Music Review: Sly And The Family Stone - The Woodstock Experience - Page 3

That said, the remastered version of Stand! that Legacy did when they overhauled Sly's catalog a few years ago is probably still the better package if that album is all you are looking for. But this is pretty nice too, and of course, here you get that long-sought after complete concert from Woodstock.

And man what a concert!

Most fans are already of course familiar with how the whole "Music Lover/Higher" medley brought the entire 600,000-strong house down in the concert film. That remains the undisputed highlight here as well. But on the way to getting there, you get very a high-energy buildup to it that is jam-packed with hits like "Everyday People," "Sing A Simple Song," "Everyday People," and "Dance To The Music."

The band plays like a house on fire throughout. The horn section crackles with energy and the rhythm section — particularly the amazing Larry Graham on bass — is as tight as a drum. On "You Can Make it If You Try," Graham's playing is simply amazing, playing his parts like a lead instrument, especially when the band slows the song down to a bluesier groove. The horn parts are also pretty sweet, but Graham creates a bottom so deep you could almost fall into it.

Of course, the whole "Music Lover/Higher" segment remains the high point here though. When Sly exhorts 600,000 people into a singalong, the crowd is at first a little reluctant to join in, but by the end of the thing, he turns the party clean out. To this day, it remains the single most memorable performance from the Woodstock film.

Thank God, the entire thing is finally available, along with the rest of these historic performances courtesy of The Woodstock Experience. The entire series will be available both digitally and in stores this Tuesday, June 30.

Next up in our series will be Janis Joplin.

Article Author: Glen Boyd

You'll find Blogcritics assistant music editor Glen Boyd sharing his Thoughtmares on his personal blogs The World Wide Glen, and The Rockologist. In a previous life, Glen was a music professional and journalist whose work has appeared in The Rocket, SPIN, Pulse!, and The Source. …

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