A Whole New Thing (Sly and the Family Stone album)

For other uses, see Whole New Thing (disambiguation).

A Whole New Thing is the debut album by funk/soul band Sly and the Family Stone, released in 1967 on Epic/CBS Records. The album was released to mixed criticism and failed to make an impact from a commercial standpoint and did not chart. CBS Records executive Clive Davis prevailed upon band leader Sly Stone to create a more commercial album; the result was the album Dance to the Music. Unlike later Sly and the Family Stone albums, A Whole New Thing was recorded live in the studio instead of being overdubbed and featured less of a pop feel than later releases such as Dance to the Music and Stand!. The lead vocals are shared between Sly Stone, Freddie Stone, and Larry Graham; Rose Stone would not join the band until they began work on Dance to the Music.

A Whole New Thing
Studio album by Sly and the Family Stone
Released	October 1967 1970 (re-release)
Recorded	June–September 1967
Genre	Psychedelic funk psychedelic soul
Length	38:01
Label	Epic
Producer	Sly Stone
Sly and the Family Stone chronology
A Whole New Thing (1967) Dance to the Music (1968)
Cover for 1970 reissue
1970 reissue cover for A Whole New Thing. Note the use of photographs similar to those on the cover of the Sly & the Family Stone Greatest Hits album, and the inclusion of Rose Stone as a member of the Family Stone. Rose Stone was not a member of the band at the time of this LP.

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic
Austin Chronicle
BBC Music	favorable
The Guardian
Rolling Stone (1967)	unfavorable
Rolling Stone (2007)
Stylus	B−
Uncut

Track listing

All tracks written, arranged and produced by Sly Stone for Stone Flower Productions.

Side one

1. "Underdog" – 3:59
2. "If This Room Could Talk" – 3:00
3. "Run, Run, Run" – 3:14
4. "Turn Me Loose" – 1:52
5. "Let Me Hear It from You" – 3:35
6. "Advice" – 2:22

Side two

1. "I Cannot Make It" – 3:20
2. "Trip to Your Heart" – 3:43
3. "I Hate to Love Her" – 3:30
4. "Bad Risk" – 3:04
5. "That Kind of Person" – 4:25
6. "Dog" – 3:10

CD bonus tracks

• 1995 CD reissue:
  • "What Would I Do"
• 2007 CD limited edition reissue:
  • "Underdog" (mono B-side version) [3:04]
  • "Let Me Hear It From You" (mono B-side version) [3:28]
  • "Only One Way Out of This Mess" [3:51]
  • "What Would I Do" [4:05]
  • "You Better Help Yourself" (instrumental version) [4:19]

Personnel

Sly and the Family Stone

• Sly Stone – vocals, organ, guitar, piano, celeste, harmonica, and more
• Freddie Stone – vocals, guitar
• Larry Graham – vocals, bass guitar
• Cynthia Robinson – trumpet, vocal ad-libs
• Jerry Martini – saxophone
• Greg Errico – drums
• Little Sister (Vet Stone, Mary McCreary, Elva Mouton) – background vocals