#larry graham

[missalmond]

my vinyl finds for the day

[sonofshermy]

Sly & The Family Stone (1968), from left to right: Freddie Stone, Sly Stone, Rose Stone, Larry Graham, Cynthia Robinson, Jerry Martini, Greg Errico.

[musickickztoo]

Larry Graham *August 14, 1946

[beneviolentwilyskytreader]

Visit Original Link

[jamiestarr777]

Happy 79th Bday Larry Graham 🎸 Bass guitar 👑

Bassist for Sly & The Family Stone

Major influence on Prince.

[rah909]

[rodpower78]

Sly Stone and Larry Graham

[sillyboyproductions]

There's a Riot Goin' On - An Album Review by Jonas Lord

There’s a Riot Goin’ On, a seminal album in the Sly and the Family Stone discography, is best described as having an incredibly singular, uncompromising sound. No one has made music like this before, and no one has since. The songs are bass heavy and muddy, equal parts funky and psychedelic, and distinctly uncommercial. The lyrics are deeply cynical, the instruments hit like a truck, and there’s a drum machine. It’s an album that really only could’ve been accepted during the political insanity of the early 1970s, and the fact that it reached number 1 on the Billboard charts is still baffling.

But it also makes sense in a way. Bandleader Sly Stone was always writing music that reflected the times in which he lived. It just so happened that the time in which this album was produced (1970-71) was, to put it lightly, incredibly fucked up. Vietnam was still raging, the Civil Rights Movement was in shambles, and the countercultural sense of optimism that defined the previous decade was all but gone. When you combine those outside circumstances with intra-band conflict and Stone’s own struggles with addiction, it’s no wonder that he went in such a dour direction. The world didn’t need another “Stand!” or “Everyday People” in that moment, it needed something else, something more urgent.

Unsurprisingly, the album took awhile to grow on me. I remember liking it at first listen, but I immediately knew that it was one of those albums that wasn’t going to meet you halfway. You either immerse yourself in the sound or you don’t, and you have to keep listening until you do.

I, for one, am glad that I kept listening. The more I came back to Riot, the more I appreciated the songs and album as a whole…

“Luv n’ Haight” - This song starts the album off on an interesting note, as it’s perhaps the most direct expression of disillusionment on the entire record. The repeating, call-and-response lyrics (“Feels so good, Want to move”) reference drug use as escapist fantasy, and the title’s reference to the Haight-Ashbury counterculture scene comes across as almost sardonic. It’s still an incredible opener though, and it’s a great introduction to this newer, darker creative vision.

“Just Like a Baby” - In terms of track sequencing, this album really waxes and wanes. Right after the chaos of “Luv n’ Haight” we have this slower, but still groovy track. The lyrics here are way less defined and it’s difficult to parse out exactly what the song is about, but there’s a vibe about it that just feels really natural. In particular, I really like the bassline and how it slinks along to the groove, and the clavinet riffs are some nice ear-candy.

“Poet” - I see this song as the thesis or mission statement of not just the album, but the Sly and the Family Stone band as well. Here, Stone is explicitly stating that his only weapon is his pen, and that he does, in fact, write music based on his lived experience. It’s a very blunt song, but that’s exactly what I like about it. 

“Family Affair” - There’s a saying that writing about music is like dancing about architecture, and although I personally disagree with said saying, I will acknowledge that there’s some truth within. Certain songs just transcend, and no matter how hard you try, you can’t put that feeling into words. It’s a “know it when you see it” sort of feeling. “Family Affair” is one of those songs.  I can’t pinpoint the reasons why I love it, but I just do. All the components fit together so perfectly in that indescribable way. If you’re going to listen to only one song from Riot, please make it this one.

“Africa Talks to You ‘The Asphalt Jungle’” - At eight minutes and 45 seconds, this is the longest song on the album, and by far the “jammiest.” As someone who tends to have a rather low tolerance for excessive jamming, I initially approached this song with trepidation, but after a while I began to appreciate how all-compassing and intense the sound was. There’s so many little riffs crashing into each other; every time I listen to this song I listen to it a different way. I also think the lyrics are effective in grounding the piece with a sense of paranoia.

“There’s a Riot Goin’ On” -  Midway through the album, there’s a few seconds of silence. On first listen, you probably won’t notice it, and on subsequent listens it’s barely noticeable. This is the title track, and the runtime was originally listed at 0 minutes and 0 seconds. In a later interview, Stone states the reasoning behind this decision:

“I felt there should be no riots.”

It’s a rather sobering moment on the album. Despite everything happening around him, Stone still has hope for a better future.

“Brave & Strong” - What I found so notable about this song is its dog-eat-dog attitude. The first verse (“Frightened faces to the wall, Oh, can't you hear your mama call?”) paints a pretty sordid picture and introduces the song as one of the more openly cynical ones on the tracklist. Much like “Luv n’ Haight” the title even feels tongue and cheek. It’s still a good time though; I really enjoy the horn line and the intro is good at setting everything up.

“(You Caught Me) Smilin’” - Another good example of the tracklist waxing and waning. After the heaviness of “Brave & Strong,” we have something a little lighter sounding. The subject matter in the lyrics and overall vibe hasn’t changed a whole lot from the rest of the album, but there’s a sense of vulnerability in the presentation that I really dig. The funk breakdowns are also just stellar, along with the backing vocals.

“Time” - In an album that’s entirely made up of extensive overdubs, this song strikes me as a rather minimalist interpretation of the album’s energy, but I like the change in pace. The sheer amount of reverb and wah-wah on the track gives the song an underwater quality, and the dynamic build-ups always surprise me every time I hear them.

“Spaced Cowboy” - This is definitely one of the songs on the album that leans the most towards a psychedelic sound. There’s harmonica, yodeling, lyrics about turning red and social whores. It’s a song that’s very clearly describing drug use in the same vein as “Luv’ n’ Haight,” but it’s doing so in a much weirder way. I can’t help but admire the weirdness though, even if the yodeling can be a bit much.

“Runnin’ Away” - This is a rather specific bit of praise but I really love the way the horns sound here. They’re so dry but it weirdly works, it’s almost as if you can hear the players blowing sound directly in your ear. The horn line itself is great too; outside of “Family Affair” the overall arrangement of this song is probably my favorite on the album. I like how the song addresses the theme of escapism as well, it’s really effective at insinuating the futility of escaping a situation that’s outside of your control.

“Thank You for Talkin’ to Me Africa” - This song is technically a remake of the 1969 single “Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin),” but the difference between it and the source material is night and day. The groove is way less tight, the tempo is much slower, and the vocals meander. Of course, all of these changes are for the better, at least in the context of this album, and this twisted version of the song makes for a pretty excellent closer. 

Consensus: In terms of sound and energy, Riot strikes me as a project that just is. It exists in its own bubble of darkness, and nothing can really be compared to it. As I mentioned earlier, nobody has made music like this before and nobody has since. That sheer uniqueness is exactly what makes it a great project and undeniable classic. The songs are strange, sad, funky, and edgy, the production is wild, and Sly Stone is right there, reflecting the chaos that surrounded him.

Sidenote: For more information/different perspective on this album, I recommend checking out this YouTube video by Polyphonic: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fsCqfJs0WB8