Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
An uneven tribute..., February 18, 2006
"Different Strokes By Different Folks" is a decent way to introduce a new generation to the genius of Sly Stone. However, it's only a good introduction if you then go out and buy any of the original Sly & the Family Stone albums. If you stop here, you're selling yourself short.
The individual tracks range from interesting re-interpretations of the original song to uninspiring, nearly note-for-note remakes. Highlights include The Roots' best track since their "Things Fall Apart" album, Star, which samples (obviously) Everybody is a Star. Other highlights are You Can Make It If You Try, Love City, and I Want To Take You Higher.
However, there are a lot of songs that didn't appeal to me at all, including will.i.am's version of Dance to the Music (Does anybody else realize that he's trying really hard to be this decade's Wyclef Jean, or is it just me?), the Big Boi produced tracks (Smilin' and Runnin' Away), and The Wylde Bunch's take on I Get High on You. These tracks are forgettable.
The biggest problem I have with the album is the glaring omission of some of Sly's greatest songs, most notably Stand, M'Lady, and Are You Ready? Why these songs were left off the album is beyond me, because it would have been nice to have heard some modern takes on those classic songs.
I will say that I bought my copy of the CD at a Starbucks shop when it first came out, and it's only 12 tracks instead of the 14 track version I see listed here on Amazon. So, I haven't heard the John Legend or Janet Jackson tracks, although I'm very curious about them.
All in all, it's an interesting way to rethink some classic Sly & the Family Stone tracks. Since we'll probably never get an album of new material from them, this might be as close as we ever get. Soak it in, and take it for what it's worth...
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Whatchoo talkin' about, Willis?, April 22, 2009
Let's get this out of the way first - Sly and the Family Stone are one of the greatest bands of all time. A band that, sadly, I didn't "discover" by myself, but more through getting into Prince, who it was written in a few books was inspired by them.
So, Curious George that I am, I went out and bought a few Sly Stone records, not really expecting much. From the opening bars of "I Want to Take You Higher" I was hooked, with "Everybody is a Star" I was floored by its simple, understated beauty, and by "Stand" I was damn-near having a heart attack. If everyone could discover this band in that way, the world would be a better place.
Because, tragically, some people will "discover" Sly & The Family Stone through this wretched record. Similar to the earlier Michael Jackson abomination, where two ton pop turds like Will.I.Am and Fergie helped destroy the Thriller album with a bunch of updated (read: ruined) versions of MJ's songs.
But, wait, maybe I'm being too quick to judge. After all, Prince is an obvious Sly fan, maybe guys like him and Stevie Wonder and MJ could help bring the music to a new audience? Oh, wait, better idea - let's get Moby, Joss Stone, Maroon 5 and (surprise surprise) Will.I.Am instead. Awesome.
While it would be unfair to not mention the welcome appearance of the likes of Steven Tyler, Chuck D and Isaac Hayes, they are outweighed by the sheer number of "what the hell are they even DOING here?" guest vocals. Wait till you hear Will.I.Am rapping over "Dance to the Music" - if you haven't ripped a chunk of your hair out after 20 seconds, you may want to ponder if you actually have a soul.
I refuse to believe, especially in today's climate where music has never BEEN more accessible, that this is the best way to get a new audience into a band. I just don't buy that. I read about this group, walked into a store, bought the record and it blew my mind. That's how it works. I didn't read about a band, walk into a store and look for watered down production line "tributes" that sound like any other sampled piece of MTV garbage out there.
The REAL music is out there, and more to the point, its remastered and repackaged to look and sound better than ever before. In short - no-one needs this record. But everyone needs to own at least one Sly Stone record. Sly Stone is a recluse now, but in his day he was a funny, passionate, defiant (check out "Don't Call Me Ni**er, Whitey" - that's still powerful stuff) - and as mad as a bag full of Hatters. And he made some of the greatest music of all time.
Discover that. Forget this.
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14 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Why Couldn't these People Leave Sly Alone? The Biggest Tribute Is To Buy Sly's Catalogue, February 10, 2006
Sly was one of the greatest music artists that needs no reworking or tampering with.
The music stands by itself.
The amazing grooves he laid down and his major influence on so many of his contemporaries is cheapened by this reworking of his music by artists whom may be his grandchildren but did not learn anything from the purity and authenticity of the soul and excitement Sly laid down.
Isaac Hayes, you may be older now but man, stick to the grace of your "Black Moses" sound when you were an original voice...Aerosmith singing Sly? Come On...Moby? your music is so far removed from the soul,funk,vibes that Sly created it is a perfect wonder that you are on this CD at all...I can see a posthumous tribute but this is not the way to experience the man when his recordings sounds so vital and fresh even today.
Get the near perfect Essential Sly or the classic 1 cd Greatest Hits and you will see what I mean...
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