Along with James Brown and Parliament-Funkadelic, Sly & the Family Stone virtually invented 1970"s funk. Their fusion of R&B rhythms, infectious melodies, and psychedelia created a new pop/soul/rock hybrid. The impact of Sly´s music has proven widespread and long-lasting. For instance, Motown producer Norman Whitfield patterned the label"s forays into harder- driving, socially relevant material (such as The Temptations" Runaway Child and Ball of Confusion) based on their sound.The pioneering precedent of Stone"s racial, sexual, and stylistic mix, had a major influence in the 1980"s on artists such as Prince and Rick James. Legions of artists from the 1990"s forward including Public Enemy, Fatboy Slim, Arrested Devellopment, Beck and many others mined Stone"s back catalog for samples.This 20 track compilation covers all the hits & fan favourites from the 1968-1974 period. For those not familiar with Sly this 2LP set on 180 grams audiophile vinyl is a great introduction and an invitation to dig deeper into Sly & The Family Stone´s catalogue.