Sly & The Family Stone - A Whole New Thing (LP)
- LP
- 1 piece(s)
- 1967
- 17 tracks
- 55 min
- motown
A Whole New Thing
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4.6
Average of 8 reviews
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Truly an awesome re-release. Giving it 4 stars since it's not the original. My copy sounds fantastic, I can feel Larry Graham's bass in my chest. It claims to be from the original masters and I believe it.
I've perpetually believed that the first Sly & The Family Stone record was woefully overlooked. Initially, it was about the open drum breaks, some notably sampled on A Tribe Called Quest's "Low End Theory". But as time marches on, and I keep spinning it, the more revolutionary, ahead of its time it becomes. Released in 1967, it sounds like it's from a good three years in the future compared to anything else in the genre. It wasn't a smash at the time, the singles barely made a dent on the charts. Sly had quite the reputation, having been such a pivotal DJ, so Epic thought they'd give it a shot at crossing over; "Dance To The Music" was issued as a single, became a hit and the rest, as they say, is history. But that first album seems to have been forgotten, it's visionary, it sounds cohesive, track after track, no weak spots. It would take James Brown, Motown (mainly through psychedelic soul producer Norman Whitfield), and others a few years to catch up! Isaac Hayes would elevate Stax with his second album (his first one, on Enterprise, when it was an Atlantic sublabel, is still really cool, probably the most jazzy you'll ever hear him!) with his psychedelic symphonic take on "Walk On By". 1967 was still the era of "Cool Jerk", the last gasp of doo-wop at times, Northern Soul ballads. All gorgeous, incredible music, absolutely. Sly aptly named this record, it was literally "A Brand New Thing". A milestone in soul/funk music, nothing sounded like it that came before, but a lot would incorporate elements of the sound that came later. George Clinton, Norman Whitfield, David Matthews (of James Brown, then CTI, also Muse, Grodeck Whipperjenney fame), Harvey Fuqua, Isaac Hayes, Allen Toussaint, to Bobby Eli / Norman Harris (Philly Scene), Eugene McDaniels, Richard Evans, Maurice White, Miles Davis! And more, drew from the Brand New bag that Sly Stone first opened in 1967, and how many countless classics would emerge, innumerable.... There's no Funkadelic, no Hypersolibmystic (*spelling I know), no Headless Heroes Of The Apocalypse, no Temptations Cloud Nine or Psychedelic Shack, etc. Of course Jimi Hendrix is always present in the formation of the new psychedelic soul / funk sounds, his music was sui generis, groundbreaking psychedelic rock. The greatest rock guitarist of all time. a sort of older classic blues sound yes, but not the soul/funk vein as direct as Sly & The Family Stone. Miles viewed both him and Jimi as the cutting edge, in funk/soul, and rock respectively. In many ways, it's the debut Pet Sounds of introducing a brand new sound we associate with a golden era of soul/funk. I'm listening to my copy as I type this, track B3 is playing as I type (I started at the beginning of the album), and if you put this side by side some of the best of 1973, it would sound like 1973! In 1967. Green Onions is a classic by Booker T. & The MG's, timeless, but one can date the sound. Is there a more groundbreaking soul/funk album out there prior to the 1967 "Brand New Thing"? One that sounds years ahead? I know this is one of the only Sly & The Family Stone lp's to be somewhat of a commercial flop upon it's release (in part, that may account for the fact, it's legitimately very rare to come across), but I have to imagine every young forward thinking cat in the biz picked up a copy. A 5/5 classic, one that is so overdue for vital recognition, not only on it's influence, which is I think underestimated, but also on it's own merits, which stand tall. P.S. "Advice" has one of the dopest drum breaks, easy to see why Q-Tip among others used it :)
Oh, man, I've always thought the first Sly & The Family Stone record was criminally overlooked. Initially, it was all about those open drum breaks, some of which became iconic, like the ones on A Tribe Called Quest's "Low End Theory". But the more I spin it, the more revolutionary, the more ahead of its time it sounds. 1967, and it's like three years ahead of everything else in the genre. It didn't make a splash back then, the singles barely made a dent on the charts. But Sly was a big deal, a super influential DJ, so Epic thought they'd give it a shot; they dropped "Dance To The Music" as a single, it hit big, and that was that. But that first album? It's like it's been forgotten, it's so visionary, so cohesive, not a single weak track. It took James Brown, Motown (mainly through Norman Whitfield, that psychedelic soul genius), and the rest a few years to catch up! Isaac Hayes took Stax to the next level with his second album (his first one, on Enterprise, when it was an Atlantic sublabel, is still pretty cool, probably the jazziest you'll ever hear him!), with that psychedelic symphonic take on "Walk On By". 1967 was still the era of "Cool Jerk", the last gasp of doo-wop sometimes, Northern Soul ballads. All gorgeous, incredible music, no doubt. Sly nailed the title, it was literally "A Brand New Thing". A milestone in soul/funk, nothing before it sounded like it, but a lot after it borrowed from its sound. George Clinton, Norman Whitfield, David Matthews (of James Brown, then CTI, also Muse, Grodeck Whipperjenney fame), Harvey Fuqua, Isaac Hayes, Allen Toussaint, to Bobby Eli / Norman Harris (Philly Scene), Eugene McDaniels, Richard Evans, Maurice White, Miles Davis! And more, they all dipped into the Brand New bag that Sly Stone first opened in 1967, and how many classics came from that, countless.... There's no Funkadelic, no Hypersolibmystic (*spelling I know), no Headless Heroes Of The Apocalypse, no Temptations Cloud Nine or Psychedelic Shack, etc. Of course Jimi Hendrix is always there in the formation of the new psychedelic soul / funk sounds, his music was one-of-a-kind, groundbreaking psychedelic rock. The greatest rock guitarist of all time. a sort of older classic blues sound yes, but not the soul/funk vein as direct as Sly & The Family Stone. Miles saw both him and Jimi as the cutting edge, in funk/soul, and rock respectively. In many ways, it's the debut Pet Sounds of introducing a brand new sound we associate with a golden era of soul/funk. I'm listening to my copy as I write this, track B3 is playing as I type (I started at the beginning of the album), and if you put this side by side with some of the best of 1973, it would sound like 1973! In 1967. Green Onions is a classic by Booker T. & The MG's, timeless, but you can date the sound. Is there a more groundbreaking soul/funk album out there before the 1967 "Brand New Thing"? One that sounds years ahead? I know this is one of the only Sly & The Family Stone lp's to be somewhat of a commercial flop upon it's release (in part, that may account for the fact, it's legitimately very rare to come across), but I have to imagine every young forward thinking cat in the biz picked up a copy. A 5/5 classic, one that's way overdue for vital recognition, not only for its influence, which I think is underestimated, but also on its own merits, which are outstanding. P.S. "Advice" has one of the dopest drum breaks, easy to see why Q-Tip among others used it :)
Truthfully, this reissue is fantastic. Giving it 4 stars since it's not the original. My version sounds incredible, I can feel Larry Graham's bass in my chest. It claims to be from the original masters and I believe it.
This is an incredible and utterly overlooked album: the songwriting, arrangement, and production on tracks like "Trip to Your Heart," "I Cannot Make It," and "Underdog" sound like they could've been made in 1971! So, for 1967, this music is way ahead of its time. The sheer power of the music reminds me of the sensual impact of some of Jimi Hendrix's work, like "Hey Joe" or "The Wind Cries Mary," or "Stone Free." Check out the subtle stereo effects in the drums on "Trip to Your Heart." Some of these songs could easily fit onto "Exile on Main Street," both thematically and musically. The band is at the peak of their abilities, and the compositions are superior to those on "Stand" or "Life." This shows how much Sly had already lost by 1969, when most people think he was at his best with that performance at a muddy and overcrowded festival. This album could be a revelation for anyone with a taste for great music. (And in 1973, Sly was still able to amaze us with "Fresh," yet another masterpiece. His talent was immense, but it seems it was largely consumed by his enormous appetite for unhealthy substances.)
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