A Whole New Thing (Sly and the Family Stone album)

For other uses, see Whole New Thing (disambiguation).

A Whole New Thing
Studio album by Sly and the Family Stone
Released	October 1967 1970 (re-release)
Recorded	June–September 1967
Genre	Psychedelic funk [1] psychedelic soul [1]
Length	38:01
Label	Epic
Producer	Sly Stone
Sly and the Family Stone chronology
A Whole New Thing (1967) Dance to the Music (1968)
Cover for 1970 reissue
1970 reissue cover for A Whole New Thing. Note the use of photographs similar to those on the cover of the Sly & the Family Stone Greatest Hits album, and the inclusion of Rose Stone as a member of the Family Stone. Rose Stone was not a member of the band at the time of this LP.

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[2]
Austin Chronicle	[3]
BBC Music	favorable [4]
The Guardian	[5]
Rolling Stone (1967)	unfavorable [6]
Rolling Stone (2007)	[7]
Stylus	B− [8]
Uncut	[9]

A Whole New Thing is the debut album by American funk-soul band Sly and the Family Stone, released in 1967 on Epic and CBS Records. The album was released to mixed criticism and failed to make an impact from a commercial standpoint and did not chart. CBS Records executive Clive Davis prevailed upon band leader Sly Stone to create a more commercial album; the result was the album Dance to the Music . Unlike later Sly and the Family Stone albums, A Whole New Thing was recorded live in the studio instead of being overdubbed and featured less of a pop feel than later releases such as Dance to the Music and Stand! . The lead vocals are shared between Sly Stone, Freddie Stone, and Larry Graham; Rose Stone would not join the band until they began work on Dance to the Music.

Track listing

All tracks written, arranged and produced by Sly Stone for Stone Flower Productions.

Side one

1. "Underdog" – 3:59
2. "If This Room Could Talk" – 3:00
3. "Run, Run, Run" – 3:14
4. "Turn Me Loose" – 1:52
5. "Let Me Hear It from You" – 3:35
6. "Advice" – 2:22

Side two

1. "I Cannot Make It" – 3:20
2. "Trip to Your Heart" – 3:43
3. "I Hate to Love Her" – 3:30
4. "Bad Risk" – 3:04
5. "That Kind of Person" – 4:25
6. "Dog" – 3:10

CD bonus tracks

• 1995 CD reissue:
  • "What Would I Do" - 4:05
• 2007 CD limited edition reissue:
  • "Underdog" (mono B-side version) - 3:04
  • "Let Me Hear It From You" (mono B-side version) - 3:28
  • "Only One Way Out of This Mess" - 3:51
  • "What Would I Do" - 4:05
  • "You Better Help Yourself" (instrumental version) - 4:19

Personnel

Sly and the Family Stone

• Sly Stone – vocals, organ, guitar, piano, celeste, harmonica, and more
• Freddie Stone – vocals, guitar
• Larry Graham – vocals, bass guitar
• Cynthia Robinson – trumpet, vocal ad-libs
• Jerry Martini – saxophone
• Greg Errico – drums
• Little Sister (Vet Stone, Mary McCreary, Elva Mouton) – background vocals

References

1. Masley, Ed (May 30, 2017). "Sgt. Pepper and beyond: A look back at 20 great albums released in 1967". azcentral . Retrieved November 3, 2023. ...Sly Stone and his musical Family laying the foundation for the whole new thing the title promised with a psychedelic spin on classic funk and soul.
2. AllMusic Review
3. Austin Chronicle review
4. BBC review
5. "CDs: Sly and the Family Stone, back catalogue". The Guardian . April 5, 2007. Archived from the original on April 30, 2023.
6. Rolling Stone, Vol 1. No. 3, December 14, 1967, p. 19
7. Christgau review
8. Stylus review Archived 2008-10-25 at the Wayback Machine
9. Uncut review Archived 2007-04-03 at the Wayback Machine