There's a Riot Goin' On
| There's a Riot Goin' On | ||||
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| Studio album by Sly and the Family Stone | ||||
| Released | November 20, 1971 | |||
| Recorded | 1970–71 | |||
| Studio | The Record Plant in Sausalito, California | |||
| Genre | Funk, soul, avant-pop | |||
| Length | 47:33 | |||
| Label | Epic | |||
| Producer | Sly Stone | |||
| Sly and the Family Stone chronology | ||||
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| Alternative cover | ||||
Reissue cover
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| Singles from There's a Riot Goin' On | ||||
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| Professional ratings | |
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| Retrospective reviews | |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |  |
| Christgau's Record Guide | A+ |
| Encyclopedia of Popular Music | |
| The Guardian |  |
| PopMatters | 8/10 |
| Q | |
| Rolling Stone | |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide | |
| Stylus Magazine | A |
| Uncut | |
There's a Riot Goin' On is the fifth studio album by American band Sly and the Family Stone, released on November 20, 1971, by Epic Records. It was recorded during 1970 and 1971 at Record Plant Studios in Sausalito, California, with sessions dominated by band frontman Sly Stone during a period of drug use and intra-group tension. The album embraced a darker and more challenging sound than the optimistic psychedelic soul style of the group's previous records, making use of hard funk rhythms, primitive drum machines, and unconventional mixing techniques. Originally intended to be issued as Africa Talks to You, the record was retitled There's a Riot Goin' On in response to Marvin Gaye's album What's Going On (1971), released five months before.
There's a Riot Goin' On entered the Billboard Pop Album and Soul Album charts at number one upon its release, while the album's lead single, "Family Affair" (1971), topped the Pop Singles chart. By 2001, it had sold one million copies and been certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Received with ambivalence upon its release, the album is now praised as one of the greatest and most influential recordings of all-time, and ranked at or near the top of many publications' "best album" lists. In 2003 it was ranked number 99 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.
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Wikipedia