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Sly & The Family Stone led the pack of Black artists in the 60s shaping their own musical sound and destiny. Tune in to Soundbreaking on PBS tonight at 10/9c for this incredible story and more. Check your local listings here.

Pitchfork has shared its list of what it considers the 200 Best Songs of the 1970s, with Sly & The Family Stone’s “Family Affair,” from the album There’s A Riot Goin’ On, at #55. Pitchfork writes:

Sly composed most of Riot on his own, including “Family Affair,” a stripped-down track with a drum machine and light electric keys. Vocally, Sly opts for a grumbling, conversational cadence that adds a certain intimacy. The result is a song that feels like a personal conversation about life’s ups and downs.

Read more at Pitchfork.

Life is too complex to cover with one song. There’s too much strife, too much anger, too many complex questions and issues. But sometimes some songs fit situations so perfectly.

Sly & The Family Stone have many great songs and albums. … Consider the setting for the early several albums. From 1967 to 1973, you had the rise and fall of flower power, the increasing anger over Vietnam, racial and religious conflicts were skyrocketing, and the political scene was polarizing and chaotic. Does any of that situation sound relevant to today?

Please understand that I’m not suggesting that any song, any music group, any particular album will be the balm to cure any societal ailment. But Sly & The Family Stone’s “Everyday People” is such a great song. And it seems to apply as much now as it did in 1968.

Read more at the St. Cloud Times.

Just in time for Sly’s birthday, Rolling Stone has compiled a list of what it considers to be 20 essential songs by Sly & The Family Stone. Do you agree? Read the full list.