FEATURE:
Vinyl Corner
Sly and the Family Stone – There’s a Riot Goin’ On
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WHEN it comes to selecting albums…
IN THIS PHOTO: Sly and the Family Stone (L-R (back): Larry Graham, Gregg Errico; Freddie Stone, Cynthia Robinson (front): Rose Stone, Sly Stone and Jerry Martini/PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images
for Vinyl Corner, I guess I have not looked the way of Funk that often. Although, as I will explain, Sly and the Family Stone changed their tone and sound for 1971’s There’s a Riot Goin’ On, there is a lot more to talk about than the sonic shift. The fifth album by the American group, the recording of There’s a Riot Goin’ On was marred by a period of heavy drug use by frontman Sly Stone and tensions within the group. If anything, however, some could say the tensions being felt and the problems the group experienced help create a darker, more challenging sound then their previous work – such as 1969’s much-celebrated Stand! Although There’s a Riot Goin’ On has gone on to top the lists of best albums ever and has influenced so many other artists, it was not apparent at the time (when recording the album) whether it would be a success…or whether it would get made at all. There was a lot of turmoil and disagreement in the Sly and the Family Stone camp when There’s a Riot Goin’ On was being made and, whilst that does not sound like a recipe for success, it did take the group in a new direction and opened up their music. If previous albums were more accessible Funk, There’s a Riot Goin’ On was more political, intense and provocative. Sly Stone was involved with the Black Panther Party who were insisting the music made by the band was harder-edged and reflective of the black power movement.
Filtered, rifling drum machines and a new energy defines Sly and the Family Stone’s fifth album. Although one might assume this was a record born of political motivation and aggression, a lot of personal and diverse themes run through There’s a Riot Goin’ On. (You Caught Me) Smilin’ is an ode to getting high and forgetting your troubles; Africa Talks to You (“The Asphalt Jungle”) is Sly Stone’s response to a lot of the grief he was copping from friends, family and the record label; Family Affair – the number-one single from the album – is about the highs and lows of being with family and the difficulties and triumphs experienced. Critics responded emphatically to There’s a Riot Goin’ On. This more mature brand of Funk was taken on by Funkadelic (among others) and the themes throughout There’s a Riot Goin’ On scored the social and political troubles of the early-1970s. In a retrospective review, AllMusic had this to say about Sly and the Family Stone’s masterpiece:
“This is idealism soured, as hope is slowly replaced by cynicism, joy by skepticism, enthusiasm by weariness, sex by pornography, thrills by narcotics. Joy isn't entirely gone -- it creeps through the cracks every once and awhile and, more disturbing, Sly revels in his stoned decadence. What makes Riot so remarkable is that it's hard not to get drawn in with him, as you're seduced by the narcotic grooves, seductive vocals slurs, leering electric pianos, and crawling guitars…
As the themes surface, it's hard not to nod in agreement, but it's a junkie nod, induced by the comforting coma of the music. And damn if this music isn't funk at its deepest and most impenetrable -- this is dense music, nearly impenetrable, but not from its deep grooves, but its utter weariness. Sly's songwriting remains remarkably sharp, but only when he wants to write -- the foreboding opener "Luv N' Haight," the scarily resigned "Family Affair," the cracked cynical blues "Time," and "(You Caught Me) Smilin'." Ultimately, the music is the message, and while it's dark music, it's not alienating -- it's seductive despair, and that's the scariest thing about it”.
Soundblab wrote these observations last year:
“But in essence, musically and lyrically (and let's not forget its cover) what we got is something that is certainly one of the most inventive and influential r&b/soul albums ever, drug binge or no drug binge, Black Panthers or no Black Panthers. His incorporation of rock and funk was actually one of the key influences then (on George Clitnon’s Funkadelic and all other incarnations for sure) and now, and the album itself currently is among the top sampled albums around.
With the elastic, drown out tempos of There’s A Riot Goin’ On Sly came up with something you can call ‘slacker funk’, maybe even inspiring all those slacker rockers that came on later (remember Evan Dando’s Lemonheads and their “My Drug Buddy”?). I guess they all listened to “(You Caught Me) Smilin’” quite a few times.
IN THIS PHOTO: Sly Stone/PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images
But incredible rhythm shuffles and intricate brass arrangements like on “Brave & Strong” are still there, and the album makes even the crude rhythms machines (or any rhythm machine, for that matter) available at the time sound good, as for example on the opener “Luv N Haight” or “Spaced Cowboy”.
Its acerbic and seemingly downtrodden lyrics are a matter in itself, but like in “Africa Talks To You," “The Asphalt Jungle,” or the closer “Thank You For Talking’ To Me Africa”, they certainly show a hefty dose of optimism; a bit veiled, but there nevertheless. The album’s full glory though, is embodied in “Family Affair,” probably one of the best funk/rock/soul tracks ever (musically and lyrically), showing the full complexity There’s A Riot Goin’ On as an album brought, and fully negating any negative opinions it has garnered through the years. An album to be cherished. Always”.
Go and buy There’s a Riot Goin’ On and snap up a vinyl copy as it sounds absolutely fantastic in that format! There is a debate as to which is the finest Sly and the Family Stone album but, to me, they do not get more powerful and memorable than There’s a Riot Goin’ On. This piece from How Land Echoes talks about Sly Stone’s delivery and some of the innovations that appeared on the album:
“His delivery is where the music gains some of its greatest moments though. The slurred words, which are at times indecipherable, only adding to the general sense of decay around the whole album. Lines come and go, but on specific lyrical points, Stone attempted to momentarily raise his game. The fact that his drawled register that cries out in desperation doesn’t hit the required marks only makes it that much more harrowing and real.
In Just Like A Baby Sly’s vocals are swamped within the murky instrumentation like a fish swimming beneath a surface of visibly impenetrable water. Confined to his mansion, he overdubbed the vocal takes to such an extent that the tapes began to audibly smudge.
Lyrically, the focus was mainly switched from what was going on in society to personal matters. On Brave & Strong he declares “Out and down, ain’t got a friend,” and you sadly tend to believe him. The fact that a rich man who had the adoration of millions could feel so hopeless and alienated was striking in its very notion at the time”.
I think what makes There’s a Riot Goin’ On distinct when compared with earlier albums from Sly and the Family Stone is the fact that, in some ways, it is a Sly Stone solo album; there was a lot of chaos and excess involved. CLASH explained in more detail:
“Recorded in a $12,000-per-month Bel Air mansion, replete with secret studio behind that bookcase, details of the recording are hazy at best. Most of it was done alone by Sly, or members of the band recording single overdubs – despite the track, this is no Family Affair. It was overdubbed to death, creating that awfully seductive murky sonic sludge…
PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images
The world’s sharp corners are blunted, its bright lights are dimmed. There were bodyguards, guns, groupies, in-fights, affairs, a constant stream of celebrity guests, from Ike and Tina to Miles and Herbie. You can hear Bobby Womack, Ike Turner and Billy Preston on the record, you can sometimes hear the Family Stone. But what you can really hear is Sly, and Sly’s crying. Even when he’s yodelling”.
Not only is There’s a Riot Goin’ On seen as one of the finest albums of the 1970s but numerous artists have covered and sample the songs. Even though the album has a unique vision and sounds, the likes of Iggy Pop, De La Soul and Beastie Boys have dug into the grooves and extracted gold for their own tunes – passing this remarkable work on to new ears and uniting Funk with other genres in the process. It is a masterful and stunning album that sounds relevant today and still reveals layers of wonder. Put on There’s a Riot Goin’ On, close your eyes and let the incredible songs…
CARRY you away.