great post y'all.

when i think of sly stone two things come to mind:

1. I Want To Take You Higher
2. that freaky jacket that Sly used to wear...the one with the looong fringe hangin' from the arms.

I'm too stupid to know Prince is imitation. He's good though.

Nothing is more depressing though then Frankie Lymon's long, slow decline (WHY DO FOOLS FALL IN LOVE) . I watched some kind of TV movie a couple of months back. I wanted to slash my wrists. It hit me at a down time and it was just depressing as fuck; Drug habit. Hit his wife. Everybody pitied him. Friends turned their back on him.

http://www.history-of-rock.com/lymon.htm

A lot of rock crickets at the time considered them too commercial. The same cricketism was made about Bitches Brew, hard as that is to believe now. Strange days indeed. In retrospect they were one of the very few bands at Woodstock that didn't suck.

"Fresh" is worth mentioning too, I think. Though not one of their masterpieces, it is still an extremely cool record.

Thanks guys. At any given time whoever is popular is "too commercial" for a lo of critics. I don't really remember that about Sly, but I'm sure it's true.

Here is someone who just couldn't handle the responsibility of greatness, and has done everything to keep it at arm's length for almost 30 years. It's really too bad, but at least he did put out some timeless music in a short period of time.

"Fresh" has its moments - thanks for mentioning it.

A fine tribute. I've forgotten to add my Sly and the Family Stone CD to iTunes, but now I will.

This also reminds me I want to write something about Rhino and other labels' CD-ROM compilations, which came out five, six or seven years ago -- before the Internet exploded in use. I believe they should be redone and reissued so more people can see and hear the artists. My Rhino 'Rock Expedition' is the only material on acts such as the Beau Brummels I have, but it is very thorough. Thanks for the inspiration, Dawn and Eric.

Thanks MD, very glad you liked it.

I think "Fresh" is every bit as good as "Riot." Two of the best soul/funk lps ever, in my opinion.

A lot of people like "Fresh," I just see it as a step down, but Sly had greatness in him until he finally squeezed it all out.

Thanks Eric and Dawn for the trip down memory lane. "Hot Fun In the Summertime" has got to be my all time favorite summer song. Even more so than the Beach Boys (save and except the Young Rascals "It's A Beautiful Morning"). This is a terrific post and I would say is of Rolling Stone caliber.

thanks very much BB!

Sly is a genius, to me the greatest producer/writer/musician that ever lived. The Beatles were four people, Sly was just one person that wrote the lyrics, produced the songs, and played a lot of different instruments. Some people don't understand or know that sly started recording at four years old. I ask you guys to go all over the net and find out how many other artists that he either produced, wrote for, or played on their material. I think he has contributed greatly to this world through his music. Just check out the lyrics man! Sure I would like to see and hear from the whole group again just to show these wanna be rockers,rappers,and hip-hoppers what a real true artist is all about. Now I want ya to go out and get,"High on you" if ya don`t have it already, because it was really a Sly album. He made the return to the Instrumental song, "Green eyed Monster Girl" something that he had`nt did in a long time. Also don`t forget about the "LiL Sister" songs that he made. Instead of putting him down for all of the negative things that he did, we should be praising & celebrating him for what he offered and gave us to hear/see/feel. There was no better live group than Sly. What someone needs to do is offer him a great deal of mad loot so that we can hear & see him perform again. You don`t think that M. Jackson purchased his catalog just so that he could go to sleep with it in his bed. Do ya!!!!!!!!!!!

The comment about Prince is a little flippant. Granted he fits into the overall funk narrative, the "Minneappolis Sound" was innovative and Sign O' The Times is the last great double album.

A bit flippant perhaps - I was not trying to minimize Prince's value or importance, just saying his approach was blueprint Sly - he has sure done it well and for a much longer period of time.

I LOVE The Essential Sly & The Family Stone.
Who has ever made more happy music? What great life affirming music. THANKS Sly & the Family for all you have done. I look forward to what you will be doing.

Bill, thanks, I certainly agree about the music. Unless something changes drastically - and it may be too late for that - I don't foresee much new coming together, but you never know.

IS SLY STILL ALIVE

yes he is

can someone please tell me the name on this particular album cover if you recognize it. I have a pic, but I cant make out the words. I will email it to anyone if you think you can help. Thanks a lot!

Let Sly know that we stll love him and his music and thanks for giving many a happy high.
Can I email Sly?

Maybe he will see this - I do not know how to contact him.

Eric,I really dig Sly & The Family Stone
too.I think that you may be going out on
a limb a little by their inclusion on
your Top Ten list of the Greatest R'n'R
artistes of all time but I'm with you on
your decision 100 percent.

I would've liked to have seen Mr. James
Brown & The JB's on your list as well as
Sly.I feel they have definitely got more
of a claim to the throne than does,let's
say U2). Only time will bear me out on
this I suppose.

The body of music left behind by Sly and
his group not withstanding,I really do
think that Sly's greatest accomplishment
may be his making Funk,R and B and Soul
music readily accessible.By way of some
radio friendly(AM & FM)tunes,a racially
mixed ensemble and very highly energized
live performances,a lot of people who
wouldn't normally listen to those genres
did.

Sly's mixing of (alongside those of War,
Santana, Charles Wright & The 103rd St.
Watts Rhythm Band,Tower Of Power & other
multi-racial groups of the day)Pop,Rock,
Soul and Funk helped to lay down the
foundations for Prince, Michael Jackson
(post J5) and The Red Hot Chili Peppers
to name but a few artistes whose music
reflects the influence of Mr. Sylvester
Stone.

It's too bad the drugs and his personal
problems got the best of him, depriving
the world of his many talents. We still
have his musical legacy though and IMHO
that's what counts in the big picture.

Thanks HW, I'm glad we generally agree on this. I was debating JB but finally I decided there was more than one James Brown band, that they kind of mutated over time, and that Sly was much closer to the "rock" theme musically and conceptually than James, who was very clearly in the R&B revue tradition.

One of the greatstes of all times.

I agree, Hope, thanks.

Sly & the Family Stone is the greatest band ever to grace the world of music. i'm only a freshman in high school, and I had never heard anything by them beyond what the radio played. My uncle lent me their greatest hits, and i couldn't believe what i was missing. Their Essential cd is amazing. If The Family could reunite with Sly as the frontman, then maybe my generation could experience the musical genius that has been missing for too long.

You have excellent taste Nick, but I don't see the band reuniting behind Sly, who is just too damaged it appears.

I wouldn't call them the great band ever, but they are still not fully appreciated by most, as evidenced by the reaction when I picked them as the 10th greatest band.

I think that one of Sly's greatest coups
was bringing the "FONK" to white America
without sacrificing musical integrity or
sanitizing it.His music was also a great
common denominator.Growing up in So.Cal,
ALL my friends dug Sly.Black,White,Asian
Hispanic and so on,we could always agree
on Sly when we were partying.

Excellent point HW - that ability to transcend borders is why I rate him/them as highly as I do.

I saw the band at the New Orleans track & field stadium in 1969.
I played for a living back then and our band heard rumors about how incredible their show was.
It took about 100 of New Orlean's finest to keep the crowd off the stage.
The band ate us alive..we didn't stop talking about it for years....hey wait...I'm still talking about it.
They were HOT!!!
Ken

thanks Ken! sounds amazing - I wish I could have seen them in their full glory.

Hey Eric and Dawn,

This was a refreshing bio on Sly and the Family Stone. I happened to be fortunate enough to have played with Sly during one of his comeback attempts as a guitarist in 1980. The opportunity to have worked with such an Icon first hand was awesome to say the least. I wish I could thank him for his willingness to allow my Band to Tour with him. I'm now a Film editor at Savannah College of Art and Design, and M.F.A. candidate in Film School. I am considering doing a Biopic on Sly and my experiences sometime in the future. Keep up the good work. Syl (not Sly), if you read this, SiSi here, from Savannah, GA. Hihowru!!
I love you, and hope you find freedom, happiness and joy. You can Recover!

thanks SiSi, very much appreciated, sounds like you've done very well! It's remarkable how many people we have heard from on this post and others who have nothing but the best wishes for Mr. Stewart and still hold out hope for his future. Where there's life there's hope.

man, when i read the words "noble red trumpet" a smile unfolded across my mind. thanx for that, and a good review.

surprised to see one james marshall MIA on yer list, but there's no axe to grind ;-)

thanks Ken, but from which list is Jimi missing?

Sly and The Family Stone "Hot fun in the Summertime" unbelievable it was no lie he did Open up the roof and let in the lighting.

"hiiiigh, high high high, yeah"

Is there a list anywhere of all the concerts Sly and the Family Stone performed? I went to eight of his concerts, including the one where he got married, all in NY. I've been trying to find their schedule if it is posted anywhere. There is a schedule for Jimi Hendrix, please tell me there is one and the place I can find it. I look forward to hearing back. I used to clap my hands bloody at Sly's concerts, nothing like them!

Thanks

wow Julene, 8 shows, pretty amazing - I am unaware of a list of Sly's live shows, but I will keep an eye out. PLease let us know if you find anything!

Hi

Iam presently living in Africa and of all my stay in the United States i failed to see sly and the family stone perform live.
Please could you recommend taped performances of the band that i could purchase?
Regards
oke

GREAT Blog Mr. Olsen. I've read much recently on Sly's new site that he's returning. Maybe he has if you count producing the recent CD entitled Diff'rent Strokes, it's strong, which features among other musicians/performers, Isaac Hayes and Chuck D covering "Sing a Simple Song" and Steven Tyler doing MUCH justice to an inspired "I Want To Take You Higher". Can you tell me if Sly participated on the CD vocally or instrumentally in addition to the samples? Thanks again for providing this great forum to discuss and continue to enjoy this man, his group and their contributions past, present and future. I really look forward to what the future holds for The Family.

Hi, I am with Phattadatta.com, Sly Stone's new official website. Just trying to get the word out to Sly fans of his new site. Hope you don't mind the post, otherwise please check out Sly Stone's Official Site!

thank you