Our Bambaataa-inspired TVD Takeover continues with another one of his favorite albums featured today:
Sly and the Family Stone’s Stand!
“It’s serious funk, which changed the whole black music industry. The message he was talking about through music… His showmanship stole the whole show at Woodstock.”
Sly and the Family Stone were innovators in the psychedelic soul and funk genres during the late 60s to early 80s. Sly Stone formed the band with siblings Rose and Freddie, along with several of his friends. Inducted into The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1993, Sly and the Family Stone was recognized as
Rock’s first integrated, multi-gender band… synthesizing rock, soul, R&B, funk and psychedelia into danceable, message-laden, high-energy music. In promoting their gospel of tolerance and celebration of differences, Sly and the Family Stone brought disparate audiences together during the latter half of the Sixties. The group’s greatest triumph came at the Woodstock Festival in August 1969. During their unforgettable nighttime set, leader Sly Stone initiated a fevered call-and-response with the audience of 400,000+ during an electrifying version of “I Want to Take You Higher.”
Stand! is considered the group’s breakout album, and contains the hits “Sing a Simple Song” and “Everyday People,” besides the title track. It was based upon the commercial success of Stand! that Sly and the Family Stone received a spot at Woodstock. Their standout performance at Woodstock eventually led to their next single, “Hot Fun in the Summertime,” reaching #2 in the Billboard Charts. (Instantly, a plethora of movies and commercials using this song come to mind.)
It’s no surprise that Sly and the Family Stone influenced musicians as different as Michael Jackson and The Jackson 5, Beastie Boys, Kid Rock, Fatboy Slim, Ice Cube, and Public Enemy. Their work has been frequently sampled, especially by hip-hop artists such as Arrested Development, 2Pac, and Wu-Tang Clan. However, their legacy of tolerance, diversity, and social consciousness surpasses even their legacy of funk and soul music.
Stayed tuned the rest of this week as we bring you more classic picks. Skool’d by Bambaataa.
