Sly & the Family Stone - There's a Riot Goin' On
|
Our Price: $21.50 Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $19.35 (click here) Category: Music CD See more new music releases 
|
|---|
Buy this Music CD at online store in your country
Canadian Music Store
Canadian Music Store
Free Music Notes for There's a Riot Goin' On
Free Music Review: Excellent Old School Fun!!
Hit: 5 Stars
Sly is the Man.If originality is what you seek.You'll never go wrong with this one. Whether it's dance or lessons learned get ready to enjoy!!Free Music Review: Sly's Riot Goin' On...It Was the Drugs...Man...
Hit: 4 Stars
Kapke74's 10/03 review here hit it on the head: Syl's "There's a Riot Goin' On" indeed has a relaxing, hypnotic, totally narcotic quality to it.
The heavy bass, slowed down drugged out jams...tempos and melodies...it's like being on drugs without taking them yourself. The musical freestylin' indulgence...just jammin' man...
A note about the sound. The import version indeed has a very good sound quality to it. It may not be "a 20-bit SuperAudio remaster," but one might attribute it to something much simpler:
Perhaps it's just a better Master Tape. My CD copy was Made in Germany and we all knew that the UK/Euro/Japan versions of vinyl pressings were always clearly superior to the US version, so why not the CD product? But back to the review...
The hits here were of course "Family Affair," "(You Caught Me) Smilin'" and "Runnin' Away"...pretty autobiographical stuff if you know Syl's story and can read (& snort) between the lines.
Sorry I just had to write that.
Still the genius prevails. Sly & the Family Stone's first foray into the dark side of the '70s...the post-Summer of Love/end-of-the-'60s hangover thang. Dig it.
Free Music Review: The Dark Underbelly of 1960's Idealism...
Hit: 5 Stars
This is one of my favorite CD's of all time. If you are considering buying this do yourself a favor and get this version (the import) rather than the U.S. version available for $9.99. Sonically I didn't notice too much of a difference between the two, but it's worth the extra few bucks for the packaging alone: this edition has a glossy cardboard case with the original cover, photos, and liner notes. The other version has an alternate cover (a live shot of the band onstage) and NO information of any kind offered aside from the track listing. This album has a famously muddy sound. I've heard several theories as to why, most seem to center around Sly Stone's increasing drug use at the time this album was recorded. However, the dark quality of the production fits the music and never affected my opinion of the album. I was not alive when this was released in the early seventies, but I can imagine the shock that listeners must have experienced upon absorbing this release as a whole. The optimistic anthems of Sly's music in the sixties were replaced by grinding funk with a bleak and bitter tone. As one looks back at the period in which this music was recorded, the sense of disillusion was not just Sly's; a general sense that many of the ideals of the 1960's had died with the end of the decade was prevalent among many of the "flower power" generation. (As far as Sly's drug intake at this point was concerned, I'm sure that didn't help either. I read that he sank over a million dollars into building his infamous "Pit", the creation of which was to give users a place to use and hang out.) Regardless of the circumstances, this disc is addictive. Every song is bass heavy and funky, which often makes me forget about the bleakness of the lyrics altogether. The unbelievably heavy bass line on "Thank You For Talkin' To Me Africa" (a slowed down remake of "Thank You Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin") would probably blow the speakers out in your car stereo if cranked to the max. (I never had the guts to try.) And only Sly could write a song as weird and desperate as "Just Like A Baby" and still keep my foot tapping. This disc has been in my car for the last 15 years and will stay there for good. Many theorize that this album began the slow and sad decline of the creative force that was Sly Stone, but I also enjoyed later releases like "High On You" and "Small Talk", which are worth searching for if you like this one. Free Music Review: Regarding the infamous sound quality
Hit: 5 Stars
This essential Sly & The Family Stone recording, as has been noted elsewhere, has muddy sound that defies the usual crisp remastering (in other words, this is as good as it gets.) The reason? Mr. Stewart invited a long series of wannabe-singers (all young and attractive) into the studio to add backing tracks, and from there to thank him for the opportunity. Once they were gone, he wiped their tracks. The result of running the master tapes (!) through the machines dozens (if not hundreds) of times is the dull sound quality evident even after remastering. AND YET! It is an indispensible slice of the early 70's popular culture, reflected even in the sound of progressive musical genius compromised by the usual vices.Free Music Review: Funky and soulful
Hit: 5 Stars
This is another Family Stone album that my dad burned for me I love the whole album. Luv n Haight has that funk sound to it as Sly sings "Feel so good inside myself don't wanna move feel so good inside myself don't need to move". Towards the end of the song back-up singers sing "Feel so good,wanna move (which is probably backed by Little Sister). Just Like A Baby has a slow beat to it and you can hear Sly go into a low deep voice. Poet is the song that has that funk beat to it and Sly sings on it about being a songwriter and Poet. Family Affair is another song with a slow beat but not really slow. And if you hear it don't think that that's Larry Graham singing it's really Sly singing along with sister Rosemary in a low deep voice. Afica Talks To You The Asphalt Jungle has a guitar line in it. At the end of the song they sing "Timber"!The song is about 8 minutes long. (You Caught Me) Smilin' isn't really a slow beat song but it's still nice. Time is another song that you just hear Sly sing on. Spaced Cowboy is like a laid back song where everybody sings in low voices and Sly yodels and someone makes a cowboy sound. On Runnin' Away you can hear the trumpet and Saxophone and at the end of a verse you hear them say "Ha,ha" or "Hee,hee". Thank You For Talkin' To Me Africa is the slower longer version of Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin). The song is about 7 minutes long. The whole album is great and trust my word go buy this album.
More Free Music Notes:
1 2
1 2