3:33⅓ - Sly and the Family Stone - In Time
Sly Stone is one of the greats and that isn’t much in dispute. Today Sly turns 80 years old and I struggle to interact with Sly’s legacy. He’s performed live rarely during my lifetime and he’s suffered from drug addiction and terrible business relations with many of his managers and accountants. But the art that Sly Stone made in the first fifteen years of his career is some of the most world class, visionary, checking all the boxes* work you can ever imagine. It isn’t lost on me that Sly Stone started off as a radio DJ. I think that give him some insight for how to make his output irresistible, joyous to put on and absolutely committed to sounding GREAT, not necessarily CORRECT. He’s an icon and glad to celebrate on his birthday on Jazz88.
List of all Boxes to achieve to be amazing as a musical artist:
You write great songs that can live on even when others sing them
2. Your band is so good that they get famous as individuals
3. You’re absolutely captivating as a live performer
4. You share courageous words that advance society and culture
5. Artists continuing on in your genre have to consider your art and influence in their career
6. You are a captivating icon, you look amazing, you present an amazing idea of how a person can look and act
7. The visuals surrounding your musical output are top notch, memorable and iconic
