SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: SLY AND THE FAMILY STONE – THE FIRST FAMILY: LIVE AT WINCHESTER CATHEDRAL 1967

SLY AND THE FAMILY STONE
THE FIRST FAMILY: LIVE AT WINCHESTER CATHEDRAL 1967
HIGH MOON RECORDS

A little over a month following the passing of Sly Stone, High Moon Records have released The First Family: Live At Winchester Cathedral 1967, the earliest live recording released to date of Sly & The Family Stone. Recorded on March 26, 1967 at Winchester Cathedral, the album captures the original Family Stone lineup towards the end of their residency at the Redwood, CA venue, running from December ‘66 to April of ’67.

Opening with an original track, “I Ain’t Got Nobody”, Sly & The Family Stone kick off their set with a scoring shuffle, one that would prove to be integral to ‘70s funk, and subsequently hip-hop, through syncopated and displaced rhythms. The energy on the stage can be felt immediately through the speakers, even if Stone’s vocals, along with the lush harmonies that would become a signature element to the band’s sound, appear to be muffled. As the only original song on the album, “I Ain’t Got Nobody” is a true demonstration of greatness, an early indicator of what was to come from Sly & The Family Stone within the year.

The remaining nine tracks on the album consist of covers ranging from Otis Redding to Joe Tex and Ben E. King to The Four Tops. Despite being almost entirely dependent on the material of others, Stone and company bring something truly special to each song through their own arrangements and tight performances, making for a curated set of soul and funk standards that would rest among the diverse foundation of the band’s sound. Highlights include the blistering funk of “Show Me”, the simmering, trumpet led and jazz infused seven-min jam on “Saint James Infirmary”, and the pair of Redding covers, “I Can’t Turn You Loose” and “Try a Little Tenderness”.

All in all, The First Family: Live At Winchester Cathedral 1967 is a raw collection of songs that captures early traces of brilliance that would come to light to a small collective later that year with the release of the band’s debut album, A Whole New Thing, and to a far greater extent, in the following year on Dance to the Music. The excellence of Stone and the chemistry of the band is tangible across this album, demonstrating even at the earliest stages of the band that there was a special quality to Sly & The Family Stone that was unlike anything else in popular music. Despite this, however, The First Family: Live At Winchester Cathedral 1967, like so many other early live releases that have emerged from this era and the many more that are likely to continue to follow, is plagued by a muddy mix stemming from poor audio quality. At times, Stone’s vocals are completely inaudible. Despite this, there is still much to enjoy from the live album, however, its recorded quality may make The First Family: Live At Winchester Cathedral 1967 more of a treasure trove for the greatest of fans. 

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