There's A Riot Goin' On

All of the movies with a shady scene and funky soundtrack have this album to thank. It perfectly set off another revolution in funk in the 70's that it didn't all have to be happy and smiley. Love the depth and color provided by the album

Sly is always an instant green.

Whoa, this is my album for Election Day in the US in 2024. Update: Fuck

2/11/24 It was of the time, it wasn't a bad album.

Dont really listen to soul or funk so not for me. The yodling on Spaced Cowboy was a surprize

Not for me. The funky elements were fun at first, but most songs felt dragged out and messy. Had a hard time focusing on the groove and just got a headache :(

Tiene un buen groove, entre batería, bajo y algunas porciones de guitarra con algunos ocasionales efectos interesantes. Aunque a veces se torna medio aburrido o monótono, en especial la batería en ciertas canciones se vuelve insoportable porque nunca cambia, por ejemplo en My Gorilla My Butler la batería es constante, con el volumen recostado del lado izquierdo que termina cansando hacia el final de la canción. Hay más ejemplo, pasa en la mayoría de las canciones.

3.5

oh my god that's the funky shit

Very enjoyable album, very funky and great vocals. Not much to say about this one, just a solid album. Mid 4.

C'est bon!

I saw these guys live at Seattle Center in the 70's. They were an hour late starting and only played for 40 minutes. And it was the most jamming, energetic, outrageously funky, best concert I ever went to! This album is a bit more tame than that but Family Affair and Thank You for Talkin' to Me are classics, and I really enjoyed this listen!

Another Sly gem. Much deeper.

It's interesting to me that this is apparently generally considered their best; I enjoyed Stand! a decent bit more. I still dug this, however, and perhaps it will reveal itself to me more on subsequent listens. 3.5/5 EDIT: On second listen, yeah, I “get” it much more. Still inferior to Stand!, but pretty damn great. 4.5/5

Musically, I have no complaints about this album. Sly is a bona fide genius, and he surrounded himself with great musicians. Unfortunately, I have little sense for funk, which needs to be admitted up front. The album simply doesn't go anywhere, and I suspect that maybe that's the point of the genre. Maybe it's not about the album taking us somewhere. Maybe it's about the album being there with us as we do nothing but vibe with it (preferably, I suspect, with the assistance of a healthy dose of THC). I own this album, and it's probably my fifth or sixth listen, yet somehow It's a Family Affair is the only track that he stuck with me. It's hard to knock this album; I like Sly and I want to like the record. But it's a 2.5/5 for me.

Sly & The Family Stone are the biggest disappointment of this entire project. 2.3

Funky aber nicht so funky wie anderes diese Woche

Nice funk album. Not my typical style of music but I can appreciate it, although after a few songs everything just kind of sounded the same to me. Good for background music.

Easy listen, dated

Just thought it really dull

Buena música negra. Pero no soy tan funki

its difficult to tell which substance had a greater impact on the recording of this record between Cocaine and Utter Disillusionment. im glad that ive already heard Stand and a bit of Life because without the context of their earlier Brighter Livelier Idealistic material i dont think this hits quite as hard (which makes the discrepancy in number of ratings on this website a lil sad but its fine lol). slightly nightmarish and always wholly enveloping with arrangements it feels like u can never reach the bottom of, and bizarre musical ideas are somehow finessed in such a half-lucid state that they start to feel magnetic and inevitable. my only potential complaint is that they rly dont sound like a Band that much on this one at all,,,iir a lot of parts are just sly himself either from the start or in overdubs, but even this kinda adds to the fucked-up atmosphere cuz theres so little room to breathe and no direction to move except down. sly in general is one of the great unsung mega-influences on all popular music that came afterwards, the amount that goes back to his work is unbelievable, and his music is rly incredible too which is always nice!

After years of revering this album, I've come to feel it's the kind of music I enjoy more in person and less on record.

This was fairly enjoyable. I think that there is something specific about the time and their sound, but it's held up pretty well.

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

3.54

Chill groovin in the early 70's

'There's A Riot Goin' On' is darker and deeper than their previous, more psychedelic and funky albums. It's more experimental/avantgarde funk, as well. I liked it overall, it's a strong album.

Okay sounding funk, but a mostly uneventful album that felt like it took too long

3.5/5

I liked it well enough. Nothing particularly stood out though.

How can you argue with this?

Nothing amiss with this at all. A lot of the songs seem to establish a mid-paced groove and ride that to the end. It certainly establishes a certain mood and tenor to the album. 'Family Affair' remains a minor masterpiece.

Hm, I feel like I am missing some sociopolitical context here. I visited the Wikipedia page for this album and read through the entire thing but I feel like I am still missing something in order to enjoy this album as much as possible. I think that I had the watered-down listening experience due to lack of historical context. The only songs that stood out for me were "Family Affair" and "Thank You For Talkin' To Me, Africa". Other than that, great sound but really not my cup of tea. 3.1/5, kinda meh.

Jam band stuff isn't quite my thing, but if it was, this album would blow my socks off. The band is loose but tight all at once and there's an immediate vibe to the record. I get it why this is on the list. My one quibble was the singer had tons of swagger but not much voice to back it up and I'm curious if that was a result of the intense lifestyle the band was reportedly living at the time. Anyway, this was good! Glad I finally got to check out what's the big deal about Sly and the Family Stone.

Another long album, not my bag really

This album was funky, It was OK but nothing more. It couldn’t keep my concentration and became a background sound. This is not one I would listen to again Favourite song: Family affair Least favourite: The instrumentals towards the end of the album Album artwork: American

It was okay

I liked this pretty good album. The early use of drum machines is a bonus. "Family Affair" is the best song there. Some of the album tracks were forgettable but not bad. The title track lasts 4 seconds and is silent. 3 stars for "There's a Riot Goin' On".

It's good, but it doesn't feel essential to me. Favorite song: you caught me smiling.

Stand is better but this one is fine

Sly and the gang prove why they were one of the most influential funk bands of all-time. Heavy grooves and soulful vocals, with lyrics that reflect the social consciousness of their time.

So many people give this a 5! I remember buying this and being disappointed with it, after seeing them play back in the day. And revisiting it today ... still tough for me to get through. Family Affair - great, but the rest? I give it a 3, but I don't need to come back to it.

Weak in relative terms (doesn’t hold a candle to Stand!(per the write-up: for obvious reasons)); strong in absolute terms (it’s good!)

Good band from the 70’s. Another band you hear, that you immediately think of the 70’s. Good songs.

So funky, so important

This recording was not as good as I thought it would be. The cording quality seemed off l, especially the vocals. Still, a good soul/funk album.

A lot of funk but not much substance

I like Sly and the Family Stone. I picked the wrong day to listen to it and wasn't feeling it. I like though that this album at least tended to put as much emphasis on the music as it did the lyrics and singing.

These guys were supposed to be the shit and this album was just so meh

Slow burning deep groove funk with a dark minor key feel to it. Angry, uplifting, sensual, it's a whirlwind of feelings. The guitar is riding the wah wah pedal like a madman, the bass is powerfully in the pocket, the organs give an extra bit of energy and texture. It's a loose freeform band, but all working in support of Sly's lead vocals, but the album gets kind of unfocused and sprawling.

Fine. Sounds the same.

I like funk but this was pretty mid

Brilliant moments mixed with plodding, crappily produced funk. Was expecting to love this based on my deep affinity for “family affair”, but this was kind of a let down.

Decent album. The one track I really liked was "Runnin' Away". It has the kind of vibe I like, somewhat reminiscent of Air. The rest of the album was OK background music but nothing stood out, including the song "Family Affair", which I guess was the big hit.

Aside from a few noteworthy track, this feels more like raw material for future hip hop samples than it does fully constructed songs.

No one can do a "Wee-AAAWWW" like Sly Stone. But this ultimately feels like him and the Family Stone mostly noodling and grooving - like we're listening to a jam session vs structured music (except maybe 'Family Affair' and 'You Caught Me Smilin'). While it's possibly a great example of funk, doesn't ultimately stick in a memorable way.

Great album all around. Perfectly produced and nothing at all bad to say about it.

smooth

This one wasn't a hit for me. 2/5

Original 70's funk. Good album

Get the funk out! Wicked fun! Definitely an album that's been sampled to death

I've vaguely intended to listen to Sly & the Family Stone for a while, so this was a welcome selection. I wasn't too taken at first - it was fine, but nothing special - but I was definitely into it by the second half, and will for sure listen again. Great stuff!

I liked this, but it was hard to discern the lyrics because of the overdubbing. I'd listen to this again but I didn't like it as much as yesterday's album, C'est Chic, which was a similar genre.

So much goodness. I can’t tell if it’s more groovy or funky.

First listen. Ok.

some solid instrumentals just goes on wayy too long and gets stale

Something very slick about this. Easy to listen to.

Funkiest album ever made

Funky and cool

Family Affair is a perfect song. Classic 4.5 star case where there’s excellent and a slightly softer back half.

Slightly disappointing album. I was hoping for an usual great funk, akin to early Stevie Wonder, so more like FUNk, with some good lyrics and theme. Instead, only the latter part was there, musically it was quite underwhelming. Average record.

Familly affaire style

funk and soul goodfathers of the late sixties! Love -- Peace

Good vibes Music was enjoyable, but every song sounded the same. Became a bit repetitive and too long sadly 3 ⭐️

Incredible instrumental and vocal performances but the songs don't exactly get the point across that there is a riot in progress.

Dobre, z funkiem i SB nie miałem dużo do czynienia. Czasami wrócę do pojedynczych utworów. Dobry album na spokojny poranek

Not bad but really my taste

Funky listen that kinda blended into the background. Not in a bad way but none of the songs really stood out to me.

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.

Curiosamente, esta banda fue con la que empecé éste reto a fines de 2023. ¿Es todo circular? ¿O la busca de causalidades es algo propio de todo ser humano para darle más sentido a su existencia? Sly & The Family Stone. Banda woodstockera por excelencia que en éste disco tiene una vibra más baja pero siempre sexi y con un sonido igual de sólido que sus anteriores trabajos. No sorprendió pero gustó.

Might be a seminal album for the funk genre but it felt kind of meh listening, like I’ve heard it all before. Also a little cringe, especially with family business 5/10

★★★½

This one is just okay. Sly (and his family) are fun, but this can't be their best album.

Lots of funk, lots of fun

So cool i love sly & the family stone

Definitely a different album than Sly & The Family Stone’s classic “Stand,” which is more pop-oriented. The songs on this album are looser and funkier and the production feels less polished. The mix sounds muddled. It’s still enjoyable but not as immediately accessible as their previous album. Great album cover. Simple and classic.

This style of funk has always been really interesting to me. It's great music, but there's this strategy that feels like "throwing a few too many different sounds together and hoping that it gels" that doesn't always gel with me. take "Family Affair" for example, I hear: drumset percussion toys main vocals harmony vocals wah-wah guitar plucky rhythmic guitar solo slightly overdriven guitar electric piano bass guitar Eight instruments isn't a lot, but for the most part they are each doing a distinctly different thing; they aren't all riffing on the same riff, they aren't all listening and talking to eachother. It definitely helps the replayability, like I assume you can't hear this song and get sick of it until you listen to it like over a dozen times, because there's so many voices and things going on. This was a good listen and a good time, but I was a little bit underwhelmed. It's a funk dynasty and an impressive lineage but I can't help but leave some songs wanting more. There's a lot of jamming that doesn't really go anywhere- specifically in the second half where I feel like the last 3 instrumental tracks leave a bad lasting impression. "My Gorilla Is My Butler - Instrumental" is a full 3 minutes of 8th note digital snare drum hits with a funk keyboard riffs behind it and refuses to go anywhere. Maybe this one should have kept the vocals?

5.5/10

Great instrumentation but some songs overstay their welcome a bit.

Not bad. Not great. I'd say this is a pretty average listen. Some cool riffs. Some not so cool vocals. I hate those random screams in this type of movie. It always sounds like someone getting their nuts slowly twisted. Next.

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

Basic funk

groovy

pessimism

A reflection of not just the tension in the band, but the tension in the country. Still timely.

Sounds really dated and much better music from this period around. Washes over you

Just not my thing

Listened to a lot of Sly over the year - mostly Hits collections as they have put out some bangers. Heard this one a fews. I like it but it's not something I would revisit much over an Essentials playlist.

Not exactly up my alley, but I think of so many artists influenced by this.

Thought I'd love this then I got a bit bored tbh

Pretty good, not one I would have heard without taking on this list. Family affair and spaced cowboy were my favourites. Did not enjoy the instrumental/alternate versions as much 4 🌟 for the original version, but only 3 🌟 for the expanded version!

Funky, chunky, and brilliant. Super cool and great music. The Sly Stone sound can taste a little burnt after a while in my ears, but still awesome in moderate doses. Four stars.

Slapping the bass. Funky tunes. Not quite magic ball of funk level but enjoyable.

I did this album no favors by listening while working on a project; it didn’t have my full attention, and this is probably the sort of album that deserves a closer listen. I’ll try to revisit it in the future. I enjoyed it well enough in the background, but it didn’t jump out at me (aside from the yodeling on “Spaced Cowboy,” which I appreciated).

recording was dominated by band frontman Sly Stone during a period of elevated drug use and intra-group tension…and yet still pretty good and funky.

Sicken skit.

The music was good but the lyrics were odd

3/5 - just not my thing

I get why people like this but I don't

Just dripping with pure, unadulterated F U N K

Very good summer vibes. Sometimes I wish the tracks developed a bit more instead of riding out the same groove, but other times it’s nice to just ride along (3.5/5)

fabulous funk

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.

Good

krunk

really good

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

Thought I would like this more than I did…oh well!

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

Not my favorite Sly Album. Felt like it never really got going and was mostly a collection of songs that were almost there.

I liked a lot of this; especially the last track, a slowed down version of "Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)". Disliked Space Cowboy a lot, but overall here more to like than not. A strong 3

The lyrics are deceptively simple here (and hard to hear at first, due to the way the album was produced), but offer some interesting commentary on the times. The music is an interesting fusion of funk, soul, and a lot of other sounds (including cowboy-style yodeling). I had never heard that version of "Thank you" before, but really enjoyed the slow groove, which suited the lyrics.

This is my second album from Sly & The Family Stone. I didn't enjoy this quite as much as the first, but I'm struggling to put my finger on why that is.

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

Funky!

funky as hell, love it when an album really sounds like it should be on this list

This is a funky record no doubt, and there's plenty of effortless cool here too. But for some reason, nothing really reaches into my soul and really turns it on, you know? It's a competent funk record with a social justice warrior mindset, but it's kinda bland too. It's just lacking that extra special something to take it over the edge. But it's still a chill listening experience.

Not particularly interesting or engaging. Didn't catch my ear.

not as fun as other S&TFS albums

Don’t like it

Sly and the Family Stone just has a consistently great sound. This album is deeply funky, and the lyrics float effortlessly between socially conscious material and slice of life material. Sly's bass glues it all together 4/5

Influential

actually hated everything. the music, the vocals, the lyrics appreciate historically tho YNN

Made me feel like I was a 1970s detective on the mean streets of Los Angeles. Too old for this shit. The boss thinks my methods are too drastic but goddamn it if I don't get results.

It started off good but got a bit dull towards the end.

Great band, shit album 3/10

Enjoyed it slightly more than the other Sly album I got a few weeks ago…

Some good songs….

Moderately interesting funk.

3.5 stars. Funk and soul. A little lower energy than I'd prefer at times but it's still good. Standouts are "Family Affair" and the instrumental "My Gorilla Is My Butler".

Only knew “Family Affair” off of this album and always liked it along with his other hits. Cool album which snapshots the era it was produced.

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

I'd listened to this again recently When Sly Stone died. Love how dirty everything sounds. A shame that inventing slap bass would lead to so much shit music by others in the future. They can't be blamed

In my memory they sounded better. Is it me?

It’s definitely sounds like a riot compared to Marvin Gaye’s What’s going on. It’s a fine album, I can’t imagine there is a funk album I’d give a 4. Very low ceiling, high floor. 5.9/10

Honestly nothing stuck out to me about this album. Perhaps I didn't listen closely enough, but nothing really stuck out to me.

One of the cool things about this list is you get to hear where great songs come from.

While I enjoyed their prior album, Stand! I was still anxious that I wouldn't "get" this album, being as I don't consider myself a funk version at all, I openly admit that, and my partner, who admittedly has not heard Stand! is not a fan of this release. However, I'm happy to say I quite like this release, and while I'm sure I still don't "get" it fully, I do at least enjoy it quite a bit. The groove within the grooves of the vinyl don't always get me funking, other than some great bass playing, but what I truly appreciate here is the melodies. See, my issue with someone like James Brown was always that I felt every song tended to feel like a carbon copy of the last, but here you can tell songs apart extremely well, and I'd even say there's some tracks here that focus mostly on being catchy pop tunes, such as Smilin' and Runnin' Away, and do an incredibly good job of adding a solid chunky texture to these songs to really make them stand out, and I think it rounds out the album marvelously. It does still have my usual qualms with this sort of stuff such as some of the tracks going on too long (this could easily be a flat forty minutes) or just the fact like songs like Family Affair don't hit the same as they did some fifty years ago, but they're more nitpicks than anything, and I totally get why this would be considered a vital part of the music canon.

No está mal. Debería volverlo a escuchar. Me ha sorprendido Runnin' Away, pero no puedo decir que sea imprescindible para mí.

Bueno

Some real tasty funk, but a lot of filler too.

Soul, funk, blues, jazz, and … yodeling? Did I hear yodeling?? This was a good listen, nice background or ambience music. If we could give half stars, this would be a 3.5. But it’s just not rise to the level of a 4.

It’s a Funky psychedelic treat with darker, gritty and mellow tones. Very enjoyable and would love to dive more into it.

Interesting and groovy for sure but not awesome. The mix felt pretty flat and uninteresting a number of times... like everything was all 'at the front' and so nothing was... Actually I kind of expected more from this one.

smooth and funky.

Sweet

Very funky as you would expect, perhaps a bit more laid back than the exuberance of Everyday People or Dance to the Music. Family Affair and Runnin Away the stand out tracks. I would happily never hear Space Cowboy again!

Very much of its time, and most of the songs didn’t really hold my attention.

I know “Family Affair” from this album, I remember it on the radio, and have owned it on digital for many years. Great song. But I didn’t know anything else from the album. The rest of the album is mostly…. Well…. I guess I’d say it is unfocused. It all has a good groove, at moments great. But it all just sort of muddles around. Wikipedia states tge album “embraced the apathy, pessimism, and disillusionment”, and “explored a darker, more challenging sound”. They also note that the album came out during Sly Stone’s “period of escalated drug use”, and noted intra-band tensions. Sounds like Stone was in a downward spiral, and I can pick that up in the album. There are some good moments, but as I said, it’s all unfocused. Not enough melodies, not enough songs. Between 1967 had 1970, Sly and The Family Stone had 4x Top 10’s. But this album’s “Family Affair” would be their last Top 10. This album just sounds to me like a great band, starting to decline. There’s still hints of what they could do, but too much “Spaced Cowboy” and not enough “Family Affair”. I wonder what this might’ve been if Sly Stone didn’t self-produce it… Anyway, there’s one superb song, a couple of mediocre songs, and a lot of forgettable, but pretty funky grooves. Could’ve / should’ve been so much more. 3/5

Some songs sound so terribly low-quality that they’re almost unlistenable. Basically missing everything that you want from a funk/soul album.

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

Pretty decent, I'll put this at the same as the last Sly & The Family Stone album as I feel like they're both really solid.

Quiet funk doesn't do it for me, not my thing.

Some songs are great - some not :-) In summary 3 stars

Funky. Packt mich aber nicht.

This is your funk on acid.

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

What a perfect groove.

Pretty good

Who doesn’t love some funk on a rainy Monday!?

sounds like it was recorded with a 3ds but outside of that its great. 8/10

There's A Riot Goin' On is an okay album at best. The songs all sounded fine and the singer did have a cool voice at points but the songs did sound really samey outside of a few tracks. I also don't get why silence needed its own track especially when it was just 4 seconds long. Beyond that, i don't really have too much to say about this album Best Song: Runnin' Away Worst Song: Just Like a Baby

Awesome.

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 didn’t like as much as I was hoping to. Not quite as funky not quite as soul as expected. A couple tracks were kind of just… weird.

It was ok. Nothing really stood out to me

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.

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.

Þetta er mest megnis slappt, fyrir utan náttúrulega aðal bangerinn, Family Affair.

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.

Spaced Cowboy was my favorite track. That's not saying much.

There is, a mostly funky one.

The front end of this album was much stronger then the later half. Fun funk/soul music. There wasn't anything too memorable here but it was overall an enjoyable listen.

I like Sly. I like what they did for Music during the 60's and 70's. But this album is a snoozefest.

Not my favorite Sly album, but it’s an interesting funk piece that gets a little deeper soul. It’s a more mature sound that many other funk and soul artists of the era were also adapting (like Marvin Gaye, Curtis Mayfield, or Stevie Wonder).

Love Sly's sound!

whoa such a jam!!! morning is a blast with this album!! 4

Great Grooves!

Expected more, kinda dull album

Schwer aushaltbarer Psychedelic Funk.

Prima!

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

What's goin' on?

Pretty chill and a good vibe. There's the big hit of course and the rest are good for general chill background music.

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 …

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...

Ok, I liked the funk element.

S'grand but I prefer my riots to sound a lot noisier

Love Sly&TFS’ layered grooves here. Wish some of the songs were a little more fully formed but when the funk rolls for awhile, I can’t really complain!

GOOOOD

Of course I the more idealistic music Sly and company have made, but somehow I dig this stuff a lot more; the stuff inspired by drug use, paranoia, and the death of the 60's idealism that influenced their earlier music. It's some hard-ass funk music about riots that are, unfortunately, still going on.

I liked this more than Stand. Just some nice funk all around.

I just don’t really know, but I think I’m at a 3. For my tastes and my sensibilities, I think I came into this album with the wrong expectations, which is to say an evolution of the funky, polished, catchy idealism that was present on Stand!, and that expectation broke itself down very quickly. This album is a bit darker, a bit less polished, a bit less “catchy” in the sense that there’s definitely no Everyday People-esque songs on this album, and almost certainly a lack of the idealism from Stand!. I tried to shift myself into the mood once it became apparent, but to me, there’s a sort of ethereal emptiness to this album that stopped me from ever really getting hooked in. Even with such funky instrumentation, the rougher, obviously re-recorded, re-dubbed, and re-taped vocals kept pulling me away from that instrumentation in a way that I think negatively affected my perception of the individual songs; they all felt like demo tapes to me. As an entire album, I think the looser style of the instrumentation here is very effectively realized, and with the context of the drug usage and loneliness that affected the production of this album, it’s really kind of a miracle that this exists as coherently as it does. However, I just don’t think all of those elements hit on any of my sensibilities. There is something kind of intoxicating about this album though – I can see myself coming back to listen again and try to understand it better, but I also get the feeling this album is never going to fully click for me, and that’s where I’m stuck with a 3.

Kinda groovy, but it's not really doing it for me. Interesting enough though.

A nice rediscovery

classic

Something very infectious about Sly

It's funky, it's groovy.

A beautiful sloppy mess. It feels like the wheels are about to fall off but I love where it’s headed.

Dang the list serves up another classic! Love the experimentation of this album. Part of me wishes it was more focused and part of me loves the random jams that go into weird places. Either way, definitely great.

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.

I wish I had more to say about this album - I can see why it's included, but wasn't something I really got into. Maybe just not a great day for it to be on my list? 3/5

Pretty cool stuff

Its really not as good as you think its going to be.

Another group I'm familiar with.

Ik vind dit wel lekker. Beetje rock funk met veel wah-wah pedals en enorm overdubbed

Great band back in the 70s? Like many of their songs.

A bit boring if I'm being honest.

получше, но в целом всё равно залупа

Folksy and fun. Not really my style, but I can see why they're famous.

Awesome. Non sequitur yodel number toward the end, respect

This is a hard rating for me. There’s been some albums that I didn’t enjoy AND didn’t understand them being on the list. I can see the importance of this one but it just didn’t grab me in any way. It’s not that I didn’t like it though.. maybe it just wasn’t a good day for this one to come up.

2.5/5

Favorites: Luv N' Haight, Poet, Spaced Cowboy

Rock-soul. Ni fu ni fa.

Psychedelic funk. Rollo.

Perfect background music, upbeat vibes and vague lyrics

Swing gosto, deixa a vontade de experimentar mais.

Este disco condensa y resume los años 70. Otra cosa es que te se resumen sea necesario. No te miento, este disco huele raro. Como a plástico, laca y sudor.

real soul & blues

Funky album but not a genre I'm really into.

Great album

This was a really interesting one, and a huge departure from their previous album "Stand!", which came out only two years earlier. "Stand!" was super funky and generally pretty positive and upbeat, which "Everyday People" kind of captures well. This one is still pretty funky, but it's a lot darker and moodier. Sly seems to have developed a bit of a drug habit at this point and this also seems to be picking up the changing political landscape as the civil rights movement peak was wearing off a bit. I generally try to ignore critics' reviews of albums, but I liked this one a lot, "Christgau wrote in 2007 that the "temptations and contradictions" of commercial stardom consumed Sly Stone and resulted in "the prophetic 1971" album, "its taped-over murk presaging Exile on Main St., its drum-machine beats throwing knuckleballs at [Miles Davis] and [James Brown], it was darker than the Velvet Underground and Nico and funkier than shit, yet somehow it produced two smash hits, including the stark, deep 'Family Affair'." It's a really solid album overall. It's not one that I see myself coming back to frequently, but there's a lot of good stuff in here and it seems to capture a moment in time well. Favorite song: Family Affair Other: Just Like a Baby, Poet, (You Caught Me) Smilin', Time, Runnin' Away, Thank You For Talkin' To Me Africa 2/15/24

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

Bit bland, not really for me

got really bored of it

s'ok

Ekki fyrir mig.... á að vera í ætt við "what's going on" með Marvin Gaye but mér finnst sú plata mun mun betri

I didn't enjoy this as much as I hoped. But bad and a real groove in places but I felt a bit let down by a few tracks.

meh

Nice and funky, but smooth, not crazy. Felt groovy. And old boss of mine use to always say "Family Affaaaiiir" and I never knew it was a song lol.

I love sly. A pretty easy 4.

Favorite Tracks: Family Affair Runnin’ Away Luv N’ Haight

Jotenkin aika synnkä funk-levy. Erikonen ja yllättäväkin jopa siis! 3/5

Varmaan monien mielestä suurin funk-klassikko ja ei ihme. Moni biisi ihan 5/5, mutta omaan makuun jälkipuolisko vähän hiipuu ja olkoon 4/5.

Ihan hyvää funkkista, mut ei nouse ihan neloseen asti.

Very funky. Nice album. One or two album fillers towards the end (eg Spaced Cowboy). First song kicks off the mood in funkalicious style.

Never liked them and still don’t get it.

7/10

Bangin, funky

Groovy & Funky

Best thing about this site is getting me to listen to artists that I'm "aware of" but have never really "listened to". Funky stuff here.

On this date, 1/29/2024 I am not really in the mood for S&TFS but I shall endure.

This album is cool. I can't really articulate why I feel that way, but there's something about the way it hits your earholes. Songs on this album are like a time machine. Some transport you back to the coolest 70s night clubs, while others place you on the set of a classic porno film. Great fun, either way. There's even a weird yodelling track that somehow works too. Plus, ending the record with "Thank You for Talking to Me Africa" is a perfect sendoff. 👌 I can't see this album ever getting a regular rotation, but that's no big deal. "There's A Riot Going On" was an enjoyable listen while drinking coffee & cleaning up the kitchen on this miserable Monday morning. 👍👍

Funky yet also kind of relaxing? It was making me seriously drowsy listening to this, even though it's got a nice groovy thing going on. More of a 3.5.

Funky

Well, this one is better than Stand! I like the vibe. Still not really my thing though, but it was nice experience!

Yeah, not sure what else to say. It's funky cool, but not extraordinary.

Meh

Solo escuché 1 y no me hizo gracia, pido perdón

Groovy drug fueled bop of an album

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.

Not bad, but nothing stood out to me. An amalgamation of sound that, to me right now, doesn't quite work. Worth another listen in the future.

Nicht meine Musik

Incredible stuff, really captures the vibe of 70s funk perfectly

Funky. Somewhat repetitive. This was definitely more enjoyable than previous funk albums I've been subjected to on this list (I'm looking at you, Parliament). It was fine, but didn't necessarily blow my mind either.

I think you had to be born at the right time to have a soft spot for this kind of funk. This is only marginally better than Parliament. Two stars... Will never listen to again.

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

I don’t know what I thought about this album. I listened to it twice and I still can’t decide. I like the chill vibes and relaxing tone, but it isn’t something I look forward listening to.

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

Some funky music. Ish.

I listened to this song while playing elite dangerous for hours on end so although I listened to it multiple times I probably still didn’t get the full experience. However, I’m not too worried because the experience I did get was a pretty fun soul/funk album that all ran together without many standout songs except family affair and maybe luv n haight.

: )

Very good

Eher 3

Musically, I didn't enjoy this at all

It’s ok

Great

What a funky way to start the day! Thoroughly enjoyed this.

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.

Very funky but a lot of the same. Can see how it’s a classic album, but not that great. Hoping other albums have more punch.

This is some good time funk and then some right here. Also proof that good drugs will never go out of style. Reminded me a lot of Prince, namely the Sign O The Times album and songs where the Purple King would let Wendy and Lisa sing. It seems like we don't hold Sly Stone up as high as we do Prince, although that might just be my generation. Shame on us.

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

Hell yes.

Nice funk and soul.

Groovy.

Beetje vreemde, donkere, wazige soul/funkplaat. Paar hits (Family Affair, Smilin') en de afsluiter is ook heel nice (Thank You), maar naar 't schijnt veel door Sly zelf gedaan in eindeloze coke-overdubs en komt de groove niet altijd ten goede. Tof, heeft bepaalde sfeer, maar niet mega ofzo. 2,5 sterren zou ik 't geven, dus ik rond af naar 2, want JB live at apollo toch beter.

A really nice, funky album. It’s quite lofi and quirky sounding, sometimes the rhythms feel like they’ll fall apart but they fall into interesting patterns. That makes no sense but I can’t be bothered to rewrite it.

Kinda makes me want to fight the power...funkily

I prefer the joyous groove of Stand! But the groove on Riot is incredibly gritty and raw. Always loved Running Away as well as the muddy Family Affair. That muddy production irritates me, but nonetheless an important record, even if it documents Sly's mental breakdown.

Forgot about the jams.

not my kind of music, but i honor the effort

Why don't I listen to more Sly?

Very funky, but I wasn't a huge fan.

First time hearing this, and I like it quite a bit! Very funky