Dance, Fun, Smilin', Life

Celebrating Sylvester Stewart aka Sly Stone, 15th March 1943 to 9th June 2025.

In an era where artists of the 1960s and 1970s have been able to experience a critical, creative and commercial rebirth, in some cases exceeding the achievements of their 'first phase", Sylvester was perhaps among the exceptions to the rule.

Although Sylvester was deservedly held up as a musical icon and inspiration from the late 1980s/early 1990s when I was signposted by artists I liked and who regularly name checked him, his golden age remained in a handful of records made with Sly & The Family Stone over half a century ago. But what a legacy.

That said, when it came to hastily pulling together a tribute selection this morning, I realised that I had relatively little in my music collection. The Best Of Sly & The Family Stone has been played to death since I bought it on CD in 1992, and it is as good a summary of Sly's career high points as you could wish for.

Apart from that, I have only one studio album, Fresh from 1973, which I love but not considered a 'peak' record and a live bootleg from 2004 called Thee Encyclopedia Of Ecstacy (sic), which captures two blistering shows at the Fillmore East in New York on 5th October 1968. Apart from that, a few remixes and odds and sods on various artist compilations.

So, I've drawn from all of these to create an 11-song, 46-minute selection. Fresh inevitably gets a favourable share with three tracks, I've picked one song from each of the 1968 live shows, and there's a re-edit by Danny Krivit to round things off. All together, I think they hold their own with the classic cuts.

Rest in power, Sly.

1) Are You Ready? (Late Show) (Live @ the Fillmore East, New York) (1968)

2) Hot Fun In The Summertime (Single Version) (1969)

3) Everyday People (1969)

4) If You Want Me To Stay (Single Version) (1973)

5) Let Me Have It All (1973)

6) Life (Album Version) (1968)

7) (You Caught Me) Smilin' (1971)

8) In Time (1973)

9) Color Me True (Early Show) (Live @ the Fillmore East, New York) (1968)

10) If It Were Left Up To Me (1973)

11) Dance To The Music (Medley) (A Danny Krivit Edit) (2003)

Dance, Fun, Smilin', Life (46:30) (KF) (Mega)

Nine Bloggers* Walk Into A Bar...

...and a wonderful, unforgettable evening ensues.

John & Jenny, Alyson & Mr. WIAA, Cee, Ernie, The Swede and Walter **, it was a privilege to meet you all and spend a few hours in your company at #BlogCon25 last night.

Thank you so much for your kind words, support, encouragement, the amazing gifts and, most of all, the opportunity to be in your company. I loved every minute of it.

I hope you have many happy memories of your time in Bristol and have a safe and smooth journey (especially Walter - no flight cancellations or delays, I hope!)

1) Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin): Sly & The Family Stone (1969)

2) Thank You For Being A Friend: Andrew Gold (1978)

3) Letter Of Thanks To A Friend (Live @ Rockpalast, Biskuithalle, Bonn, Germany): Anne Clark (1998)

4) Thank You For Being That Friend, You Know, The One You Never Want To Say Goodbye To.: Unloved (2023)

5) Thank You Very, Very, Very, Very, Very, Very, Very, Very, Very, Very, Very Much (cover of The Scaffold): unknown (c. 1980s)

 

 

 

* Seven bloggers, two partners, to be precise, but that's nit picking.

** Yes, I now know all of their civilian identities. but blogging aliases preserved where necessary for the purposes of this post!

A Long Soulful Sunday

Ooops, sorry, more like a late soulful Sunday...

I hope this makes up for the later than usual post.

Happy Sunday, everyone!

 

1) Let 'Em In (DJ Reverend P Edit By Patrice Larrar) (Cover of Wings): Billy Paul (2016)

2) When Love Begins Friendship Ends: Bobby Womack (1978)

3) Bridge Over Troubled Water (Live @ Fillmore West Concert Hall, San Francisco) (Cover of Simon & Garfunkel): Aretha Franklin (1971)

4) Living For The City: Stevie Wonder (1973)

5) Let The Drums Speak (mass Thomas Edit): Bah Samba (2023)

6) Funkier Than A Mosquito's Tweeter (Album Version): Nina Simone (1974)

7) It Won't Be Long (Late Show, Live @ Fillmore East, New York): Sly & The Family Stone (1968) 

8) Make Me Say It Again Girl (Part 1 & 2): The Isley Brothers (1975)

9) Keep On Keeping On (Album Version): Curtis Mayfield (1971)

1971: Aretha Live At Fillmore West: 3

1971: Roots: 9

1973:Innervisions: 4

1974: It Is Finished: 6

1975: The Heat Is On: 8

1978: Pieces: 2

2004: Thee Encyclopedia Of Ecstacy: 7

2016: The Legacy Of Soul: 1

2023: Let The Drums Speak EP: 5

A Long Soulful Sunday (1:00:47) (KF) (Mega)

Eclectic Guitar Restrung

Side 1 of a mixtape, compiled 3rd October 1999. 

Another C90-friendly delve into music with guitars. And other stuff. 

 

This might be the only place today where you'll hear The Clash next to Bis, The Doors trading organs with GusGus and Sly & The Family Stone tipping a hat to Magazine.

Play LOUD.

 

1) What Do You Want From Me? (Edit): Monaco (1997)

2) Deep Sleep (US Album Remix By Tom Durack): The B-52's (1990)

3) U-Mass (Album Version): Pixies (1991)

4) Spanish Bombs: The Clash (1979)

5) Action And Drama (Album Version): Bis (1999)

6) Cut Your Hair: Pavement (1994) 

7) Dry The Rain (Single Version): The Beta Band (1997)

8) Twentieth Century Fox: The Doors (1967)

9) Ladyshave (Album Version): GusGus (1999)

10) Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Again): Sly & The Family Stone (1970)

11) Rhythm Of Cruelty (Album Version): Magazine (1979)

12) Christianity (Album Version): The Wolfgang Press (1995)

13) A Loon (Strings Version) (Part 2): Kristin Hersh ft. Martin McCarrick (1994)

 

1967: The Doors: 8 

1970: Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Again) EP: 10

1979: London Calling: 4 

1979: Secondhand Daylight: 11

1991: Party Mix! / Mesopotamia (USA remixed re-release): 2

1991: Trompe Le Monde: 3

1994: Crooked Rain Crooked Rain: 6

1994: Strings EP: 13

1995: Funky Little Demons: 12

1997: Champion Versions EP: 7

1997: What Do You Want From Me? EP: 1 

1999: Social Dancing: 5

1999: This Is Normal: 9

 

Side One (45:52) (KF) (Mega)
Side Two here

A Little Bit Of Feel Good

Sometimes Monday mornings just aren't enough to get me out of first gear. Sly & The Family Stone are guaranteed to banish the Summertime blues. 

 

Here are a selection of TV performances from 1968 to 1974, taking in I Want To Take You Higher, Hot Fun In The Summertime, Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Again) and Stand. Hard to believe that not one of these singles made a dent in the UK charts.

 

Every one is a joy to watch, especially Hot Fun In The Summertime, with the female audience member's reaction at 0:25 and Rose Stone owning the song with just seven words, repeated. What a voice.

 

The songs are bursts of brilliant sunshine, the wardrobe even more so. Shades required for this one. And a willingness to get down.

People All Over The World Join Hands, Start A Love Train

Side 1 of a mixtape recorded for Mrs. K on 21st March 2002.

No fancy sleeve for this one, just a generic TDK FE Ferric cassette sleeve with some neat, upper case lettering and a terribly punning but title, Disco? Get The Funk Out Of Here!

It does pretty much what it sets out to do, a mix of soul, funk and disco classics (mostly) from the 1970s and a nod to some of the club nights we used to go to in Bristol at the time.

 

The selection starts and (no spoilers) ends with What It Is from 1977 by Garnet Mimms & Truckin' Company, which seems to be Garnet's one and only single with the truckers, although a version also appears on Mimms' album from the same year, Garnet Mimms Has It All. It's a great song, written and produced by Jeff Lane and Randy Muller from Brass Construction.

 

I've included longer versions of classics by Curtis Mayfield, The O'Jays, Donna Summer and Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes because...well, because, so the selection pushes past the original C90 side to come in at just under and hour. 

 

A couple of the songs - Bill Withers and Bobby Womack - were lifted straight from the Jackie Brown soundtrack, Womack's song also serving as the eponymous theme to 1972 film, Across 110th Street. Disco Inferno by Trammps appeared on the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack, the version here edited down from the album's 11 minute behemoth to a more manageable three and a half.

 

Dance Your Pants Off is, as far as I can tell, a rare Sly & The Family Stone circa 1967 that I got with a freebie CD called Hippy Chic, attached to RCD Classic Rock Collection Vol. 11, in a clearance bin in the mid-1990s. The magazine was, well, pants but the CD was worth the 30 or 40p that I paid at the time.

 

The Joe Simon song appeared on the appallingly-titled Those Boogie Knights & Disco Divas (and, looking at my mixtape effort, that's saying something), another freebie CD with the late, lamented Vox magazine in 1998. 

 

If disco makes you sick, come back here tomorrow for the cure (or should that be The Cure?)

1) What It Is (Part I) (Single Version): Garnet Mimms & Truckin' Company (1977)

2) Dance Your Pants Off: Sly & The Family Stone (1967)

3) Freddie's Dead (Full Length Version): Curtis Mayfield (1972)

4) Love Train ("A Tom Moulton Mix"): The O'Jays (1977)

5) Disco Inferno (Edit): Trammps (1976)

6) You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real) (Album Version): Sylvester (1978)

7) Hot Stuff (Album Version): Donna Summer (1979)

8) Feel The Need In Me: Detroit Emeralds (1971)

9) Who Is He (And What Is He To You?) (Album Version): Bill Withers (1972)

10) Get Down, Get Down (Get On The Floor): Joe Simon (1975)

11) Bad Luck (A Tom Moulton Mix): Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes (1977)

12) Across 110th Street (Part 1): Bobby Womack (1972)

Side One (55:42) (Box) (Mega)

I Think The Melody On The Box Will Explain

It's Friday and time to take a trip back to 1973 and (a smidge over) half an hour of pop, rock, funk and soul for all you hell raisers and all you natural born ravers!

 

Many of these I grew up with, others I discovered as a keen record-buying adult, the rest found in the last decade and a half thanks to all you wonderful people out in the blogosphere. 

Only my opinion but all killer, no filler? I think so.

Bring on the weekend!

1) If I Were Only A Child Again: Curtis Mayfield

2) Lend A Hand: Bobby Hutton

3) Hell Raiser (Single Version): The Sweet

4) Angel (Album Version): Aretha Franklin

5) Skin I'm In: Sly & The Family Stone

6) The Love I Lost (Part 1) (Single Version): Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes 

7) I Won't Step On Your Shoes: Barnaby Bye

8) Watch That Man: David Bowie

9) I Want To Be Free: Hot Chocolate

10) Hercules (Single Version): Aaron Neville

Melody On The Box (32:43) (Box) (Mega)

Concocting A Rhythm That You Could Get Lost In...

Side 1 of a mixtape, recorded 5th September 1993, collecting some choice remixes and club cuts from 1989 to 1992. This is the 2nd appearance on this blog of The Stereo MC's remix of Television, previously featured on a 2003 mix CD and my favourite version of the song. Tracks 3 & 7 are taken from a 1990 2CD compilation, Dancemasters Vol. I: The Twelve Inch Mixes. Pianonegro is built around a sample from Masimba Bele by The Unknown Cases. Family Affair is remixed by Mark Brydon, post-Chakk and pre-Moloko and at the time one half of Fon Force. Sly & The Family Stone's Larry Graham provides lead vocals on the closing track by Fortran 5, Dave Lee sprinkling his customary 70s disco dust to great effect. Along the way, you get: a vocal-free opener from Swedish funk/hip-hop act The Stonefunkers; an early-ish remix by Judge Jules of Tim Hutton, perhaps now better known for his work with Groove Armada's Tom Findlay as Sugardaddy; System 7 collaborating with Derrick May and showcasing the wonderful vocals of Ultra Naté; Merlin and Billie Ray Martin trading off on a standout track from Original Soundtrack, the debut album by S'Express.

1) Can U Follow (TV Track): The Stonefunkers (1991)

2) Television, The Drug Of The Nation (Ultimatum Remix By The Stereo MC's): The Disposable Heroes Of Hiphoprisy (1991)

3) Pianonegro (Honky Tonk Remix By Creative Source aka Tim Bran, Ingmar Kiang & Nick Harris): Pianonegro (1990)

4) The Prophet (Vocal Dub Mix By Judge Jules): Tim Hutton (1992)

5) Altitude (Paradox) (Deep Mix By Steve Hillage & Derrick May): System 7 ft. Ultra Naté (1992)

6) Pimps, Pushers, Prostitutes (Album Version): S'Express ft. Merlin & Billie Ray Martin (1989)

7) Family Affair (Echo Vox Mix By Mark Brydon): Sly & The Family Stone (1990)

8) Look To The Future (Joey Negro's "Future Mind" Mix By Dave Lee & Andrew Livingstone): Fortran 5 ft. Larry Graham & Candy Mckenzie (1992)

Side One (46:25) (Box) (Mega)