Sly and the Family Stone are one of the greatest funk and soul groups of all time. For real. And Stand! is arguably one of the best funk and soul albums of all time, both a commercial and artistic high point for Sly—a record rife with catchy earworms and fiery social commentary. It’s the sort of album that slaps with both the classics you know (“I Want to Take You Higher,” “Sing a Simple Song,” “Everyday People,” “You Can Make It If You Try”) and the ones you don’t (the greasy grooving, vox-box psychedelia of “Sex Machine,” the righteous battle cry of funk that is “Don’t Call Me N*gger, Whitey”). I can’t tell you how pleased I am to see that Stand! is one of the two LPs being tackled on this night for the Great Records live album series; the lineup will be piloted by Darrius Willrich (keys, vocals). Also on tap: Wayne Horvitz leading an ensemble through Janis Joplin’s I Got Dem Ol' Kozmic Blues Again Mama!(with Melissa Montalto belting as Janis). This one’s gonna be a scorcher. by Leilani Polk