Sly and the Family Stone Albums Ranked

On
the
surface,

Sly
and
the
Family
Stone‘s
revolution
in
the ’60s
may
not
seem
all
that
significant.

But
pull
back
the
outer
level
of
radio-friendly,
era-equipped
soul-pop
music
they
pretty
much
invented
and
perfected
over
a
series
of
albums
in
the
latter
part
of
the ’60s
and
early
half
of
the ’70s,
and
you’ll
uncover
one
of
the
most
influential
groups
from
the
period,
as our
list
of Sly
and
the
Family
Stone
Albums
Ranked
proves.

The
band
formed
in
San
Francisco,
with

Sly
Stone
heading
a
multi-racial,
multi-gender
outfit
that
indeed
included
a
couple
of
his
siblings.
The
core
lineup
made
seven
albums
together.
After
they
split
–
following
Stone’s
descent
into
drugs
and
paranoia,
among
other
issues
–
he
made
one
album
under
his
name
before
collecting
another
group
of
players as
Sly
and
the
Family
Stone.

It
took
a
while
for
the
band
to
find
its
perfect
groove.
The
first
few
records
sketched
out
a
template
that
was
perfected
on
1969’s

Stand!,
which
became
an
even
bigger
hit
after
the
group’s
history-making
performance
at

Woodstock
that
year.
They
were
the ideal
band
for
the
new
generation:
men,
women,
black,
white
–
all
playing
a
mix
of
soul
and
pop
sprinkled
with
a
dose
of
psychedelia
that
never
strayed
too
far
from
the
melody.

But
then
the ’60s
ended,
Stone
retreated
to
his
bedroom,
got
high
and
constructed
the
band’s
masterpiece,
1971’s

There’s
a
Riot
Goin’
On,
as
a
sort
of
reaction
to
the
new
era.
The
dark,
druggy
LP
sounded
like
it
was
recorded
under
a
blanket
of
pot
smoke,
deepening
the
bass
notes
and
introducing
the
drum
machine
to
pop
audiences.
It
could
have
been
career
suicide,
but
it
ended
up
being
Sly
and
the
Family
Stone’s
only
No.
1
album.

Then
things
got
darker
and
weirder.
Stone’s
drug
use
heightened,
and
after
one
final
record
in
the
early ’80s,
he
all
but
disappeared,
making
just
a
few
public
appearances
in
the
three
decades
since
he
went
away.
His
music
holds a
legacy,
bridging
together
this
idea
that

everyone
is
invited
to
their
psychedelic
soul
party.
And
everyone
was,
as
you’ll
see
in
our
list
below
of Sly
and
the
Family
Stone
Albums
Ranked.