Legendary funk outfit Sly & The Family Stone is set to release one of the earliest ever live recordings of the band. This could mark a big moment in funk music history. A team of archivists has apparently uncovered a live album from the late 1960s titled The First Family: Live At Winchester Cathedral 1967, which has taken years to restore and remaster for release.
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A standout track from the live album titled “I Gotta Go Now / Funky Broadway” was released yesterday. You can listen to it below and transport yourself to a very different (and funkier) time.
Sly & The Family Stone’s Legacy is Unending
Sly & The Family Stone has seen a resurgence in recent years. The group was the subject of Questlove’s recent documentary Sly Lives! (AKA The Burden Of Black Genius). Now, it looks like the new live album will finally get an official release on both physical and digital mediums.
The vinyl and CD versions of the album will also contain several fan goodies. Those include liner notes from producer Alec Palao and interviews with the original band members, as well as unreleased photos. If you opt for the CD version of the release, you’ll also get a bonus track of the band’s performance of “Try A Little Tenderness” by Otis Redding.
“The Winchester Cathedral recordings showcase a one-of-a-kind outfit that was already at the peak of its powers, long before it became internationally famous,” Palao said in a statement ahead of the album’s release.
According to reports, the live set was recorded mere weeks before Sly & The Family Stone became massively popular for their song “Dance To The Music”. When the recording took place, the band worked as a house band at the Winchest Cathedral in Redwood City, California. The original tapes were discovered back in 2002 by a pair of archivists. It took quite a while to get them restored and mastered by Palao and Dan Hersch, respectively.
The tracklist is really something incredible, too. The album will feature gorgeous renditions of “I Can’t Turn You Loose”, “Baby I Need Your Loving”, and “I Gotta Go Now / Funky Broadway”, among others. The release will feature nine tracks total, not including the CD-only bonus track.
The First Family: Live At Winchester Cathedral 1967 is set to be released on Friday, July 18.
Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
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