"Stand! The Woodstock Experience" by SLY & THE FAMILY STONE – April 1969 US Fourth Studio Album on Epic Records in Stereo, July 1969 in the UK on Direction Records featuring Sly, Rose and Freddie Stone with Larry Graham, Cynthia Robinson, Gregg Errico and more (July 2009 UK Columbia/Legacy The Woodstock Experience 2CD Limited Edition Set Reissue featuring the album Remastered on CD1 [No Bonus Tracks] with an Unreleased Live Set from the August 1969 Festival on CD2 [17 Aug 1969] – Vic Anesini and Bob Irwin Remasters) - A Review by Mark Barry...

 

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"...Different Strokes For Different Folks..."

 

I loved this clever series – five cracking studio albums from 1969 given a tie-in with the most notorious love-in of 1969 – three days in August that was the legendary Woodstock Festival. This time up is the Funk-meisters themselves Sly Stone and his Family of (well) Stoners giving it different strokes for different folks (shooby dooby-dooby). And a winner it is too. It wants to take you higher - here are the details...

 

UK released August 2009 - "Stand! The Woodstock Experience" by SLY and THE FAMILY STONE on Epic/Legacy 88697 482412 (Barcode 886974824121) is 2CD Limited Edition Set with the "Stand!" album on CD1 (no Bonus Tracks) and the Previously Unreleased complete Sly and The Family Stone Woodstock Performance on Sunday, 17 August 1969 on CD2. Inside a Card Slipcase (a Series of Five Releases, see list below) – you get two Mini LP Oversized Card Repro Sleeves – the Live Set being new and a fold-out poster for The Woodstock Festival. It plays out as follows:

 

CD1 "Stand!" (41:42 minutes):

Side 1

1. Stand! (3:10 minutes)

2. Don't Call Me N*****, Whitey (5:59 minutes)

3. I Want To Take You Higher (5:24 minutes)

4. Somebody's Watching You (3:21 minutes)

5. Sing A Simple Song (3:57 minutes)

Side 2

6. Everyday People (2:22 minutes)

7. Sex Machine (13:48 minutes)

8. You Can Make It If You Try (3:43 minutes)

Tracks 1 to 8 are their fourth studio album "Stand!" – released April 1969 in the USA on Epic BN 26456 (Stereo only) and July 1969 in the UK on Direction 8-63655 (Stereo only). Charting 3 May 1969 and Produced by SLY STONE – the album peaked at No. 3 on the US Billboard R&B charts and No. 13 on the US Billboard Rock LP charts (didn't chart UK).

 

CD2 (50:18 minutes):

"Recorded Live At The Woodstock Music & Art Fair, Sunday, August 17, 1969"

1. M' Lady

2. Sing A Simple Song

3. You Can Make It If You Try

4. Everyday People

5. Dance To The Music

6. MEDLEY: Music Lover/Higher

7. I Want To Take You Higher

8. Love City

9. Stand!

Tracks 1 to 4 and 7 to 9 are PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED; Tracks 5 and 6 first appeared on the original 1970 US 3LP set "Woodstock: Music From The Original Soundtrack And More" on Cotillion SD 3-500.

 

Visually all five of these celebrationary 2CD sets are properly gorgeous. The impact of the two oversized Mini LP Card Sleeves in their thick Matt feel covers (each has an inner too with new liner notes) is immediate and pleasing. You kind of wish Sony would have done the same with other important releases on their impressive roster. The two-sided fold out poster is the same in each issue – the artist on one side with a generic Woodstock crowd photo on the other side – still it looks the part. VIC ANESINI did the tremendous Remasters – a name across huge swathes of the Sony catalogue – Santana, Paul Simon, Blood, Sweat & Tears, Aerosmith, Carole King, Mott The Hoople, Elvis Presley, Stevie Ray Vaughan and many more.

 

Niggles - immediately you notice with the album that the rather tasty Five Bonus Tracks that were on the April 2007 Legacy Edition CD Reissue and Remaster are AWOL from CD1 – three Mono single versions – "Stand!", "I Want To Take You Higher" and "You Can Make It If You Try" (unissued Mono mix) plus the then Unreleased outtakes "Soul Clappin' II" and the Instrumental "My Brain (Zig-Zag)" – shame that when there was obviously room. I can understand however the need to keep the album sans embellishments.

 

But that said – the album still impresses. Has there every been a more impressive social statement vs. fun vs. booty-shaking 45-single like "Everybody People" – its socially conscious lyrics reflecting the turmoil of America 1969. May 2016 saw Playing For Change do one of their famous star-laden videos for "Everybody People" with Musicians Jack Johnson, Keb Mo, Paula Fuga, Jason Mraz, Bernie Williams and Paula Abdul aided by Actors Tim Robbins, Alfre Woodard, Forest Whittaker and more. It's clocked up nearly 3-million views in 2023 and comments of being moved to tears are frequent. Back to the music...the near 14-minute instrumental "Sex Machine" that dominates Side 2 feels like a James Brown funk-showcase – the band showing off as they go from smooth Soul to P-Funk in one long chunk. But I prefer the LP-ender "You Can Make It If You Try" – melody, smart lyrics, the whole vibe just great and still cool after all these decades.

 

With feedback and equipment issues (Sly talks of this on stage), it is not surprising that the first four tracks on CD2 remained in the can. But make no mistake – the Remaster has brought out the tightness, confidence and sheer stage-storming power of the band. "Sing A Simple Song" has them cooking as they yah-yah and big mama the crowd into submission. Given this notorious concert, the audio on the live "You Can Make It If You Try" is shockingly good – the brass and funky Bass and Drums hitting your speakers with as much clarity as you could hope given the setting of August 1969. At last the 2:22 minutes of "Everybody People" on the album (always been too short) gets stretched out to 4:25 minutes live with enthusiastic crowd clapping. The album had been released in April 1969 on Epic Records to acclaim and the "Everyday People" 45-single issued in February 1969 had instantly climbed to No. 1 R&B and made huge impacts. So without a break, Sly takes no stopping chances and segues the song immediately into a MEDLEY where he does his slick-showman damnedest to get the crowd throwing up peace signs.

 

The band is cooking by the time they get to the boom-lakka-lakka call and response of "I Want To Take You Higher" – Harmonica Funk shaking the stage while the brass and guitars of "Love City" from their November 1968 album "Life" talks of long hair and people singing – a message that chimes with the audience. Sly brings it all home with a near Gospel rendition of the album's title track "Stand" – a nice version that brings out the sheer musicality in the song.

 

I bought all five of these "Woodstock Experience" twofers and am so glad I did. Take me higher baby...

 

The five 2009 titles in "The Woodstock Experience" series are (UK issues):

 

1. Jefferson Airplane - uses the "Volunteers" album and has an 8-track live album recorded 17 Aug 1969

Catalogue No: RCA/Legacy 88697 48240 2 (Barcode 886974824022)

 

2. Janis Joplin - uses the "I Got Dem Ol' Kozmic Blues Again Mama!" debut album and has a 10-track live album recorded 17 Aug 1969

Catalogue No: Columbia/Legacy 88697 48243 2 (Barcode 886974824329)

 

3. Santana - uses the "Santana" debut album and has an 8-track live album recorded Saturday 16 Aug 1969

Catalogue No: Columbia/Legacy 88697 48242 2 (Barcode 886974824220)

 

4. Sly & The Family Stone - uses the "Stand!" album and has a 9-track live disc recorded 17 Aug 1969

Catalogue No: Epic/Legacy 88697 48241 2 (Barcode 886974824121)

 

5. Johnny Winter - uses the "Johnny Winter" album and has an 8-track live disc recorded 17 Aug 1969

Catalogue No: Columbia/Legacy 88697 48244 2 (Barcode 886974824428)