Sly & The Family Stone – Greatest Hits

Album Revolution #3: Of course I had to include "Sly & The Family Stone's Greatest Hits" in the Album Revolution...It would have been criminal not to include it...Driving straight in the new decade of the '70's off the classics of "Dance to The Music", "Life", and "Stand!", it was smart to release this master of a "Greatest Hits" album....Along with the fore mentioned songs, you also have the classics: "I Want To Take You Higher", "Everyday People" and "You Can Make It If You Try" (just to name a few), that helps the album flow very smoothly...There are 3 new Ultimate Crown Jewels on here as well...."Hot Fun In The Summertime", is a cool down joint, perfect for chillin' in the summer...."Everybody Is A Star" (my absolute favorite), is another smooth joint, with the usual vocal interplay, with lyrics that are just out of this world!!!!! Then there's the "Ultimate Funk Workout" in "Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)...Now this one right here is the "BOMB!!!!! No other song in the "Sly & The Family Stone" catalog had the emphasis on the Bass playing of one "Mr. Larry Graham"!!!!!...It dominates the record, and it should!!!! After this, things would change very drastically for the group, not just musically, but professionally as well....

This is a pretty great pressing. There’s some slight surface whooshing in the song gaps, but the music itself is very dynamic, the bass thunders in a defined way and the soundstage is very nice. Recommended.

This is the oldest 'bass record' in my collection. Of course I am speaking about 'Thank you'. Originally released in 1969 as 7", this stereo version is an incredible deep funk track, which still crashes today's dancefloors, believe me!

Sly & The Family Stone’s most enduring accomplishment was to enhance their relentless and progressive funkiness, then to distill it down into a format that was more commercially friendly, getting back to the music within the funk construct … and for that aspect alone, Sly will be remembered for all time, as no one has been able to accomplish this aspect with the grace and harmonic texture that he brought to life.

Now, I’m not saying that James Brown wasn’t good, indeed he was, yet James was never able to apply the essence of what Sly was hearing in his head, even though the two were traveling down the same path when it came to social integrity, justice, freedom and empowerment for black Americans at the time, along with an abiding love of the sounds. Though with that in mind, Sly managed to bring white America along for the ride as well, as Sly’s songs were not as deeply steeped in black culture, nor did he embrace the racial divide, not that James Brown was a racial purist, but his music was created for and out of the black experience. Sly on the other hand had been working with multi cultural bands for song long that he was deep into the righteousness of both cultures, and then took a step into the counter culture of the times, tripped out on more acid than I’ve ever dared think about, coming back from those lysergic adventures as a new messiah in robes of many colours, with a voice and instrumentation that have been pounding at the walls of the establishment since those hazy days and nights of the 60’s, weaving his music with a funky swagger and textures that were far reaching in all that they encompassed.

The album Dance To The Music (though sadly “Hot Fun In The Summer Time” was not included on the LP) was one of those records the world needed at the time of its release, a record that was able, if for only a moment, to smooth out the frayed nerves of our collective consciousness at the end of that decade, giving us something to dance to, something to dance to in a new way, where we flew our freak-flags for all they were worth with a smile of emancipation on our faces.

It wasn’t until the release of their Greatest Hit’s album at the end of the year in 1970 that the world recognized Sly & The Family Stone were one of the most dynamic bands of all time, delivering a solid album of instant classics that have never been out of reach for me. That being said, it’s odd to think that the band only stuck it out for seven years and seven albums, though splintering around the edges had begun long before the band split, with the original assemblage not lasting that long to begin with … such a shame.

Sly was sincere about what he was bringing to the world and he made no bones about his love of pop music, yet they were not afraid of experimentation and certainly embraced an element of unpretentiousness, with their idealism never sounding corny.

Review by Jenell Kesler

Correct timing for "Sing A Simple Song" and "Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)":
"Sing A Simple Song" - 3:55
"Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)" - 4:47

Obviously, the timing was switched between these both songs on the inner gatefold credits and on the label.