I Want to Take You Higher: The Life and Times of Sly and the Family Stone

by Jeff Kaliss

  "So you'll be doing more singing and playing during your sets?"

  "Yeah, I will, I will, it's just a matter of money, and at the same time letting everybody know that I don't mind showing up on time every night, if necessary. You know what I mean?"

  "Your health is good?"

  "I feel good, I feel much better."

  "If you had to choose, what do you think is your best album?"

  Sly chuckled. "The next one. And that's what I really think."

  "What kind of songs are we gonna hear on it?"

  "The latest one goes, let's see ... I'm the real model /And I ain't the role model / I got a dog named Duck with a stroll-waddle / If I see you in the desert, I got the cold bottle / 'cause I'm the real model /I ain't the role model." He smiled, hoping his self-appreciation was being shared. "I like to not have people try to make me a role model. I don't like that, 'cause I don't think anybody should have that burden. Everybody's gotta be a role model, either everybody or nobody. You know what I mean?"

  "So that's been a burden on you?"

  "Yeah. If something happens that they don't choose to appreciate, then comes the role model thing. `You're a role model, what happens when you get in trouble?' 0. J. Simpson did." He snickered. "And I didn't do near that kind of stuff. Aargh! Can't even describe that."

  After some jocular exchanges with Rikki, Charles, Neal and me, Sly announced, "I'm gonna go now, okay?" and headed back up the stairs, shouting, "Thank you!"

  Selected

  Discography

  RESENTED HERE IS AN OVERview of the major Sly & the Family Stone LP reissues on CD, as well as reissues and compilations currently available featuring Sly with and without the original and later formations of the Family Stone. The first seven Sly & the Family Stone albums all include bonus tracks in their remastered, reissued formats. Some of those tracks are monophonic singles versions of album tracks, and others are previously unreleased. Each track is included in the commentary for each album, all of which are gathered in The Collection box (2007). Aside from the albums included here, there are recordings of festival performances at Woodstock, Isle of Wight, and Atlanta, and several excellent bootlegs recorded at the Fillmore East in 1968 and at the Kasteel Groeneveld in Baarn, the Netherlands, in 1970. The Fillmore recordings may finally be remastered and released by Sony in 2009. Worth viewing are two DVD's, My Own Beliefs: Video Anthology 1969-1986 (two discs) and It's a Family Affair (single disc). Both are collections of performances, televised appearances, and promotional videos, mostly from the band's heyday and showcasing the hits, but also with some scenes of Sly interacting with TV hosts and guests. The recording quality is less than ideal, but the depiction of the evolution and presentation of the group and its leader is fascinating. There are numerous bootlegs of Sly's pre-Family Stone material and early band demos, and of later assemblages, generally of inferior quality and put out on a variety of pirate labels available from various sources, many of which can be found on the Internet. With all such bootlegs, caveat emptor.

  Not covered here are Starbucks's Hear Music Higher compilation, a decent point-of-sale primer for the uninitiated, and Different Strokes, a 2005 collection of Sly classics reworked, not always to good effect, by "different folks."

  SLY & THE FAMILY STONE

  A Whole New Thing Epic, 1967

  (1) Underdog; (2) If This Room Could Talk; (3) Run, Run, Run; (4) Turn Me Loose; (5) Let Me Hear It from You; (6) Advice; (7) I Cannot Make It; (8) Trip to Your Heart; (9) I Hate to Love Her; (10) Bad Risk; (11) That Kind of Person; (12) Dog; Bonus Tracks: (13) Underdog (single version); (14) Let Me Hear It from You (single version); (15) Only One Way Out of This Mess; (16) What Would I Do; (17) You Better Help Yourself (instrumental)

  Sly Stone-vocals, keyboards, guitar, bass; Rose Stonekeyboards, vocals; Freddie Stone-guitar, vocals; Cynthia Robinson-trumpet; Larry Graham-bass, vocals; Jerry Martini-saxophone, vocals; Greg Errico-drums

  There was a lot on this disc, perhaps too much for any radio programmer, record store owner, or listener to be able to divine what the "thing" was, other than that it was being performed by a talented collection of players and singers, led by an already experienced songwriter and arranger. Like many Family Stone sides, it started strong, with a message song ("Underdog") that could be counted as one of Sly's few references to racial discrimination. Musically there were references back to the R & B approach of Autumn Records (and to the spirit of Otis Redding), and ahead to funk, psychedelia, and the dynamics and colors of the hit singles. Larry got a solo soul-vocal outing on "Let Me Hear It from You," one of several aspects of this debut disc that wouldn't be repeated in the band's later work. The bonus tracks showcased wild horn harmonies on "Only One Way Out of This Mess" and the aheadof-its-time instrumental fusion of "You Better Help Yourself."

  Dance to the Music Epic, 1968

  (1) Dance to the Music; (2) Higher; (3) I Ain't Got Nobody (For Real); (4) Dance to the Medley: (a) Music Is Alive, (b) Dance In, (c) Music Lover; (5) Ride the Rhythm; (6) Color Me True; (7) Are You Ready; (8) Don't Burn Baby; (9) I'll Never Fall in Love Again; Bonus Tracks: (10) Dance to the Music (single version); (11) Higher (unissued single version); (12) Soul Clappin'; (13) We Love All; (14) I Can't Turn You Loose; (15) Never Do Your Woman Wrong

  Sly Stone-vocals, keyboards, guitar; Rose Stone-keyboards, vocals; Freddie Stone-guitar, vocals; Cynthia Robinsontrumpet; Larry Graham-bass, vocals; Jerry Martinisaxophone, vocals; Greg Errico-drums

  The imperative of the title track proved both attractive and easy for fans to follow up on, an invitation to come celebrate and party with this bi-racial, bi-gender band that was new on the scene. The extended "Medley," like "Dance," served to introduce the individual members of the Family Stone and also to affirm their collective fun and ensemble strength, with flashes of psychedelia and phase shifting. Not all the tracks are equally memorable, but the single and the album earned the band a place on rock radio and in stores. The previously unreleased "We Love All" contains the kind of social messaging apparent on several later hits. "I Can't Turn You Loose" exhibits a tight horn-rhythm connection evocative of Otis Redding. "Soul Clappin"' suggests what the B-52's would mine for retro fun three decades later.

  Life Epic, 1968

  (1) Dynamite!; (2) Chicken; (3) Plastic Jim; (4) Fun; (5) Into My Own Thing; (6) Harmony; (7) Life; (8) Love City; (9) I'm an Animal; (10) M'Lady; (11) Jane Is a Groupee; Bonus Tracks: (12) Dynamite! (single version); (13) Seven More Days; (14) Pressure; (15) Sorrow

  Sly Stone-vocals, keyboards, guitar; Rose Stone-keyboards, vocals; Freddie Stone-guitar, vocals; Cynthia Robinsontrumpet; Larry Graham-bass, vocals; Jerry Martinisaxophone; Greg Errico-drums

  Listened to now, it's hard to tell why Life was so overshadowed by its predecessor, because in many ways it's a brighter record. "Fun," "Life," and "Love City" were as catchy as "Dance to the Music," with even more of Sly's "message" lyrics. "M'Lady" was a catchy valentine. And there was much humor and delight in "Chicken," "I'm an Animal," and "Jane Is a Groupee." The group continued to showcase its broad, confident embrace of R & B, funk, psychedelia, and pop dance music.

  Stand! Epic, 1969

  (1) Stand!; (2) Don't Call Me Nigger, Whitey; (3) I Want to Take You Higher; (4) Somebody's Watching You; (5) Sing a Simple Song; (6) Everyday People; (7) Sex Machine; (8) You Can Make It If You Try; Bonus Tracks: (9) Stand! (single version); (10) I Want to Take You Higher (single version); (11) You Can Make It If You Try (unissued single version); (12) Soul Clappin'; (13) My Brain (Zig-Zag)

  Sly Stone-vocals, keyboards, guitar; Rose Stone-keyboards, vocals; Freddie Stone-guitar, vocals; Cynthia Robinsontrumpet; Larry Graham-bass, vocals; Jerry Martinisaxophone, vocals; Greg Errico-drums

  The grooves laid down on earlier discs became stronger and more sophisticated on Stand!, and Sly's mastery of pop poetry proved unmatchable and irresistible, resulting in four hit songs within one dynamic album. Aside from the hits, there was the forthright, somber sound of "Don't Call Me Nigger
, Whitey," a precursor of Riot, and the blue psychedelia of "Sex Machine" With more message than perhaps any other rock record outside the folk/rock genre, Stand! was also a paradigm of arrangement and production.

  Greatest Hits Epic, 1970

  (1) I Want to Take You Higher; (2) Everybody Is a Star; (3) Stand!; (4) Life; (5) Fun; (6) You Can Make It If You Try; (7) Dance to the Music; (8) Everyday People; (9) Hot Fun in the Summertime; (10) M'Lady; (11) Sing a Simple Song; (12) Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)

  Sly Stone-vocals, keyboards, guitar; Rose Stone-keyboards, vocals; Freddie Stone-guitar, vocals; Cynthia Robinsontrumpet; Larry Graham-bass, vocals; Jerry Martinisaxophone, vocals; Greg Errico-drums

  This compilation served well to get a lot of the band's best music to date out to a lot of people, and also to fill the elongated gap between new albums. Included were two songs, very different from each other, that didn't appear on any other album: "Hot Fun in the Summertime" and "Thank You." The first was an atypically jazzy laid-back groove, the second a funky jump with shady lyrics, both ahead of their time and ultimately influential on music to come from other artists. The rest of the album constitutes a showcase of the Family Stone's most upbeat material.

  There's a Riot Goin' On Epic, 1971

  (1) Luv N' Haight; (2) Just Like a Baby; (3) Poet; (4) Family Affair; (5) Africa Talks to You "The Asphalt Jungle"; (6) There's a Riot Goin' On; (7) Brave & Strong; (8) (You Caught Me) Smilin'; (9) Time; (10) Spaced Cowboy; (11) Runnin'Away; (12) Thank You for Talkin' to Me Africa; Bonus Tracks: (13) Runnin' Away (single version); (14) My Gorilla Is My Butler; (15) Do You Know What?; (16) That's Pretty Clean

  Sly Stone-vocals, keyboards, guitar; Rose Stone-keyboards, vocals; Freddie Stone-guitar, vocals; Cynthia Robinsontrumpet; Larry Graham-bass, vocals; Jerry Martinisaxophone, vocals; Greg Errico-drums; Bobby Womack-guitar; Billy Preston-keyboards; Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock, Ike Turner, Jim Ford, Joe Hicks-miscellaneous contributions

  The dissolution of the original flesh-and-blood Family Stone and Sly's shift of focus toward himself and toward the drum machine were readily apparent on this iconic album, as was a generally darker and funkier approach to the music suggestive of the impact of harder drugs and personal strife. The rhythms, human and electronic, were often artful and suggestive of what would later be heard from Sly and other musicians, notably Stevie Wonder and Prince, but the melody lines were much narrower and the song list less diverse than on the Family Stone's earlier albums. There are moments of lyrical strength and humor, notable on "Family Affair," Riot's chart-topping single, and on "Spaced Cowboy." Among the bonus tracks are three instrumentals, which show more about how Sly was working deep in grooves and forming up his funk.

  Fresh Epic, 1973

  (1) In Time; (2) If You Want Me to Stay; (3) Let Me Have It All; (4) Frisky; (5) Thankful N' Thoughtful; (6) Skin I'm In; (7) I Don't Know (Satisfaction); (8) Keep On Dancin'; (9) Que Sera, Sera (Whatever Will Be, Will Be); (10) If It Were Left Up to Me; (11) Babies Makin' Babies; Bonus Tracks: (12) Let Me Have It All (alternate mix); (13) Frisky (alternate mix); (14) Skin I'm In (alternate mix); (15) Keep On Dancin' (alternate mix); (16) Babies Makin' Babies (alternate version)

  Sly Stone-vocals, keyboards, guitar, bass; Rose Stonekeyboards, vocals; Freddie Stone-guitar; Cynthia Robinsontrumpet; Rustee Allen-bass; Larry Graham-bass; Jerry Martini-saxophone; Pat Rizzo-saxophone; Andy Newmarkdrums; Vet Stone, Mary McCreary, Elva Mouton-backing vocals

  Without ever achieving the antiheroic landmark status of Riot, this album was arguably more user-friendly, engaging, and wider reaching than its predecessor, while continuing to probe the potential of funk and electronically manipulated rhythms and editing. Tracks like "In Time" were sophisticated, "Let Me Have It All" made soulful use of its Little Sister female chorus, and "If You Want Me to Stay" was as alluring and personal as anything Sly had ever laid down. The surprising (and spuriously controversial) cover of"Que Sera, Sera" evoked Sly and Rose's sacred roots. Overall, this seemed a brief reprise of good sounds, if not good times. The bonus tracks are reflective of Sly's increasing involvement in studio retakes, striving toward some private standard of satisfaction; they're all good, but what ended up on the album is better.

  Small Talk Epic, 1974

  (1) Small Talk; (2) Say You Will; (3) Mother Beautiful; (4) Time for Livin'; (5) Can't Strain My Brain; (6) Loose Booty; (7) Holdin' On; (8) Wishful Thinkin'; (9) Better Thee Than Me; (10) Livin' While I'm Livin'; (11) This Is Love; Bonus Tracks: (12) Crossword Puzzle (early version); (13) Time for Livin' (alternate version); (14) Loose Booty (alternate version); (15) Positive

  Sly Stone-vocals, keyboards, guitar, bass; Rose Stone Bankskeyboards, vocals; Freddie Stone-guitar, vocals; Cynthia Robinson-trumpet; Rustee Allen-bass; Bill Lordan-drums; Vet Stone-vocals, keyboards; Jerry Martini-saxophone; Pat Rizzo-flute, saxophone; Sid Page-violin; Kathy Silva, Sly Stone Jr.-background vocals

  Technically this was the last Sly & the Family Stone album, but there was little left of the original group's sound, most of whose members had either departed or had been placed in subsidiary roles. Although some of the newer players were musically talented, the material Sly gave them for this project had little of his familiar songwriting sparkle, and the layering in of strings did little to dress up the lackluster arrangements and the quirky production. Rustee Allen helped perk up the livelier tracks, "Loose Booty" and "Livin' While I'm Livin;' and "Mother Beautiful" suggested an upbeat approach to family life, in a mode that Stevie Wonder would later borrow. The alternate version of "Time for Livin"' sounded rather ragged with the syrupy strings fading in and out, but on "Positive," you can hear drummer Bill Lordan making good use of what he said Sly taught him about funk.

  SLY STONE

  High on You Epic, 1975

  (1) I Get High on You; (2) Crossword Puzzle; (3) That's Lovin' You; (4) Who Do You Love?; (5) Green Eyed Monster Girl; (6) Organize; (7) Le Lo Li; (8) My World; (9) So Good to Me; (10). Greed

  Sly Stone-vocals, keyboards, guitar, bass; Freddie Stone-guitar, vocals; Cynthia Robinson-trumpet, vocals; Jerry Martinisaxophone; Dennis Marcellino-saxophone; Rustee Allen-bass; Bobby Vega-bass; Gail Muldrow-guitar; Bill Lordan, Michael Samuels, Jim Strassburg, Willie Sparks-drums; Bobby Lyles, Truman Thomas-keyboards; Dawn Silva, Elva Mouton, Vet Stewart, Rudy Love-background vocals

  Epic dropped the Family Stone name from this album, though some of the band's members continued to contribute, alongside a host of others. The material itself harkened back to the message mission of the Family Stone classics, on tracks such as "Organize," "Le Lo Li," and "Greed." Sly's vocals retrieved some of their liveliness and mischief, and at times he's every bit as good as any contemporary offering by Smokey Robinson or Marvin Gaye. (Smokey's chart-topping "Cruisin'," from 1979, sounded a lot like this album's "My World," from four years earlier, though Sly's song was prettier.) The high spirits and artful arrangements on this album deserved the kind of recognition that Sly may not have been in condition to follow up on, aside from the fact that his declining public image overshadowed the album's quality and uniqueness.

  Heard Ya Missed Me, Well I'm Back Epic, 1976

  (1) Heard Ya Missed Me, Well I'm Back; (2) What Was I Thinkin' in My Head; (3) Nothing Less Than Happiness; (4) Sexy Situation; (5) Blessing in Disguise; (6) Everything in You; (7) Mother Is a Hippie; (8) Let's Be Together; (9) The Thing; (10) Family Again

  Sly Stone-vocals, keyboards; Cynthia Robinson-trumpet; Dwight Hogan-bass, vocals; Anthony Warren-drums; Joseph Baker-guitar, vocals; John Colla-saxophone; Steve Schustersaxophone, flute; John Farey-keyboards, trombone; Armando Peraza-percussion; Lady Bianca-lead and background vocals, clavinet; Dawn Weber, Virginia Ayers-percussion, background vocals; Vicki Blackwell-violin; Peter Frampton-guitar

  In its overall sound and happy tone and in the look of the backcover photograph, this project was evocative of a '60s or '70s musical along the lines of Hair or Jesus Christ Superstar. From the opening title track on, there was much involvement of
the chorus and relatively little of Sly's solo voice. An exception was "Nothing Less Than Happiness," which showcased, more than just about any other song in his canon, Sly's mastery of vocal phrasing and texture; it was a homage to doo-wop and early rock that was fabulously well written, arranged, and performed. Among the musicians drawn to the making of this album were veteran conguero Armando Peraza and rock guitarist Peter Frampton, riding the crest of the hits he'd scored that year. As with High on You, the disc did not have as strong a draw on record buyers, but both albums are worth the price of the imported CDs, which is pretty much the only way you'll get them now.

  Back on the Right Track Warner Brothers, 1979

  (1) Remember Who You Are; (2) Back on the Right Track; (3). If It's Not Addin' Up; (4) The Same Thing (Makes You Laugh, Makes You Cry); (5) Shine It On; (6) It Takes All Kinds; (7) Who's to Say?; (8) Sheer Energy

  Sly Stone-vocals, keyboards, harmonica; Freddie Stone-guitar, vocals; Joseph Baker-guitar; Hamp Banks-guitar; Cynthia Robinson-trumpet; Keni Burke-bass; Alvin Taylor-drums; Walter Downing-keyboards; Mark Davis-keyboards; Ollie Brown-percussion; Pat Rizzo-saxophone; Steve Madaio, Fred Smith, Gary Herbig-horns; Rose Stone Banks, Lisa Banksbacking vocals

  Sly seemed to have left much of his tunefulness behind, at least for the time being, when he departed the Epic label and made this first of two albums for Warner. In his lyrics, he retained some of his cleverness and his telegraphed insightful messages, most creatively applied in fine funky fashion on "The Same Thing" and "It Takes All Kinds." The sound was evocative of James Brown and predic tive of Prince, and at its worst was still better than much of the rock and R & B from this and the following decade. Sly's one-time mentor and long-time associate Hamp "Bubba" Banks was credited as associate producer and guitarist, and Rose, Sly's sister and Bubba's wife at the time, provided backing vocals alongside her daughter, Lisa.