Album of the week- Sly & The Family Stone - Fresh

Sly Stone was one of the greatest artists that’s ever walked the earth. His first six albums were packed with such quality, such innovation, such joy, and so many thought provoking words, that his retreat from recording seems less a tragedy than a choice. He said everything he wanted to say, and in turn, he created music that is still shockingly modern.

I could have chosen any of the first 6, as they’re all untouchable in their greatness. Hell, I even considered ‘Greatest Hits’ as today’s choice; putting it in to context, that LP compiled only three years of his output. Those hits are unstoppable, and I wouldn’t argue of someone proclaimed they were the greatest American music ever recorded. Gotta add that I’m using ‘he’ a lot here, and that is not intended to take away from at all from the contributions of the brilliant Family Stone members.

There’s something about ‘Fresh’, though, that has been something of a slow burner in my psyche all these years. I got deep into Sly when I was a teenager, and for decades I considered his pinnacle to be There’s A Riot Going On. I still have a deep obsession with that album, but the enigma of Fresh has steadily built up that obsession as well. In many ways, it’s his ultimate statement, as it takes the subversive tone of Riot, but somehow makes it more accessible (all the while never losing any ounce of artistic integrity or risks). This album stands among very few from the era that could be a contemporary release; as Brian Eno stated, the bass and drums here are more forward than anything that came before it, and in turn, it set the stage for hip hop. This is avant garde music that we can think to, trance out to, or shake our asses to. ‘Thankful N’ Thoughtful’ is one of the baddest songs ever cut to wax; funk that goes so deep it’s powered by sonar.

The sequencing of this record is outstanding, and it takes on a conversational vibe. Sly states his return on opener ‘In Time’, and he seems a bit reluctant to stick his toe back in to the world of music. I can’t stress enough how crucial the documentary on Sly made by ?uestlove is; I can’t stress enough never understand the stress and expectations that was put on to Sly’s black genius, but you can make damn sure I’m gonna listen closely to the black voices that explained it. Sly was chewed up hard by the dissent of white expectations after the dark turn of Riot. ‘If You Want Me To Stay’ can be seen as a playful, poppy response to critics who expected him to shuck n jive for their entertainment. Sly pulls it back from them on the devastating ‘Let Me Have It All’, and on side 2, ‘I Don’t Know (Satisfaction)’ could very well be its second part. Sly shows he can give a hit at will, but do we, the listeners, deserve it?

‘Keep On Dancin’ updates his massive breakout hit ‘Dance To The Music’ in the same way he updated ‘Thank You’ on Riot. It grooves hard, but there’s a weariness that sends an underlying message of ‘I am in charge here’. The sadly, beautiful, melancholic take on ‘Que Sera Sera’ is mournful and accepting of reality. ‘Babies Makin’ Babies’ closes the album with another molasses paced, insanely funky track that captures more of Riot’s uncomfortable magic.

This album is staggering, and Sly’s legacy is one of the greatest bodies of work created by a mere mortal. Thanks Sly, for baring your soul and making our lives better.