Family Affair

Released on 6 November 1971, it was the band's first new material in nearly two years. It spent three weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and five weeks on the R&B singles chart, and reached 14 in the UK. It is built on electric piano, sung by Sly in a low, relaxed tone and by Rose Stone, and is among the earliest hit recordings to use a drum machine.

Richard Tilles, a consulting engineer, muted most of Sly's guitar parts and emphasized the Hohner Pianet played by Billy Preston, and edited the rhythm box so that it sounded like a heartbeat, according to David Hepworth. Sly is credited with vocals, bass, electric guitar, drums and rhythm machine, Rose Stone with vocals, Preston with Pianet and Bobby Womack with rhythm guitar. The Guardian called it possibly the bleakest US number one single ever.

Its drum machine rhythm was copied by the Temptations on "Let Your Hair Down" (1973) and by Stevie Wonder on "You Haven't Done Nothin'" (1974). A version by John Legend, Joss Stone and Van Hunt won a Grammy in 2007.