Sly & the Family Stone – There’s a Riot Goin’ On

Originally released with a waving red, white, and blue flag on the cover, Sly & the Family Stone’s essential classic There’s a Riot Goin’ On speaks to a “a nation’s fabric unravelling.” Martin Luther King and Malcolm X had been shot. Poverty, homelessness, and drug addiction were destroying black communities. Addled by the nation’s fear, pain, anger, and his own personal struggles, Sly would retreat to an attic in Los Angeles to record the group’s followup to Stand!. Beyond the social commentary, “Riot” has a fittingly dark and murky quality to its sound. Under the influence of numerous drugs, Sly would record the parts over and over again on the same roll of tape, degrading the quality with each take…

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