CoronaVinyl Day 118 (RS Greatest Albums 51-100): Greatest Hits by Sly & The Family Stone

For an explanation of CoronaVinyl, click here.

We are getting close to the top.  Today, we are looking at albums ranked between 51 and 100 on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All-Time.  I have 15 from this group on vinyl, some of which I've already featured and some of which were by artists that I've already featured -- and I'm still trying to do a different artist for each CoronaVinyl installment as long as I can.  Coming in at #61 on the list is Sly & The Family Stone's Greatest Hits.  It comes in one spot below Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band's Troutmask Replica album, which I also have, but am thankful I have other options because I wouldn't know how to even begin discussing what has to be the weirdest album of the 500 on the list.

Anywho, Sly & The Family Stone are, in my opinion, one of the most underrated bands in rock history.  They were groundbreaking, not only because they were one of the first integrated bands that featured both men and women, but also because they fused soul, pop, R&B, rock, and funk into fantastic songs that crossed over genres and often dealt with the social issues of the time.  They helped invent funk music.  Yet for whatever reason, they're not as well known as they should be.  Critics and musicians certainly know who they are -- Rolling Stone did rank them #43 on its list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time -- but I don't feel like they get the same type of love from the public.  Hell, maybe 10-15 years ago, a friend of mine (who I think generally has a pretty good taste in and knowledge of music) heard "Dance to the Music" and asked who it was.  When I said "Sly & The Family Stone," he asked if they were new.  I was flabbergasted, as I explained they were from the late '60s and early '70s and were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in the early '90s.

But enough about that.  You're here, and so even if you don't know much about the band (or anything), it's never too late to learn.  A great starting spot is their 1970 Greatest Hits album.  The band had only released three albums to that point, and the Greatest Hits album includes all of the singles from those three albums and all of their charting B-sides, as well as three non-album singles.  The album went to #2 on the Billboard album chart and #1 on the Billboard R&B album chart, making it the group's highest-charting album to that point (their next studio album, 1971's There's a Riot Goin' On, would hit #1 on both charts).

There isn't a bad song on that album, and it's an excellent representation of the band's sound prior to their turn to more of a funk sound in the early to mid '70s, before they broke up (though there is some funk here).  Of the 12 songs on the album, two went to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 ("Everyday People" and "Thank You (Falletinme Be Mice Elf Agin)"), two more were Top 10 ("Hot Fun in the Summertime" (#2) and "Dance to the Music" (#8)), and two more were Top 40 hits ("Stand!" (#22), "I Want to Take You Higher" (#38)).  Listen.  Enjoy.  Repeat.

Favorite song from Side 1:  "I Want to Take You Higher"
"I Want to Take You Higher" is an uptempo rock/soul song about the power of music.  Like many of the band's songs, there isn't one lead singer, but lead vocals are shared by Sly Stone, Rose Stone, Freddie Stone, and Larry Graham.  The band wails on this one, between the guitar riff at the beginning, the horns, and everything else.  Just a great song that makes you want to shake your booty.

Favorite song from Side 2:  "Thank You (Falletinme Be Mice Elf Agin)"
This 1969 song was one of the band's earliest forays into funk, and they nailed it.  The song hit #1 on both the Billboard Hot 100 and Billboard R&B charts, becoming one of the first successful funk songs.  That repeating bass riff is pretty much the essence of funk.