 Sly & the Family Stone Life is one of those albums you appreciate more for the evidence of what would come later from a band than for what they are playing on the actual album. Released in 1968, Life has a lot of classic rock in it and not all that much soul, as soulful as the group was capable of being. It has the same problems that Santana and Miles Davis from the same period have, what I call the "Fillmore sound," and I don't mean that in a good way. It's that dated sound that probably seemed like a vital multicultural fusion at the time but sounds a bit embarrassingly ballsy listening now. Don't worry, though, most of that optimistic early 90's music will be just as obsolete 30 years from now. The best cuts, "Harmony" and "M'Lady," have the same melodic genius and spirited arrangements that would make later Sly songs timeless, but the bulk of the album is given to crowd-pleasing jams that wouldn't please too many crowds now. The vocal interplay between the three lead vocalists is all here, with Larry Graham as usual delivering the most enjoyment. Sly's guitar is very Iron Butterfly, and the dirty organ only adds to the Fillmore feel. The drumming is solidly interestng throughout, though sometimes going off into Jimi Hendrix Experience style tantrums. Horns are peppered throughout, used mainly to good effect. The songwriting, as a whole, is nonexistent. With song titles like "Dynamite!", "Chicken," "Plastic Jim," "Fun," "Love City," and "Life," there's not a lot of places to go, so you end up with a lot of "groovy" rock/soul workouts. The chops are good, and the approach is very spirited, but there's not too much brain being used in terms of subject matter. Many of the songs teeter between audaciously cool and totally stupid, like "Chicken: which actually has the group harmonizing "bawk-bawk-bawk-bawk-a!" I don't do enough drugs to be able to tell if that's cool or not. "Plastic Jim" addresses that 60s "important topic: plastic people. Zappa must have hated this album. The hippie low point is "Jane is a Groupee," redeemed only by Larry Graham singing the line "Say Larry, what's-his-face/said you'd teach me how to play the bass." All told, this isn't really worth the time unless you're heavily into Sly & the Family Stone, in which case you'll find much of interest. A bonus track, "Only One Way Out of This Mess," is included, but in this case it's like getting one more scoop of mediocre potato salad.
Review by Glandy Newman |