Life

by Sly & the Family Stone

Overview

Just a matter of months after Dance to the Music, Sly & the Family Stone turned around and delivered Life, a record that leapfrogged over its predecessor in terms of accomplishment and achievement. The most noteworthy difference is the heavier reliance on psychedelics and fuzz guitars, plus a sharpening of songcraft that extends to even throwaways like "Chicken." As it turned out, Life didn't have any hits -- the double A-sided single "Life"/"M'Lady" barely cracked the Top 100 -- yet this feels considerably more song-oriented than its predecessor, as each track is a concise slice of tightly wound dance-funk. All the more impressive is that the group is able to strut their stuff within this context, trading off vocals and blending into an unstoppable force where it's impossible to separate the instruments, even as they solo. The songwriting might still be perfunctory or derivative in spots -- listen to how they appropriate "Eleanor Rigby" on "Plastic Jim" -- but what's impressive is how even the borrowed or recycled moments sound fresh in context. And then there are the cuts that work on their own, whether it's the aforementioned double-sided single, "Fun," "Dynamite!," or several other cuts here -- these are brilliant, intoxicating slices of funk-pop that get by as much on sound as song, and they're hard to resist. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Product Details

Release Date:	03/29/2019
Label:	Sony Legacy Mod
UPC:	0190759539620
Rank:	7409

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Sly & the Family Stone   Primary Artist
Larry Graham   Guitar (Bass),Bass,Vocals
Brother Freddy Stone   Guitar
Gerry Martini   Saxophone
Sister Rose Stone   Piano (Electric),Keyboards,Vocals,Piano
Jerry Martini   Vocals,Saxophone
Cynthia Robinson   Trumpet
Greg Errico   Drums,Percussion
Vet Stone   Vocals (Background)
Little Sister   Vocals (Background)
Freddie Stone   Vocals,Guitar
Elva Mouton   Vocals (Background)
Sylvester Stewart   Organ,Piano,Guitar,Vocals,Harmonica,Keyboards
Freddy Stone   Guitar,Vocals
Mary McCreary   Vocals (Background)

Technical Credits

Roy Segal   Audio Engineer,Engineer
Don Puluse   Audio Engineer,Engineer
Fred Catero   Audio Engineer,Engineer
Sylvester Stewart   Audio Production,Arranger,Composer,Producer
Bob Irwin   Reissue Producer
Cynthia Robinson   Vocal Ad-Libs
Ben Edmonds   Liner Notes
Jerry Goldstein   Executive Producer
Steven Berkowitz   A&R
Shorty Rogers   Composer
Bob Cato   Photography
Rob Carter   Design,Art Direction
Vic Anesini   Mastering
Marty Wekser   Supervising Editor
Lisa Buckler   Project Director
Glenn Stone   Executive Producer
Fred Lombardi   Photography