There's A Riot Goin' On

Not much of a riot goin’ on as this is pretty cheesy and lame. Should have gone with whatever album Hot Fun In The Summertime is on. Greatest Hits? So be it.

Everything bounces at a sharp angle on this weird one: it sounds like you should be able to dance to it, but you end up tripping over extra feet. I’ve enjoyed it for most of my life and still don’t understand it, funk run through a cipher.

A glorious, groove-laded journey; fewer bangers than "Stand" but more cohesive.

Not digging; it all that much.

There's some good stuff on here it just doesn't zing me as much as Curtis Mayfield or Funkadelic from around this era of 70s funk.

fairly ok

Never heard this album before. Couldn't make my mind up as to whether to put aside for another listen.

I hadn't listened to this before, very funky, sometimes mellow. Its ok, probably won't ever listen again 3* 64%

Overall Rating - 3.59/5 (7.18/10). Fun album. Would definitely listen again.

Sly & The Family Stone along with Love were the two bands that best understood and exemplified the 60s and what it meant for its idyllic optimism and sense of freedom, the personal and racial. By 1971 through various drug hazes, Sly also understood what it was like when the 60s died. There's a Riot Goin' On is the eulogy to a special decade of (primarily American) history compared to the black and white serious 1950s. Downright nasty funk music with big intent on its songwriting/overall theme and message. Time sounds like a 60s pop song on its last legs before the tape runs dry. So many layers to this record, a true classic. Just gets better with every re-listen.

4,5

very funky and poignant

Great name. Mediocre album

Hated this. Went on forever

Drugs are really bad for you, but sometimes you can make shit like this. The only thing keeping me from scoring this perfectly is Time - but it's one of my favorite albums nonetheless. Issa classic (9/10, 5/5 on this scale)

This is quite an old album but it's actually quite chill. Leaving it in the background was relatively enjoyable and some songs were even good, with things being very smooth. As a background listen, this is great, but I feel like it's slightly outdated because we've been spoiled with more exciting music. Pretty nice overall though.

(8.7)

Despite spending much of his time seemingly purposefully alienating his bandmates and fan base during the making of this album, Sly has come up with another winner. It shockingly sold by the truckload AND produced a number one single, despite a very intentionally anti-commercial sound. Gone are the sing-along anthems and positive messaging of earlier albums. In fact, he mocks his old songs, one by one, on the album closer “Thank You for Talking to Me Africa”, and the title track, clocking in at 0’ 00”, couldn’t be more pointed. A truly stunning achievement.

Surprisingly good music

Troubled production history actually made for an interesting album. I'm damning with faint praise here - I liked it, but also got bored by the end.

Not for me

Good but dense. Amazingly funky though

Mid

Funk, banco. Buena onda el disco, nada increíble.

You can't go anywhere on this record without being smothered with smooth and silky grooves. The tracks are consistently engaging and feel warm, dark at times and extremely tight. I definitely think Stand from a couple of years prior has more wow factor though. There's something about this one that doesn't quite hit the insane heights of that album. Still enjoying the grooves though. 7/10.

Fínt að grúva við þessa.

Straight funkin it up in my house tonight, y'all.

It couldn't decide what it wanted to be. What the hell was up with the half-ass attempt at yodeling? And in a funk track? It's not bad enough for a 2 star, but I won't be going back to it.

2 1/2 Stars: Call me crazy but for an 'activist' piece of music this whole album front-to-back sounds uninspired. Devoid of energy and lyrically bored. I'm truly puzzled why 'masterpiece' is getting thrown around this.

music is love

There's a big difference between the first and second side for me. From track 8 onwards, I enjoyed these songs much more. Spaced Cowboy has always been a particular favourite Sly song of mine. It's silly, mocking, humorous and cutting. And it's got yodelling. Caught me Smiling and Running away are also strong tracks. As an album, I struggled to connect with it today. Maybe I wasn't in the right headspace for this sound. I have heard this one before, and I feel like it is one to pull out individually brilliant songs, but less enjoyable to listen to all the way through. I'm torn between a 3 and 4 on this one. It's gotta be 3 because it isn't consistent enough to deserve 4. Even though they are a talented band...

A car crash of styles and emotions, the schizophrenic songs on *Riot* never settle down, creating a turbulent atmosphere of perpetual unease. The messy and shambolic mix only adds even further to the off-kilter sound of this album. The chaotic nature of this record means that very little actually achieves liftoff - there's nothing like "I Want To Take You Higher" (a masterpiece of tension and exuberant energy) on here, unfortunately.

Good album, funky

As much as I’ve heard about sly I wasn’t that impressed with this album

Cool stuff

Nice groovin'. Liked the final instrumental songs: can't get any more 70s than that.

Insufficient feel / funkiness to justify the monotony. Poor production quality.

I echo Boyd’s sentiments on this one - kind of monotonous, though I did dig the lofi grittiness. Extra star for copious wah wah. Probably not one I’d rush back to.

I love what Sly and the Family tried to do here, psychedelic 70s funk is right up my ally, and a lot of There’s a riot hits, but something about the tone and production style gets old after a few songs. I’m stealing this line but it perfectly sums up the album “all this album does is make me want to listen to parliament”. Just like a baby and family affair are S Tier jams, but as noted their is something a bit off for to me regarding the production. 3 starts 7.7 out of 10

Thoroughly enjoyed this listen. There’s a Riot Goin’ On shares a lot of DNA with one of my favorite records, Maggot Brain by Funkadelic. It doesn’t have quite as much of the extended guitar-jam stuff, but holy shit does it bring the funk. It’s kind of a shame Sly Stone doesn’t get talked about in the same breath as guys like Hendrix or Prince as this absolute musical virtuoso. I know he probably did for a long time, but I feel like he’s been lost to time in a way those guys haven’t. Maybe some of that has to do with what happened to him later in life. But as a songwriter, producer, arranger, bandleader, multi-instrumentalist, just a total musical architect, the guy was ridiculous. And I always love that nasty envelope-filter quack. There are moments on this record where I swear you can hear the DNA of Shakedown Street and a lot of the disco-funk Dead that came later. Then you’ve got that huge, honking bass sound just driving the whole thing forward like a freight train. The record feels murky and loose and kind of fucked up, but the groove never lets go. One of my favorite tracks is “Runnin’ Away,” mostly because it sounds like it wandered in from a completely different record. I can’t even really tell if Sly is singing half the time. It almost sounds like some lost B-side from Magical Mystery Tour. Just this strange, delightful little pop song in the middle of all this grimy funk. It’s like Aftermath-era Stones meets Syd Barrett-era Pink Floyd meets late Beatles meets George Clinton. Such a killer track. And of course “Family Affair” and “Thank You for Talkin’ to Me Africa” are huge standouts too. Those were the ones that felt familiar going in, unlike most of the rest of the album. I think this record probably gets overshadowed a little by some of Sly’s more commercially successful late-’60s stuff, especially Stand!, but I honestly think I like this better. Stand! feels like this intersection of psychedelic rock, protest music, soul, R&B, gospel, funk, all of it happening at once. This one is just: Funk. Funk. Funk. Funk. Funk. And I mean that as the highest possible compliment. 7.8/10

This grew on me a little bit since I last listened to it. I still think that the lo-fi production hinders some songs from being really impactful, but it's still a really good album. It gets a mid 4

No standouts

I had never listened to the whole album. Fantastic. Funk, psychedelic, jazz. It has it all.

Love it

So funky and soulful. Always loved this album.

Okay apparently this was written as an answer to the recent Marvin Gaye album we had (I can see that) which I really like. I also enjoyed this one more! I could get behind the sinister sounds in some of these songs, and I loved whatever he was doing with his voice in Spaced Cowboy

Aaaaeeeeeeeee!!! Aaaaaaaaaa!

I didn't know a funk album could convey so much pain and thoughtfulness. What a piece of music. If I had to have a strike against it, I thought the mix was strange. I felt like I was struggling to make out the singing voices.

Loving this, great music from a fantastic band. Lots to think about here about the times this was made in, but mostly just fun, music presented in an energetic way.

The album was fine. Whenever I heard that there was going to be a selection from this group, the song, "Family Affair" was the song most likely to be it. It was one of those albums that I could take or leave. I didn't turn the radio off when it came on, but I didn't request it either.

Another that I actually enjoyed a fair bit more than I thought I would. Never heard a SFS album before. Easy to listen to.

Funky, energetic fun, but also poignant and providing a timeless social commentary. This was a great listen that wound up playing on loop a few times, just because of how well it worked in the background while I was busy. I highly recommend this album.

I’m a sucker for some great bass playing and bass tones. That alone kept me invested. Insane slap bass playing. A lot of this record is obviously influenced by some hardcore drugs. Which gives it that dark, psychedelic vibe. But it also feels very disjointed at times too.

2.5

Well I don't know what the hell I just listened to, but I sure as shit... would have sex to it. #3

This is a diverse musical output by Sly but needs more soul and uptempo music. Somewhat of a downer

There's A Riot Goin' On Sly & The Family Stone 1971 Genres: Rock, Soul, Funk Styles: Psychedelic Soul 1. Luv N' Haight (★★★⯨☆) -Contexto: Alude al barrio Haight-Ashbury (cuna de la contracultura hippie). Predomina un estado de bienestar encerrado en uno mismo, casi inmóvil, con un tono relajado y drogado. El juego de palabras del título con "love and hate" es una lectura posible, no confirmada por Sly. 2. Just Like a Baby (★★★☆☆) -Contexto: Habla de sentirse desvalido y vulnerable, llorando sin saber hacia dónde ir. El ritmo lento y brumoso refuerza la sensación de fragilidad. 3. Poet (★★★⯨☆) -Contexto: Autorretrato irónico de un artista y de cómo se lo ve desde afuera. Es una de las letras más ambiguas, así que esta lectura se apoya sobre todo en el tono. 4. Family Affair (★★★★⯨) -Contexto: Trata de una familia donde los hermanos, criados igual, terminan en caminos opuestos (uno estudioso, otro vinculado a la calle). Dice que los lazos de sangre pesan más que el barro y los problemas. Fue el gran hit del disco. -Fav 5. Africa Talks to You "The Asphalt Jungle" (★★★⯨☆) -Contexto: Retrato áspero de la vida urbana como una selva de asfalto, con la herencia africana como voz de fondo. Tono cínico y de denuncia, en un groove largo e hipnótico. 6. There's a Riot Goin' On (★★⯨☆☆) -Contexto: Figura con duración 0:00 y no tiene contenido sonoro. Su sentido está en el título y en la supuesta explicación de Sly: preferir paz antes que disturbios. 7. Brave & Strong (★★★★☆) -Contexto: Llamado a ser valiente y fuerte, a enfrentar las cosas. Sorprende dentro de un disco tan sombrío y suena casi como una autoexhortación. 8. (You Caught Me) Smilin' (★★★★☆) -Contexto: Habla de la sonrisa como máscara, de aparentar bienestar frente a los demás. Es la lectura más consistente con el tono general del disco. 9. Time (★★★⯨☆) -Contexto: Reflexión lenta y pesada sobre el paso del tiempo y lo que le hace a la gente. Es de las más introspectivas. 10. Spaced Cowboy (★★★★★) -Contexto: Personaje juguetón y ensimismado de "vaquero" colgado, con yodel incluido. Tiene algo de parodia y de humor drogado. -Fav 11. Runnin' Away (★★★⯨☆) -Contexto: Suena alegre y habla de escapar de los problemas, con un tono entre liviano e irónico. Es un respiro melódico dentro del clima general. 12. Thank You for Talkin' to Me Africa (★★★★★) -Contexto: Versión lenta, arrastrada y narcótica del hit "Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)" de 1969. Funciona como cierre del desencanto: la misma canción, pero sin la energía festiva. -Fav -Tanto "groove" o lo que sea, que se merecía un favorito... -TOTAL = ★★★⯨☆ (3,79) -Lo escucho bajo los efectos del alcohol, así que cualquier nota que le ponga, merece tal consideración... Igualmente considero que es un álbum alegre, que vale la pena como experiencia, y por eso fui "generoso" a pesar de que sonaba bien igualmente, porque me transmitió buena vibra, energía o lo que sea... Es un solidísimo 3 estrellas, que se deja escuchar más de una vez...

There's not much to dislike about this album, but most of it isn't anything amazing.

I had a weirdly eerie feeling listening to this one and after some reading, it makes sense. A weirdly powerful yet fragile album that was a little unsettling at times through the funk. Might be the most fascinating listen so far.

Ehh. I wish I liked Sly & Fam more than I do. I just can't really link with the vocals.

I thought I’d enjoy this one a bit more than I did. It’s a solid album but nothing grabbed ahold of me.

First track and things are already going fantastic. Although the audio is very bad (maybe because they move away from the mic a lot) the bass is good from start to finish. -2 star because of the excessive repetition and bad audio

it's been 10 years since i played this last. not sure why!

Cool, groovy vibes from Sly and the Family

More Sly & the Family Stone - but this one is slower, darker, and muddier-sounding. The band is still tight and funky, but the whole thing is a bit more depressing, the band falling apart just like the hopeful-seeming Sixties came crashing down.

Very funky soul. Wah galore with soulful backing vocals. Just Like a Baby is very jazzy. If you switched instruments to double bass and piano, it wouldn't feel out of place in a jazz lounge. Ooh then some bluesy guitar comes in. Africa Talks to You is nice. Longer, jamming, almost psych-y track. It is interesting, bridging the gap between Stevie Wonder and Parliament/Funkadelic Best track - Poet, Africa Talks to You, Thank you for Talkin to me Africa 3.5 stars, down to a 3. I really appreciate it, but it doesn't excite me much

Not bad.

Another great album from family stone, no doubt one of the greatest funk albums of all time. Yet, I'm a bit baffled and dazed here about my choise of rating for this, already gave top marks from the other entry so I might stick to 4 here despite this having such an iconic album art too! Both entries of family on this list already got 4.5 on RYM each

Повага Слаю та кєнтам, але саме цей альбом, окрім синглів, звучить трохи як фоновий прикол.

Був період коли я доволі багато слухав Слая, в мене навіть є якась платівка. Саме цей альбом вважається культовим і все таке, мені він власне теж подобається. Політичний, як треба.

No one really fused so many different genres together so well until Sly did it. He took rock, funk, soul, psychedelia, stick them all in a blender and poured out gems like this. It’s rocking, groovy, funky, and poignant and profound with its social commentary.

Good old fashioned funk!

I have soft spot for funk. I almost always give them 5 stars. However, this one just felt incomplete. Most songs come off half-baked. However, if this is what they sound like in their most relaxed, cool, I’m-not-even-trying mood; then they must’ve been something else to see live! Definitely fun with headphones as the stereophonic sounds were coming from all sides. Grooves were excellent.

America is a family, and a family is America: roots wide and deep, ever expanding, a history complicated and rich. Before we look toward the future, we must first confront our past. The exploding stars on the flag tell us all we need to know before we enter There’s a Riot Goin’ On. This may be the most important American album ever made. At minimum, it is the greatest funk album I have ever heard—and the perfect response to Marvin Gaye’s What’s Going On.

Every family must someday confront the violent and uncertain forces of the outside world, even as they try for forever insulation. To collapse: give in. To survive: seek joy and togetherness and drum machines. This is the sound of a family teetering.

This album was just okay The instrumentation is pretty mediocre throughout the album and it tends to be much more prominent than the vocals which just makes for not a great album Runnin away was a huge change of pace however and was actually pretty good and it kinda reminds me of don’t hug me I’m scared 2/5 Favorite:runnin away

A bit too long but good I guess sorry I'm sick

At the beginning of the project, I ended up setting the bar for five stars way too high, because by my criteria, even this classic is 'only' a strong four-star album.

Over the Gaza War? Nah, that'a a legitimate protest.

not bad, some good catchy tunes here. Not my favorite style of music so the songs I don't like detract more, still a solid 3 stars

This reminds me a lot of funkadelic…not in a good way. It’s very funky very jammy, free of a track that’s just fart noises so that’s good, and just feels a bit rudderless at times. I can enjoy the instrumentation but it’s just a bit too free form for me.

Great one underrated and deserves more attention

The cover design was credited to John Berg, with the photograph shot by Steve Paley In the 24k gold disc reissue of the album, Scott Galloway recounts the story of the original album cover liner notes: 'In an interview with Jonathan Dakss... Sly definitively explained his concept for the cover art as it related to the overall theme of the album: "I wanted the flag to truly represent people of all colors. I wanted the color black because it is the absence of color. I wanted the color white because it is the combination of all colors. And I wanted the color red because it represents the one thing that all people have in common: blood. I wanted suns instead of stars because stars to me imply searching, like you search for your star. And there are already too many stars in this world. But the sun, that's something that is always there, looking right at you. Betsy Ross did the best she could with what she had. I thought I could do better."' Pretty good . With the record company panicking about the lack of text on the front, they slung on a sticker in the shape of the sun, “Featuring the Hit Single “Family Affair.” Just to dumb it down a bit. Probably as good as a sleeve get thanks to complete creative control of the artist. Not music that I enjoy but this resonates with so many people and has such cultural importance and integrity. Its exactly what popular music can and should do, challenge us. So although I will most likely never play it again, it must be a 5 star album. And definately one we should all hear. thanks 1001.

If *Stand* was the embrace of peace and love 60s. *TARGO* is the harsh reality of the 70s. This is my second favorite Family Stone album, almost coukd be my first. It's dark, gritty, it takes no prisoners in its grooves or message. The two albums really are polar opposites but excel in both. I'm both a hippie and a realist... I choose love, but this does speak to other side. (9.85) ★★★★½

It's good, but far from my favourite album of theirs. 3.5 stars

Sly & The Family Stone is definitely an artist I think I appreciate more than I actually enjoy. I think it's kind of interesting and it melds a lot of diverse genres, but a lot of the songs, I'm not that wild about. Outside of "Family Affair", I don't like the singles that much. That, "Thank You For Talkin' to Me, Africa", and "Spaced Cowboy" probably the highlights for me. 3 stars.

Previously known. An absolute grove.

Super groovy, funky genius

2nd Family Stone album from the generator. I don't really like the way this album is mixed. I don't know if it's just an issue with conversion to streaming and it'd sound better the way god intended on vinyl but the levels just feel all over the place for me. The songs aren't very remarkable either sadly 2/5

Very funky fun to the point where I respect it, but probs won’t be listening to it again

Too quiet, disjointed, muddy, boring. Sorry. Would a remix help?

Запись снова окололоуфайная. Интересно, но с ходу не расслушал.

Mfin funk baby. Rips.

Funky, political, yet often kind of bleak. This was a really interesting listen, especially lyrically. Some wild swings here like the title track being a few seconds of silence and the song where the chorus is yodeled. The album can meander and drag in places though, but outside of that, there is a lot to like here.

i really enjoyed this

Bien.

Listened

Not for me

Meh.

okay not bad