There’s a Riot Goin’ On

Love this record. The soundtrack to the Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test. A million times better, more poignant and more evocative of its time than anything The Grateful Dead ever made.

This is some good phat funk and I am here for it!

Family Affair is one of my favorite and most listened to songs, gotta give it props for that. A lot of the rest of the album is nice, but has this unfinished feel to it. A lot of songs have a groovy funky hook or beat but don't really do that much with it. Some songs on here drag on for a bit long or just aren't all that interesting to begin with. It's still really good, but perhaps not quite as good as I always thought this album was. Family Affair just really kicks it up a notch.

It's been almost a year since I listened to Stand with its empowering psychedelic funk jams. However, that optimism in Sly & the Family Stone's sound did not last long. Relationships within the band deteriorated as members partook in copious amounts of drugs and partying. Sly Stone himself became erratic and reclusive, leading to a rift between him and the rest of the band. In a way, the band's inner turmoil reflected the dark times that America was experiencing at the start of the 1970s, as the civil rights movement declined, police brutality was on the rise, and people were becoming increasingly disillusioned. Sly saw all this shit going down and decided to take matters into his own hands, recording a new album mostly alone to address that darkness. That album would be called There's a Riot Goin' On, in response to the rhetorical question Marvin Gaye posed with What's Going On.

From the start with "Luv n' Haight", there's already an unsettling tone creeping in, as the instruments are layered thick from extensive overdubbing alongside a steady drum machine, while Sly and the backing vocalists sang emphatically about their inability to move from being so high on drugs. In fact, Sly himself recorded most of his vocals while lying on his bed, a reflection of his physical and mental state at the time. The fact that this song sounds as good as it does under these conditions is astounding. This sort of low-energy funk continued into "Just Like a Baby" and "Poet", as Sly desperately clung to some semblance of songwriting ability and performance over these edgy jams. They even managed to eke out some bona fide hits in "Family Affair" with Billy Preston's electric piano prominent in the mix, the surprisingly upbeat "(You Caught Me) Smilin'" as Sly tries to force some positivity in his situation, and Cynthia Robinson's strident horns opposite the chicken-scratching guitar on "Runnin' Away".

Of course, with this embraced hedonism comes some genuinely striking confrontation. "Africa Talks to You ('The Asphalt Jungle')" is a nine-minute jam that Sly wrote in response to the negative backlash from estranged fans, record industry associates, and the media. The way in which he calls out these people who want to see his downfall because he's not falling in line is something to behold. This frank statement is immediately followed by another, as the title track is a brief moment of slice because Sly felt that there shouldn't be any more riots. Considering that civil unrest continues to occur to this day, amidst the injustices perpetuated by this country, I can sympathize with Sly's plight here.

Finally, there's the absolute batshit on this record that Sly somehow gets away with. This includes the lowly ballad "Time", with the drum machine being noticeably prominent here as Sly wistfully remarks about how everything seems to rely on needing more time, yet he feels that's not enough. It's weirdly tender in the execution. Though it's also a bit tame compared to the outright yodeling and harmonica soloing over a drum machine on the country-funk mashup of "Spaced Cowboy", where the drug use is blatantly apparent. Closing out the album is "Thank You for Talkin' to Me Africa", a slowed-down, tonally murky re-recording of their hit "Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)", reflective on how much had changed within the span of two years. There's no hiding from the lyrics that detail the strife made through this hellscape, as clear as day.

There's a Riot Goin' On managed to work wonders despite Sly Stone's addictions and inner turmoil at the time. It gave us a snapshot of what America was like at the turn of this decade, the ugly side that most people didn't want to look at, yet served as a necessary reminder of how bad shit can be and how to persevere through it.

I felt this was kinda un even. Some great amazing grooves and instrumation but the song felt they were missing something and lacked direction. Reading the history of the album it's understandable why, but still can't take away it's good too listen too and has some great funk and soul to it.

this is the most non-threatening riot I've ever heard they shouldn't even be allowed to call this a riot

I can see why this album is considered important, but it doesn’t do that much for me personally. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦’𝘴 𝘢 𝘙𝘪𝘰𝘵 𝘎𝘰𝘪𝘯’ 𝘖𝘯 has a very distinctive sound — murky, weary, and almost deliberately worn down. That gives it a character of its own, but it also makes it a harder listen than I expected.

There are moments where the atmosphere really works, yet as a whole the album never fully pulls me in. I don’t dislike it, and I can appreciate what it’s trying to do, but by the end I’m left more impressed by its reputation than by the music itself.

This record has "Family Affair," which of course I remember from the radio. But the rest of it was new to me, a great album of spaced-out funk. I'll definitely listen to this one again.

I do like several of their songs but this album was a bad recording and didn't really grab me.

Breakfast muzak.

What can I say other than this album is just very funky and groovy... yet very disturbed. It's actually fascinating how this album succeeds at being both very colorful and full of intricate layered instrumentals and overdubs, yet due to the incredibly somber tone of the music when it all comes together, it almost feels like being depressed at a dance party. Which honestly makes a lot of sense considering the background of the music.

Sly was more than acutely aware of what the state of the world; especially in America, was like. The summer of love was over, and in it's place was a deep uneasy feeling. Even more so for the marginalized communities and especially for the black communities. This record answers Marvin Gaye's question "What's goin' On?" directly with the album title. Due to the distressing state of the world Sly would delve into drugs and alcohol, and fuel his energy into a laboriously crafted masterpiece of a record. Funky, deep and meaningful, and pained all the same. Underneath the layers of groove is a grim reality. There's a riot goin' on.

Anyone who rates this album under 5 stars should not be trusted.

This was an interesting listen.
It was pretty hard funkin’ but with a bit of a psychedelic edge to it.
These guys are kind of like the Grateful Dead of funk music but maybe more of a rough and tough version of P-Funk.
They have a lot of great songs in a lot of different styles and you can tell that when played live these songs have the potential to be stretched out quite a bit.
I saw these guys open for Prince in the early 2000’s and enjoyed them a lot.
After listening to this album I feel like I understand them better now.

Funky music for vegetarians. No meat on it at all.

meow

Det verkar finnas gott om myter kring albumet. Lokko hävdar i Pop#10 att Miles Davis skickades till studion för att tala en bångstyrig kokainhög Sly tillrätta, utan annat resultat än att bli vapenhotad. 1001-boken påstår att nämnde Miles kan vara med och spela på plattan. Det är väl lite så att vissa album lever sitt eget liv. Vi vill att de ska vara så mycket mer. Riot som en kommentar på en värld i brand verkar också vara en vedertagen men illa belagd sanning titeln till trots. Slys missbruk går däremot inte att tvivla på.
Vad än Riot må vara är det rakt igenom skönt jävla groove. Bassllingor går nog inte att läggas snyggare. Det stökas å jammas, men hela tiden med en röd tråd. Små detaljer som sitter på rätt plats, ett kort riff, en kör, ett skrik, ett joddel. Det maler på i långsamt tempo, och så plötsligt en magisk liten höjning.
Riot är också så mycket mer ett album än sina enskilda låtar. Det hade inte funnits ett självklart val till en årsbästagala. Det enda rätta hade varit att spela skivan från början till slut, i den ordningen. Allt annat vore orättfärdigt.
Det är kanske inte det starkaste av femmor, men så måsta det bli.

I'm on quite the hot streak. I think this may be the greatest funk album ever, it perfrctly captures the genre's joy and anger and hope into a singular moment of perfection. This is a collection of some of the hardest driving, most exciting funk ever put to record. This is re order with such power and clarity that it feels like every instrument is leaping out of the speakers at you. And, somehow, this doesn't muddy things up. The guitars, bass, horns *and* vocals *all* feel like theyre stabbing you, its incredible. The sound of this album is raw and alive, full of life and energy. Songs like Thank You For Talkin' To Me, Africa and Family Affair have some of the best bass grooves ever written. Sly is clipping the mic on (You Caught Me) Smilin' and Luv N' Haight. Time manages to overcome it's strangeness and become genuinely tender. Even the yodeling and unstoppable funk rhythms of Spaced Cowboy work here. Every song is just unbelievably good. As I said, this is probably my favorite funk album ever. And, honestly, I can't even really tell you why. It all just works. It's symbolic of it's genre while managing to stand completely on it's own. It's energy is undeniable. It's grooves are generational. There's A Riot Goin' On is just plain genius.

Don't really get the point of this? Feels lazy.

I like this album but maybe not as much as I expected to. It's good solid funk and soul but it just kind of lacks something. I do appreciate that it is a little darker and more serious but it kind of lost something else, I can't really explain what. It's got some nice grooves and the lyrics are great and the musicianship is top notch. It just seems like there's something missing, although there is some...yodeling. What the hell? 3.5/5 and rounding down because it lacks whatever it is that would make it rate higher.

It's a family affair