Stand!

19 YEARS... 19 years of my life and I've never heard this masterpiece in full. I mean, this record is just about the greatest blend of funk, jazz-elements, psychedelic rock and all jumbled into this amazing record. Listening to this left not a single dull moment and had me groovin' the entire time. May very well be a Top 3 listen for me so far.

First listen. This was great. Soul, RnB, blues, funk, psych rock, social issues. This album has everything you could want from a late sixties masterpiece.

This is what it feels like eating a steak from a Michelin star restaurant after eating a bunch of walmart processed meat. It just feels like a breath of fresh air after a bunch of needlessly unimportant picks from the 1966-73 era. I could listen to the first song for hours.

Also, unrelated, but I’ve officially gone 100 albums without giving out one star (this one obviously isnt one of them)

Funk med några klassika låtar. 3,5 av 5.

A classic party record. Funk brilliance brought to you loud but ultimately joyfully resulting in a great album!

New to me and a great album

First time listening to this
Great message, great sound.
Loved it and will definitely be back.

Going to mark down slightly just because ‘Sex Machine’ is the weakest track and no need for it to take up a third of the album.

Some of the lyrics are quite dated, but overall a quality album that had me coming back a few times. 4/5

4/5. So today I have a confession on my end, despite being a self proclaimed music lover I have never listened to an entire Sly and the Family Stone album until today. And damn was I missing out, this thing is great. The opening title track is an immediate banger, as is “somebody’s watching you.” I also love the 13 minute long blues jam of “Sex Machine.” Great riffs, great horns, and solid political/social commentary all throughout this thing.

I like this so much more than the other album I got by them. Everything sounds a lot clearer on this one (yes I listened to them with the same exact things, I think it might be a mixing thing I didn’t agree with). It’s really fun, although it does touch on some heavier subjects at times. I was dreading this one because I didn’t like the other one I got, but this has changed my opinion on them. I can see why people love them now.

Groovy and addresses racism <3

A mostly instrumental, pretty funky album. Can't find fault with it tbh, 5*
Highlights: stand!, my brain

Jamais écouté avant.

À mi-chemin de la soul psychédélique des années 1960 et du funk des années 1970, voilà un album qui parvient à être à la fois précurseur et définitif. Des musiciens géniaux, des grooves sismiques, un songwriting aux petits oignons (Everyday People, tube imtemporel), pour un disque génial de bout en bout, sans véritable point faible (même pas les 14 minutes de jam funk-blues de Sex Machine, sommet de complaisance psychédélique absolument jouissif et délirant).

Top : Everyday People
Flop : Somebody's Watching You

Soul albums like this are usually a safe bet for good music. So, yeah, this will hopefully be good. And it was good. Not exactly great, but good. The first track was a little on the meh side, despite a resonant political message. However, after this(and the good but somewhat uncomfortable second track), the album kicks into a soulful groove with a bunch of solid songs. It is consistently good and enjoyable up until the 14-minute instrumental "Sex Machine"(what the hell is that title?). After that overlong and repetitive filler piece ends, we get a fun, funky piece in "You Can Make It If You Try" that has some of the best harmonies on the album. Essentially, this album is a funky, sometimes political, sometimes psychedelic take on soul music. It effectively ushered in a new era of soul music that brought the development of the genre to a head. However, others would soon upstage this album with better songs of their own.

This album is ranked #16 of 38 albums for 1969. Other 1969 albums rated by me:
Abbey Road(1/38)-5
Led Zeppelin(3/38)-4
At San Quentin(5/38)-5
Bayou Country(7/38)-4
In the Court of the Crimson King(9/38)-5
The Velvet Underground(10/38)-4
Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere(11/38)-4
Cloud Nine(17/38)-4
Arthur(18/37)-3
Hot Rats(19/38)-3
From Elvis In Memphis(21/38)-2
Tommy(22/38)-4
Songs From A Room(25/38)-5
Unhalfbricking(26/38)-4
Kick Out The Jams(29/38)-3
The Gilded Palace of Sin(30/38)-3
Odessa(36/38)-2

Sly & The Family Stone never fail to raise my spirits. I’ve always loved this album!

Favorite track(s): Stand!, Don't Call Me Nigger, Whitey (it feels against the spirit of the album not to type the whole title), I Want to Take You Higher, Somebody's Watching You, Everyday People, Sex Machine

The first album to me that was the cream of the soul crop. An astounding monument in my personal musical canon.

Heard before
Previous rating: 9/10

It was really fun but it's not going to go down as an all timer or anything

I'll take Songs I Cannot Sing Along To for 809, Alex

Not too bad, however track 7 is very long and I don't like track 2.

It was a decent listen.