When the irresistible sound of "dance to the music" lit up the nation's airwaves in early 1968, it was obvious that sly stone's "whole new thing" was about to blow everyone's mind sky-high. this live-wire chart smash used the time-tested "introduce the band" technique to showcase trumpeter cynthia robinson, sly's brother/guitarist freddie stone, saxman jerry martini, sly's sister/pianist rosie stone, bassist larry graham and drummer greg errico—all from different cultural/racial backgrounds. this radical new sound would have far-reaching musical implications—the second album by sly & the family stone is full of grooves and beats just as intoxicating as "dance to the music," featuring addictive heavyweight numbers like "higher" and "ride the rhythm"—tunes ripe for cynthia's cautionary warning, "all the squares go home!"