The 500 - #186 - Fresh - Sly and the Family Stone

I was inspired by a podcast called The 500 hosted by Los Angeles-based comedian Josh Adam Meyers. His goal, and mine, is to explore Rolling Stone Magazine's 2012 edition of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. 

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Album: #186
Album Title: Fresh
Artist: Sly and the Family Stone

Genre: Funk, Progressive Soul
Recorded: The Record Plant Sausalito, California

Released: June, 1973
My age at release: 7
How familiar was I with it before this week: Not at all

Is it on the 2020 list? No
Song I am putting on my Spotify Playlist: Que Sera Sera

I love funk music, a genre that originated in African American communities in the mid-‘60s. There is something about funk's focus on the rhythmic groove of the electric bass that just makes me happy. As I noted in my April, 2022, post about James Brown's In The Jungle Groove (#329), funk gets its energy from the emphasis the musicians put on the first beat in a four beat measure  -- "The One". It creates a sense of propulsion that motivates and energizes me. The uplifting sensation might be subconscious, but there is plenty of research to suggest it is chemical. Music decreases cortisol (the stress hormone) and increases serotonin and endorphin levels, elevating mood. I don't really care what it is; I like to get funky.

Funk's Founding Father - James Brown.

While James Brown is considered the Founding Father of Funk, San Francisco band Sly and the Family Stone infused it with a psychedelic twist and, on many records, a socially conscious and political agenda. The group was formed in 1966 by multi-instrumentalist Sly (Sylvester) Stone with his brother Freddie (guitar, vocals) and sister Rose (keyboard, vocals). Rounding out the group were trumpeter Cynthia Robinson, drummer Greg Errico, saxophonist Jerry Martini and bassist Larry Graham.

Sly and the Family Stone in 1968. (l-r): Freddie Stone, Sly Stone, 
Rose Stone, Larry Graham, Cynthia Robinson, Jerry Martini, and Greg Errico.

Fresh (1986) is the first  of four records from Sly and the Family Stone to appear on The 500 list. Their 1969 release, Stand, is at #121, There's A Riot Going On (1971) is at #99, and their Greatest Hits record, at #61, was released in 1970. The group has had a powerful impact on the music industry, influencing artists in multiple genres such as R&B, Soul, Pop, Funk and Hip Hop. As music critic Joel Selvin put it, "there are two types of black music, black music before Sly Stone and black music after".

Sly Stone (1971)

I am familiar with the many hits the group has released, but this was the first album of his that I listened to in its entirety. Expecting not to know any of the songs,  I was surprised to find a version of the catchy Que Sera Sera — a hit for Doris Day in 1956 and one I loved as a kid. Day's version appeared in Alfred Hitchcock’s film The Man Who Knew Too Much, which netted songwriters Jay Livingston and Ray Evans an Academy Award that year.

Livingston (left) and Evans with one of several
Academy Awards they won.

I also recognized the song If You Want Me To Stay, having heard it on the 1985 Red Hot Chili Peppers record Freaky Styley. I wasn't aware it was written and recorded by Sly until I remembered that Freaky Styley was produced by another funk heavyweight, George Clinton.  Clinton is best known for his work with two seminal funk bands – Parliament and Funkadelic, sometimes grouped as the Parliament-Funkadelic Collective. They have three records on The 500. Apparently, Clinton persuaded the Chili Peppers to record If You Want Me To Stay.

Album cover for Freaky Styley

Now that I've heard both versions, I prefer the original from Sly and the Family Stone. As I mentioned in a previous post, I've started to outgrow the Chili Peppers sound. Freaky Styley was a CD I played a lot in the ‘90s...and now it just doesn't resonate with me. However, Fresh, the funky offering from Sly and the Family Stone sure does. I look forward to hearing Stand in about a year. Until then, stay funky on "The One!”