I've been waiting forever to hear all these tracks.
Those incredibly funky 7" Sly Stone produced for his own lable
"Stone flower" will now be availavle on cd for the first time
along with other rare stuff.

01 DANSE A LA MUSIQUE
The French Fries
02 I'M GOING HOME PT 1
Joe Hicks
03 FOR REAL
Sly
04 LIFE AND DEATH IN G & A
Abaco Dream
05 I'M JUST LIKE YOU
6IX
06 MAN DOES NOT LIVE
Sly & The Family Stone
07 UNDERDOG
The Beau Brummels

08 CAN'T SHE TELL
Billy Preston
09 I CAN'T TURN YOU LOOSE
Sly & The Family Stone
10 YOU'RE THE ONE PT 1 & 2
Little Sister
11 LSD
Freddie & The Stone Souls
12 LIFE OF FORTUNE AND FAME
Sly & The Family Stone
13 ARE YOU SURE
The Beau Brummels
14 DYNAMITE
6IX

15 I AIN'T GOT NOBODY (FOR REAL)
Sly & The Family Stone
16 YOU REALLY GOT ME
Sly
17 STANGA
Little Sister
18 I REMEMBER
Sly & Billy Preston
19 SOMETHING ABOUT YOU
Freddie & The Stone Souls
20 TAKE MY ADVICE
Sly & The Family Stone
21 HOME SWEET HOME PT 2
Joe Hicks

22 SOMEBODY'S WATCHING YOU
Little Sister
23 SUPERFUNK
Freddie & The Stone Souls
24 LIFE AND DEATH IN G & A PTS 1 & 2
Joe Hicks
25 SMALL FRIES
The French Fries




Of every instrument that Sly Stone has mastered during his long and colourful career in music, perhaps the most significant is the recording studio. 20 years before the advent of computer-based recording, this maverick was pushing available recording technology to its limit. When he finally tired of the restrictions imposed by official facilities, Sly built his own, to satisfy his creative urge when, where and how he saw fit. It was the ultimate manifestation of the impulse that had transformed Sylvester Stewart of Vallejo, California into Sly Stone, titan of popular music.

Sly drew from gospel, R&B, rock, jazz, pop, folk rock, psychedelia and everything in-between, married them to a positive outlook tinged with humour, and stayed focused on achieving his goals, using the tools he had. In doing this, Sly Stone liberated black music - rhythmically, lyrically, sonically - but he did it all within the context of the song. That is the reason Sly’s music has been covered by the Beach Boys, why Sinatra accorded him respect, why Miles Davis would wait hours in the studio for a chance to watch him at work.

“Listen To The Voices” is the sequel to Ace’s earlier survey of Sly’s musical progression, “Precious Stone: Sly Stone In The Studio 1963-65”. It’s a project that has been in my back pocket for some time, for, as a terminal Sly freak, I’ve ransacked not just studios, but tape vaults, collector’s stashes and beyond, hunting for any and all evidence of this singular artists creativity, because every last scrap provides another clue, another revelation or, in most cases, just reconfirms Sly’s genius. His funky 1966 demo of ‘You Really Got Me’ came from a bank vault near the Mexican border; an unlikely H.B. Barnum was the source of the folk-punk ‘Underdog’ that Sly recorded with the Beau Brummels in October 1965. And my good pals Edwin and Arno Konings, the Dutch detectives whose forthcoming book “Thank You” will finally give Sly the definitive biography he deserves, came up with an acetate of the brilliant ‘Man Does Not Live’ – written for Walter Jackson in 1968 but performed here by the Family Stone with a touching, heartbreaking dollop of pure soul.

Starting where “Precious Stone” stopped, on “Listen To The Voices” we continue Sly’s journey to the end of the decade, joining some dots, revealing some hidden gems, reiterating the team effort that lay behind the creation and evolution of a truly once-in-a-lifetime outfit, Sly & The Family Stone. The Stone Souls’ recordings reveal why Sly easily pegged his brother Freddie and Greg Errico to be in his new band, and the Family Stone’s earliest demo session reveals the sheer joy they found playing together. But even with their level of success, Sly’s creative desire was unsated, resulting in side projects that complement, and on occasion even match, the Family Stone’s catalogue. His 1969/70 Stoneflower productions on 6IX, Joe Hicks and Little Sister are crucial pieces of the Sly Stone jigsaw, while the outrageous French Fries single is finally identified as a Family Stone recording.

In May 2009 I spent several days in Sly’s company talking about music and its creation, creativity, for the sleeve notes. The man is as funny, smart and brilliant as he ever was, and he seemed to enjoy talking purely about his music for once, rather than being asked prurient questions about his personal life. It was an unforgettable experience. Freddie and Greg also contribute to the notes, which shed fresh light upon the years in question: quite possibly Sly’s purple period. “Listen To The Voices” is a celebration of both Sly & the Family Stone the group, and of Sly Stone the auteur. It’s my way of saying “Thank You” to the incredible, unpredictable, one and only – Sly.

By Alec Palao

ORDER NOW: http://www.amazon.co.uk/e...recordc-21

Manki

Its been a long long looooong time since I've seen you

WOW! your post is awesome!

i so love the music of sly and the fam stone. i have a 2002 honda civ, it only plays audio cassettes. so needless to say i have a (small) collection.
my favorite song to blast on restaurant row in my city is "everybody is a star," and "sex machine," or "you can make it if you try."

the musical sounds of slyvester stewart and family = timeless

is this different from that allaged album for this summer ?

no biggie tho , i love sly

HOLY Fucking shit on a 10 speed... purchased ahhhhh!!!

motownlover said:

You referring to what was going to be a Rhino release? It's pretty much the same.

And Sony are still researching the vaults for a box set, apparently.

mm so nothing new' too bad but stuff from the vault is fine by me

Mong said:

This is a Rhino release.This is not from Sony I think.
/peace Manki

Harlepolis said:

Great to see you too Harle!
/peace Manki

Manki - Good to see you again!


THANKS for the heads up...

manki said:

Not a Rhino release. It's on the Ace label.

IAintTheOne said:

+1

Holy fuck.

Stax said:

Now if i can just find a 10 speed

IAintTheOne said:

I'm sure this compilation will be worthwhile for the dedicated fan, however, I 'm looking forward to the CD with new material due in June!

...


....





...

Ooh, I gotta cop this. Little Sister's version of "Somebody's Watching You" is great!

This arrived in my mailbox today. Super fast shipping from the UK. I'm stunned.

Anyway,

It is the bomb.

Stax said:

Is it a 2 cd set?

BTW - this is a choice crew that has posted in this thread. good to see you all.

funkpill said:

one disc, 24 non-album tracks, 9 of which are previously unissued.

there is a previously unissued sly cover of You Really Got Me that is blowing my mind right now. its a demo, was another version ever issued?
[Edited 4/1/10 20:23pm]

Stax said:

yup..

it's on this album

funkpill said:

Ahhh, I see. One of the few I don't own. I like this version. It's not the best track on this CD, but it surprised me.

It seems like his demos around that time were better than the album versions

funkpill said:

The demo of "You really got me" is from 1966 so it sounds
quite different from the overproduced version that appeared in 1982.

Anyway this album so KICK ASS!!!
I mean having all these "Stone flower" singles in fantastic soundquality
along with amazing Sly demos and alternative versions is a treat.

/peace Manki

manki said:

I agree, the sound is quite impressive

Manki, is this the extension of...


I don't have either but I plan on gettin' them

Which book is better, ya'll?


I'll be passing by Barnes & Noble next week and I wanna get outta there with a Sly Stone book. The former got mentioned here alot but the reviews in Amazon are not encouraging