| | |  | Music | Home » » There's a Riot Goin' On | | | | | | | Description: | | Since it took almost two years to make, the fifth album by now bonafide superstars Sly & the Family Stone had everyone salivating in anticipation. Needless to say, Sly did not disappoint! 1971's There's A Riot Goin' On finds the Bay Area-based genius getting funkier than before, even as his artistic vision becomes darker. Some may have been disappointed that Sly didn't simply re-create the chart successes of earlier singles, but who can argue with the flat-out brilliance of turning recent big hit "Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)" on its head to create the mind-boggling "Thank You For Talkin' To Me Africa" Two of this hypnotic album's best tunes" Family Affair" and "Runnin' Away" were gigantic chart hits, proving beyond any doubt that Sly Stone could totally deliver the goods! | | | Product Details: | | | Audio CD Release Date:
| October 25, 1990 | | Studio:
| Sony | | Number Of Discs:
| 1 | | Average Customer Rating:
|  based on 61 reviews |
| | | Track Listing: | | | 1. | Luv N' Haight | | 2. | Just Like a Baby | | 3. | Poet | | 4. | Family Affair | | 5. | Africa Talks to You "The Asphalt Jungle" | | 6. | Brave and Strong | | 7. | (You Caught Me) Smilin' | | 8. | Time | | 9. | Spaced Cowboy | | 10. | Runnin' Away | | 11. | Thank You for Talkin' to Me Africa | |
| | | Customer Reviews: | |
Average Customer Review:
 ( 61 customer reviews )
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21 of 22 found the following review helpful:
 "Don't Dance To The Music!"May 25, 2000
By WILLIE A YOUNG II
"willow"
Quite frankly, I was terrified of this album. And with good reason, never before or since has such a brutal, bleak, uncomprimising, and at times downright depressing (not to mention mercilessly funky) statement been issued by a genius of pop music. This is Sylvester Stewart's harrowing chronicle of his life, and black life in general, circa 1970-71. Let me first point out the sound of the music presented here, from the opening track "Luv 'N' Haight" with it's gospel tinged backing vocals, wah wah guitars flying back and forth, Larry Graham's low, mournful bass, and the drunk, off-center meter of Greg Errico's drumming, the listener is immediately put on notice that Sly and the rest of the band are not out to make this an easy listening experience. From his first words, almost drunkenly muttered instead of sang, Sly sets the tone for an initially difficult, but ultimately rewarding and unforgettable experience. This song climaxes with an electrifying call and response(feel so good, feel so good, wanna move, wanna move) that almost makes you think this is going to be another good time dance record, when along comes "Just Like A Baby" to drag you right down into the abyss. Utter depression has never hurt this good. This lovely, moaning bummer of a song is highlighted by Larry's lead bottomed, monotonous bass line that burrows it's way into your brain and doesn't let go. "Poet" is almost an instumental that creeps along at a snails pace but Sly does appear briefly to pat himself on the back, justifiably calling himself a poet. The sole hit song here, "Family Affair" actually makes more sense in this setting and is reason alone to own this collection. The remainder of "Riot" follows a similar path, but somehow never repeats itself. My personal favorites are the paranoid "Brave and Strong" (great lyrics; "out and down, ain't got a friend, you don't know who turned you in",)"You Caught Me Smilin' Again" (Cynthia Robinson's trumpet doesn't blare, she lets it fall brilliantly flat, and Sly almost lets loose with some serious soul shouting), "Runnin'Away",(the best song ever written about facing yourself and responsibility ("look at you foolin' you"), and it has a flawless, jazzy little coda with great interplay between Cynthia's trumpet, Larry's bass and Greg's drums. And the album's closer, a slow, molasses paced remake of "Thank You Falettin Me Be Mice Elf Agin", "Thank You For Talkin' To Me Africa" featuring the funkiest bass playing ever committed to tape, trust me, it'll stink up your whole house, it's that good. All in all this is a very daring move on this gifted group's behalf, Sly & Co. sound like a completely different band than on previous releases and this LP will probably dissapoint fans looking for "Stand!" part II. But don't miss it, music this ingenious doesn't come along every day, and with the current state of affairs in modern black music, this is still an innovative song cycle that demands to be heard. Find this album. Kill if you must!
16 of 17 found the following review helpful:
Get this (or another) IMPORT version!Sep 13, 2002
By M.R.
Anyone will tell you that the U.S. version ... . Not sure if this import will be in stock at Amazon.com for long, so you should order it from amazon.co.uk instead, where there is a non-digipack version in print at all times. The original "flag" cover is used and the booklet is loaded with the original color photos and text. Best of all, the sound quality is FAR better than that of the awful CD we Americans have to suffer. Amazon.co.uk will only charge you about $$$ for the CD and less than $$$ for shipping. It's well worth it if you want to get the best possible version of this classic soul/funk album.
9 of 9 found the following review helpful:
Scary, disturbing, brilliantSep 23, 2001
By Michael Topper
This is not a review so much of the CD release (which, as
noted, is unremastered and completely devoid of liner notes),
but of the album itself, which even in the poor CD issue comes
off utterly brilliant. "There's A Riot Goin' On" sounds like
a junkie's suicide note--a fractured, slurred, jittery funk
stew that comes across as one big blur of depression. Sly's
vocals on this album are absolutely harrowing; he sounds beyond
the end of his rope and attempting to find catharsis in a state
of utter dejection. This overall feel makes the album a sometimes frightening listening experience, especially on the
slow, meandering tracks "Just Like A Baby" and "Spaced Cowboy",
whose sluggish melodies and rhythms are almost too painful to
bear. However, Sly never abandons the funk at the heart of
his music, which keeps the album musically interesting--the
bass lines are some of the best-ever in rock. The hit
singles "Family Affair" and "Runnin' Away" pack a serious
punch, coloring their ominous lyrical portraits with a tight
pop savvy. Elsewhere, the off-kilter groove fest "Luv and Haight" (featuring the immortal line "feel so good feel so good don't want to move") sounds filtered through about fifty different chemical substances, and the closing remake of the earlier hit "Thank You" slows the funk down to a devilish heat.
Coming at a time when Marvin Gaye was painting his social prayer
"What's Going On" in sublime symphonic gospel tones and Stevie Wonder was about to break through with his unique keyboard-oriented vision on "Music Of My Mind", "There's A Riot Goin' On"
offered the bleakest angle on black America's state of mind
at the close of the countercultural era. It remains an R&B/funk
masterpiece and presaged The Rolling Stones' similar statement
from the UK side of the fence on "Exile On Main St."
8 of 8 found the following review helpful:
 Worst CD Reissue EverJul 25, 2001
Yes, it is an extraordinary album -- percolating with lo-fi, hard funk rhythms, bitter, anguished vocals, and a seething undercurrent of alienation and hostility that burns holes in my speakers with every spin. Unfortunately, EPIC hasn't seen fit to grant this masterwork any dignity in its reissue. This edition has NO NOTES WHATSOEVER, no credits, no lyrics, and not even the original cover (it uses the cover of a cheesy LP reissue instead). This record deserves appreciation and context, and this reissue gives it neither. Look for the LP instead -- at least until EPIC outgrows their fear and elevates this record to the status that it deserves.
5 of 5 found the following review helpful:
Africa Talked To SlySep 29, 2003
By Tall Paul
When I first played this album I just sat there in a daze. I had never heard anything so brilliant in my life. During this time Sly was riding off the success of his previous albums and was living the high life in Bel Air. He was of course, being influenced by some of the negative things in life which provided the emotional impact of this album. Of all the things he was going through, only a genius could make an album this great. The highest point of the album is Family Affair where Rose is singing the chorus. You can't really appreciate the full genius of this album unless you get the original vinyl from 1971. The title track is left off the CD because its just silence which is an artistic statement. I am still REALLY REALLY REALLY disappointed that after all these years the original album cover is not on the American CD's. Since Sly put black in the field of stars people thought this was some kind of Black power statement but it was a statement of unity. Of course, the overseas version has the original art because they are not as uptight about race and country like America is.
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