Sly and the Family Stone's There's a Riot Goin' On (33 1/3)

"There's a Riot Goin' On" has always held a very special place in the hearts of music fans. Sly and the Family Stone are one of those bands who (at their peak) transcend genre and appeal to a much wider audience, irrespective of tastes. So it is fitting that their masterpiece gets the 33 1/3 treatment.Part of the appeal of these books is that they have such an esoteric style, and upon turning to the first page, you can never really be sure what to expect. Whether its straight analysis, whimsical fantasy, or hard hitting commentary, there are always a few surprises in store for the reader. Miles Marshall Lewis' contribution to the series does not disappoint, with cutting insights, intelligent observations, and a narrative style that lives up to the mood of the album.Beginning with a dialogue between an un-named father and son (the author and his father, one can only imagine), we are then treated to a fairly comprehensive history of the band. This 'scene setting' becomes an essential part of the story of the record, and one doesn't really notice that we don't even begin to touch upon the actual record in question until about 3/5 of the way through the book. But the reader looking for insight into this dark and mysterious album will not be disappointed.In a way, the pacing is the major strength of this book. Miles Marshall Lewis has a good way with a tale, some of his asides are genuinely funny, and his research is comprehensive, but his brilliance in writing this book is to realise the genius of "There's a Riot Goin' On" is all in the timing, and his book follows suit. This album is a direct product of it's time, both sociologically and emotionally, and had it occurred at any other time, or had the events leading to it's creation been even slightly different, it would have been a completely different album. The book operates in the same way by carefully bringing us towards the album itself, placing it in some kind of historical context, and leaving us in no-doubt as to the mindset of the people involved in making it. By doing this, we get a far greater empathy for the record than we would have by simply looking at the songs, the lyrics, etc. One really feels like they have really got under the skin of what occasionally seems like an impenetrable album.If one were to offer criticism, it might be that there is not enough personal connection with the album. The text really does come alive when Miles Marshall Lewis inserts himself into the narrative, and perhaps a bit more of this would have been nice, but it really is a minor gripe with a book that hovers dangerously close to the edge of 'essential'.