Sly and the Family Stone were an American soul, funk, and rock band active from 1967 to 1983. They were one of the first American rock bands to have a multiracial, multi-member lineup -type. There was a two-year gap between the release of their album Stand! and the release of There's a Riot Goin' On, recorded in 1971. Stand! it has sold over three million copies. It was a huge success and was one of the high points of the band's career. Unlike their album Stand! , There's a Riot Goin' On is darker. It's urban blues mixed with funk, full of electric pianos, extensive overdubs, slurred vocals and dark instrumentation. The 1970s in America were a time of great social change and progress for African-Americans. Dr. Clifton R. Wharton, Jr became president of Michigan State University. Toni Morrison published her book The Bluest Eye in 1970 and later won the Pulitzer Prize and a Nobel Prize for Literature. Essence magazine was first published in 1970; its purpose was to showcase the positive opinions and stories of African American women. Kenneth Gibson was elected mayor of Newark. Jill Brown became the first African-American female pilot in the U.S. military and later in 1978 became the first African-American pilot for a major airline. Shirley Chisholm was the first African American woman elected to the United States House of Representatives to run for President of the United States of America in 1972. However, there was still much progress to be made. Only 16% of African Americans attended college. Unemployment among them was higher than among the white community. They earned much less than white families. Yet there was still a sense of desperation in... middle of paper... in December 1969. It's slow and drags on. It goes on for seven minutes and twelve seconds. It's completely different from the original recording which was much more upbeat and moved at a faster pace. There's a Riot Goin' On has been praised as one of the greatest and most influential recordings of all time. It's different from Sly and the Family Stone's previous material. It's a darker style of funk. The band has greatly influenced the sound of hip hop, pop, R&B, funk and pop music. Their album was influenced by what was happening in America at the time, especially in relation to the African-American community and the huge increase in drug use during the 60s and 70s. Following the album's release it was met with divided reactions from fans and music critics. However, it was ranked 99th on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time...