Dance to the Music [LIMITED EDITION] [ORIGINAL RECORDING REMASTERED]

Sly & The Family Stone

Product Details

• Audio CD (April 24, 2007)
• Original Release Date: April 24, 2007
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Limited Edition, Original recording remastered
• Label: Sony
• ASIN: B000GG4XIS
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #109,305 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
Sly's auspicious debut, A Whole New Thing begat Dance to the Music, and by 1968, things were popping for the Family Stone. The one-two punch of the title track and "Higher" introduces a gleaming exuberance; everyone wants to get higher and dance, so much so that the peripatetic, multiply vocaled and horn-drenched psych-funk of "Dance to the Medley" comes barely six minutes after the title track. "Ride the Rhythm" is a falsetto barn-burner, the wah-wahs creating melismas aplenty while the organ and horns and backing vocals riff crazy-like. "Color Me True" and "Are You Ready" slow to a more deliberate soul pacing, horns blaring and rhythms thumping. Sly was keen to cross over, to play for rock crowds, which he announces openly on the previously unreleased "Soul Clapping," where he calls out to "cats and kitties, hippies and squares." Three other unreleased cuts make this set a must-have document, even without Sly's brief re-emergence on the 2007 Grammy Awards. --Andrew Bartlett

Product Description
Japanese limited edition issue of the album classic in a deluxe, miniaturized LP sleeve replica of the original vinyl album artwork. --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars GET UP AND DANCE TO THE MUSIC!!!!!!!!! , April 21, 2007

By	Andre S. Grindle "Andre' Grindle" (Brewer Maine) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

In my humble opinion,the title track that starts off this album is one of the most perfect pop and soul songs ever recorded!!!It blasts right into existance,spotlights each musician and who can't sing it?It's a MUSICAL DIRECTIVE that's been going on for generation after generation.Obviously one doesn't expect the rest of this album to be able to keep up.But BY GOLLY IT DOES and with plenty more to burn;as an album,but purely a single 'Dance To The Music' is leaps ahead of A Whole New Thing in terms of songwriting and even energym,plenty of which is present on that debut.So what exactly does Sly do here?He just makes sure people who loved the classic single and bought this album hoping to hear more got JUST THAT!"Higher" is also enormous fun-so fresh,bouncy and carnavalesqe that Sly elected to UTTERLY transform it for another big hit on Stand! (you know the one).Then there's "Dance To The Medley"-the title track fleshed out and extended into a KILLER twelve minutes jam where the musicians don't just get spotlighted but DISTINCT SOLOS (Larry Graham's crackling fuzz bass being the highlite of course)and what comes next?Yet MORE catchy,hook filled funky tunes to make you DANCE "Ride The Rhythm",Color Me True","Are You Ready",the more creeping psychedelia of "Don't Burn Baby" and "I'll Never Fall In Love Again".And the bonus cuts?Well aside from th single edit of the title song and "Higher" you get "Soul Clappin","We Love All", the amazing "I Can't Turn You Loose" (don't know why it didn't make the final cut) and 'Never Do Your Woman Wrong",so it's all more more MORE!!!!So 'Dance To The Music' is not only Sly's greatest early album but actually not a bad place to get an introduction to his music.And try to listen to this album,stay still and NOT BE ABLE to avoid breaking out in a sweat!If Amazon let me give this twenty stars,that wouldn't be enough!!!Amazing!!

2 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not bad as far as record company cash-ins go, November 17, 2007

By	finulanu ""the mysterious"" (Here, there, and everywhere) - See all my reviews

The title song was a breakthrough, not just for the group (though it was their first hit), but for the world of popular music in general: it was an early example of a funk song, and it has some elements of rap (the percussion-and-voice part in particular). And then there's, um, a lot of recycling: good as it is, the twelve-minute "Dance to the Medley" is pretty much a twelve-minute rewrite of "Dance to the Music"; "Ride the Rhythm" and "Are You Ready" are similar, only lame: unlike "Medley", they don't work as dance tracks, so all their flaws (simplistic lyrics; predictable chord progressions; dull melodies) come to the fore. And "Higher" is notable only for being an ancestor of "I Want to Take You Higher" - it's truly a boring song outside of its minor historical importance. And "I'll Never Fall in Love Again" is a pained soul ballad. That leaves a couple pretty good songs: the soulful "I Ain't Got No One (for Real)", and the group's first pro-integration anthem, "Color Me True".

9 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars 1 1/2 stars-- Record-company driven disaster., May 15, 2007

By	Michael Stack (North Chelmsford, MA USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

After the relative commercial failure of their debut record "A Whole New Thing", Sly Stone was pressured by his record company to put out a pop single, and he turnd out a monster. "Dance to the Music" charted well, introduced by its shouted declaration ("get on up and dance to the music!"), vocal breaks, and great funky backbeat while the band introduces themselves to get going, it's about as strong a pop hook as anyone could hope for and a great song. But as great as it is, it ends up being pretty much the undoing of the album that shares its title. I don't know if Stone was afraid to stray from the formula the label wanted or if he was pressured to do so, but "Dance to the Music" (the album) ends up using the title track's chord progressions for half a dozen cuts, creating a pretty stunning lack of variance on the record. Making matters worse, some of the other material is so weak that you actually find yourself wishing it used the same chord progression as everything else.

I realize this is a pretty sharp criticism, but the record opens up with the great title track, it's hot and exciting and powerful. The second time I hear it ("Dance to the Medley", a 12 minute rewrite of "Dance to the Music"), I've had enough. When I get to hear it a third ("Ride the Rhythm") and fourth time ("Are You Ready"), I've pretty much had enough. It doesn't help that there's a bunch of subpar songs at the beginning of the record either ("Higher" is actually ok, but it'd get rewritten in a couple years as "I Want to Take you Higher", a much superior cut, "I Ain't Go Nobody" is bland funk). The real notable exception to all of this is "Don't Burn Baby"-- featuring a fantastic vocal from Sly Stone, a great, funky back beat, and an organ dominating the whole piece, this one is highly unique even in the catalog of Sly Stone.

This reissue remasters the album, appends several bonus tracks, and includes both the original liner notes and a new essay on the record. The sonic upgrade is very much worthwhile, the record sounds crisp and clean.

I'm sure it's pretty clear "Dance to the Music" isn't my favorite Sly & the Family Stone record-- the band would go on to a series of fantastic records starting with 1968's "Life". "Dance to the Music" is a single, not an album, this one is really for diehards only.