High on You
High on You is the first solo album by singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Sly Stone, released by Epic/CBS Records in 1975. It reflects the beginnings of change in the concept of "Sly and the Family Stone". Formerly a tangible self-contained band, the Family Stone broke up in January 1975 after a disastrous booking at the Radio City Music Hall. At this point, most of the band members parted company with Stone, except for trumpeter Cynthia Robinson, his brother guitarist Freddie Stone, and backup singers Little Sister. With subsequent recordings, Stone returned to using the name of his former band, although they were largely solo recordings.
High on You | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | November 8, 1975 | |||
Recorded | 1974–75 | |||
Genre | Funk | |||
Length | 34:46 | |||
Label | Epic (PE 33835) | |||
Producer | Sly Stone | |||
Sly and the Family Stone chronology | ||||
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Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
Allmusic | [1] |
Christgau's Record Guide | B–[2] |
Overview
From this point on, each "Sly & the Family Stone" album would essentially be a Sly Stone solo recording, with contributions from a varying group of collaborators. Sometimes, members of the original Family Stone would participate in the sessions, and sometimes session players and new members would work with Stone as well. For the most part, however, Stone performed a large part of the instrumentation for each song on his own using multitracking (as he had been doing for Family Stone LPs since There's a Riot Goin' On in 1971). This album, like the others, includes a combination of all three types of recordings, plus a handful of songs recorded before the band's dissolution.
High on You's first single was the R&B number-three hit "I Get High on You". The LP's second single, "Le Lo Li", failed to chart within the R&B Top 40, as did the third, "Crossword Puzzle". All three singles missed the U.S. pop Top 40.
Besides its standard stereo release, High on You was also released in quadraphonic sound.
The album prominently features vocalist Rudy Love.
Track listing
All songs written by Sylvester Stewart and produced by Sly Stone, unless otherwise noted.
Side one
- "I Get High On You" - 3:15
- "Crossword Puzzle" - 2:57
- "That's Lovin' You" - 2:58
- "Who Do You Love?" - 3:42
- "Green Eyed Monster Girl" - 3:55
Side two
- "Organize" (Sylvester Stewart, Freddie Stewart) - 3:22
- "Le Lo Li" - 3:20
- "My World" - 3:26
- "So Good To Me" - 3:24
- "Greed" - 4:13
Personnel
- Sly Stone - vocals, keyboards, guitar, bass, various instruments
- Little Sister (Dawn Silva, Tiny Melton, Vet Stewart, Rudy Love) - background vocals
- Freddie Stone - vocals, guitar
- Jerry Martini - saxophones
- Dennis Marcellino - saxophone
- Cousin Gale (Gail Muldrow) - guitar
- Bobby Vega - bass on "I Get High on You"
- Rusty Allen - bass on "Organize"
- Michael Samuels - drums on "Crossword Puzzle" and "Monster Girl"
- Jim Strassburg - drums on "I Get High on You", "Who Do You Love", "My World", "So Good to Me" and "Greed"
- Willie Wild Sparks - drums on "Le Lo Li"
- Bill Lordan - drums on "That's Lovin' You"
- Cynthia Robinson - trumpet, vocals
- "Little Moses" - organ on "I Get High On You"
- Bobby Lyles, Tricky Truman Governor (Truman Thomas) - keyboards
- Sid Page - violin
- Technical
- Karat Faye - engineer
References
- High on You at AllMusic
- Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: S". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies. Ticknor & Fields. ISBN 089919026X. Retrieved March 13, 2019 – via robertchristgau.com.