Songs 231 and 232 - "Everybody Is A Star" and "Thank You" - Sly & The Family Stone

Recorded - September 1969 (Everybody...).
               - October 1969 (Thank You). 

Released - December 10, 1969

#1 for weeks of February 14 and 21, 1970. 

     Another double A-sided single, and one where the two sides couldn't be more different. We have here, a song that's the last of the classic sound of Sly & The Family Stone. The other side, points in a darker and funkier direction. After having a successful #3 hit with "Hot Fun In The Summertime" and playing the Woodstock festival in August, the "Stone" set out shortly after to work on material for a planned album. 

     As it turned out, only two further songs were worked on and completed for the rest of the year: The two I'm reviewing here today. The first, "Everybody Is A Star", is a downtempo smooth-jazz number. Featuring all of the group's vocalists trading leads, the listener is thus, given a diverse look at the wide range of the group's vocal styles. 

     Musically, I wouldn't rank this song to be among the most exciting or groundbreaking of Sly's songs. The wordless lead vocals, which appear in the song's middle and fade-out do get a bit repetitive after a while. Still, the verse melodies as well as the aforementioned vocal trades do ensure that this song is a pleasant listen. 

     Well, now that you've listened to "Everybody Is A Star" - (You are listening to the songs as you read the reviews, right??), go listen to the other A-side, "Thank You", or as it's better known "Thank You (Falletinme Be Mice Elf Agin)". And no, that's not a typo, just a "Sly" way of writing "For Letting Me Be Myself Again". 

     If "Everybody Is A Star" is the triumphant, happy, and optimistic Sly & The Family Stone, then "Thank You" is the cynical, darker, and gritty side of the group that was starting to be born during autumn of 1969. During these closing months of the 1960's, The Family Stone, and especially Sly Stewart started using harder drugs such as cocaine. Lyrically, "Thank You" is a sarcastic statement about how the record companies and society wouldn't let the band have creative freedom and be themselves. 

     I hope the back story behind "Thank You" didn't scare you away as musically, it absolutely COOKS! For one, we've got real slap bass finally appearing on a pop record. Plus, the interplay between the guitars and horns is just plain awesome. Forget about any previous song I have called "Funky". This is real, genuine, grade A funk. This is a genre that wouldn't reach prominence until a few years later. Meanwhile, Sly & The Family Stone were capturing everything captivating about the genre in late 1969!

     The only downsides to "Thank You" is it marked the beginning of a dry period for the band, one full of rampant drug use. It wouldn't be until 1971 that the now chemically transformed Family Stone began slowly working on new material. Nobody, not even any of you newcomers to Sly Stewart's music, could have expected just how radically different the group's next single would sound. Find out, when we reach 1971!

Final Verdict - "Everybody Is A Star" may be a fine smooth jazz number, but it is "Thank You" that I enjoy the most. It's got a tight and genuinely funky music track, and it show that Sly Stewart was much more than a one trick pony. Unquestionably, a well-deserved #1 hit in my book. 

      Coming Up Next - "Bridge Over Troubled Water" by Simon & Garfunkel. 

       Until Next Time, I'm Dr. Rock and I thank you fareadin' miblog agin -