Back on the Right Track

Track Listings

1. Remember Who You Are

2. Back on the Right Track

3. If It's Not Addin' Up

4. Same Thing (Makes You Laugh, Makes You Cry)

5. Shine It On

6. It Takes All Kinds

7. Who's to Say?

8. Sheer Energy

Back on the Right Track,Sly & the Family Stone,Aim Records,Funk,Pop,Pop/Rock,R&B/Soul,Rock,Soul,Soul/R & B

Tracks:

Remember Who You Are
Back on the Right Track
If It's Not Addin' Up...
Same Thing (Makes You Laugh, Makes You Cry)
Shine It On
It Takes All Kinds
Who's to Say?
Sheer Energy

Album Description

UK reissue of the funk legend's 1979 album for Warner Brothers. Back On The Right Track has been heavily sampled by De La Soul & A Tribe Called Quest. Tracks include, 'Remember Who You Are' & 'The Same Thing'.

Album Details

Reissue of 1979 Release.

Customer Reviews:

Not really..........2007-07-11

This has the feel of the classic Sly Stone albums, but lacking in their liveliness, with a couple gimmicks thrown in simply to modernize the sound (buzzing keyboards on "Shine it On"; talkbox on "The Same Thing (Makes You Laugh, Makes You Cry)"; electric piano and disco rhythms on "Who's to Say?"). It's sad to see Sly reduced to this: he even takes some of his old ideas and dresses them up in new packaging ("Sing a Simple Song" + "Everyday People" = "It Takes All Kinds"). Of course, Sly was gone at this point, little more than a drug-addled recluse, struggling against the tide, trying and failing to reclaim the glory of his '60s material. It's laid-back, lazy funk: most of it is in the same tempo, every song sort of bleeds into each other, but not like the songs on There's a Riot Goin' On did. Kudos to the bassist: he does overuse slap a bit (obviously a Larry Graham imitator), but he holds down a solid groove: a couple of the songs are decent as far as imitation classic Sly goes ("Sheer Energy", with a harmonica; "Remember Who You Are"), and the album's very listenable, even if most of the songs are bad.
And I'm not anti-Sly by any means, no matter what this two-star review may imply: Life, Stand!, There's a Riot Goin' On and Fresh are all solid records. Far better than this, too.

Sly's last really good record - almost up there with Fresh.......2002-07-01

I'm a nearly religious devotee of Sly, but certainly not blinded by the light. While his late 60's stuff was raw and funky and his early-mid 70s stuff (most notably Fresh and Small Talk) were the absolute pinnacle of positive funk, most of his later efforts reek of chronic burnout and disco sellout.

Not so the aptly titled Back on the Right Track, which is a rare gem in his late career. While it's not quite as funky, creative or soul-stirring as Fresh-era Sly, it's a solid record full of short and simple but really tasty grooves... and for those of you who tune into Sly's higher frequencies, he feels more spiritually present on this record than he did on most of his mid-to-late 70's recordings, back in the positive groove that made us love him. The highs on this record aren't his highest, but it's consistently cool and there isn't a lame moment on the record.

My Sly favorites: Fresh and Small Talk, and immediately after those i would rank Anthology ('cause it has most of the best of Sly's earliest stuff), High On You and this disc, in no particular order. If you dig Sly at all and the sample tracks don't turn you off, you'll probably be very happy with Back on the Right Track. If you're new to Sly, then buy Fresh, Small Talk and (if you're down with 60's soul) Anthology first.

The Best Of The Later Period.......2002-05-28

After comparing this album with Sly's other albums (post Fresh) I have to say that this is easily the best. Recorded in 1978/79 you'd be forgiven for thinking that his mid 70's stuff would be better, but unusually this is not the case.
To me (and many others) it seems that Sly's ego and his paranoid delusions of granduer and omnipotence got the better of him after 1970.
Part of the problem was that 'The Family Stone' had left him in '73 and any creative input and boundaries that they may have been able to put in place were overtaken by more than a modicum of self indulgence and obstinance.
This lack of focus meant that Sly spent most of his time with his head in the clouds after the number 1 single 'Thankyou Falletin Me Be Mice Elf Again'(1970).
On this album though Sly captures some of his earlier form. It is also not ruined by the 'diaphonous' master tapes that would be re-recorded over many times, for numerous and often unsavoury reasons. (think of the album There's A Riot Going On)
With members of the original band back on board and with some kind of monetary focus the awful sound quality that is present on There's A Riot has been completely eliminated.
There are certainly more than 2 good tracks here. I'd wager that ALL the tracks here are above Sly's 'own' average.
My only gripe is that many of the songs are under 3 mins and the album clocks in at less than 30 mins in it's entirity.
I think that this was a ploy by either the record company, the band, or Sly himself to try and condense the studio work into some kind of chart success. This, unfortunately was not to be and the album was a failure of sorts. Whilst it didn't perform in the charts it is certainly worth reconsidering if you are looking for something to compliment the 'Greatest Hits' packages.
Regardless, this is the only album really worth hunting out after 'Fresh', or possibly 'High On You' and as such, in many ways, marks the end of a distinguished career of a flawed genius.

Tracks:

Ain't That Lovin' You Baby
Same Thing (Makes You Laugh, Makes You Cry)
In the Still of the Night
Remember Who You Are
Searchin'
Seventh Son
Shine It On
Who's to Say?
Back on the Right Track
Buttermilk (Pt. 1)
Buttermilk (Pt. 2)
If It's Not Adding Up
Sheer Energy
Swim

Average customer rating:

Back on the Right Track
Sly & The Family Stone
Manufacturer: Aim Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | R&B | Styles | Music

General | Soul | R&B | Styles | Music

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Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music

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Funk | R&B | Indie Music | Stores | Music

Soul | R&B | Indie Music | Stores | Music

R&B | Imports | Stores | Music
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Album Description

Mid-priced European reissue of 1979, previouslyavailable only as an expensive Japanese import. 8 tracks:1)Remember Who You Are2)Back On The Right Track3)If It's Not Addin' Up...4)The Same Thing (Makes You Laugh, Makes You Cry)5)Shine It On6)It Takes All K