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December 11, 2006
People. Sly & The Family Stone
People. Sly & The Family Stone: The music of Sly Stone began a revolution in the counterculture. Sly's fusion of psychedelia and soul as well as his top-notch multi-race and gender band were the catalysts. Beginning in the late 1960's, Sly's music better exemplified the spirit of the hippies than no other. It carried a positive social message and it had a great beat you could dance to.
As time wore on and the Vietnam War clouded the sunny skies covering San Francisco's Haight/Ashbury area, Sly's music began to sound like that of crushed ideals, most notably on 1971's There's A Riot Goin' On. Sly's own personal life grew very dark and violent due in part to rampant drug use. Nonetheless, Sly's material was just as strong as it'd always been.
By the 1980s, Sly had become a complete recluse. He recently stepped back into the public eye for 2006's Grammy awards ceremony where he was being honored. A live show in California with the 2006 version of The Family Stone, featuring Sly's sister Vaetta, had been announced and quickly canceled just last week.
Currently, all of Sly's classic albums and singles such as "Everyday People" and "Family Affair" could only be enjoyed on poorly mastered compact discs. However, Sony Legacy has recently announced the forthcoming remasters of Sly's albums up until 1974's Small Talk. These remasters will contain bonus tracks, original album art, and full liner notes. Look for them in stores in March 2007!
Visit Sly's official website [Here]
Posted by bill at December 11, 2006 01:05 AM