By TC
Sly and the Family Stone - Fresh (1973, Epic)

Somewhere in my brain, I've always compared the evolution of the Sly and the Family Stone discography to that of a party. The early records are the arrival of the guests, first drinks, fun conversation, maybe dancing for those that are so inclined. "Stand" represents the drunken, albeit well-meaning, argumentative phase, while "There's a Riot Goin' On" is the hazy freak out that everybody loved but nobody quite remembers. I suppose that, following this logic, 'Fresh' is the paranoid, introspective thoughts that are going through your head after all of the fun has worn off and you can't sleep because the sun is coming up and the people fucking in the other corner of the room aren't even trying to be quiet about it.

And a Bonus--

What a shitty week for music. Animal Collective get their asses kissed worldwide, Florian Schneider leaves Kraftwerk, AND fucking Ron Asheton dies!

I bought the first Stooges record when i was 13 or 14 years old and played the shit out of it. I remember listening to 'i wanna be your dog' and coming to the realization that you don't have to play like Hendrix or Kirk Hammett or even J Mascis to pull off kick ass guitar solos. That song in particular (and the rest of the record) was a fucking life changer for me. Thank you Mr. Asheton, RIP.

I'm sure everybody has these, but just in case:

The Stooges - The Stooges (1969, Elektra) LINK

The Stooges - Fun House (1970, Elektra) LINK