Sly & The Family Stone è il nome del progetto nato dalla mente sulfurea di Sylvester Stewart (1943), polistrumentista afro-americano che nei primi anni‘60 si fa un nome come produttore e musicista turnista per le maggiori case discografiche di musica soul californiane.
A metà del decennio decide di costituire coi fratelli Rose e Freddie un gruppo con musicisti eterogenei sia per sesso che per colore di pelle, che dovesse già con la propria “multirazzialità” sfondare un primo tabù, quello dei “bianchi”, che non devono o non possono suonare musica nera. Nasce così la “Family”, con a capo Sylvester che prende il nome di “Sly Stone“.
Ma l’innovazione avviene soprattutto sul lato musicale: prendono avvio una serie di sperimentazioni vertiginose da parte di tutto il gruppo che si scagliano sempre più estreme sul tappeto del soul, fino allora genere intoccabile e patria di eroi come Otis Redding o Sam Cooke (che comunque causa prematura scomparsa non avevano neanche avuto il tempo di iniziare un’eventuale rivoluzione stilistica del genere).
Sly in un percorso parallelo col più navigato - e a quel tempo altrettanto creativo - James Brown sarà il pioniere di una nuova musica, ovvero un soul portato agli estremi e fatto incrociare con il rock bianco, soprattutto per quanto riguarda quello più selvaggio e psichedelico. Nascerà il funk, un genere straordinario, imitatissimo, che vivrà un epoca d’oro per tutti gli anni ’70 coi frutti raccolti dai semi di questi innovatori, finché a forza di sempre più scialbe re-interpretazioni andrà eclissandosi simbolicamente con l’avvento della disco-music, una sottospecie di funk senza arte né sostanza.
Tornando a Sly, dopo un paio di album medi in cui la volontà di uscire dal cerchio è onnipresente ma senza idee chiare sulla “nuova strada” da prendere esce un terzo album scoppiettante, Life (1968). In anticipo sui tempi, i pezzi sono brevi e orecchiabili, ma vibranti e pieni di vita: i suoni sono - cosa da film di fantascienza a quei tempi per un Ray Charles o per le Supremes - in funzone dei testi, non solo viceversa. Anzi, i testi, per quanto semplici, vanno tutti in una precisa direzione, lanciare un messaggio per tutti di pace, amore e inno alla vita.
Tutto quindi molto semplice, ma nuovo, e rimane difficile non rimanere catturati dal primo ascolto. E non solo per la musica, veramente carica e spassosa, con una band che ha acquisito tutto quel che di buono c’era nel R&B (canti incrociati con scale di tonalità degne dei Temptations, groove scatenati, motivetti quasi circensi o da feste sulla spiaggia, grande senso del ritmo) e l’ha portato avanti anziché per un hit single per un album intero, e tutto al massimo della potenza. E queste 11 canzonette sono solo un assaggio di quel che la prima rock band nera ha in mente. Facendo un paragone BLURriano, Life è il Modern Life Is Rubbish del gruppo. Stand sarà il suo Parklife.
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01 Dynamite! (02:43)
MISS CLEAN
She's so together and nice, yeah
MISS CLEAN
I got to see her twice
MISS CLEAN
I like the way she moves, uh-huh
When I was through
She turned on the light
Made my heart beat dynamite
Dynamite, dynamite, dynamite
MISS CLEAN
Give that girl a hand, yeah
MISS CLEAN
She's got a beautiful tan
MISS CLEAN
Straight to my head, uh-huh
MISS CLEAN
I remember what she said, listen
MISS CLEAN
Yeah, me and you
Yeah, I want you
MISS CLEAN
Yeah, me and you
Yeah, me and you
MISS CLEAN
You got me, girl you got me
When I was down,
She turned on the light
Made my heart beat dynamite
Dynamite, dynamite, dynamite, dynamite,
dynamite
Dance to the music
Dance to the music
02 Chicken (02:13)
You're a chicken
Have you heard about me
Don't be a ...
I am here to set you free
Don't let a stranger sell you stories
Buyin' is cheap and so is lyin'
I've got a place already for you
The space between livin' and dyin'
You're a chicken
'Cause you've got a gutter mind
Don't be a ...
You can leave your fear behind
Can't you tell I'm in your corner
Don't you know I'll do it for you, you
We'd be too much together
And there is nothing we can't do, no no
Cock-a-doodle-doo to you
Cock-a-doodle-doo
You're a chicken
Have you heard about me
Don't be a ...
I am here to set you free
You just think I'm scared to party
Sometimes I do, sometimes I don't
Call me chicken ...
You can call me what you want, hey
You're a chicken
Cock-a-doodle-doo to you
You're a ...
Cock-a-doodle-doo to you
You're a chicken
Cock-a-doodle-doo to you
03 Plastic Jim (03:29)
All the plastic people
What do they all come for?
Plastic Jim
All his thoughts have faded
He cannot be degraded
'Cause all his friends are jaded
Plastic Jim
Plastic Jim
For 13 years of school
Might have a swimming pool
He just cannot be cool
Plastic Jim
Plastic Jim
He can't control his mind
Twice a week he's kind
The rest of the time he's lyin'
Plastic Jim
All the plastic people
What do they all come for?
Plastic Jim
Will give you a conversation
To avoid a situation
That needs contemplation
Plastic Jim
Plastic Jim
With the cellophane smile
Ain't never been a problem child
But he will be after a while
Plastic Jim
Plastic Jim
Will take a blind man's glasses
Will steal a dead man's ashes
When his ego crashes
Plastic Jim
All the plastic people
What do they all come for?
06 Harmony (02:50)
You can be you let me be me
that's harmony
Simple as 1-2-3
Easy as a-b-c
Some people feel some life is dead
Better use your head
Work it out and you'll find
Surprised at what you'll find
Something settles in the brain
stop what you're doing and listen to me
Do you like me for who I am
Or who you want me to be
You can be you let me be me
that's harmony
Simple as 1-2-3
Easy as a-b-c
Some people feel some life is dead
Better use your head
Work it out and you'll find
Surprised at what you'll find
I have noticed more than twice
it's so easy to be nice
but if it's you to be clown
I would never put you down
Simple people start talkin
don't let the sparklings cross your map
Simple progress starts
Talkin people that walk in town
07 Life (03:00)
Life
Life
Clouds and clowns
You don't have to come down
Life
Life
Tell it like it is
You don't have to die before you live
You might get angry sometimes
But don't let it turn you around
All you gotta do
Is get your livin' now
Life
Life
Clouds and clowns
You don't have to come down
Life
Life
Tell it like it is
You don't have to die before you live
You might be scared of somethin' - look at Mr Stewart
He's the only person he has to fear
He'd only let himself get near
He don't trust nobody
If he stopped bein' so shady
He could have a nice young lady
Life
Life
Clouds and clowns
You don't have to come down
Life
Life
Tell it like it is
You don't have to die before you live
You're gonna be sad sometimes
You might wake up to find your pet is gone
But maybe
He's tired of bein' alone
Dog gets hip, it has to go
And if you're lovin' you can't be sad no more
Life
Life
Clouds and clowns
You don't have to come down
Life
Life
Tell it like it is
You don't have to die before you live
09 I'm an Animal (03:20)
I'll be any animal you want to be
I'm an animal
I'm an animal
I'm an animal
On my father's side
I'm an animal
My consciences might die
Said yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah
I'm an animal
I'm an animal
I'm an animal
I'll dance a kangaroo
I'm an animal
I'm glad I'm playin to you
Said yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah
Let me be your bear friend
And I wanna monkey around with you
I'm an animal
I'm an animal
I'm an animal
My cousin is a fox
I'm an animal
with the chicken pox
Said yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah
I'll be any animal you want to be
I'm an animal
I'm an animal
I'm an animal
With good reason in mind
I'm an animal
I'm the vacant kind
Said yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah
Let me be your bear friend
And I wanna monkey around with you
I'm an animal
I'm an animal
I'm an animal
I'm an animal
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