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- 1 min
- Oliver Wang
- The Beau Brummels, “Laugh, Laugh” (1965) Sly Stone's first taste of national notoriety began at the tender age of 19 when he produced the moody pop single, "Laugh, Laugh," for the San Mateo folk-rock band the Beau Brummels.
- “Rock Dirge” (circa 1965) During Stone's brief stint at Autumn Records, he made use of their studios to mess around with his own compositions, including this funky, chattering instrumental, likely concocted in 1965.
- “I Ain’t Got Nobody” (1967) Using proceeds earned from Autumn, Stone set himself and his family up in Daly City, just outside of San Francisco. This is where the Family Stone band began to cohere in the mid 1960s and their first official release came on this single for the local Loadstone label.
- “Underdog” (1967) As the first single and first song on the group's first album, A Whole New Thing, "Underdog" introduced Sly and the Family Stone in as raucous a way possible.
List of songs with Songfacts entries for Sly & the Family Stone.
Sly and the Family Stone was an American band from San Francisco, active from 1966 to 1983 and led by singer-songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist Sly Stone.
- Only One Way Out of This Mess
- Family Affair
- Dance to The Music
- Thank You
- Dynamite
- Sing A Simple Song
- Underdog
- Everyday People
- Life
- Are You Ready
As The Guardian says, Sly and the Family Stone were always at their best when they were writing about US social politics with disarming clarity and simplicity. Only One Way Out of This Mess was written just a few weeks after the release of the band’s debut, but its inspirational lyrics (“Stop everything you’re doing and look around/ How can one loo...
The band’s fifth album, There’s a Riot Goin’ On, was a vastly different beast to the ones that had come before. Most of it was recorded by Sly on his own, with the rest of the band adding their parts on later. The result is a slightly dislocated collection of songs that replaces the hopeful jubilance of the band’s previous efforts with a somewhat j...
In 1968, Sly and the Family Stone netted the first Top 10 hit of their career with this exuberant Dance to the Music. Lyrically, it was mindless, with each band member simply describing the instrument they were about to introduce. But mindless can sometimes be fun, and here, it definitely was. The infectious exuberance is impossible to resist – for...
According to Guitar World, Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin) is blessed with one of the best basslines of all time – listening to the funky lines delivered by Larry Graham in this delicious slice of funk heaven, it’s hard to disagree. Simple but with an insanely catchy hook that worms its way into your head and stays there, it was one of the ...
Coming in between the commercial success of Dance to the Music and the critical glory of Stand!, Life could have gone down in flames. It didn’t. Rolling Stone’s Barret Hansen even went so far as to describe it as “the most radical soul album ever issued.” A big part of the reason for its success was the freedom allowed to the band, who were given f...
The B-side to Everyday People was Sing a Simple Song. In comparison to the simple, sugary pop charms of the A-side, this was an aggressive slice of pure funk, with an exuberant melody and a pared-back sound that was as close to the bone as it’s possible to get. One of the funkiest, grooviest songs ever recorded, period.
The first single of Sly and the Family Stones’ first album didn’t leave a lot to be desired. Named by Rolling Stoneas one of the band’s finest moments, the song opens with a sleepy saxophone rendition of the kid’s song “Frère Jacques” before cutting into a rollicking, rip-roaring social justice commentary about underdogs having to show themselves t...
Everyday People isn’t just a song. It’s a sign of the times. At a point where revolution was in the air, Sly and the Family Stone captured the moment and laid it bare across 2min 23 sec of pure funk genius. Taken from the creatively wonderful Stand!, it represents the group at the pinnacle of their prowess. Plus, there’s a whole load of “Scooby Doo...
From start to finish, Life is an ebullient, joyful, life enforcing gem of a song that manages to capture the band during their transition from the psychedelic chaos of their earliest days to the focused funk of their later ones. With its pure message of hope and its amalgamation of every influence that had ever come the band’s way, it’s a moment of...
If you’re looking for a track that tells you everything you need to know about the Family Stone in less than three minutes, Are You Ready is it. Ferocious, raw, and packed with enough strident potency to make even James Brown look a little underwhelming, it’s got enough bounce and funk to get you through even the bleakest Monday morning. Cynthia Ro...
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Sly and the Family Stone was an American band originating from San Francisco, California. Active from 1966 to 1983, they were pivotal in the development of funk, soul, R&B, rock, and psychedelic music.
Explore Sly & the Family Stone's discography including top tracks, albums, and reviews. Learn all about Sly & the Family Stone on AllMusic.
