LP Review: Life
Previous LP: Dance to the Music (B+)
Next LP: Stand! (A-)
Released: 1968
LP Charts: #195 pop
After a perky, but understandably awkward debut album, and then a sophomore LP that was lightning in a bottle, Sly & the Family Stone’s third album was surely the one where they cemented their sound and fully found their footing?
Nah.
Despite some moments of progression and/or solidification, Life was overall a step backwards. Or if you want a positive spin on things, it was a growing pain.
The opener “Dynamite” is the best song here and features a vicious guitar riff from Freddie Stone. The other two outstanding booty-shaking tracks here are “Love City” and “M’Lady”. The utopian “Love City”—with a lyric about president Harry Truman dancing with squares—is built around another insane drumming performance from Greg Errico, while “M’Lady” is nearly a carbon copy of “Dance to the Music”.
The lyrical content on many songs here, as demonstrated by the Harry Truman quip, are extremely silly. Examples…
“Chicken”
You’re a chicken
’Cause you’ve got a gutter mind
Don’t be a bock-bock-bock-bock-a
You can leave your fear behind
“Plastic Jim”, which cleverly recycles the chorus of “Eleanor Rigby”
All the plastic people
What do they all come for?
Plastic Jim
Will give you a conversation
To avoid a situation
That needs contemplation
Those clever lyrics don’t necessarily make great or good songs, though. As none of those immediately mentioned above are all that engrossing, particularly given that after the opening “Dynamite” the album goes through five consecutive songs that are just purely average and don’t really demand your attention.
Fortunately, the album’s second side is more engaging. It’s the side that has “Love City” and “M’Lady” in addition to the absurdly stupid “I’m An Animal”. I do give them big props for having a sleazy sex song with “Jane Is A Groupee”. Granted I don’t have a definitive archive of these songs, but this may very well be the first song about fans who just show up to the concert to get some sex from the band.
She claps her hands without a doubt
Has no idea what the song’s about
She’s too busy tryin’ to figure out the shorter route
To take the drummer home
ALBUM GRADE: C+
Although Side Two is good, it isn’t exactly setting the world on fire; however it’s really Side One of this album that’s a drag. Easily the worst Sly & the Family Stone album before the mid-1970s.
What’s even more disheartening is that three other tracks recorded at the same time as this album were later released on CD bonus editions. The mellow “Seven More Days” (6/10), the rockin’ “Pressure” (7/10), and the funky instrumental “Sorrow” (7/10) coulda been happily incorporated here to replace the weaker tracks.
Song Scores
Dynamite: 8/10
Chicken 5/10
Plastic Jim: 6/10
Fun: 5/10
Into My Own Thing: 6/10
Harmony: 5/10
Life: 6/10
Love City 7.5
I’m An Animal 6.5/10
M’Lady: 7.5/10
Jane is a Groupee: 6.5/10
Previous LP: Dance to the Music (B+)
Next LP: Stand! (A-)