SLICE TONES: Sly Stone & His Infinite Influence!

...with 5 Music Players!

SLY STONE has turned 70!
To celebrate, here are Music Players with 4 decades of his disciples!

A music critic once said Soul should be divided into Before Sly and After Sly. In truth, all modern music since 1970 has been influenced by his group.

Here's a music player of The Family Stone's greatest works, followed by 4 Music Players* of 500 artists from all over the spectrum. All are in chronological order.

Music Player Shortcut links:
• 𝟭 SLY & THE FAMILY STONE: 1965-Today
• 𝟮 Sly Stone's influence: 1967-1979
• 𝟯 Sly Stone's influence: 1980-1989
• 𝟰 Sly Stone's influence: 1990-1999
• 𝟱 Sly Stone's influence: 2000-Today

*These are Spotify players. Join up for free here.

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𝟭

S L Y
A N D
T H E
F A M I L Y
S T O N E

SLY & THE FAMILY STONE,
The Music: 1965-Today
by Tym Stevens

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Sly Stone produced the first records of upcoming garage and psychedelic bands in San Francisco, before joining his peers with the spectacular success of his group, Sly & The Family Stone.

The two architects of Funk are James Brown and Sly Stone. While they shared a tight propulsive rhythm, they were different in every other way.

• James kept a tight groove with Jazz touches, centered on rhythm and horns. Sly brought a freewheeling looseness that included wild Rock and avant Jazz.

• James was perfect process, sharp suits, and lock precision. Sly was power afro, brash bohemia, and happy chaos.

• James was backed by soul brothers. The Family Stone was male and female, maple and peach.

• James had national hits but was strongest within the circuit of black radio and clubs. Sly had international success while playing big festivals, including his legendary triumph at Woodstock.

• James was about the community. Sly was about a family of humanity.

Most Funk bands that followed assimilated James' tight groove with Sly's flair and philosophy.

The Family Stone has two phases: STAND and RIOT. All the music from 1967 leading into 1969's STAND album is sunny, fast, optimistic, inclusive. From 1971's THERE'S A RIOT GOIN' ON onward, the sound turns bluesy, staggered, critical, insular.

They are the two first and most essential Funk albums ever made.

★ Special spotlight should shine on Larry Graham. His invention of 'pluck-n-thump' bass-playing transformed modern music.

First heard on "Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)" (1970), it turned funky Soul into The Funk, and influenced Yes, Fela, Jaco Pastorius, Bootsy Collins, Gang Of Four, Bill Laswell, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Living Colour, Primus, Antibalas, the "Seinfeld" theme song, and scores more.

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S L Y
S T O N E ' S
I N F L U E N C E

Sly & The Family Stone opened up a world of possibilities that everyone explored.

Whenever you enjoy thump-ass bass, drum machines, vocoders and pitch shifters, funkadelic guitar, stabbing brass, strutting dance, political soul, empowerment anthems, and diversity bands...
say "Thank You" to The Family Stone!

Listen to the following acts and enjoy their influence in rhythm, sounds, philosophy, and fashion.

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S L I C E T O N E S /
SLY STONE's
I N F L U E N C E :
1 9 6 7 - 1 9 7 9

Stevie Wonder; Betty Davis;
David Bowie; Parliament

SLY STONE-esque:
1967-'79
by Tym Stevens
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*(This Player is limited to the first 200 songs.
Hear the unlimited Playlist here.)

Guests include:

Tony Joe White, James Brown, James Gang, Yes, Funkadelic, Chicago, Traffic, Stevie Wonder, The Rolling Stones, Rita Lee, Deep Purple, Miles Davis, Betty Davis, Frank Zappa, War, Roxy Music, Fat Albert, KC & The Sunshine Band, Mother's Finest, Steely Dan!

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𝟯

S L I C E T O N E S /
SLY STONE's
I N F L U E N C E :
1 9 8 0 - 1 9 8 9

Grace Jones; Tom Tom Club;
Prince; Red Hot Chili Peppers

SLY STONE-esque:
1980-'89
by Tym Stevens

This is a Spotify player. Join up for free here.

Guests include:

Magazine, Gang of Four, Zapp, Material, David Bowie, Grace Jones, Tom Tom Club, Prince, INXS, Trouble Funk, fireHOSE, Sly & Robbie, R.E.M., Tackhead, Public Enemy, Beastie Boys, Lenny Kravitz!

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𝟰

S L I C E T O N E S /
SLY STONE's
I N F L U E N C E :
1 9 9 0 - 1 9 9 9

Lenny Kravitz; Beastie Boys;
Public Enemy; Meshell Ndegeocello

SLY STONE-esque:
1990-'99
by Tym Stevens

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Guests include:

Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Family Stand, Jane's Addiction, Living Colour, Arrested Development, Primal Scream, Joi, Primus, D'Angelo, Mercury Rev, Dag, Meshell Ndegeocello, Los Lobos, Fatboy Slim, OutKast, Ozomatli, Macy Gray, Beck!

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𝟱

S L I C E T O N E S /
SLY STONE's
I N F L U E N C E :
2 0 0 0 - T o d a y

Nikka Costa; Fatboy Slim;
Alice Smith; Cody ChesnuTT

SLY STONE-esque:
2000-Today
by Tym Stevens

This is a Spotify player. Join up for free here.

Guests include:

Nikka Costa, Gorillaz, Barry Adamson, Robert Randolph & The Family Band, Gnarls Barkley, The Budos Band, Rhythm King & Her Friends, John Legend, The Roots, Susan Tedeschi, Jill Scott, Jurassic 5, Alice Smith, Cody ChesnuTT, Galactic, Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings!

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"Everybody is a star
One big circle going round and round!"


© Tym Stevens

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See Also:

• FUNK, The True History: The 1960s, with 3 Music Players!

• FUNK, The True History: 1970-1974, with 3 Music Players!


• Sly Stone's "I Want To Take You Higher" And Its Unending Influence!, with Music Player!

• "Everyday People" - Sly Stone > Joan Jett > Arrested Development

• "Sing A Simple Song" - Sly Stone > Jimi Hendrix > James Gang > P-Funk > Chili Peppers > Public Enemy

• "If You Want Me To Stay" - Sly Stone > Bootsy Collins > Red Hot Chili Peppers > Prince > Nikka Costa

• "Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego!" - Funkadelic > Sly Stone > Beastie Boys

• ROCK Orgy: "Life Is a Rock (But the Radio Rolled Me)!"

• "The Same Love That Made Me Laugh" - Bill Withers > Diana Ross > Sly Stone > Zapp

• Sly Stone > Prince, with Music Player!


• The Real History of ROCK AND SOUL!: The Music Player Checklist

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ROCK Sex: "Crosseyed And Painless" - Fela > Talking Heads > Brazilian Girls > Angelique Kidjo

"I'm changing my shape, I feel like an accident,
They're back to explain their experience..."

ROCK Sex says "facts continue to change their shape".

Another cultural relay handoff today, centered around a TALKING HEADS song.

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Nigerian FELA Ransome Kuti is the father of AfroBeat, a polyrhythmic and political funk-jazz inspired by James Brown and the counterculture rebellion of the '60s.

These propulsive jams had enormous musical influence, from the late '70s New York DIY scene and London's dub culture, to son Femi Kuti and Antibalas today.

FELA -"Roforofo Fight" (1972)



New York's Talking Heads and producer Brian Eno expanded their palette with a kind of abstract Punk take on AfroBeat, starting with the crucial album REMAIN IN LIGHT (1980).

Their expanded touring band included keyboard sorceror Bernie Worrell (P-Funk) and guitar maniac Adrian Belew (King Crimson).

TALKING HEADS -"Crosseyed And Painless" (1980)



New York's Brazilian Girls stirs the pan-cultural stew further with their take on the Heads' song. Singer Sabina Sciubba scats across five different languages.

BRAZILIAN GIRLS -"Crosseyed And Painless" (2006)



In 2018, Benin's favorite musical maverick Anglelique Kidjo remade the entire REMAIN IN LIGHT album.

ANGELIQUE KIDJO -"Crosseyed And Painless" (2018)



"The feeling returns whenever we close our eyes
Lifting my head, looking around inside..."


© Tym Stevens

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See Also:

• "Take Me To the River" - Al Green > Bryan Ferry > Talking Heads

• "Slippery People" -Talking Heads > The Staple Singers

• "Radio Head" - Talking Heads > Tito Lariva > Radiohead

• "Warning Sign" - Talking Heads > Local Natives

• ROCK Orgy: "Genius of Love"

• "Wordy Rappinghood" - Tom Tom Club > Chicks On Speed


• The Real History of Rock and Soul!: The Music Player Checklist

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ROCK Sex: "Warning Sign" - Talking Heads > Local Natives

ROCK Sex says it happened before and it will happen again.

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One of the great producer and band partnerships in Rock is Brian Eno's collaborations with Talking Heads.

This song has a killer drum break by Chris Frantz, mesmeric bass by Tina Weymouth, and stellar guitar work by David Byrne.

Its paranoic edge and polyrhythmic dynamics embody their musical transition from The Velvet Underground toward Fela.

TALKING HEADS -"Warning Sign" (1978)



Talking Heads set the template for most every indie band for the next three decades, with their normal anti-style look and mercurial style shifts.


The British electronic group The Black Dog uses the drums in this reaction.

THE BLACK DOG -"Seer & Sages" (1990)



English songwriter Sophie Michalitsianos interpolates the song as a folky dream with TripHop textures.

SOL SEPPY -"Love Boy" (2006)



Here's another descendent, Local Natives, doing "Warning Sign" with a harmonic emphasis that would also please Beatle or Brian Wilson fans.

LOCAL NATIVES -"Warning Sign" (2010)



© Tym Stevens

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See Also:

• "Take Me To the River" - Al Green > Bryan Ferry > Talking Heads

• "Slippery People" -Talking Heads > The Staple Singers

• "Radio Head" - Talking Heads > Tito Lariva > Radiohead

• "Crosseyed And Painless" - Fela > Talking Heads > Brazilian Girls > Angelique Kidjo

• ROCK Orgy: "Genius of Love"

• "Wordy Rappinghood" - Tom Tom Club > Chicks On Speed


• The Real History of Rock and Soul!: The Music Player Checklist

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ROCK Sex: "Slippery People" -Talking Heads > The Staple Singers

ROCK Sex ties to get a grip on the slip.

Today, the relay hand-off of "Slippery People".

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Possessed by the fever somewhere between Fela and New Orleans, here's Talking heads in fluid delirium. They're backed by Nona Hendryx on vocals and Bernie Worrell on keyboards.

TALKING HEADS -"Slippery People" (1983)



And here's the ever wonderful STAPLE SINGERS putting their own liquid moves on it.

THE STAPLE SINGERS -"Slippery People" (1984, remix)



Not long after, POPS STAPLES played the man with the mojo in David Byrne's film, TRUE STORIES.

POPS STAPLES + Talking Heads -"Papa Legba" (1986)




© Tym Stevens

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See Also:

• "Take Me To the River" - Al Green > Bryan Ferry > Talking Heads

• "Radio Head" - Talking Heads > Tito Lariva > Radiohead

• "Warning Sign" - Talking Heads > Local Natives

• "Crosseyed And Painless" - Fela > Talking Heads > Brazilian Girls > Angelique Kidjo

• ROCK Orgy: "Genius of Love"


• The Real History of Rock and Soul!: A Music Player Checklist

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ROCK Sex: "Soul Makossa" - Manu Dibango > Trovaioli > Michael Jackson

ROCK Sex goes sax crazy.

Today, the cultural relay of "Soul Makossa".

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MANU DIBANGO, a saxophonist from Cameroon, set off an international sensation with his single "Soul Makossa".

This extremely obscure flipside was picked up by New York DJ David Mancuso on a trip to Europe in 1972. His incredibly influential listening parties at The Loft lit the fire for other prominent NYC DJs to pump their parties with its propulsive groove, and became such a regional hit that at least nine cover versions rushed in to capitalize on it, including such diverse artists as The Lafayette Afro-Rock Band, Babatunde Olatunji, and The Fania All-Stars.

The real version was then licensed and became a Billboard Soul hit (#35), and a market breakthrough for African artists that would then open the door for attention to Fela, King Sunny Ade, Youssou N'Dour, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Zap Mama and scores more.

Crucial to the song is its chant of "mama-se, mama-sa, ma-ko-ma-ko-ssa"...

MANU DIBANGO -"Soul Makossa" (1972)



Showing the global impact of Dibango's song, listen to this soundtrack homage by Italy's great film composer ARMANDO TROVAIOLI (a.k.a., Trovajoli)...

ARMANDO TROVAIOLI -"Sesso Matto (Sex Crazy)" (1973)



The chant also had clear impact in this famous hit by MICHAEL JACKSON ten years later...

MICHAEL JACKSON -"Wanna Be Startin' Something" (1982)



"Soul Makossa" has been covered by Afrika Bambaataa, and sampled in Jay Z's "Face Off", Rihanna's "Don't Stop the Music", Wyclef Jean's "The Carnival", The Bloodhound Gang's "Mama Say", and A Tribe Called Quest's "Rhythm (Devoted to the Art of Moving Butts)".


"Makossa... Akeela
Mama ko mama sa maka makoosa Mama ko mama sa maka makossa
Mama ko mama sa maka makossa
Heyyyy, Soul Makossa..."


© Tym Stevens

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See Also:

• "Crosseyed And Painless" - Fela > Talking Heads > Brazilian Girls > Angelique Kidjo

• "Pastures Of Plenty" - Woody Guthrie > Ennio Morricone > A FISTFUL OF DOLLARS

• ROCK Sex quickie: 'Spaghetti Western' > Gnarls Barkley

• "Mah Na Mah Na" - Piero Umiliani > The Muppets

• How SPAGHETTI WESTERNS Revolutionized Rock Music!, with 3 Music Players!


• The Real History of Rock and Soul!: The Music Player Checklist