassette tape had about six songs on them. They were mostly summertime pieces that set a mood or for my father full of nostalgia of the late 60's and early 70's. Some of these songs were like "Mellow Yellow" by Donovan, or "Horse With No Name" by America." It's funny I can remember a few songs, but not all of them. One cassette though had "Hot Fun in the Summertime" by Sly and the Family Stone. I think I overplayed it, but it is worth it. These cassettes I used to listen to religiously because I really did not have many cassettes for a while. I had albums and and stuff I tape off the radio, but I did not buy many cassettes for a while. That all changed when I was in seventh grade. I bought a cassette a week. At one point my collect grew to over a 1000 cassettes.

Most of these cassettes were sold, but I still have about 300 still around the house. I keep these because some of this music has not been around in the MP3 or CD form. I laughed the other day of all the tapes I kept. I do have some tapes that are somewhat collectible like a King Crimson's Young Person's Guide to King Crimson tape which is still only on CD in Japan. The tape is orange. I also have a promo only cassette tape of Jeff Buckley's Grace. I am sure it will fetch some money. All the Funkadelic tapes I got when I was in New York. The cassettes my friend made for me of all kinds of bootlegs. Pink Floyd live in 1967 or George Harrison Wonderwall Music. I even found a Thelonous Monk tribute disc with people like NRBQ, John Zorn, Joe Jackson, and so many others that is not even on CD. I could go on and on. These cassettes were my life.

The Sly & The Family Stone was one of my favorite because I loved the music. His songs were about the real world and about life. His words were great and wonderful. They were also telling the truth of what was happening in our society at that time. It hit the point and made sure everyone was clear in understanding it. As I got a bit older I knew why I liked Sly & The Family Stone. One day I was watching the Woodstock Movie. They showed his performance and I almost flipped on how great it was. The medley he did of his songs and how his energy got the crowd involved was amazing. Just remember all these people singing and clapping along with him was simply a experience. At that point I was old enough to go record shopping and I picked up a few of his albums. I had a tape copy of the greatest hits. That was good up to a point.

I decided to buy a few albums. I bought two monumental ones. I bought There's A Riot Goin' On and Stand!. Each one was so good I did not know what to think. I played them both many times and still could not figure which one to commit to tape. So I put them both on one cassette and threw it my tape deck. Each of these albums had moments that were beyond description to me as a young adult. I even to this day have the problem of picking one that I would recommend. I remember that when I listened to these albums they were full of energy and most of full of great music. The funky bass of Larry Graham, the heavy organ of Sly Stone. Even more the wonderful sound of the who band playing as one. It must have drove people like James Brown and Miles Davis crazy. I heard stories that Miles saw Sly & The Family Stone and saw how both white and black people dug it so much that he decided to form a band that had these funk type qualities to them.

When I even decided to write this post I had problems figuring out what to write about. I chose Stand!, because that is the most accessible. This album had three hit singles and all the songs were some of the best that Sly Stone wrote. I remember these songs on the radio all the time and wonder then how he wrote such great pieces of music. Even the longest song on any of his albums has got great grooves and soul. Each person takes a lead on it and he really makes a case for all things funky.

I am sure my readers have some Sly & The Family Stone, but if you don't then I would suggest that you start with this one. This album had three hit singles and is the most accessible of all the albums. It was also most of the music that was featured in the Woodstock movie. It's a classic like the album that came after it, but to me it's where his loyal fan base loved that they could now finally say that he actually can fit in mainstream musical history. He was a great, and to the point writer who could now be remembered for some great work. Enjoy!