Stand! is the pinnacle of Sly & the Family Stone's early work, a
record that represents a culmination of the group's musical vision and
accomplishment. Life hinted at this record's boundless enthusiasm and
blurred stylistic boundaries, yet everything simply gels here, resulting
in no separation between the astounding funk, effervescent irresistible
melodies, psychedelicized guitars, and deep rhythms. Add to this a sharpened
sense of pop songcraft, elastic band interplay, and a flowering of Sly's
social conscious, and the result is utterly stunning. Yes, the jams ("Don't
Call Me Nigger, Whitey," "Sex Machine") wind up meandering
ever so slightly, but they're surrounded by utter brilliance, from the
rousing call to arms of "Stand" to the unification anthem "Everyday
People" to the unstoppable "I Want to Take You Higher."
All of it sounds like the Family Stone, thanks not just to the communal
lead vocals but to the brilliant interplay, but each track is distinct,
emphasizing a different side of their musical personality. As a result,
Stand! winds up infectious and informative, invigorating and thought-provoking
-- stimulating in every sense of the word. Few records of its time touched
it, and Sly topped it only by offering its opposite the next time out.(by
Stephen Thomas Erlewine, AMG)
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A greatest-hits album in all but name, Stand! is party politics at its
most inclusive and exciting -- singer-leader Sly Stone at the top of his
ecumenical-funk game. A DJ and producer in San Francisco during the Dawn
of Hippie, Stone fortifies that utopian energy with the bonfire momentum
of the civil-rights movement in motivational-soul sermons such as "Stand!"
and "You Can Make It if You Try" without denying the divisions
that threatened civil war ("Don't Call Me Nigger, Whitey").
And let's give due respect to the biracial, bi-gender Family Stone, whose
rainbow thump here was a big influence on P-Funk and the electric Miles
Davis. (Rolling Stone)
Total album sales: 1 million
Peak chart position: 13
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