I Want to Take You Higher_ The Life and Times of Sly & the Family Stone - Jeff Kaliss [51]
"Sometimes in a family, it comes time to go," a discreet and reformed Larry told Bass Player years later. He went on to form Graham Central Station, and by the time of that group's biggest hit, One in a Million You (1980), Larry was better known as a singer than as a bassist. Larry then dissolved his band, but was always sought as an accompanist, and he found gigs with Carlos Santana, Chaka Khan, Aretha Franklin, and Stanley Jordan. He also made a popular instructional video for aspiring bass players, with his oldest and greatest rhythmic teammate Greg Errico serving as drummer.
Sly handpicked a replacement bassist, Rustee Allen, who'd been pointed out by Larry himself. The young Louisiana native, now a resident of Oakland, had experience playing with blues guitarist Johnny Talbot, the Edward Hawkins singers, and Vet Stone's Little Sister group. Rustee fit in quickly on Fresh, most memorably pouring out the haunting bass line on "If You Want Me to Stay." "Rather than being controlling, [Sly] encouraged the tune's spirit and vibe," Rustee told Bass Player. "He wanted me to be myself and put my nuances in the part." Influenced more by Motown stalwart James Jamerson's melodic technique than by Larry's percussive snap, the new recruit managed to blend the two. "Although I've always been primarily a finger-style player, I was able to adapt," he pointed out. "It's sort of a light slap in which you hold your thumb perpendicular to the strings and, using just the side of your thumb, you strike the string, sometimes using a little bit of your nail. You control the notes' duration with your left hand." The effect helped morph Sly's sound from psychedelic funk toward studio-rigged soul.
Seeking another real live drummer, Sly went with Pat Rizzo's recommendation of Andy Newmark, a solid pro with extensive credentials in a variety of acts. The Drumming World Web site has described how Andy was introduced to the leader of the Family Stone while Sly was prone and zoned-out in bed. "Are you funky?" Sly managed to ask. Andy replied in the affirmative, and sat down at a nearby kit to play for less than a minute. It was all Sly needed to command Freddie to replace Greg's temporary replacement, Jerry Gibson. Widely considered one of the Family Stone's most valuable additions, Andy later went on to play with David Bowie, George Benson, Luther Vandross, and with John Lennon on his final album, Double Fantasy.
Riot's one big hit had been "Family Affair." For Fresh, released in 1973, it was "If You Want Me to Stay" (revived thirty-four years later as a highlight of Sly's comeback performances). It's a slinky mid-tempo soul statement, based on the same Phrygian mode of chord changes as Bobby Hebb's 1966 hit "Sunny." Rustee recalled for Bass Player Sly's reaction to his freestyling fretwork on his Fender Jazz bass: "He just turned his back to me and grooved with my interpretation, giving a shout when he really liked what he heard," which involved nailing down the rhythm while pumping out flourishes of eighth- and sixteenth-note fills, effectively functioning as the track's lead instrument. Andy Newmark's drums propelled the song unobtrusively. "I didn't zero in on any part of his kit per se," Rustee explained. "I just focused on the overall groove.
Among the most distinctive of the tracks was the disc's opener, "In Time," spiraling out in a treacherous time signature that oneupped "Thank You (Falletinme Be Mice Elf Agin)." Miles Davis was reportedly so struck by this piece that he made his band listen to it repeatedly, to absorb its snakelike syncopation. The remaining songs were arguably somewhat brighter and more artful than Riot's, with something of the sensuality of Al Green or Marvin Gaye and an obvious