Unearthed Funk: Sly & The Family Stone’s Earliest Live Recording Set for Release
Sly and the Family Stone are set to release their earliest known live recording, The First Family: Live at the Winchester Cathedral 1967, on July 18 via High Moon Records. This album captures the band during their formative months as the house band at Winchester Cathedral in Redwood City, California, where they performed from December 1966 through April 1967.
Archival Treasure from the Birth of a Sound
The performance, recorded in the early hours of March 26, 1967, by the band’s first manager, Rich Romanello, showcases the group’s raw energy and innovative fusion of funk, soul, and rock. The tapes were rediscovered in 2002 by Dutch archivists Edwin and Arno Konings and have been meticulously restored by producer Alec Palao.
Track Highlights and Historical Significance
The album features a mix of contemporary soul and R&B covers, including Otis Redding‘s “I Can’t Turn You Loose” and the Four Tops‘ “Baby I Need Your Loving,” along with the band’s original composition “I Gotta Go Now (Up on the Floor) / Funky Broadway.” The CD edition includes a bonus track: a rendition of Redding’s “Try a Little Tenderness.”
Physical Release Details
Physical releases will come with a deluxe booklet containing liner notes by Palao, interviews with Sly Stone and original band members, and previously unseen photographs.
Legacy and Cultural Relevance
This release offers a rare glimpse into the early days of Sly and the Family Stone, capturing the band’s dynamic performances that would soon revolutionize the music scene with their groundbreaking sound.
Tracklist
- “I Ain’t Got Nobody (For Real)”
- “Skate Now”
- “Show Me”
- “What Is Soul?”
- “I Can’t Turn You Loose”
- “Try a Little Tenderness” (CD Bonus Track)
- “Baby I Need Your Lovin’”
- “Pucker Up Buttercup”
- “Saint James Infirmary”
- “I Gotta Go Now (Up on the Floor) / Funky Broadway”
