High Moon Records has just released the second track from Sly & The Family Stone’s The First Family: Live at Winchester Cathedral 1967. Their breathless take on Otis Redding’s “I Can’t Turn You Loose” is accompanied by an official video that captures the band in all its early glory.
Due out Friday, July 18 on CD, LP, and digital, The First Family is the earliest live recording of Sly & The Family Stone, captured when the group was still the house band at Winchester Cathedral in Redwood City, California. The performance, recorded in the early hours of March 26, 1967, is kinetic and bursting with the syncopated energy that would soon define their sound.
For a track with such unrelenting forward motion, “I Can’t Turn You Loose” had serious staying power in the Family Stone’s early setlists. Originally carried over from Freddie Stone’s earlier group, The Stone Souls, the song evolved through demo sessions, an unreleased Epic version, and even morphed into “Turn Me Loose” on A Whole New Thing. “I think it was one of the early ones in development, and you’re trying different things out,” says drummer Greg Errico in the album’s liner notes. “That song just happened to be there at that time.”
The album comes packaged with a deluxe booklet featuring rare photos, memorabilia, and new interviews with all original members, alongside liner notes from GRAMMY®-nominated producer Alec Palao. The CD edition includes a bonus performance of “Try a Little Tenderness.”
Originally released in a limited run for Record Store Day 2025, this set was also spotlighted in Sly Lives! (aka The Burden of Black Genius) – Questlove’s recent, critically acclaimed documentary. From the very first downbeat, the Winchester recordings reveal Sly’s vision in full effect: the arrangements tight, and the onstage chemistry undeniable.
Recorded by Sly’s first manager Rich Romanello and left in storage for 35 years, the 7-inch analog tapes were later rediscovered by archivists Edwin and Arno Konings and restored with co-producer Alec Palao. With mastering by Dan Hersch and lacquer cut by Kevin Gray, the recordings have been carefully prepared for this release in both sound and presentation.
