A Whole New Thing — Sly & the Family Stone

A Whole New Thing captures Sly and the Family Stone at their most unvarnished and musically ambitious. Unlike the sun-drenched anthems that would follow, this debut is a document of a band working in a live studio environment without the safety net of overdubs.

The result is a gritty, high-friction sound where the brass section feels sharp and the rhythm section feels dangerously heavy. It is the sound of a group of virtuosos trying to break the conventions of 1967 soul by introducing complex, non-linear arrangements that demand the listener's full attention.

Moments Worth Listening For

The sudden, jagged horn stabs that interrupt the groove on Underdog to signal a shift in perspective.

Larry Graham's heavy, percussive bass lines locking in with the drums on I Cannot Make It with unprecedented weight.

The frantic, overlapping vocal harmonies during the climax of Trip to Your Heart that feel like a spiritual possession.

Reviews

Also reviewed byBBC Music

Where This Album Departs

How does A Whole New Thing sound next to the rest of Sly & the Family Stone's catalogue?

This album stays in step with the catalogue across the board — no axis departs enough to be worth its own note. Hover the dots to see where each one sits.

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