''Ain't but the One Way'' is the tenth and final studio album by

Sly and the Family Stone Sly and the Family Stone was an American band formed in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1966 and active until 1983. Their work, which blended elements of funk, soul music, soul, psychedelic rock, gospel music, gospel, and R&B, becam ...

, released by

Warner Bros. Records Warner Records Inc. (known as Warner Bros. Records Inc. until 2019) is an American record label. A subsidiary of Warner Music Group, it is headquartered in Los Angeles, California. It was founded on March 19, 1958, as the recorded music division ...

in September 1982. The album began its existence as a collaborative project between

Sly Stone Sylvester Stewart (March 15, 1943 – June 9, 2025), better known by his stage name Sly Stone, was an American musician, songwriter and record producer. He was the frontman of Sly and the Family Stone, playing a critical role in the development ...

and George Clinton, a sequel to Stone's appearance on the 1981

Funkadelic Funkadelic was an American funk rock band formed in Plainfield, New Jersey in 1968 and active until 1982. As one of the two flagship groups of George Clinton's P-Funk collective, they helped pioneer the funk music culture of the 1970s.John, ...

album ''

The Electric Spanking of War Babies ''The Electric Spanking of War Babies'' is the twelfth studio album by the American funk rock band Funkadelic, released in April 1981 on Warner Bros. Records. The title is an allusion to the Vietnam War and baby boomers. Sly Stone contribu ...

''. While working on ''Ain't but the One Way'', Clinton and Funkadelic quarreled with and eventually left Warner Bros. Records, and Sly Stone went into self-seclusion and could not be found. Producer Stewart Levine was assigned to take control of the project, and do what he could to complete an album. Upon its 1982 release, ''Ain't but the One Way'' underperformed and marked the end of Sly Stone's tenure with Warner Bros. Records.

Release

Both of Sly Stone's Warner Bros. albums, ''Ain't but the One Way'' and '' Back on the Right Track'', along with five unissued recordings, were combined by

Rhino Records A rhinoceros ( ; ; ; : rhinoceros or rhinoceroses), commonly abbreviated to rhino, is a member of any of the five extant taxon, extant species (or numerous extinct species) of odd-toed ungulates (perissodactyls) in the family (biology), famil ...

into a compilation called ''Who in the Funk Do You Think You Are: The Warner Bros. Recordings'' in 2001.

Critical reception

Reviewing the album in ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...

'', Steve Futterman judged it "Neither triumphant resurgence nor embarrassing failure". He elaborated that the album successfully recreates the funky grooves of "the classic Family Stone sound" but lacks the sociopolitical immediacy that the band had in their heyday. He concluded, "When a once politically astute pop statesman writes an ode to New Jersey called 'Hobo Ken,' you know something is wrong. But if you crave the beat, you'll find it here ..." ''

The Village Voice ''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture publication based in Greenwich Village, New York City, known for being the country's first Alternative newspaper, alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf (publisher), Dan Wolf, ...

'' critic

Robert Christgau Robert Thomas Christgau ( ; born April 18, 1942) is an American music journalist and essayist. Among the most influential music critics, he began his career in the late 1960s as one of the earliest professional rock critics and later became a ...

said "this may even be a little better" than '' Back on the Right Track'', reasoning that "the aphoristic snap of the songwriting recalls better days, and the mix generates some heat." However, he questioned the significance of this progression: " ere in 1979 it seemed theoretically possible that Sly was on some track or other, there's no way this'll pull him through—often sounds as if he's not even there."

Track listing

All songs written by

Sylvester Stewart Sylvester Stewart (March 15, 1943 – June 9, 2025), better known by his stage name Sly Stone, was an American musician, songwriter and record producer. He was the frontman of Sly and the Family Stone, playing a critical role in the development ...

except where noted. ;Side A # "L.O.V.I.N.U." - 4:39 # "One Way" - 4:26 # "Ha Ha, Hee Hee" ( Pat Rizzo) - 3:53 # "Hobo Ken" - 2:38 ;Side B # "Who in the Funk Do You Think You Are" - 4:34 # "

You Really Got Me "You Really Got Me" is a song by the English rock band the Kinks, written by frontman Ray Davies and released as their third single in 1964. The song, originally performed in a more blues-oriented style, was inspired by artists such as Lead B ...

" (

Ray Davies Sir Raymond Douglas Davies ( ; born 21 June 1944) is an English musician. He was the lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist and primary songwriter for the Rock music, rock band the Kinks, which he led, with his younger brother Dave Davies, Dave pro ...

) - 3:51 # "Sylvester" - 0:44 # "We Can Do It" - 3:45 # "High, Y'all" - 5:45

References

1982 albums Sly and the Family Stone albums Albums produced by Stewart Levine Albums produced by Sly Stone Warner Records albums {{1980s-R&B-album-stub