# In 1971, Marvin Gaye asked ‘What’s Going On’. Ten months later, Sly Stone had an answer

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/in-1971-marvin-gaye-asked-whats-going-on-ten-months-later-sly-stone-had-an-answer/
- Published: 2026-10-31T02:00:00+00:00
- Updated: 2026-10-31T03:10:14+00:00
- Original publisher: Far Out
- Original article: https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/in-1971-marvin-gaye-asked-whats-going-on-ten-months-later-sly-stone-had-an-answer/
- Topics: Music

## Key points

- Sly Stone’s 1971 album answered the unrest Marvin Gaye had questioned.
- It marked a sharp turn from the band’s Woodstock-era sound.
- The once divisive record is now celebrated as a landmark.

## Summary

Sly and the Family Stone’s 1971 album *There’s a Riot Goin’ On* is presented as a stark response to the social tensions that followed the optimism of the 1960s. The article contrasts it with Marvin Gaye’s *What’s Going On*, which asked questions about war, racism and division, arguing that Sly Stone answered with a more direct account of unrest.

The band had reached a high point after Woodstock in 1969, where bassist Larry Graham said their performance became a new standard. Stone began making the follow-up album that year, working largely alone, and completed it in 1971; its drum-machine sound and departure from earlier records drew mixed reviews at first. The article says it is now regarded as a major 20th-century record and emphasises its resonance for Black America.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.