Family

Track Listings

1. Family

2. Secret Love

3. Over the Rainbow

4. Somewhere

5. Peace Waltz

6. When I Fall in Love

7. To Love and to Be Loved

8. Behold the Hills of Tomorrow

9. I Am Your Sister/Testimony

10. Love Don't Need a Reason

11. Wind Beneath My Wings

12. If I Had Only Known

13. Everything Possible

14. We Shall Overcome

Tracks:

Come In To The Garden
They're Leaving Me Behind
Time Piece
Poor Mum
Winter Is Gone
All My Trials
Kegelstatt Trio
Strolling Down The Highway
Padding In The Rushes
Cocaine Blues
Blossom
Been Smokin' Too Long
Black Mountain Blues
Tomorrow Is A Long Time
If You Leave Me
Here Come The Blues
Sketch 1
Blues Run The Game
My Baby's So Sweet
Milk And Honey
Kimbie
Bird Flew By
Rain
Strange Meeting II
Day Is Done
Come Into The Garden
Way To Blue
Try To Remember

Amazon.com

You'd think there wouldn't be much more to present by a songwriter who recorded three albums in his lifetime and has been dead since 1974. However, interest in Nick Drake's riveting music has grown enormously in the new millennium. Rarities were added to a number of posthumous collections, but with Family Tree his estate has brought forth an hour of music that predates his first album, Five Leaves Left. This set illuminates Drake's musical background, with his mother and sister appearing, and even Drake himself on clarinet for a Mozart trio. He covers traditional numbers as well as songs by Dylan, Blind Boy Fuller, and Jackson C. Frank. There are clear links to his own early compositions, including a couple early versions that appeared on his debut. Some of this has circulated on bootlegs over the years, but here assembled and sonically polished, it radiates with warmth. Recorded in casual circumstances, there are bits of chatter and laughter between songs, painting a picture of a happy, loving home scene. --David Greenberger

Average customer rating:

A little disappointed
Funk, Soul, Rock, Gospel, Blues Collusion of the Best Kind
Play it at "eleven"
Great fun & funk
The Steel Pedal Master Outdoes Himself!

Colorblind
Robert Randolph & The Family Band
Manufacturer: Warner Bros / Wea
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Unclassified
Live at the Wetlands (Dig)
The Road to Escondido
10 Days Out (Blues from the Backroads)/ (CD/DVD)
Continuum

ASIN: B000H30B7M
Release Date: 2006-10-10

Tracks:

Ain't Nothing Wrong With That
Deliver Me
Diane
Angels
Jesus Is Just Alight -- feat. Eric Clapton
Stronger -- feat. Leela James
Thrill Of It
Blessed
Love Is The Only Way In -- feat. Dave Matthes, Leroi Moore, & Rashawn Ross
Thankful 'N Thoughtful
Homecoming

Amazon.com

Colorblind isn't an adequate title for this album. Randolph's follow-up to 2003's Grammy-nominated Unclassified is bright and energetic as a tie-dye-patterned pinwheel. Mostly its 11 tunes are about grooves plucked from the era of Sly Stone and Stevie Wonder, dappled with brilliant classic rock musicianship (think Jimi Hendrix and Jeff Beck) and driven by frenetic verve. When things slow down, it's usually to let the young pedal steel virtuoso revisit his roots in the Holiness Church, although the team of pop-world songwriters he collaborates with make the lyrics of Randolph's R&B hymns ambiguous between devotion to a woman or to God. Guests Dave Matthews (singing backup on "Love Is the Only Way") and Eric Clapton (lending second guitar to a hot-but-rote cover of the Doobie Brothers' hit "Jesus Is Just Alright") are oddly subdued, but neo-soul diva Leela James puts sex and smolder into her duet with Randolph on "Stronger." Ultimately, though, this album's all about Randolph himself, who has loosened his grip on the blues and gospel bedrock of his earlier playing to become a master of flashy funk and rock riffs and the owner of a tone so gargantuan it's earned him a place in rock-guitar Olympus--if not Heaven. --Ted Drozdowski

Album Description

On Colorblind, the third album from Robert Randolph & The Family Band, Eric Clapton, Dave Matthews, and Leela James join for a jam-packed, emotion-filled, good-time party mix of funk, soul, rock, gospel, and blues.

Customer Reviews:

A little disappointed.......2007-06-27

I was trying something new and this album was recommended. It has some good hits on it but I guess it just wasn't what I was looking for, which was more of a Jimmy feel. I'll try it again in a month and see how it does me.

Funk, Soul, Rock, Gospel, Blues Collusion of the Best Kind.......2007-06-03

My wife is seriously into funk, soul, rock and blues! Her other criteria for picking music is the guitar player has to be awesome. When I heard this CD it was like "yep, all of the criteria have been met". She's going to love it.

She did and so did I. You know that an artist is on the right track when legends like Eric Clapton, Dave Matthews, and Leela James want to join in.

Buy this CD. There are many standout songs that will surely get airplay. My personal favorites are Deliver Me, Thrill of It, Love is the Only Way In, and Thankful 'N Thoughtful.

Play it at "eleven".......2007-05-21

Colorblind is a slightly more commercialized follow-up to their previous efforts that is well worth the listen. I was recently "turned on" to Robert Randolph with their Wetlands album and was immediately hooked. I eagerly bought this album and was not dissappointed. As some of the critics have pointed out, it is a little more commercial, has some "big names" added, and has an unnecessary cover of the Doobies "Jesus is Just Alright" (it isn't bad, but I would prefer another original.) Seems like the band is trying to breakthrough to a broader audience (can you really blame them?). The stand out songs are "Thrill of it," "Ain't nothing wrong with it," and "Deliver Me,"--all are rockers with a great driving beat and guitar work.

The sound is still solid, and I can imagine several of these songs becoming concert staples and jammable hits. Some of the southern rock sound which was so much of Wetlands is lost and is replaced with more of a funk/r & b sound, but it works.

After listening to it a few times, you will definitely find yourself turing it up to "eleven."

Great fun & funk.......2007-05-20

A little bit Sly and the Family Stone, a little bit Red Hot Chili Peppers, a little bit Mother's Finest, and a little bit Lenny Kravitz. Fun, bouncy, funky. Feel-good energy music.

The Steel Pedal Master Outdoes Himself!.......2007-05-16

Robert Randolph hit a home run with "Unclassified" but this one is a grand slam! The rock/funk/blues grooves are still there and this time he has really polished up on his songwriting! He is still deep and spiritual yet doesn't mind having a little fun once in a while. I usally don't care for remakes but his cover of the Doobie Brothers' "Jesus Is Just Allright" isn't bad at all! I also thank God that he chose to do a duet with a real soul sista like Leela James on the track "Stronger" rather than just another rapper like so many others do. If you enjoyed "Unclassified" this one will not disappoint!

Average customer rating:

Another Home Run!

Cherryholmes II: Black and White
Cherryholmes
Manufacturer: Skaggs Family
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Country | Styles | Music

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Cherryholmes
A Hundred Miles or More: A Collection
Carrie Hassler & Hard Rain
Blind Man Walking
Fork in the Road

ASIN: B000QXDJBS
Release Date: 2007-06-12

Tracks:

You Don't Know What Love Is
Heat of the Morning
I Don't Know
Black and White
Nine Yards
Turned Me Down
Darkness on the Delta
Don't Give Your Heart to a Knoxville Girl
My True Love
Bootstrap Bill
Tell Me Why
Mansions of Kings
I'll Never Shed Another Tear
Greedy Hands

Amazon.com

Though the lightning crackling across the CD cover suggests a heavy-metal band (or perhaps a cross between the Addams Family and a Black Oak Arkansas reunion), the second release by Cherryholmes on Ricky Skaggs's label establishes the family band as one of the most promising acts in contemporary bluegrass. The star here is Cia Cherryholmes, the banjo-playing daughter who composes most of the album's original material and ranks with Alison Krauss as a vocalist on highlights such as the opening "You Don't Know What Love Is" and the prison-ballad title track. Yet the instrumental interplay and harmonies reflect the sextet's blood ties, while the range of material bridges the traditional and progressive (it's hard to hear Cia's "Don't Give Your Heart to a Knoxville Girl," sung by brother B.J., without thinking of the Louvin Brothers' classic "Knoxville Girl"). --Don McLeese

Customer Reviews:

Another Home Run!.......2007-06-15

Cherryholmes first Skaggs Family cd was excellent and it appears the family is starting a tradition. This cd is solid country and bluegrass. The instruments are played with technical skill , feeling, and the arrangements are perfect for each song. The singing is top notch and I much prefer Cia Cherryholmes voice in clarity and range. It is good to hear the boys sing more, and Sandy as well! Highly recommended.

Average customer rating:

A fine introduction to a great band.
You may still need this even if you bought "the collection"
Looks like you need this collection after all!!!
Boom-laka-laka-laka! Boom-laka-laka-laka!
Sly's Greatest Hits and Then Some!

Essential Sly & Family Stone
Sly & Family Stone
Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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The Very Best of War
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ASIN: B00006NSH7
Release Date: 2003-03-11

Tracks:

Underdog
I Cannot Make It
Dance To The Music
Are You Ready?
Fun
M'Lady
Life
Love City
Stand!
Don't Call Me Nigger, Whitey
I Want To Take You Higher
Somebody's Watching You
Sing A Simple Song
Everyday People
You Can Make It If You Try
Hot Fun In The Summertime
Everybody Is A Star
Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)

Tracks:

Family Affair
Luv N' Haight
Poet
(You Caught Me) Smilin'
Runnin' Away
Brave & Strong
Just Like A Baby
Thank You For Talkin' To Me, Africa
In Time
If You Want Me To Stay
Frisky
Skin I'm In
Babies Makin' Babies
If It Were Left Up To Me
Time For Livin'
Loose Booty
I Get High On You

Amazon.com

Long before Michael Jackson and Prince became superstars by fusing rhythmic soul with rock's sense of scale and ambition, a former Northern California deejay and producer named Sylvester Stewart took the vaunted musical utopianism of the '60s and forged it into the cross-cultural, ass-shaking, genre-bending groove monster that was Sly and the Family Stone. James Brown may have invented funk, but S&TFS masterfully tooled and supercharged it into mass-acceptance. No mere greatest hits collection--though they're all here in digitally remastered glory--this 35-track, double-disc anthology delves deeper into the handful of seminal albums the band produced before its leaders' long, troubling slide into drug abuse and oblivion. Given the chronological development, there's a sense here that Stewart/Stone's problems paralleled the increasingly militant and hard-edged stance his band took on albums like the uncompromising classics There's a Riot Going On and Family Affair. Propelled by Larry Graham's locomotive bass lines and accented by rousing horns, Sly and company swooped from the heights of 1969's hit-laden "Stand" towards a darker and more unsettling decade ahead. Few bands have soared higher--or fallen as far. --Jerry McCulley

Customer Reviews:

A fine introduction to a great band........2007-05-19

A superb overview of an essential musician who has been somewhat dismissed, "The Essential Sly and the Family Stone" presents a picture of just what this incredibly important band was all about. Formed by songwriter/producer/one-time DJ Sly Stone, the band was in many ways an extension of him and his vision, beginning as a pop/funk/soul outfit and quickly evolving into something altogether different, rewriting all the rules along the way. The early recordings have much more of a band feel, anchored by the incomporable rhythm section of Larry Graham and Gregg Errico. Both would leave the band as Sly Stone's vision seemed to become more exclusive and the band seemed to become a reflection of the darkness that was growing inside of him.

But enough hyperbole-- the music itself, presented in fine remastered sound, includes virtually all their singles for Epic and a number of album tracks, with particular emphasis on "Stand!" (seven cuts), "There's a Riot Goin' On" (eight) and "Fresh" (six). As I've often thought the three of these were far and away superior than everything else the band ever did, I'm alright with this. With the presentation chronological, you can hear the band rising from an older funk sound ("Underdog") to the commercial pop forced by the record label ("Dance to the Music") to eventually into a sunny sort of optimistic funk/soul ("Life"). Had the band stopped when they did find their own sound, they dismissal of them would make sense, but instead Stone's artistry became increasingly more dense, more personal, and more powerful. There are few records out there as direct and potent as "Stand!" and "There's a Riot Goin' On", the former perhaps the summation of the California dream ("Stand!", huge hit "Everyday People"), the latter being a reflection of its failure ("Luv N' Haight", "(You Caught Me) Smilin'"). Along with all this are many songs that have worked their way into collective consciousness-- the aformentioned "Everyday People", "Sing a Simple Song", "Everybody is a Star", "Hot Fun in the Summertime", "If You Want Me To Stay"... when I first started listening to Sly and the Family Stone only recently, I was shocked how much of this material I knew.

For fans, in the wake of the recent batch of remasters, this is somewhat undervalued with the band's first seven albums available in remastered sound. This does however include the two singles that were omitted from that remasters-- "Hot Fun in the Summertime" and double-A side "Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)"/"Everybody is a Star". There's also one track from Sly Stone solo record "High On You" ("I Get High on You"), which has not been reissued.

Sly and the Family Stone's place in music history is a bit undervalued, and I think this collection can go some way towards reconciling that. For the uninitiated, this is the place to start. Highly recommended.

You may still need this even if you bought "the collection".......2007-05-14

At first I bought "The anthology" (the single disc 20 track complilation), I wanted more so I bought Stand, There's a riot going on and Stand.

It wasn't until years later they came out with the "Essential Sly and the Family Stone". This is an excellent collection and feels more complete than "the anthology".

However, now the Collection (seven sly albums remastered and with bonus tracks) is out.

You would think that the Collection would have ALL the Sly tracks. BUT IT DOESN'T. Three singles (that were not on any albums and were singles only) are not in the collection, "Thank you" "Hot Fun in the Summertime" and "Everyone is a Star". As far as I know, these three tracks are only on compliations i.e. "Greatest Hits" "The Anthology" and "The Essential Sly and the Family Stone". The Essential is the only one that is remastered. (It usually makes little difference when they "remaster" tracks but the stereo versions of "Thank You" and "Hot Fun" do sound better).

If you need all the Sly tracks, you might need this for those three tracks. If you want a good compilation of some of sly's best tracks, well, this is the better of the three.
CORRECTION: The Sly and the Family Stone Collection seemed to have gone up to about 65 dollars (it was 55 the last time I checked which is about a week ago)

Looks like you need this collection after all!!!.......2007-04-13

Well, I bought this 2CD Essential collection of Sly & Fam when it came out...and I thought, while it was awesome, I'd wait to see if there is a boxset in the future, as 2CDs don't do Sly justice...

Turns out, "The Collection" did come out this week, so I picked it up...it consists of the first 7 Sly CDs in their entirety, in beautiful numbered digipacks with awesome booklets, plus 33 bonus tracks overall, and on the BestBuy version, a 2-track DVD!!! so I was VERY happy...until I saw 3 key singles were missing: "Hot Fun In The Summertime", "Thank You For Lettin Me Be Mice Elf Again" and "Everybody Is A Star" (a cool live clip is on the DVD though)...turns out they weren't originally on ANY album, just released as singles and on that 1970 "Greatest Hits"...many bands like New Order have done this, even Elton John back in the 70s...release singles apart from their albums, as many of their albums are artistic statements, as are their singles, which never fit in the album format anyway.

Because of this, you need this "Essential" set in addition to the box...I wish I had known this back when this was first released...hey, better late than never, right!!!!

It's all good...

Boom-laka-laka-laka! Boom-laka-laka-laka! .......2007-02-08

I liked Sly back in the day when he was churnin' out hits like Krispy Kreme churns out doughnuts. Never purchased any of his vinyl records. I usually thought of the Woodstock performance whenever I saw the name Sly Stone.

Years later (read 2006) I developed a keen interest in Miles Davis and started collecting most of his stuff from 1955 - 1975. Every single CD from 1968 forward mentions the incredible influence that Sly Stone had on the music of Miles when you read the liner notes. I didn't really understand why someone who was a Julliard student, an incredible jazz player and a great band leader would take such an interest in a pop star who had little or no musical education. So, I set out to buy Sly and The Family Stone Greatest Hits. Then I saw this collection and picked it up instead. After listening to this, I do get it. The grooves are just so deep, they're infectious. It's hard not to want to get up and dance around. After a hard day at work, this is just the thing to pop in the car CD player. It's impossible to arrive home in a bad mood no matter how much the morons at work pissed you off that day. Great stuff! You get about 1/2 of Stand, All but one tune from Riot Going On, and most of Fresh. Then you get stuff from the earlier releases and the later stuff as Sly's star was starting to fade. But it's all great stuff!

If I have one criticism it's the overall packaging could have been better. A collection like this deserves a booklet with lots of pictures and more detailed notes. That's a pretty small complaint really. It's all about the music.

Well worth the price of admission. Have fun!

Sly's Greatest Hits and Then Some!.......2007-01-03

This cd contains hits I had forgotten about from Sly. I Love It!!!

TV Land Presents: Favorite TV Theme Songs

Average customer rating:

good memories for me and fun "new" songs for my children
memories
TV Theme Songs
TV themes
Deja Vu

TV Land Presents: Favorite TV Theme Songs
Cyndi Grecco , and Jones, Jack
Manufacturer: Rhino / Wea
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B00006EXIL
Release Date: 2002-08-20

Tracks:

I Love Lucy Theme - Wilbur Hatch
Dragnet - Ray Anthony
The Twilight Zone - Rod Open
Bonanza - Al Caiola & His Orchestra
The Andy Griffith Theme - Earle Hagen
The Ballad Of Jed Clampett - Earl Scruggs
The Addams Family (Main Theme) - Vic Mizzy
Munsters Theme - Jack Marshall
The Ballad Of Gilligan's Isle - Morton Stevens
Green Acres - Eddie Albert
Jeannie - Hugo Montenegro
Batman Theme - Neal Hefti
(Theme From) The Monkees - The Monkees
Star Trek (Main Title & Closing Theme) - The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
Mannix - Lalo Schifrin
Hawaii Five-O - Mort Stevens & His Orchestra
Theme From The Brady Bunch - The Brady Bunch
Come On Get Happy - The Partridge Family
Those Were The Days - Carroll O'Connor
And Then There's Maude - Donny Hathaway
Good Times - Jim Gilstrap
Movin' On Up - Oren Waters
The Rockford Files - Mike Post
Them From S.W.A.T. - Rhythm Heritage
Happy Days - Pratt & McClain
Making Our Dreams Come True - Cyndi Grecco
Chico And The Man - Jose Feliciano
Welcome Back - John Sebastian
What's Happening!! - Henry Mancini
Barney Miller - Jack Elliott
Charlie's Angels - Jack Elliott
Love Boat Theme - Jack Jones
Angela (Theme From 'Taxi') - Bob James
It Takes Diff'rent Strokes - Gloria Loring
Theme From Dukes Of Hazzard (Good Ol' Boys) - Waylon
Theme From Magnum, P.I. - Mike Post
The Theme From Hill Street Blues - Mike Post
Theme From Dynasty - Bill Conti
Theme From 'Greatest American Hero' (Believe It Or Not) - Joey Scarbury
Thank You For Being A Friend - Cynthia Fee

Album Description

TV Land brings you 40 of your favorite evening show theme songs. Highlights include 'Happy Days', 'The Greatest American Hero', 'Dukes Of Hazzard (Good Ol' Boys)', 'Laverne & Shirley', 'I Dream Of Jeanie', 'I Love Lucy', 'Welcome Back, Kotter', 'The Love Boat', 'Hawaii Five-O', 'The Golden Girls' and many, many more. 2002. Rhino.

Customer Reviews:

good memories for me and fun "new" songs for my children.......2007-06-27

We had ordered this for "The Dukes of Hazzard" theme song for our 4yr old and our whole family has fallen in love with the cd. It makes me want to share some of the old fun and simple shows with my children. I forgot about some of those shows. It brings back good memories for my husband and me and the songs are new and exciting for our children. It's a nice change from children's cd's, but our children still think it's fun. The sound quality is good and the songs included on the cd are a great mix. I would definately recommend this one.

memories.......2007-02-22

This cd is excellent it has a lot of very good music and true to the original sound, Am getting a lot of enjoyment,highly recomended

TV Theme Songs.......2007-01-13

This is a great CD for people who watch a lot of TV -especially TV LAND and reruns of old shows when shows had actual theme songs. I took the CD to work and everyone loved trying to figure out what show the songs were from.

TV themes.......2006-07-05

Not all what I expected, not all of the tunes are the original recordings you remember as the TV themes.

Deja Vu.......2006-02-17

Listening to these familiar themes as performed by the original artists certainly brings back wonderful memories! I was particularly pleased, not only with the quality of the pieces, but with the actual performances themselves, just as we remembered them!

Rogue's Gallery: Pirate Ballads, Sea Songs, and Chanteys

Average customer rating:

Fun--but not great
aaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrghhhhhhhhhhhhh!
Disappointment would be an understatement
Zzz...
another set of hopes are smashed

Rogue's Gallery: Pirate Ballads, Sea Songs, and Chanteys
Various Artists
Manufacturer: Anti
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Library of Congress Collection: American Sea Shanties and Songs
Shanties & Songs of the Sea

ASIN: B000GGSMD0
Release Date: 2006-08-22

Tracks:

Cape Cod Girls - Baby Gramps
Mingulay Boat Song - Richard Thompson
My Son John - John C. Reilly
Fire Down Below - Nick Cave
Turkish Revelry - Loudon Wainwright III
Bully In The Alley - The Old Prunes
The Cruel Ship's Captain - Bryan Ferry
Dead Horse - Robin Holcomb
Spansih Ladies - Bill Frisell
High Barbary - Joseph Arthur
Haul Away Joe - Mark Anthony Thompson
Dan Dan - David Thomas
Blood Red Roses - Sting
Sally Brown - Teddy Thompson
Lowlands Away - Rufus Wainwright & Kate McGarrigle
Baltimore Whores - Gavin Friday
Rolling Sea - Eliza McCarthy
Haul On The Bowline - Bob Neuwirth
Dying Sailor to His Shipmates - Bono
Bonnie Portmore - Lucinda Williams
The Mermaid - Martin Carthy & the UK Group
Shenandoah - Richard Greene & Jack Shit
The Cry Of Man - Mary Margaret O'Hara

Tracks:

Boney - Jack Shit
Good Ship Venus - Loudon Wainwright III
Long Time Ago -White Magic
Pinery Boy - Nick Cave
Lowlands Low - Bryan Ferry w/Antony
One Spring Morning - Akron/Family
Hog Eye Man - Martin Carthy & Family
The Fiddler/A Drop Of Nelson's Blood - Ricky Jay & Richard Greene
Caroline and Her Young Sailor Bold - Andrea Corr
Fathom The Bowl - John C. Reilly
Drunken Sailor - Dave Thomas
Farewell Nancy - Ed Harcourt
Hanging Johnny - Stan Ridgway
Old Man of The Sea - Baby Gramps
Greenland Whale Fisheries - Van Dyke Parks
Shallow Brown - Sting
The Grey Funnel Line - Jolie Holland
A Drop of Nelson's Blood - Jarvis Cocker
Leave Her Johnny - Lou Reed
Little Boy Billy - Ralph Steadman

Amazon.com

Johnny Depp and director Gore Verbinski hatched the idea for Rogue's Gallery while filming "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest"--that idea being to cast genteel rock superstars like Bono, Lou Reed, Bryan Ferry, Andre Corr, and Sting to reinterpret gritty seafaring standards for an exhaustive 43-track double-disc set produced by Hal Wilner. Throw in a bunch of credible folk stars (Loudon Wainwright III, Richard Thompson), their offspring (Rufus, Teddy) and a string of other curious characters (Jarvis Cocker, Antony) and what results is one of the strangest compilations in recent memory, if not exactly the most historically authentic or, well, digestible. Nick Cave embraces the role just a little too hard on "Fire Down Below," while Ferry can't help but sound like he's singing for the cast of "The Love Boat," but cut through the chaff and there is some real bootie here: Bono's "Dying Sailor to His Shipmates," Jolie Holland's "The Grey Funnel Line" and "Boney" by a mysterious tramp called Jack Sh**, which must be some kind of anagram for Johnny Depp. --Aidin Vaziri

Album Description

While working on the two "Pirates Of The Carribean" films, Johnny Depp and director Gore Verbinski became fascinated with the lore and fable of the pirates and sailors who ran the high seas. Enter legendary producer Hal Wilner, who brings his knack for matching maverick musicians with extraordinary material. Artists on this double disc set include Bono, Sting, Nick Cave, Bryan Ferry, Lou Reed, Richard Thompson, Lucinda Williams, Jarvis Cocker of Pulp, and many more. "Rogue's Gallery" offers a look at the hardships, the horrors, the lusts and lurid depths, and the crystal beauty that led men to the sea in ships for hundreds of years.

Customer Reviews:

Fun--but not great.......2007-07-03

What a concept--a pirate song co-produced by Verbinski and Depp inspired by the "Pirates of the Carribean" series. It should be great and in places, it is. The big question I came away with is--who is Jack Sh**? That one definitely has me guessing.

I won't belabor the song content or the production value. I think the most notable reviews have got that down pat, although I'm not marking down as far as they have because I'm giving points for originality being a fan of Spike Jones and some other truly demented people.

One thing to note: this is not a CD you'd buy if you were looking for something to amuse your kids. Some of the content is very bawdy and Mom and Dad would have some serious 'splaining to do to the little pirates. There's both some language and some situations that are more twisted than a Hangman's knot.

aaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrghhhhhhhhhhhhh!.......2007-06-09

Some of the songs are quite good(mellow)others a little odd. Its what I expected, but not what you would expect.

Disappointment would be an understatement.......2007-06-04

It is not unusual to find sea shanties performed by not the greatest musicians or singers in the world. It is not unusual to find shanties sung by people who have difficulty keeping perfect pitch, or tempo. But at least they understand what the music is about, and sing it with heart and enthusiasm and a love for the genre.

Hal Wilner should stick to whatever genre it is that made him know enough to be approached by labels, because he clearly has no understanding, and less enthusiasm for *this* genre.

If you love lively music from the maritime era, you can only be bitterly disappointed by this collection. Out of 43 tracks, I found 15 that were salvageable. Sort of.

I've already tossed this onto the pile to go to the resale shop. It wasn't worthy the cost of shipping.

Zzz..........2007-04-04

I have to admit that I have no idea what kinds of music the pirates sang aboard their ships. I know it probably wasn't "yo ho, yo ho, a pirate's life for me," but I expected something different than this. I think my expectations have been colored by groups like The Pogues, Flogging Molly, The Tossers, and the Real McKenzies. I have an annual Pirate Party and I was hoping to find some good music here to get people in the mood for a treasure hunt or pirate liar's dice, but instead, the music on this CD is something I'd put on if the party went on too long and I wanted to encourage people to leave. Some of it is actually awful and the rest is too slow and plodding to inject much energy into any situation.

I appreciate what was attempted here (contemporary artists paying homage to sea chanteys in the spirit of our romanticized version of the pirate era) but it just doesn't really work. The effect is similar to what would be achieved if the London Philharmonic Orchestra attempted to play rap "music" with Luciano Pavarotti rhymin' while flashing gang signs.

another set of hopes are smashed.......2007-03-29

the selection of titles attracted me. The quality of the arrangements, the voices, and the music---are all quite bad.

It is VERY sad that these same titles, could not have been produced for quality. They sound like a nightmare.

Average customer rating:

Sly Stone's dark masterpiece.
A Family Stone Affair

There's a Riot Goin' On
Sly & the Family Stone
Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Stand!
Fresh
Dance to the Music
Life
A Whole New Thing

ASIN: B000MTFG1W
Release Date: 2007-04-24

Tracks:

Luv N' Haight
Just Like A Baby
Poet
Family Affair
Africa Talks To You ' The Asphalt Jungle'
There's A Riot Goin' On
Brave & Strong
(You Caught Me) Smilin'
Time
Spaced Cowboy
Runnin' Away
Thank You For Talkin' To Me Africa
Runnin' Away
My Gorilla Is My Butler
Do You Know What?
That's Pretty Clean

Amazon.com

The hazy hints of dystopia from Sly and the Family Stone's fabulously successful 1969 hit album Stand! turned full-force on its follow-up, There's a Riot Goin' On. By 1971, Sly had his Hollywood mansion and legions of droppers-by laying down parts of Riot, many of them later overdubbed by Sly himself. The resulting album is entrancing, backed often by an austere, early drum machine and featuring dope-glazed vocals, paranoid shadows and, of course, a stewing funk groove. Horns are here, thinned out so they jab harder, and the keyboards gleam and shimmer and icily coat the beats, which sound in today's parlance simply lo-fi. And the beats, they've slowed menacingly, with voices dropping in, dropping out. Drugs were flowing freely by this point, complicating Sly's sound, inadvertently making an album that indelibly matches its maker's psyche-in-time. --Andrew Bartlett

Customer Reviews:

Sly Stone's dark masterpiece........2007-05-16

Sly and the Family Stone's "Stand!" was an album of optimism and the brightness of '60s counterculture, but creeping just below the surface on that record was a darkness and claustrophobia-- an edge that separated "Stand!" from any of its predecessors or its peers. That darkness is the sound of "There's a Riot Goin' On", Sly Stone's bleak masterpiece, in its way the sound of civil unrest and, in my assessment, the greatest funk album ever recorded.

When I speak of claustrophobia, I mean it as a production vaue, and it's something evident throughout the record. There's a density to the record, even on the looser and less arranged pieces, that really sets the tone for the album. And while not all the album's songs have a message to match this claustrophobia, it does have a tendency to make even the optimistic material sound like you're trying to remember a dream after you've woken up. Take single "Family Affair"-- it's loose, based around a gentle pop vocal hook and is presented with a smooth baritone lead, but it sounds like "Stand!" dragged through the mud. It works out fantastically. All of this is accentuated by the tendency to move towards funk vamps for everything-- sometiems as much as seven minutes of the same riff feeds into this feeling of density.

But really, it's dark funk that dominates the record throughout-- wah wah guitars, dirty basslines, snapping horns, and Sly Stone vocalizing and singing all over the map, fierce and at times nearly out of control-- opener "Luv N' Haight" and Brave & Strong" are two fine examples of this. Along the way, he manages occasional moments of delicate beauty with a hint of melancholy that keeps the album from being a bit too bleak ("Poet", "(You Caught me) Smilin'") and closes things up with a recasting of "Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)" as a slice of slow funk that somehow manages to be as intriguing as the original.

This reissue remasters the record, appends a handful of bonus tracks (a single mix of "Runnin' Away" and three instrumentals leftover from the sessions) and includes a nice liner notes essay. The remastering alone makes this a worthwhile pickup, all the dark beauty of the record really comes forth and the feeling of the record is, if anything accentuated by it.

Truthfully, "There's a Riot Goin' On" may not be for everyone, it's a pretty dark record, but it's also the kind of thing that can really reinvent someone's opinion of Sly & the Family Stone (it certainly reinvented mine). It also serves nicely as a companion to "Stand!", they are very much opposite sides of the same music. I give a slight edge to "There's a Riot Goin' On" as Sly Stone's masterwork. This is essential listening.

A Family Stone Affair.......2007-04-18

For many many years after it's realese 'Theres A Riot Goin' On' has been considered Sly & The Family Stones best album.Well in the long and short,it's isn't.Sly never had a "best" album,he had a handfull of them.So this is the second of a three Sly "masterworks" that begun a year or so before with Stand! and ended a year or so after this with Fresh.One thing about a lot of the music here is that it emphasizes rather aimless grooves with Sly's chocked voice playing a more eccentric role;melody and song construction is not always the main priority.Does'nt mean that the shoppy wah wah's,organs and Sly's newfound Rhythm King drum machine don't draw you right into classic grooves such as "Luv N' Haight","Poet","Africa Talks To You","Time" and the mean "Thank You For Talkin' To Me Africa" which quaotes from "Thank You Falettinme Be Mice Elf",only drags much slower.Of course there really are some classic songs here-one being "Just Like A Baby".Musically it's almost nothing-spare spare spare but it has this quirky melody and a vocal so scorched it's as spare as the music.Then we all know "Family Affair" right?What a relevant hit-great beat,that wah wah and "bloods thicker then the mud,it's a family affair"-MY FAVORITE!!!!Just as wonderful are "Brave & Strong" and "(You Caught Me) Smilin'",three of the most melodic things here,next of course to "Runnin' Away" (the albums other hit) which is nothing but melody.And "Spaced Cowboy"-HILARIOUS,the funniest thing on the record,yodeling cowboyish funk that I am sure Sly did completely stoned but his sharp humor shined right through.The instrumental bonus cuts sound like vamps from the sessions that grew into this album,the sessions that (like the vamps) went nowhere.Okay I know;Larry Graham is credited as being on this but Sly played almost all the bass lines.About Sly's bass it's barely audible,a different style then Larry.But this really is a wonderful album,called a classic along with many others that often don't deserve the title.But "Riot" does so this is one of those musical feats worth wolfing down,no matter where you head is it.

Average customer rating:

Two weeks...
Most tracks are ok, but the two by "Father Goose" are awful.
Let yourself go...
hard for Mom to tolerate
House Party and Family Dance

Family Dance
Dan Zanes & Friends
Manufacturer: Festival Five Rec.
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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House Party
Rocket Ship Beach
Catch That Train!
Night Time
Dan Zanes & Friends - All Around the Kitchen! Crazy Videos & Concert Songs!

ASIN: B00005TT6M
Release Date: 2002-07-30

Tracks:

Jump Up
Rock Island Line (with the Rocket Ship Revue)
Malti (With Barbara Brousal)
The Hokey Pokey (with Father Goose a.k.a. Rankin Don and the Dandelion Chorus)
Water For the Elephants (with Donald Saaf)
Linstead Market (with the Sandy Girls)
Fooba Wooba John (with Rosanne Cash)
Wonder Wheel (with the Rocket Ship Revue)
Yo-Yo Sweet Yo-Yo (with the Rubi Theatre Co.)
All Around the Kitchen (with Loudon Wainwright III)
In the Evening (with the Rocket Ship Revue and the Dandelion Chorus)
Flowers Of Edinburgh
Thrift Shop (with Sandra Bernhard)
Skip To My Lou (with Father Goose a.k.a Rankin Don)
The Good Night Waltz (with Donald Saaf and Lyris Hung)

Amazon.com

At a moment when mainstream music is clogged with a surfeit of stale, formulaic songs and huge egos, Dan Zanes has found the Drano. Family Dance, his second kids' record (after the fab Rocket Ship Beach), again comes through with big-name helpers--Sandra Bernhard, Rosanne Cash, and Loudon Wainwright III among them--but instead of assembling a mixed bag of self-important numbers, Zanes, who produced and plays on all but one of 15 tracks, maintains a cohesive vibe that's low-key and playful. Yet here's a disc that's all over the map, genre-wise. Gruffster Rankin' Don, a.k.a. Father Goose, rasta-raps his way through "The Hokey Pokey" and "Skip to My Lou," the Sandy Girls carry us off to a colorful Caribbean village for "Linstead Market," Cash folks up "Fooba Wooba John," and Leadbelly's "Rock Island Line" makes a stop in Memphis bluesland. Zanes's originals--"Jump Up," "Wonder Wheel," and "Thrift Shop," performed as a duet with Bernhard--manage to be wholesome, happy, and hip all at once, no mean feat. But it's the music making on Family Dance that impresses most of all. Fiddles, beatboxes, mandolins, tubas, banjos, and concertina elbow their way onto these tracks, and they're balanced by Zanes's arrangements and backup singer Barbara Brousal's graceful voice and guitar work. Kids 2 and up will be likewise captivated by the chunky board-book packaging, again with original artwork. --Tammy La Gorce

Album Description

this is the follow up to the acclaimed "rocket ship beach" cd. it's the hip handmade sound of dan zanes and his friends bringing acoustic and electric guitars, fiddles, drums, harmonicas, mandolins, accordions, banjos, tamborines, and voices together for a mixture of traditional and original songs that can be danced to or just listened to depending on the occation. this is 21st century folk music made with the whole family in mind. special guests include Rosanne Cash, Loudon Wainwright lll, The Sandy Girls, Barbara Brousal, Sandra Bernhard, Rankin' Don aka Father Goose, and the Rubi Theatre Company.

Customer Reviews:

Two weeks..........2007-06-12

It took us two weeks to find out what our daughter was happily going around the house singing (3 at the time). And finally Sesame Street came on, and she said her song was on. It was 'Mailti' by Dan Zanes, and once that was
on my daughter just danced and sang away.

Since then we have embraced Dan's music into our family music circle. The lyrics are clean and catchy, and the rythm is simple enough for even a child to keep up with.

Most tracks are ok, but the two by "Father Goose" are awful........2007-05-04

My son loves the music, but the singing by "Father Goose" is unbearably nasal and off-pitch on "Holey Pokey" and "Skip to My Lou".
Those two tracks make me cringe and I skip them every time my son plays the CD. However, several songs are wonderfully musical. For example, Linstead Market is just delightful.

Let yourself go..........2007-04-14

T. Bittner from Peroria should read her review again.
"My kids seem to like it (the ones I don't hit the skip button for) but I am not going to sacrifice myself when there are plenty of other recordings that they and I both like."
If you don't want to 'sacrifice' once in a while and let your kids grow and find what they like, leave the room. A little fun and free expression is what childhood is all about! Sometimes it is about what they like. This is how they find out who THEY are.
Overall, my son likes the music. It is especially fun to waltz with him in my arms to 'Streets of New York'. Thanks to Dan Zanes, my son can find out it is fun to mix the old with the new.

hard for Mom to tolerate.......2007-02-19

I love folk music, but this CD contains only 2 songs that I like and only 2 others that I can even tolerate. My kids seem to like it (the ones I don't hit the skip button for) but I am not going to sacrifice myself when there are plenty of other recordings that they and I both like.
Why don't I like it? Zanes has a croak similar to Bob Dylan's; with all due respect to Dylan's great songwriting, I don't enjoy his singing. Zane's friends vary in talent but none of them seem able to harmonize together. The songs in a minor key are particularly grating, such as "All Around the Kitchen" which many people seem to like, though I can't see why. The instrumentation is nothing special either. Don't buy this just because you like the song "Jump Up" from Sesame Street; you should listen before you buy to make sure the rest of it matches your taste.

House Party and Family Dance.......2007-02-18

If you are looking for something different from the typical childrens music, this is it. My family has been addicted to Laurie Berkner since the summer and we needed something different. We are enjoying Dan Zanes so much. We find ourselves singing and dancing along in our kitchen and our van. This afternoon we were listening to Waltzing Matilda and my 4 year old daughter stopped playing and announced that her grandpa would love to dance to this song! We also love all the spanish that is mixed into the music. We like to try and guess what they are singing about. I am so glad we have added them to our collection.

Average customer rating:

Must-have.
So much great material, but not quite as complete as it could be.
4.5 stars: Could even be the box set of the year...
Sorry, its not the full collection
Great overview

The Collection
Sly & the Family Stone
Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Songs of Leonard Cohen
Excitable Boy
Stand in the Fire
What It Is! Funky Soul And Rare Grooves (1967-1977)
There Is A Season

ASIN: B000N69PD4
Release Date: 2007-04-10

Tracks:

Small Talk
Say You Will
Mother Beautiful
Time for Livin'
Can't Strain My Brain
Loose Booty
Holdin' On
Wishful Thinkin'
Better Thee Than Me
Livin' While I'm Livin'
This Is Love
Crossword Puzzle [Early Version][*]
Time for Livin' [Alternate Version][*]
Loose Booty [Alternate Version][*]
Positive [*][Instrumental]

Tracks:

Luv N' Haight
Just Like a Baby
Poet
Family Affair
Africa Talks to You "The Asphalt Jungle"
There's a Riot Goin' On
Brave & Strong
(You Caught Me) Smilin'
Time
Spaced Cowboy
Runnin' Away
Thank You for Talkin' to Me Africa
Runnin' Away [Single Version][*]
My Gorilla Is My Butler [#][*][Instrumental]
Do You Know What? [*][Instrumental]
That's Pretty Clean [#][*][Instrumental]

Tracks:

Stand!
Don't Call Me Nigger, Whitey
I Want to Take You Higher
Somebody's Watching You
Sing a Simple Song
Everday People
Sex Machine
You Can Make It If You Try
Stand! [Simple Version]
I Want to Take You Higher [Single Version]
You Can Make It If You Try [Unissued Single Version][#]
Soul Clappin' II [#]
My Brain (Zig-Zag) [#][Instrumental]

Tracks:

Underdog
If This Room Could Talk
Run, Run, Run
Turn Me Loose
Let Me Hear It from You
Advice
I Cannot Make It
Trip to Your Heart
I Hate to Love Her
Bad Risk
That Kind of Person
Dog
Underdog [Single Version][*]
Let Me Hear It from You [Single Version][*]
Only One Way out of This Mess [*]
What Would I Do [*]
You Better Help Yourself [#][*][Instrumental]

Tracks:

Dynamite!
Chicken
Plastic Tim
Fun
Into My Own Thing
Harmony
Life
Love City
I'm an Animal
M'Lady
Jane Is a Groupee
Dynamite! [Single Version][*]
Seven More Days [#][*]
Pressure [#][*]
Sorrow [#][*][Instrumental]

Tracks:

In Time
If You Want Me to Stay
Let Me Have It All
Frisky
Thankful N' Thoughtful
Skin I'm In
I Don't Know (Satisfcation)
Keep on Dancin'
Que Sera, Sera (Whatever Will Be, Will Be)
If It Were Left Up to Me
Babies Makin' Babies
Let Me Have It All [Alternate Mix][#][*]
Frisky [Alternate Mix][#][*]
Skin I'm In [Alternate Mix][#][*]
Keep on Dancin' [Alternate Mix][#][*]
Babies Makin' Babies [Alternate Mix][#][*]

Tracks:

Dance to the Music
Higher
I Ain't Got Nobody (For Real)
Dance to the Medley: Music Is Alive/Dance In/Music Lover
Ride the Rhythm
Color Me True
Are You Ready
Don't Burn Baby
I'll Never Fall in Love Again
Dance to the Music [Single Version][*]
Higher [Unissued Single Version][#][*]
Soul Clappin' [*]
We Love All [#][*]
I Can't Turn You Loose [#][*]
Never Do Your Woman Wrong [#][*][Instrumental]

Amazon.com

First, a sigh of exasperated relief--exasperation because it's taken a needlessly long time to get Sly and the Family Stone's catalog remastered and properly reissued. From the band's 1967 debut, A Whole New Thing through their 1974 swan song, Small Talk, the shifting band indulged everything from the long horn lines, fast rhythms, and quickly unmistakable urgent delivery of "Turn Me Loose," with its rapid, jerking funk rhythms and quick, sharp horn blasts, to the chilled groove, string backing, and slinky guitar on "Say You Will."

In between there's an embarrassment of riches: The 1968 one-two punch of Dance to the Music's title track and "Higher" introduces a gleaming exuberance; everyone wants to get higher and dance, but slowly the tune titles and funky whimsy of tunes like "Chicken," "Love City," "Fun," and the sheer musical cheer of "Harmony," show that Sly's bridge from hard-hitting funk riffage to more rock, more pop got mixed up with significantly new commercial heights (and larger narcotic appetites) and, simultaneously, more instability and simmering fury. By 1969, Sly's newness was transformed, with Stand!'s "Don't Call Me Nigger, Whitey" snarl and droning organ and wah-wah guitar aplenty. The full-on blast of harmonica, fuzz guitars, and horns that opens "I Want to Take You Higher" just cemented the claim: Music would unite and fight and kick and get you high. The mega-hit "Everyday People" almost seems an anomaly in this company, a breezy harmony vocal backing, simple piano framing, reaching horn lines, and a churchy chorus. It's the biggest hit here, a true pop gem. Then there's "Sing a Simple Song" and its scouring, wordless shouts, a heavy beat backed by multiple voices half-atop each other, horn riffs jetting across guitar riffs, and an abrupt, scrambling end. It's a tight and tough embrace, an open door. It's 1969.

Then a dystopian haze turns full-force for There's a Riot Goin' On. By 1971, Sly had his Hollywood mansion and legions of droppers-by laying down parts of Riot. The result is entrancing, backed often by an austere, early drum machine and featuring dope-glazed vocals, paranoid shadows and, of course, a stewing funk groove. Horns are here, thinned out so they jab harder, and the keyboards gleam and shimmer and icily coat the beats, which sound in today's parlance simply lo-fi. And the beats, they've slowed menacingly, with voices dropping in, dropping out. Drugs were flowing freely by this point, complicating Sly's sound, inadvertently making an album that matches its maker's psyche-in-time indelibly. Once 1973's Fresh emerges, the austere, haunted glaze happens beneath slow-stewing grooves, as on the seemingly frivolous "Frisky," where the drums and keys and horns are enmeshed tightly, showing barely any sonic separation. The great bassist Larry Graham had left the Family by now, replaced by Rusty Allen, whose bass pops up as framing, while the vocals go lean and languid, turning to moans and melismatic blurs as the groove stirs. "If You Want Me to Stay" is a highlight, and the album is deeply funky even while reaching across the divide toward pop (rather than the '60s albums bridges to psychedelic rock, which proved itself pragmatically limited for the more intensely rebellious public as the Vietnam War and Watergate sent long social shadows).

As for Small Talk, it's the least ambitious, most settled session. The sounds are gorgeous in the new remastered form, making a new case for Small as a worthy bookend on your Sly shelf. Yes, he burned brighter and hotter and more furiously. It's still the same nervy mix, dramatic and intense. --Andrew Bartlett

Customer Reviews:

Must-have........2007-05-25

If you want to have a respectable music collection, certainly you already own this. If not, get it now before you embarrass yourself.

So much great material, but not quite as complete as it could be........2007-05-18

This boxed set makes progress towards rectifying the sad state of the Sly & the Family Stone catalog-- a band that's pretty much fallen off the radar, the enormous influence that Sly Stone and his musicians had on music can't be underestimated. From their peers coming out of San Francisco to the fusion movement that kicked off a few years after their first records (Miles Davis was a huge fan) to pretty much all funk, soul, r&b and hip-hop music since these records, Sly Stone laid out the blueprint for much of modern music.

"Collection" draws together the band's first seven albums, all remastered with bonus tracks, reprinting of the original liner notes and a new liner notes essay, with each CD packaged in a digipack and housed in a sturdy slipcase style box. There's nothing in here that's not on the individually reissued CDs that followed this release by a couple weeks, so if you're wanting all of these, price should be your gating factor as to whether or not to go with the box or the individual CDs (unless you really want the slipcase...). The remastering done here is top notch-- everything sounds crisp and clear and the depth of the music really gets a chance to shine. The bonus tracks by and large alternate versions, different mixes, a couple early recordings, and a seemingly endless array of instrumental pieces. Some of them are fantastic ("Fresh" seems to have the best), for the most part they're more interesting than essential.

The music itself... if you're not familiar, this is the blueprint. As I've started listening to Sly & the Family Stone only recently, I'm amazed how oddly familiar and yet how unique this material can be. Sly Stone was definitely the mastermind here, writing, producing and singing most the leads as well as contributing primarily on organ (among other instruments), with the first integrated band, featuring women in instrumental roles rather than simply as backing vocalists and both white and black musicians. Brother Freddie Stone (guitar and vocals), sister Rose Stone (keyboards and vocals), Cynthia Robinson (trumpet) and Jerry Martini (saxophones) and vocal group Little Sister (including Vet Stone) contribute throughout. Initially, the band had one of the best rhythm sections ever essembled in bassist/vocalist Larry Graham (inventer of the slap bass technique) and drummer Gregg Errico, both left over the years, the former replaced by Rustee Allen the latter by a series of drummers (Andy Newmark being the most significant).

The early records leveraged this great musicianship and these endless array of vocalists in an aggressive funk sound. Although a brief detour into a pop/dance funk driven by the record company would get in the way of the band's progress (sophomore effort "Dance to the Music"), Sly's songwriting and arranging quickly evovled into something with a real sense of timelessness-- his two masterworks, the positive funk of "Stand!" and the dark, claustrophobic "There's a Riot Goin' On" (and to a slightly lesser extent, its followup "Fresh", nearly as great). Along the way, there's an endless series of fantastic cuts-- "Underdog", the aformentioned "Dance to the Music", "I Want to Take You Higher", "Everyday People", "Just Like a Baby", "Family Affair", "(You Caught Me) Smilin'", "If You Want Me to Stay" (the song that turned me onto Sly...), the list goes on and on. There's so much great material here.

But curiously among all these riches, some of the best material was left out. Between "Stand!" and "There's a Riot Goin' On", Sly and the Family Stone released two superb singles-- "Hot Fun in the Summertime" and double A side "Thank You (Falettinme be Mice Elf Agin)"/"Everybody is a Star" intended for an album that was eventually shelved and stuck on a "Greatest Hits" album. There's certainly room on the CDs to have fit these, they could have been tacked into the bonus material on either of the albums they were released between. Also left out of the set were the last two records Sly Stone did for Epic-- admittedly "High On You" was credited to Sly Stone and "Heard You Missed Me, Well I'm Back" was a Family Stone record in name only, I'd've liked to have had these anyway. While the contributions of a great band and great musicians can't ever be underestimated (I've often suspected Larry Graham's departure had something to do with the serious sound change between "Stand!" and "There's a Riot Goin' On", either that or Graham left because of the sound change), this was Sly Stone's show. Admittedly, it's the singles that I'm irritated about being missing and are the reason I'm dinging the rating a star (for anyone interested, they can be found on the remastered 2CD "The Essential Sly and the Family Stone").

Even with these weakness, this is a great set-- there's so much great music here that really needs to be heard. Highly recommended.

4.5 stars: Could even be the box set of the year..........2007-05-06

IF ONLY the head folks at Sony didn't take their sweet time in reissuing this legendary groundbreaking group's catalog! What you have here is a nicely-packaged collection of all their key INDIVIDUAL albums (save for their original greatest hits release which had those three excellent singles added to it; otherwise this would've been a runaway 5-star collection IMHO). All of them come digi-paked in their original album covers with newly written liner notes, outstanding sound restoration, and a slew of bonus tracks further documenting the tremendous musical growth of the band as well as their ever-lingering influence on today's music scene. Whether you're new to the group's music or not, this box set is about as indispensable as they come (especially since it's only available for a limited time; what's up with THAT!?!?!?). Besides, you'll end up saving far less than actually going out and buying the albums separately.

P.S. To those who may be wondering why Sly's 'High On You' album wasn't included in the mix, keep in mind that that was the first one credited solely to HIM rather than the group. Still, I wouldn't mind seeing it get the same treatment as well...

Sorry, its not the full collection.......2007-05-05

Unbelievable. Sony came close but they blundered again. Being a hardcore fan of this group for 40 years (yes, 40!), I can't call this a "collection". 3 KEY SONGS ARE MISSING!!

1. Hot Fun In The Summertime - MISSING!
2. Everybody Is A Star - MISSING
3. Thank You Fallentine Me Be Mice Elf Again - MISSING!

The missing songs are landmark songs in the history of R&B. Also the original 45 single mix of Everyday People is missing. How could Sony do this??! So all the fluff of unreleased tracks and alternate mixes can't excuse the key tracks missing. The Japan 8 CD version of this box set contains the missing tracks but do you wanna pay $200 for it??

Great overview.......2007-04-30

among Musicians that have truly made a Lasting impact Sly Stone is right there,but because he pretty much cooled off and other factors he isn't given the Proper due that his Musical Pioneering Hybrid of R&B,Pop,Gospel,Blues,Jazz and everything else in between that he helped create. sly and the Family Stone are on that same Bridge of Musical Trend-setters that broke Racial barriers and created Songs that are timeless. this collection captures the most important Music created by Sly Stone in it's full zenith. His Influence is felt decade upon decade. now i personally feel that this whole collection best captures his Importance. I wouldn't recommend anything else beyond this aside from the Live at the fillmore which is due soon. Sly Stone hit his Peak and Prime all at the same time. His Songwriting,Arranging and Production are still some of the most important standards in Music History. Funk Artists,rock,Pop,Rappers,Blues,Jazz,etc.... have all incorperated Sly Stone's Work and his work should be fully embraced. he is long overdue. the Band was Ground-Breaking and Sly Stone truly had his own Musical Bag.

Average customer rating:

The pinnacle.
EVERYBODY!!STAND!!STAND!!!!!STAND!!!!!!!!!!!

Stand!
Sly & the Family Stone
Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | R&B | Styles | Music

General | Soul | R&B | Styles | Music

General | Funk | R&B | Styles | Music

Psychedelic Rock | Classic Rock | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

There's a Riot Goin' On
Fresh
Dance to the Music
Life
A Whole New Thing

ASIN: B000MZHVM8
Release Date: 2007-04-24

Tracks:

Stand!
Don't Call Me Nigger, Whitey
I Want To Take You Higher
Somebody's Watching You
Sing A Simple Song
Everyday People
Sex Machine
You Can Make It If You Try
Stand!
I Want To Take You Higher
You Can Make It If You Try
Soul Clappin' II
My Brain (Zig-Zag)

Amazon.com

In 1967, Sly Stone was unabashed: his debut, A Whole New Thing, claimed high ground--it was new, big time. He knew it. By 1969, the newness was transformed, Sly was imploring listeners to Stand! and breaking new ground. The snarl of "Don't Call Me Nigger, Whitey" with its droning organ and wah-wah guitar had claws, it was unmistakable. And the full-on blast of harmonica, fuzz guitars, and horns that opens "I Want to Take You Higher" just cemented the claim: Music would unite and fight and kick and get you high. "Everyday People" almost seems an anomaly in this company, a breezy harmony vocal backing, simple piano framing, long horn lines, and a churchy chorus. It's the biggest hit from Stand!, a true pop gem. What you get with the rest of the album (and Sly's early catalog overall) is sui generis. "Sing a Simple Song" has scouring, wordless shouts, a heavy beat backed by multiple voices half-atop each other, horn riffs jetting across guitar riffs, and an abrupt, scrambling end. It's a tight and tough embrace, an open door. It's 1969. --Andrew Bartlett

Customer Reviews:

The pinnacle........2007-05-16

In 1969, Sly & the Family Stone finally found their voice with "Stand!". Continuing his fusion of nearly all sounds he could find while redefining what funk was, leader Sly Stone crafted an album with no less than 4 charting singles, topped off by #1 hit "Everyday People".

The album is dominated by something entirely new-- Stone has taken the band's funk sounds and injected some space, some openness into the music. Take the aformentioned "Everyday People"-- it's a funk song, there's no doubt, but it's got a breeziness to it that's somewhat indefinable (that and an irrestible chorus shouted passionately by the band with Sly on top). Likewise title track "Stand!" has this same openness, almost a California pop song to its verses, again with Stone's soulful vocal leading the way.

But there's something else on here as well, an almost claustrophobically dense sound that's beginning to emerge (and that would define the album's followup "There's a Riot Goin' On"). I think in some capacity it's evident everywhere, but it can most be heard in "Don't Call Me N*gger, Whitey" and the 12 minute jam "Sex Machine"-- a dark, bleak sound that doesn't lend itself to open structure but somehow maintains the same irresistability that the rest of the material has. On the former, Sly Stone sings the chorus with a venom over the dense funk dirge, the latter is wholly instrumental, but in roughly the same vein. Both also feature Sly Stone singing through a vocodor run through a wah-wah pedal to extraordinary effect. One thing about them that's definitely, even at their extended lengths (nearly 6 minutes and over 13 minutes respectively), both of them are incredibly intense and intriguing. Both also highly informed the future of music, be it Miles Davis' superb '70s records or pretty m uch the entire genres of soul, funk, r&b and hip hop.

Perhaps when the album does best is when it sits somewhere in between these-- "Somebody's Watching You" wiht its laid back groove and great dirty guitars ends up being one of the creepiest recordings on record and "I Want to Take You Higher" (a remake of "Higher" from a couple years ago) takes the claustrophobia and uses it to push ecstacy to new heights, proving to be downright overwhelming.

This reissue remasters the record and appends a handful of bonus tracks-- mostly single mixes and a couple unreleased recordings and includes detailed liner notes. Sonically, this improvement is fantastic-- the record is crisp and clear and presented as you'd like it to be. The only complaint I have is the choice to leave off singles "Hot Fun in the Summertime" and double A-side "Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)"/"Everybody is a Star". The three pieces were slated for a followup to "Stand!" that never materialized and ended up being stuck on a "Greatest Hits" record. While strictly speaking they don't belong either here or with this record's followup, it'd've been nice if they were included somewhere with this batch of remasters (for anyone looking, they can be found on "The Essential Sly & the Family Stone").

Bottom line on "Stand!" is that it's one of the great albums of it's era, and together with "There's a Riot Goin' On" forms the peak of Sly & the Family Stone. This is essential listening. Highly recommended.

EVERYBODY!!STAND!!STAND!!!!!STAND!!!!!!!!!!!.......2007-04-13

'Stand'is where Sly & The Family Stone's musical experiences onA Whole New Thing,Dance to the Music and Life gestated into something totally unique.Those albums found Sly waltzing over,under and around the funk;on 'Stand' he dives right into it.Of course most of us know the hits by heart-the title track,the punchy rock of "I Wanna Take Your Higher" and of course the immortal "Everyday People".In fact what is so important here is that this marks the moment Sly became a full flegded album artist because the peppy "Somebody's Watching You" is one of those classics-that-never-was-a-hit.As far as the funk goes there's huge handfuls of that in "Sing A Simple Song" and "You Can Make It If You Try" alone.Still neither of those are enough to keep the totally dangerous "Don't Call Me Nigger,Whitey" in check;it's message is right on time with it's us vs. them humor and NASTY fuzz bass.And as far as fuzz bass goes Larry Graham packs almost more into the instrumental "Sex Machine" then the song can handle,but of course it does in a FUNK OVERLOADED kind of way.If 'Stand' itself spoke to and about the cultural,racial and political issues in the world and in music in the late 60's then the MEAN instrumental bonus "My Brain (Zig Zag)",just showing the complete musical inspiration Sly and his band were during 1969-70.If truth be known that inspiration may have been his musical downfull soon to come.But while it lasted,it was amazing.'Stand' is not only a classic funk album and a classic Sly release but a milestone in all of music of the 20'th century.

Music Review:

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2. Secret Love
3. Over the Rainbow
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5. Peace Waltz
6. When I Fall in Love
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9. I Am Your Sister/Testimony
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