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Sly Stone was a trailblazer who changed the course of music – and an icon of both hope and pain | Stevie Chick

With the Family Stone, Sly was so audacious it was hard to believe his brilliance could ever be exhausted – making his unravelling all the more painful to watch

Even though he recorded three of funk’s most foundational albums – four if you include 1970’s GreatestHits, as flawless a good time as pop ever delivered – Sly Stone’s subsequent fall from grace was perceived as a grave betrayal of his talent. The year closed out with a further triumph: the standalone single Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin), on which the Family Stone’s Larry Graham reinvented bass guitar by slapping and plucking his strings with percussive fury. In fact, the album is located in a similar pocket to Fresh: the songs aren’t as strong and it leans too hard on new Family member, violinist Sid Page, but the title track’s squelchy funk is sparse and electrifying, while the Beastie Boys loved Loose Booty enough to lift its chorus for their Shadrach.

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