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Stand! by ReleasedMay 3, 1969Recorded1968–1969
Pacific High Recording Studios
(), Length41:27 chronology
(1968)Stand!
(1969)
(1970) from Stand! "" / ""
Released: 1968 "" / ""
Released: 1969 Professional ratingsReview scoresSourceRating(favorable)(10/10)(favorable)Rolling Stone(A)

Stand! is the fourth  by / band , written and produced by lead singer and multi-instrumentalist  and released on May 3, 1969 on , just before the group's celebrated performance at the  festival. Stand! was the band's most commercially successful album to date, with over 500,000 copies sold in the year of its release: it was certified  in sales by the  on December 4, 1969, went on to sell over three million copies and became one of the most successful albums of the 1960s. By 1986 it had sold well over 1 million copies and was certified platinum in sales by the RIAA on November 26 of that same year.

Stand! is also considered an artistic high-point of the band's career. In 2003 the album was ranked number 118 on  magazine's list of . It includes several well-known songs, among them , such as "", "", "", and "".

It was published in US as an  with  cover, and was reissued in 1990 on vinyl and  and in 2007 as a  numbered edition  CD with bonus tracks and, in the UK, only as a  with .

In 2015, the album was deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" by the  and selected for inclusion in the .

Music Production

Stand! was recorded after , a commercially unsuccessful album. Although the Family Stone's single "" was a top ten hit in early 1968, none of the band's first three albums reached above 100 on the . Stand! reached number thirteen and launched Sly Stone and his bandmates , , , , , and  into the pop music mainstream.

Much of the album was recorded in the  area at Pacific High Recording Studios. The band’s  director and photographer  recalled how "together" Sly Stone was while working on Stand!, constantly referring to 's Orchestration text-book, unlike his erratic behavior and work after he became dependent upon  within a year of the album's success.

Content

Stand! begins with  on which Sly sings lead on "Stand", a mid-tempo number launching into a gospel break for its final forty-nine seconds. Most of the Family Stone was unavailable for the session at which this  was recorded: Sly, drummer  and horn players  and  were augmented by session players instead. Errico recalls that many liked the gospel extension more than they did the song proper, and that; "People would always ask, 'why didn't you go there and let that be the song?'" The second track, titled "Don't Call Me Nigger, Whitey", has few lyrics save for the chorus Don't call me "", whitey./Don't call me "whitey", nigger and a single verse sung by Rose Stone. On "" Freddie Stone, Larry Graham, Rose Stone, and Sly Stone take turns delivering the lead vocal and all seven band-members deliver the shouted backing vocals. Sly Stone, Robinson, Freddie Stone, Graham, and Martini all play instrumental solos.

MENU 0:00 The title track and album opener features gospel overtones. MENU 0:00 The high tempo song is a pulsating dedication to music. MENU 0:00 The group's first #1 Pop hit mocks the futility of hatred amongst people. Problems playing these files? See .

On "Somebody's Watching You" Sly Stone, Graham, Freddie Stone, and Rose Stone deliver the vocal in unison. The song's slightly pessimistic tone would be expanded upon later in the band's career with "" and the  LP, and would be a hit for the Family Stone's vocal group , the first Top 40 single to use a . "" urges the audience to "try a little ". ,  and  all recorded it, and the song's guitar riff is heard on 's "Bold Soul Sister" (from The Hunter, 1969), 's  (1970) and '  (1971).

"", already a number-one hit single in the United States by the time of the album's release, opens Side B. The most familiar selection on the album, "Everyday People" popularized the expression "different strokes for different folks". Sly Stone, Rose Stone and Cynthia Robinson sing lead and Larry Graham introduces the  style of bass he expanded on "Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)". "Sex Machine" is a thirteen-minute  that features Sly scatting through a vocoder and allows each band member a solo. Gregg Errico's drum solo closes the song and the band members are heard bursting into laughter during the final seconds. Stand! concludes with "", sung by Sly Stone, Freddie Stone, and Larry Graham. Sly Stone instead of Larry Graham played the bass.

Influence

 , , and  performed "Don't Call Me Nigger, Whitey" during the 1991  tour and in the 1993  film .

Track listing

All songs written, produced and arranged by  for Stone Flower Productions.

Side one "" – 3:08 "Don't Call Me Nigger, Whitey" – 5:58 "" – 5:22 "Somebody's Watching You" – 3:20 "" – 3:56 Side two "" – 2:21 "Sex Machine" – 13:45 "You Can Make It If You Try" – 3:37