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. There's A Riot Goin' On
7. Brave And Strong
8. You Caught Me Smilin'
9. Time
10. Spaced Cowboy
11. Running Away
12. Thank You For Talkin' To Me Africa

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #73451 in Music
• Released on: 1994-04-25
• Number of discs: 1
• Format: Import

CD Description
During the late '60s, Sly and the Family Stone was the emblem of the new utopia-- celebratory, integrated, intent on breaking down walls, and full of relentlessly positive, idealistic energy. 1971's THERE'S A RIOT GOIN' ON directly contradicted all of these characteristics. Instead, the album represented the dark days of post-'60s disillusionment--a move from right-here/right-now ethos to reflection ("Time"), from integration to separatism ("Thank You For Talkin' To Me Africa"), and from Sly's exuberant cheerleading to a weary, craggy-voiced vocal style. Many fans considered the album a "downer" at the time.
In truth, RIOT is stunningly innovative and artistically accomplished. Here Sly began playing with subtle, sophisticated rhythms, creating webs of interlocking parts and textures, foregrounding mood over pop structures. The production is murky, keeping with the dark, edgy themes of the album, yet it is packed with detail. The burbling guitars, keys, lock-pop bass, and ghostly vocals create a warm,enveloping cocoon, as on the honeyed, heavy-lidded groove of "Just Like A Baby", the percolating surge of "Family Affair" (one of Sly's finest moments), and "(You Caught Me) Smilin'", which catches a wistful flash of the old optimism. Though it may be a challenging listen for the uninitiated, THERE'S A RIOT GOIN' ON rewards endless repeated listens.

Customer Reviews

You Brits are so lucky! . . .
. . . You get to have this classic album on a great-sounding CD, with the original cover art. We Americans have to suffer with an abominable-sounding domestic release that has a tacky concert photo in place of the beautiful "flag" cover. Everyone with ears who buys a copy is disappointed and wonders what the fuss is about, whereas in England, your version of "Riot" inspires people like Bobby Gillespie to create great new albums like "Screamadelica." You owe it to yourselves--no, you owe it to your deprived American cousins--to buy this CD right now!

A Black Music milestone
Never mind what version you are hearing, remastered, US or European, what you are getting here is an absolute classic FUNK album. While Sly had been embraced by the Rock mainstream earlier on in his career, with Riot Sly dipped into the reality of the experience of Black America, and told it like it was.

And it wasn't easy listening - this was and is an album that you may not get first time around. This is a fuzzy, sleazy, chunk of Funk, with none of the optimism of, say, "Dance To The Music", but it captures the drug fuelled spirit of the times.

"Family Affair" is probably Slys' finest, with its ambiguous lyric, but there are others here which stand comparison such as "Just Like a Baby" "Running Away" and "Brave & Strong". It is as a whole that this album desrves to be heard however, and it is as a whole that it claims its place as one of the best Funk albums of all

RE PACKAGED.. REMASTERD??
Folks, just letting you all know, this is not remasterd AT ALL!! I ve heard the American release with the crappy concert photo cover, & purchased this under the impression it might have beeen digitally spruced up.. but its not -NOT AT ALL. So just letting you all know, im kicking myself for not getting the 'Esstential..." collection as it has most of these songs & is remasterd. For all those that are buying this for the first time, then by all means.. its an incredible album, but for those looking for a remasterd copy to replace the old........
Someone... reissue please!