Sly & the Family Stone - 'Collection' (2007)

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soundslike1981

Well-known member
Anyone picked this up? Remasters good/too compressed? Bonus tracks any good? It seems to be selling for such a low price I'm not sure I can resist picking it up, even though I have five of the seven albums. . .

(For those who hadn't heard--it's a remaster/reissue jobber of the first 7 albums w/ three-five bonus tracks per disc.)

As a side discussion--I would assume 'There's a Riot Going On' is the Dissensus consensus fave--but curious if that's so. I love the muffled, narcotic sound, the space in the mix, the synthdrums with the kit played over. . .
 
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crackerjack

Well-known member
The greatest music ever. Period. Apart from Fresh (overrated) and Samll Talk (shite).

Yes, Riot is my fave, but Stand is also incredible.
 
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gumdrops

Well-known member
riot is the best. not heard the bonus tracks yet but i have all the remasters. not really fond of remasters though, half the time it just means 'maxed out and very fucking loud', plus riot is best if you just hear it how it originally sounded. its not meant to be all clean. i like the way its so fuzzy and lacking in clarity.
 
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mistersloane

heavy heavy monster sound
People on amazon are saying that they left off

1 - Hot Fun in the Summertime
2 - Everybody is a Star
3 - Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)

which is tragic.

When my friend Andrea finally gets her time machine, the first thing she's gonna do is take me and all her friends to one of S&TFS gigs, 'Stand' period.

( echoes crackerjack ) Best group ever in the history of the world, no contest.
 
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crackerjack

Well-known member
When my friend Andrea finally gets her time machine, the first thing she's gonna do is take me and all her friends to one of S&TFS gigs, 'Stand' period.
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Bagsy come with!

These are straight LP reissues aren't they? those three were all single-only releases (available on comps, obv). Imagine writing three songs THAT great (Hot Fun is easily in my all-time top 10) and leaving them off the album... sigh.
 
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crackerjack

Well-known member
gumdrops said:
riot is the best. not heard the bonus tracks yet but i have all the remasters. not really fond of remasters though, half the time it just means 'maxed out and very fucking loud', plus riot is best if you just hear it how it originally sounded. its not meant to be all clean. i like the way its so fuzzy and lacking in clarity.
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at this point I should like to wave my original vinyl (7" included) in yer face. just to be a twat, like
 
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michael

Bring out the vacuum
Was listening to Fresh today, actually! I agree it's a bit overrated, but If You Want Me To Stay is pretty up there on my list of favourite songs ever... couldn't help but break out a big grin when it kicked off this afternoon.

I'd be keen to check out the collection if I come across it for a good price. I've got 'Fresh', 'Riot' and that 'Anthology', but have a feeling I could stand plenty more.

I was pretty excited watching this vid of them doing Stand back whenever...
 
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soundslike1981

Well-known member
gumdrops said:
riot is the best. not heard the bonus tracks yet but i have all the remasters. not really fond of remasters though, half the time it just means 'maxed out and very fucking loud', plus riot is best if you just hear it how it originally sounded. its not meant to be all clean. i like the way its so fuzzy and lacking in clarity.
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You got this round of remasters, you just haven't listened all the way to the bonus tracks yet? How's the sound on these ones (as I'm wary of the compressed-to-hell "remastering" trend)?
 
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michael

Bring out the vacuum
crackerjack said:
Thanks for that Michael, the instrumental breakdown there is fantastic.
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That vamp is one of my fave moments in the world of funk - it's such a damn tease in the recorded version cos it switches gears and then fades out almost straight away!

Ah well. I still love it.
 
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ChineseArithmetic

It is what it is
crackerjack said:
The greatest music ever. Period. Apart from Fresh (overrated) and Samll Talk (shite).

Yes, Riot is my fave, but Stand is also incredible.
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I'd say Fresh belongs in anyone's collection, and Small Talk is pretty fine also. Likewise 'High On You'. Everything up to there is well worth having.
 
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crackerjack

Well-known member
ChineseArithmetic said:
I'd say Fresh belongs in anyone's collection, and Small Talk is pretty fine also. Likewise 'High On You'. Everything up to there is well worth having.
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High On You is good - definitely the last 'must have' Sly LP. I have to admit only playing Small talk once - I'm such a junkie for Sly i figured if I wasn't feeling it from the off it probably wasn't happening.

It's also worth mentioning Back On The Right Track - a shit album, but worth buying cheap just for Remember Who You Are (and not just coz it's a Tribe break).
 
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michael

Bring out the vacuum
mistersloane said:
what's a 'vamp moment'? Or why is it called that?
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A vamp is just a repeating riff, basically, but it's the phrase used more often in funk and jazz., with the idea being that someone's soloing or ad libbing or whatever on top. Think of every James Brown tune ever. :)

So... at the end of 'Stand' they lock into a groove that's just repeating with Sly doing some vocal ad libs on top. That's a vamp.
 
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mistersloane

heavy heavy monster sound
michael said:
A vamp is just a repeating riff, basically, but it's the phrase used more often in funk and jazz., with the idea being that someone's soloing or ad libbing or whatever on top. Think of every James Brown tune ever. :)

So... at the end of 'Stand' they lock into a groove that's just repeating with Sly doing some vocal ad libs on top. That's a vamp.
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( I'm asking this alot on here at the moment but ) do you know where that comes from? That's really great Michael thanks, I never knew that term before, it's really resonant.
 
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Don Rosco

Well-known member
crackerjack said:
The greatest music ever. Period.
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I often find myself surprised when I hear them. Surprised at just how fucking good they are. I have a vague impression they never really got the props they deserved, really. Their songs are just so perfectly formed.
 
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crackerjack

Well-known member
So who's risking going down to Bournemouth then? I'd have killed to see him anywhere near his peak - and I mean anywhere. Just being able to stand propped against the keyboards looking like he half knows what he's doing would be enough for me. But I reckon even that's beyond him now.
 
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mistersloane

heavy heavy monster sound
crackerjack said:
So who's risking going down to Bournemouth then? I'd have killed to see him anywhere near his peak - and I mean anywhere. Just being able to stand propped against the keyboards looking like he half knows what he's doing would be enough for me. But I reckon even that's beyond him now.
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Yup, I'm goin, the prospect of Bournemouth Opera House and him is too surreal to turn away. I doubt he'll make it though, it's like the end of eight dates or something. He's one of those ones I just gotta go pay respect to, Jimmy Scott, Yoko Ono, Al Green, Bo Diddley, one of them ones in my cannon...
 
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