There's A Riot Goin' On

WE MAKIN' IT OUT THE RIOT WITH THIS ONE 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🗣️🗣️🗣️🗣️🗣️🗣️❗❗❗❗❗

“There’s a Riot Goin’ On” by Sly and the Family Stone (1971) Never heard this album, but very familiar with SFS through radio airplay and their “Greatest Hits” album of 1970. This album is very good music qua music. Listen to the LYRICS. Deeply introspective personal reflection plus insightful social commentary without being hortatory. This album represents a development from the popular funk of the early SFS. Excellent, beautiful, soulful funk, executed by extraordinarily talented musicians and vocalists, but much more serious than their previous work (although there’s some great comic relief in “Spaced Cowboy “, where we’re treated to a funked-up country piece complete with Sly Stone yodeling the chorus. Yodeling. I shit you not). Experimental musical sounds and recording technique—very well crafted (although there’s an annoying level of tape hiss due to overdubbing—one of the shortcomings of analog). This is a good demonstration of the art of the studio album. Meant to be listened to without distractions. Not party music. Bass bends and guitar wah unsurpassed. Especially on “Africa Talks to You”. Trumpet and sax understated, but effective coloring. The title track “There’s a Riot Goin’ On” is four seconds of silence. This is so profound for 1971. There were many riots in America 1966-1970. But in May 1970, National Guard troops fired on demonstrators at Kent State University, killing four. Fewer riots after that. The years 1971-1976 were a relatively quiet time for civil unrest in America. Not that there wasn’t anything to riot over. It’s hard to imagine a Daft Punk without SFS funk (listen to “Family Affair” and compare to “Get Lucky”). But SFS is heavier and more evocative. Elaborate vocal stylings, but lacking the endearing ‘silliness’ of their earlier work. “Thank You for Talking to Me, Africa” is a dark reset of their earlier hit “Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)", which itself features a pastiche of titles of their previous hits. Sort of an SFS diary entry that reviews previous entries, with a more mature perspective. Africa begins to talk to SFS, and they (and we) are listening. Throughout the album, the lyrics reflect deep levels of meaning, expressing the emerging self awareness of Black America. I’m no expert on this, but it seems that this album should have been a huge influence on young urban artists who would go on to produce the hip hop genre. Here SFS grows into an assertive voice, instead of a merely entertaining voice. Sorry I didn’t listen to this when I was young. Very glad I listened to it before I die. 4/5

Funky, dark, and ahead of its time. It’s at once dense and really loose and free. I feel like I need to go back andre-listen a few more times to really be able to assess it — but I’m sure I will. Favourite track: Family Affair

Do like the darker, grittier funk aspect of this album, just wish it was more consistent. Especially when you consider Funkadelic's Maggot Brain was released a few months before this, and is vastly superior. 3.5 for me.

I was excited to listen to this album, and was a little disappointed. Almost seemed improvisational at times with both the music arrangement and vocals. Still enjoy the heck out of it. It was one of the first really nice days of spring and I had the top down, listening to fly belt out some tunes …

Oh man, I think I just fell in love... It's funny cause I've listened to this album before and enjoyed it and everything, but for some reason, listening to it tonight, this album just absolutely knocked me out. Maybe it's because we're now two years into a global pandemic, in a time of increased social unrest/polarization, and quite possibly on the brink of World War III, but this album is really speaking to me right now (in a way it didn't a few years ago when I listened to it last). There is so much I love about this album but the thing that impresses me most is probably its casualness and playfulness. It's so loose and laid back that it somehow comes back around to coming across as cocky and confident to me. Like the genius just rolls out of him so naturally and effortlessly regardless of his mood. He doesn't have to be "on" to express the truth. Some real honesty here. And that's the other thing I really appreciate about this album: that it captures these states of mind that are not often put into songs, especially at the time it came out. Really shows you that funk isn't all just feel good party jams and I appreciate that. Another thing that I appreciate is the incorporation of the drum machines. Not only is this album an absolute pillar of funk, but it's the album that pretty much single handedly legitimized the use of drum machines in popular music - so I have to give my thanks for that. All that and the mysteriously murky mix give the album a very distinct sound which, to my ear, keeps it a surprisingly fresh and intriguing listen after all these years.

I found this one to be incredibly creative throughout, as it clearly is quite original... Maybe the drugs that Sly was doing during this period really opened him up to some innovative ways of thinking about music... Can't say there was a single track that I thought was exceptional - though my fav was probably the last track - "Thank You For Talkin' To Me, Africa" which is sort of a derivative of a track of Sly's from an earlier album... Kind of a nice hypnotic vibe throughout... Based on the originality and uniqueness of the album, combined with the fact that all of the songs contained some goodness (i.e. AKA none of them truly sucked...) I'm gonna give this a solid 3...

Marvin Gaye had asked "What's Goin' On"; a few months later, he had his answer. With a few exceptions, this is perhaps the murkiest, most drug-addled, most fucked up form of pop music in the 70s. No depth of hell would or could equate to whatever hell Sly Stone had conjured up from thin air (or whatever air that involved drugs). A defining statement that also became the beginning of the end, There's a Riot Goin' On is Sly's masterpiece.

I don't think I have the full context of musical history to appreciate what was new and exciting about this group or album, however I did enjoy it.

Tough one to rate. I can appreciate how good the funk parts of this are, and some of the bass lines were really great. But I really didn't like it. Had a hard time finishing it.

My younger self wouldn't have taken the time to listen to this album in it's entirety, but as I get older my musical tastes have expanded and I try to appreciate more musical styles. With that being said, on this record, Sly & The Family Stone have a lot of energy and the funky beats can't be ignored. It's an interesting listen and the songs seem to have a darker edge and not such a "happy go-lucky" sound. A solid album with a lot going on and I'm glad I took the time to listen to.

You had me at 60's funky psychedelic soul from San Francisco. I don't listen to a lot of SFS but I always enjoy it when I do. I really need to check out the rest of the catalog. The bass playing really does it for me. 5 stars all day.

The day after Sly Stone passed, this album hit—and somehow it feels more relevant than ever. Disillusioned, murky, and slow-burning, There’s a Riot Goin’ On is funk turned inward: political, paranoid, and deeply personal. In 2025, with real riots and performative politics all around, this record feels like a mirror.

Ein anspruchsvolles Funk-Album durfte ich anhören. Ging nicht leicht ins Ohr, aber beim mehrmaligem Hören erkannte ich die Größe der Kompositionen. Sehr stark und toll eingespielt.Family affair ist nicht unbedingt der stärkste Song. Unbedingt anhören.

As of today, Thanksgiving 2023, I’ve completed 500 records in this project. Accordingly, a short listing of records I’ve reviewed from the list thus far that I am especially thankful for: The Avalanches - Since I Left You Milton Nascimeto & Lo Borges - Clube Da Esquina Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson - Winter in America Brian Eno - Another Green World Neil Young - On the Beach MC5 - Kick Out the Jams Parliament - Mothership Connection Belle & Sebastian - Tigermilk David Bowie - Station to Station Air - The Virgin Suicides Sonic Youth - Dirty Funkadelic - Maggot Brain As for this record, you can add it right to that list. There’s a Riot Goin’ On is a stone cold classic, start to finish: a document of the dream of the 60’s as it crashes and burns in the early 70’s - a comedown in the literal and metaphorical sense. It’s dense and dark and druggy, funky but downtrodden with an experimental, home recorded/DIY feel. “Riot” should be considered among the greatest albums of all time.

Sly Stone captures the darkness, disillusionment and exhaustion of his era and funnels it all into one truly profound work that has aged beautifully. Funky and gritty and warped, with cryptic and cynical lyrics. But the album never loses its soul in the process, delivering a sound that's equal parts thought provoking and entertaining. Fave Songs (All songs, from most to least favorite): Family Affair, Luv N' Haight, Just Like a Baby, Poet, Runnin' Away, Thank You for Talkin' to Me Africa, Africa Talks to You 'The Asphalt Jungle, Brave & Strong, Spaced Cowboy, (You Caught Me) Smilin', Time, There's a Riot Goin' On

I was a bit surprised to have enjoyed this album today a bit more than Stand! (which still has my favorite Sly and the Family Stone songs on it). I suppose this one felt more like an album listening experience, and despite some long tracks, I found them compelling rather than boring and I grooved with it.

A little bit of a darker turn for Sly & the Family Stone, but I really liked it and it suited the subject matter.

The best Sly & TFS album. Probably the best album on this list even.

10/10 HOLY SHIT THAT WAS FUCKING AMAZING!

Dark but the yodeling seals it for me. The quietest and probably the best funk/soul project I've heard. Not get-up-and-dance music, but mandatory-relisten music.

So I know I've listened to this before but not recently, maybe the other times I wasn't paying real close attention because I never noticed that the "title track" was just four seconds of silence. I was prepared to go on here and warn other Spotify listeners in the U.S. about the track being missing. I'm glad I did a little research because that would have been embarrassing. Anyway, great druggy funk album, one of the best I've heard, five stars.

Una vergüenza que no haya escuchado esto antes.

This album is one of the absolute greatest albums of all time, maybe top 50 material. This album changed my life before I ever listened to it. Virtually everything I love about music has some Sly in it in some way or another. Timeless. TIMELESS. Groove. Sex appeal. Funk. Slap bass. VOCALS. Guitars. Melody. Harmony. This album has everything I want in an album.

not bad, interesting choice to use electronic drums on some tracks. pretty relaxed and groovy funk

Excellent album! Dark, political lyrics layered on top of some the funkiest beats, with a dash of psychedelic sounds. Really surprised by this one.

Without the historical context of this album I don't think I can fully appreciate its lyrical content and so am left to judge it on it's musical content which is good and notable for the pioneering sound of the early seventies. I'm not someone who buys physical music but if I was I think this would be one to add to a collection as the digital format doesn't seem to do it justice.

Cool and laid back funk.

3.5/5

Nowhere near as good an album as I expected, given the bands reputation. I really only "particularly liked" Love 'n' Haight. For the rest of the album, I'd listen to it in the background. A mediocre 3

Heard that song Family Affair before loads - no idea it was them, a classic. Rest of album was ok, didn't grab me though

Sly & The Family Stone were one of the more formative bands for me as a bassplayer. I used to pick apart their basslines along with Parliment Funkadelic, Graham Central Station, Mandrill, War and more. They were instrumental in me understanding the idea of "the pocket" as a player. That said, this is NOT Sly's best album by a long shot. It's rough and unfocused. While the great musicianship that one would expect is still on display, the vocals show the strain of a completely drug-addled frontman. The result is a chaotic, fragmented mess of an album. Great band, not such a great album, sadly.

Background music. Couldn't get into it - probably something to listen to again when I'm in a funkier mood. Also, I hate talking about "production and mixing" because it makes me look like this emoji -> 🤓, but the production on the Spotify version is kind of outdated I think - a remaster would be nice!

I couldn’t get into it, first song was very energetic but after that I’m not sure why the songs felt like background music nothing really grabbed my attention. On to the next one!

Man, I love some good Funk.

Funk hasn't fared too well until now, but this is greasy, sleazy, fucked up, sexy and wild. What can I say, 5 stars.

>>>>>>>>>The Beatles

So much to love here. Prince? A descendant. RHCP? Descendants. And so many others. Great listen.

Track 6...4 seconds of silence. Track 12...7 minutes of tasty funks.

Dark, funky, awesome. First time listening to this one but loved almost all of it. The songs flow into each other so well that it will take me some more listens to really get a grasp on this one. I'm torn between a four and five star out of enjoyment but think I'm gonna go to five as this feels like one that gets better the more you listen. Then adding the context of the album and its impact makes it seem like an easier decision. Rating: 4.6

This was a great surprise listen for me. Kinda proggy, funky as hell and I haven't even listened to the lyrical content properly yet.

Dette er en fremragende og dyster skildring av det amerikanske samfunnet i kjølvannet av 60-tallets naive optimisme. I tillegg er det også noe av den kuleste fønken jeg har hørt. Produksjonen har en varm klarhet som jeg elsker. Feite og gode basslinjer brummer imens keyboardene plinker og plonker som bare det. Absolutt alt som skjer i lydbilder slår seg perfekt sammen i en nydelig dis. Der er også noe fengslende i den kyniske og paranoide atmosfæren disse dyktige musikerene befant seg i. Og uansett hvor trøtt, sliten og ruset Sly høres ut, så forblir han en fenomenal vokalist, musiker, produsent, og kreativ visjonær gjennom hele denne platen.

Love it. Always a great listen. Love the lazy, hazy atmosphere. Never lets me down with it's whacked out weirdness. Great Cover Art.

This album is great. What a groove. This is one of those albums that starts strong and then each track gets stronger. This is so great. It’s hard to sit still. I want to get up and dance. “Africa talks to you” is such a killer song. “Spaced cowboy” is the coolest yodeling I’ve ever heard. This is so great!! Even the closer is a killer song. Albums like this amaze me. How can there be so many great songs on a single album?!?

A staple of funk and progressive soul, with great conscious lyrics which can get dark at times contrasting with the mostly mellow instrumentation. No real flaws to this one. 5.

- 5 for "Spaced Cowboy" ..... I didn't realize he used drum machines on this one .... -

A textbook on Funk, Riot exemplifies how this genre can utilize retrospection on topical and timely ideas and go well beyond dance clubs and beats that would be responsible for a million samples.

This manifesto's measured yet meandering soundscape pulls you into Stone's darkness while your body responds to its revolutionary funk, illustrating Questlove's observation about how we often celebrate Black artistic suffering without acknowledging its human cost.

This is one of those classic albums of the comedown from the 60s. The account on Wikipedia of the circumstances are quite telling, and it's remarkable that it worked out so well. I'd advise omitting the additional tracks on some re-releases though.

Good!

Remember Woodstock!

I have been needing some more funk in my life. I have not gotten nearly enough albums from this genre, especially in comparison to other genres. But now, it's finally time for me to listen to an album from one of the most highly praised funk groups of all time, Sly & The Family Stone. This is their highly acclaimed 1971 album, There's a Riot Goin' On. Dude. 1971 was such a stacked year for album releases. So many phenomenal albums released that year and—wouldn't you know it?— There's a Riot Goin' On might be one of the best. I love this album. It definitely reminds me of another one of those amazing 1971 albums, Funkadelic's Maggot Brain. This is definitely still a funk album at its core, albeit one with strong psychedelic and soul elements. However, this is definitely darker than something like a James Brown album or even earlier Sly and the Family Stone albums (or so I'm told). Honestly, I think it works really well. The darker atmosphere of this album makes it stand out. The instrumentation is fantastic. Again, it's a bit on the darker side, but there's still great basslines and spectacular rhythms to listen for. The mixing (at least on Spotify) could be a bit better, but the core of the album is still great. I really like Sly Stone's singing, as well as the other singing that appears on the album. The writing is pretty strong too. There's songs about things like personal turmoil and drug use, the latter of which appears to have been a significant factor in the making of this album. All of the songs are great though. Well, the title track doesn't really have much to talk about considering it's 4 seconds of silence, but even that appears to have a purpose in the album's messaging. I don't know what to say. This album makes a very strong first exposure to the music of Sly & The Family Stone. I'm very glad to have listened to this album, and I'm just as excited to listen to its predecessor, Stand!, sometime in the future. 5/5.

Very good, really loved a lot of different aspects of this album. One thing I particularly enjoyed, for some reason, was the contrast in microphone quality between the instruments and vocals. Great jams on here. Wow

It’s funk with a deep social twist, which is about the best way I could put this. So far most of the funk I’ve gotten on this list has been get up and groove. This one is still a grooving, but makes you really pay attention more as it’s kind of gritty. It makes it stand out in a very intriguing way. 4.5 / 5

This is the kind of album that deserves its place in the pantheon of great recordings. Unique, interesting, relevant, influential and inspiring. It’s both experimental and complete. The band knew exactly who they were and what they wanted. There’s no searching, only quality and delivery.

Great music comes out of dark times. This album, just like Marvin Gaye's "What's Goin' On," is the soundtrack to a murky, confusing era in American history that Sly captured perfectly in a haze of hard drug use. A masterpiece.

This is so gooooooood.

5/5. This has been on repeat for me for years, you already know this is getting a 5. Instrumentals in each song are so unique plus Sly with his backing vocalists create so much emotion. The lyrics are vague and yet still heartbreaking and personal. I saw an article somewhere this album was the end of the summer of love and into the violence and direct nature of the people tired of the situation in America. And even today, this album feels relevant and anthemic to the plight of issues that are still present today as they were when it was released. Additionally, this is one that needs to be listened to front to back, not one that you take a song here and there, the whole thing is the art. Best Song: Thank You For Talkin' To Me Africa, Family Affair, Poet

Jeg blev en lille smule skuffet over den første vi havde fra Sly & The Family Stone (første album vi overhovedet havde!), fordi jeg forventede, at den ville være mere som den her. Mega funky og let at lytte til, men der er en understrøm af vrede som er meget tydelig. Virkelig virkelig godt album, et af de bedste, jeg har hørt første gang pga listen

Recently finished Sly's memoir "Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)" which is highly recommended. In a Keith Richards-esque defying of life principals, he's still alive and kicking at 81. His memoir gave me a new appreciation for the man and his legend. If you're looking for the studio album that features the most classic hits, Stand is your choice. If you're looking for quinnessential Sly in all of his psychedelic funkiness, There's A Riot Goin' On is the place to be. It has several memorable standouts, like "Family Affair", "Runnin' Away" and "(You Caught Me) Smilin'" so you get the full effect of Sly & The Family Stone at the height (Haight?) of their powers.

Pure funk excellence, this thing grooves so hard and has hooks for days

what I really love about this album is how it takes the funky sound of earlier sly and makes it more subdued. where "everyday people" had a sense of optimism, this album has an air of depression. the sound here is awesome and I love the employment if the early drum machine here. the grooves are as funky as ever, mixed with a bit of subdued darkness. I really love this album, even if the tracklist can be a bit uneven at times.

exceptionally funky, and exceptionally freaky. Sly was having issues with his mood and his addiction to drugs, resulting in a drought of recordings from the Family Stone for over a year and a half—a long time to go without releasing a new album in those days! while the band's usual lineup is present on more than a few of the songs on There's a Riot Goin' On, much of this material was created solely by Sly Stone, often enlisting non-Family members to fill them out. the resulting album is some of the darkest music you're likely to hear from funk's golden era. there's no point at which this music isn't incredible groovy. if you're a practitioner of the Stank Face, you'll find plenty of opportunities to work your craft. but even when the drums are tight and the bass is locked in and all the other stuff you want from a funk record, there's something mysterious, borderline surreal about it. I think I detected an Afrobeat undercurrent to this, what with the longer, vampier closing tracks to both sides of the vinyl! the mixes are often jarring, with certain elements feeling wildly prominent while others are barely audible. Stone's vocals, many takes of which were recorded with a wireless microphone while he laid in bed, are often uncanny in how close they feel. the drum machine overlaid with real drums creates a very off-kilter feeling in the percussion on some of these songs as well. this is often a very subdued listen, which definitely caught me off-guard. I wouldn't be surprised if OutKast were listening to this when they made Stankonia, which I listened to a few days ago for this project, and which features a similarly left-field approach to production. while there's not as much in the way of the sing-along hooks from their prior work, the timbral palette is fascinating, and the pocket is undeniable. decent 9/10.

Very moody for a funk album but I absolutely loved it. No bad songs, but I'm not sure about the yodeling in Spaced Cowboy.

Great album

Me: White kid in the 80s, ingesting copious amounts of R.E.M., Talking Heads, and P.I.L. Also Me: White kid in the 80s listening to copious amounts of Sly & the Family Stone, especially Life!, Stand!, and this masterpiece - There's a Riot Goin' On. Me, today, 40 years later: White guy in my 50s, and on a REGULAR basis the opening sounds of this album run through my head. The album has never left me. Sly & the Family Stone changed music at least twice. Their 60s sound was dynamic and revolutionary, performed by a multiethnic band that was quite a rarity in those days (at least in the main). Then with this album, something totally new again. I also remember seeing Sly Stone on TV in the late 80s. He was such a huge figure to me musically, but by this point he had become a much smaller version of himself. The drugs that no doubt fueled this album had shrunken him. Like one that dies giving birth... we are the recipients of something unforgettable, but it took the life of its maker.

Another Sly gem. Much deeper.

Only just noticed the cotton American flag on the cover. Emblematic of the whole thing. I am very smart.

Amazing so far. Sounds brilliant and goes really interesting places. I would like to revisit it for sure. 5

Triumphantly funky, and a solid groove the whole way through. Still deeply sampled today, this album remains one of the all-time greats.

Lots of funk, lots of fun

So cool i love sly & the family stone

Hey kids, drugs are bad, but they sure make funky records. Loved the funk yodelling.

Deliciously funky - such warm fat (phat, I believe) bass and crisp drums, bright brass. Excellent stuff

Love the chilled out funk soul sound of Sly &Family Stone. 👍

A darker & smoother turn for the band but still outstanding. I love it more every time I hear it.

Influential

Always down for some Sly and The Family! Weird art funk. I love weird art funk

smooth and funky.

What a perfect groove.

Awesome.

Funktastic. I regret being so hesitant to call something a 5 at the beginning of this project because I like Mothership Connection more than this but I am not going to penalize this album for my stinginess two albums into this project. Consider this a post-hoc bump for Parliament too! The intro to Just Like a Baby is transcendent and Thank You for Talkin' to Me, Africa is hypnotizing.

rules. love the first track. great name in response to What's Going On. great weirdo yodelling. will be listening again. music: appreciated. (⌐■_■)

Holy smokes is this ever different from the last Sly that popped up here. The production on this album is so weird, it shouldn’t be nearly as rad as it is, but here we are. A while back I read about the last Billie Holiday album, and how the composer/producer said he thought her voice has taken on an Evil character, but not in a bad way. Packed that description away for the right moment, and here it is: this one is evil, and it’s so so good.

The yodeling on Spaced Cowboy is delicious! I skipped some of the instrumentals. Mostly I really enjoyed it!

A nice rediscovery

classic

Ooooo, shit. I’ve listened to this in the past few months, but this hit so good today. The tones, the arrangements, everything. So, so good.

Awesome. Non sequitur yodel number toward the end, respect

So much groove and talent just hanging out there, each in its spot, not flashy, just solid and funky. Love it.

Love that Sly!

Just enough edge in the lyrics to keep the feel of a 'Protest' album (that gained traction throughout the 1960s) while having the free-wheeling funk sensibilities of, essentially, a "fun"-listening album. The resulting dichotomy is fascinating as both a microcosm for larger social issues and movements of the time, but also the sonic evolution of sound as the influence of Motown was actually recognized in Pop and other genres. Although "Motown" itself is an evolving sound with slightly-shifting definitions, it, as well as Rhythm and Blues, formed the backbone of most popular beats and music. Now, however, this influence was more generally acknowledged, but not necessarily widespread. This album fused the 'Protest' anthems of the 'Hippie Movement' with the soulful grooves and dance beats of Motown. The result was an album that defied categorization and defined its own place in music importance, influence, and history.

Hell yea. funk and soul, groove and bop.

Oh yay! This is the album with Family Affair. Starts off hot and funky. I’m sold within the first 30 seconds. You can already hear the influence this had on George Clinton and Gil Scott Heron. It’s a rich tapestry of American soul. And it just gets better from there. This is the kind of album that deserves its place in the pantheon of great recordings. Unique, interesting, relevant, influential and inspiring. It’s both experimental and complete. The band knew exactly who they were and what they wanted. There’s no searching, only quality and delivery. How have I lived so long without listening to this album? What’s the point of life without this excellence? Burn all that whiney, shitty hippie crap. I would rather have this record listed 100 times, than have it stand next to some of the hot garbage that’s on here. How you gonna put Robbie Williams and Cee Lo in the same room as this? This record is so good, I wish I could give others -500 ratings. It’s so good, I want to violently shake the author and make him explain himself. Like, how dare you think half of this list could even come close to this. This is my new favorite album and I’m only halfway through. There needs to be a higher rating than 5 for stuff like this. This is perfect. Not a note out of place. I thought Sly was good before. But now I know that he was so much better than I could have imagined. He does not get a fraction of the praise that is heaped on his contemporaries. Throw Clapton, Dylan, Young and Creedence in the river. This is so much better. Even the yodeling song is better than most music on this list. 100,000/5

Yes. Get you some of this riot goin' on and clean the house.

: )

Great

Absolutely fantastic. One of the things I've learned about myself during this challenge is I love funk & soul. What a delightful album with lots of groove. I listened to it three times it was that good. 4.5 stars.

All the early Sly albums are gold. Righteous Anger Sly possibly even better.

Hell yes.