A Whole New Thing (Sly and the Family Stone album)
A Whole New Thing is the debut album by funk/soul band Sly and the Family Stone, released in 1967 on Epic/CBS Records. The album was released to mixed criticism and failed to make an impact from a commercial standpoint and did not chart. CBS Records executive Clive Davis prevailed upon band leader Sly Stone to create a more commercial album; the result was the album Dance to the Music. Unlike later Sly and the Family Stone albums, A Whole New Thing was recorded live in the studio instead of being overdubbed and featured less of a pop feel than later releases such as Dance to the Music and Stand!. The lead vocals are shared between Sly Stone, Freddie Stone, and Larry Graham; Rose Stone would not join the band until they began work on Dance to the Music.
A Whole New Thing | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | October 1967 1970 (re-release) | |||
Recorded | June–September 1967 | |||
Genre | Soul, funk | |||
Length | 38:01 | |||
Label | Epic | |||
Producer | Sly Stone | |||
Sly and the Family Stone chronology | ||||
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Cover for 1970 reissue | ||||
1970 reissue cover for A Whole New Thing. Note the use of photographs similar to those on the cover of the Sly & the Family Stone Greatest Hits album, and the inclusion of Rose Stone as a member of the Family Stone. Rose Stone was not a member of the band at the time of this LP. |
Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [1] |
Austin Chronicle | [2] |
BBC Music | favorable[3] |
The Guardian | [4] |
Rolling Stone (1967) | unfavorable[5] |
Rolling Stone (2007) | [6] |
Stylus | B−[7] |
Uncut | [8] |
Track listing
All tracks written by Sylvester Stewart, and produced and arranged by Sly Stone for Stone Flower Productions.
Side one
- "Underdog" – 3:59
- "If This Room Could Talk" – 3:00
- "Run, Run, Run" – 3:14
- "Turn Me Loose" – 1:52
- "Let Me Hear It from You" – 3:35
- "Advice" – 2:22
Side two
- "I Cannot Make It" – 3:20
- "Trip to Your Heart" – 3:43
- "I Hate to Love Her" – 3:30
- "Bad Risk" – 3:04
- "That Kind of Person" – 4:25
- "Dog" – 3:10
CD bonus tracks
- 1995 CD reissue:
- "What Would I Do"
- 2007 CD limited edition reissue:
- "Underdog" (mono B-side version) [3:04]
- "Let Me Hear It From You" (mono B-side version) [3:28]
- "Only One Way Out of This Mess" [3:51]
- "What Would I Do" [4:05]
- "You Better Help Yourself" (instrumental version) [4:19]
Personnel
- Sly and the Family Stone
- Sly Stone – vocals, organ, guitar, piano, celeste, harmonica, and more
- Freddie Stone – vocals, guitar
- Larry Graham – vocals, bass guitar
- Cynthia Robinson – trumpet, vocal ad-libs
- Jerry Martini – saxophone
- Greg Errico – drums
- Little Sister (Vet Stone, Mary McCreary, Elva Mouton) – background vocals