timelinesign in to comment

Life

The third album, which sold less than its predecessor and has been more kindly regarded since.
Sly & The Family Stone, 1968

Released
September 1968
Recorded
May 1968
Studio
Pacific High, San Francisco
Label
Epic
Producer
Sly Stone
Length
30:33

Life was released in September 1968 and called M'Lady in the UK. It was not a commercial success, though it has mostly drawn positive reviews over the years. It sits between the fiery A Whole New Thing and the more commercial Dance to the Music, with very little use of studio effects and more weight on Sly's compositions. Its songs touch on dating ("Dynamite!", "Chicken", "M'Lady"), groupies, and fake people ("Plastic Jim", which refers to "Eleanor Rigby"). Unity and integration come up again in "Fun", "Harmony", "Life" and "Love City".

The Guardian wrote that it "deserved far better" and was a creative leap forward. Errico's drum solo on "Love City" has been heavily sampled, and the opening riff of "Into My Own Thing" was sampled for Fatboy Slim's "Weapon of Choice" in 2001.

Track listing

  1. Dynamite!2:44
  2. Chicken2:13
  3. Plastic Jim3:29
  4. Fun2:23
  5. Into My Own Thing2:13
  6. Harmony2:51
  7. Life3:01
  8. Love City2:43
  9. I'm an Animal3:21
  10. M'Lady2:46
  11. Jane Is a Groupee2:49

More from Sly & The Family Stone

Dance to the Music (1968), Stand! (1969), There's a Riot Goin' On (1971), Fresh (1973)

Sources

  1. Life (album), Wikipedia
  2. Sly Stone's greatest songs ranked, The Guardian (2023-03)