Sly & the Family Stone

You’ve probably heard of the band as well as their music, but you may not know which songs should rightfully be attributed to them. With one album, There’s a Riot Goin’ On, getting to number 99 in Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, Sly & the Family Stone are not exactly underrated; at least, not in the groups who know their worth.

To be fair, the aforementioned 1971 album really was quite a trailblazer in that it established funk music as a viable genre. While Ohio Players, James Brown, Parliament and the rest are all major contributors to the movement, Sly Stone and his ever-changing gang seemed to have it all. It’s just a shame they threw it all away, really.

Either Sly’s drug habit or the band’s hatred of him generally led to them cancelling a lot of gigs. As we learned in more recent times with the likes of Pete Doherty, certain geniuses start to undermine their brilliance by becoming unbookable.

A major turning point for the band happened at Radio City Music Hall in New York City in 1975. While it is probably one of the most famous locations in the US, if not the world, the band got only one-eighth of the hall filled. After that, they were a bit of a write-off, bumbling along until 1983 in one combination or another before running out of steam.

Despite later reformations, it was never the same. Still, it’s hardly surprising given that Sly Stone hired bodyguards and gang members to get him drugs and protect him from enemies, including his own band members. He still managed to keep hold of the rights to his music, though.

And who could blame him? The songs below are all ones you’ll’ve certainly heard. Sly and his crew are good for one of two things: chilling out (‘Family Affair’, ‘Runnin’ Away’) or partying (‘Dance to the Music’ and ‘Everyday People’).

‘Family Affair’

‘Dance to the Music’

‘Everyday People’

‘Runnin’ Away’

It’s funny, really; Sly & the Family Stone could’ve denied us of Riot; after all, they’d already released their Greatest Hits album the year before. Still, you judge for yourself; the four songs listed above aren’t even scratching the surface of the band’s work. Get yourself a solid back catalogue one evening and spend some time getting to learn more about one of the best bands from the 60s and 70s.

By Matt Gardner