Sly and the Family Stone: The First Family: Live At Winchester Cathedral 1967

The glossy silver foil finish inside and outside the covers of The First Family: Live at Winchester Cathedral 1967 to some degree belies the sound quality of the music inside. But the assiduous effort applied to the sonics of the original recordings—by Sly and The Family Stone's first manager Rich Romanello—is right in line with the meticulously annotated contents of the enclosed fifty-two page booklet.

With the many period photos as thought-provoking as the carefully annotated prose, the distinction of this package is thus inarguable. Indeed, there is nothing exactly like this High Moon Records title in the existing long-term discography of the paradism-shifting group. And not just because it is a concert recording (there are in fact two others from later in the career of the band).

This forty-eight minutes plus finds the man named Sylvester Stewart leading his fledgling ensemble through an adventure in roots the likes of which are simultaneously startling and perfectly appropriate. The track-by-track section of "The Playlist" essay enumerates and illustrates the likes of Motown's The Four Tops' "Baby I Need Your Loving"—with Stone himself on a short but poignant harmonica break—plus Otis Redding's "I Can't Turn You Loose" and "Try A Little Tenderness."

As co-producer (and Grammy-winning archivist) Alec Palao notes in his liner essay, all were regular plays on the bandleader's radio shows of the time. But the aforementioned selections are only the most familiar: Ben E. King's "What Is Soul?" follows hot on the heels of Joe Tex' "Show Me," both of which Sly & The Family render in much the same ultra-infectious manner they eventually became famous for (in much more polished form, of course).

The bandleader's sole original here, "I Ain't Got Nobody (For Real)," is an archetypal instance of that high-energy approach. But it is only slightly more affecting in its own way than the jazz-blues standard cum New Orleans parade jaunt that is "Saint James Infirmary." Meanwhile, the following cut and closer of the ten total is "I Gotta Go Now (Up On The Floor)"/"Funky Broadway," pure unadulterated dance fodder (at a seated show!?) enhanced by the tight execution(s) of the arrangements.

All of which charts allocate time for the various band members to shine. Whether it is drummer Greg Errico's hard-hitting intros or trumpeter/singer Cynthia Robinson's instrumental/vocal decorations to Junior Walker & the All Stars' "Pucker Up Buttercup," the increasingly intense momentum never flags, but only waxes and wanes as it heightens.

In that sense, Live At The Winchester Cathedral 1967 is a companion piece to Live at the Fillmore East October 4th & 5th, 1968 (Epic/Legacy Recordings, 2015) as well as the standalone 50th anniversary release from the sextet's appearance at the Woodstock Festival two years later.

While the audio does indeed leave something to be desired—even after mastering by Dan Hersch—the you-are-there-immediacy of its ambience only renders (repeatedly) hearing this set an inclusive experience, not to mention a wholly addictive one.

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