Rating:
Genre: R&B
Release Date: 08/26/2008

The Essential Sly & the Family Stone does what a double-CD best-of/career overview should do: it packs a lot of career highlights into a two-disc set for listeners who want more than the basic greatest hits, but don't want every last album. Of course, all of those greatest hits are here, including a few from 1970 that didn't make it onto album releases at the time. As you'd expect, the fattest slice comes from Sly & the Family Stone's late-'60s/early-'70s peak: in fact, most of the tracks from the Stand! and There's a Riot Goin' On albums are here. The fun extras come in the not-too-well-known tracks from pre-Stand! albums and Fresh (which is actually amply represented, with six cuts). This doesn't quite deserve the highest rating, as the post-There's a Riot Goin' On material doesn't keep up the momentum of the rest of the set. Small Talk and Sly Stone's 1975 solo effort, High on You, are wisely lightly plucked, though at least the hits from those albums are the three cuts selected. This deserves better annotation than the cursory liner notes, but otherwise it's an excellent summary of a major rock and soul band. [Epic/Legacy's Limited Edition 3.0 appeared in 2008 and included a bonus CD, in addition to the original, two-CD set.]

~Richie Unterberger, All Music Guide

Be the first to review this product!

Larry Graham - Bass
Steven Berkowitz - A&R
Rusty Allen - Bass
Greg Errico - Drums
Jerry Goldstein - Executive Producer
Jerry Goldstein - Compilation Producer
Jerry Martini - Saxophone
Andy Newmark - Drums
Cynthia Robinson - Trumpet
Sylvester "Sly Stone" Stewart - Guitar
Sylvester "Sly Stone" Stewart - Keyboards
Sylvester "Sly Stone" Stewart - Vocals
Sylvester "Sly Stone" Stewart - Producer
Freddie Stone - Guitar
Freddie Stone - Vocals
Bob Irwin - Compilation Producer
David Redfern - Photography
Howard Fritzson - Art Direction
Vic Anesini - Mastering
Fred Lombardi - Photography
Patti Matheny - Artist Coordination
Kyle Wofford - Artist Coordination
Glenn Stone - Executive Producer
Darren Salmieri - Artist Coordination
Abe Vélez - Packaging Manager
Lisa Buckler - Project Director

Inspiration Information
    Shuggie Otis / CD / 1974
Time Has Come: The Best of the Chambers Brothers
    The Chambers Brothers / CD / 1996
Song Review: A Greatest Hits Collection
    Stevie Wonder / CD / 1996
The Beatles 1
    The Beatles / CD / 2000
Game, Dames and Guitar Thangs
    Eddie Hazel / CD / 1977
Finest
    Funkadelic / CD / 2005

Release Date: 08/26/2008
Genre: r&b