Deconstructing Sly Stone Circa 1975-78
Larry Graham hit it big too for about 4 years after leaving the Family Stone, but his star was over too by 1980 and Prince was blending Sly, Hendrix, James Brown and Funkadelic. So if "High On You" had hit in 1970 right after Woodstock and "Thank You," it would have been a smash hit. But five years down the road, the fascination had run out, even when the artist produced a solid album. Sly hit again artistically with "Back On The Right Track" in 1978, but the public had moved on by then. Sad because "Back" was another artististic breakthrough. This had to be frustrating for Sly because he had to know that he was producing quality product, but the pubic simply was not buying it. And it had nothing to do with missed concerts and band defections. It is just that the vapor of fame and 'being hot' is just that. It is there for a moment and then it is gone. But know that Sly & the Family Stone WAS the vapor for about three years and Sly was the mist for about 2 more. And nobody can take that away from them or him.
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