Sly and the Family StoneThere are countless acts to collect posters of, it's never-ending. So, deciding to collect Sly and the Family Stone posters is an entirely new challenge. There has been a handful of funk and rock posters discussed so far; this group is a fantastic blending of the two genres. What's even better is the artwork you're choosing in addition to the historical significance.

 

 

From some fairly psychedelic and groovy posters to more subdued images, the catalog to choose from rivals the length of the band's career. It all depends on which era might be your favorite, and which songs hit you the deepest.

Deciding which Sly and the Family Stone era to collect

Like other bands with a storied career, there are different versions of Sly and the Family Stone. One version includes their origins. Another one includes commercial success and participation in Woodstock. There's also the version that was dealing with staying together in the end. It's interesting to note that the artwork appears to reflect the mood of the group at each point in time. For starters, there's this eye-catching piece.

Sly and the Family Stone 1971 tour

The bright colors, the 1970s psychedelic, funky design and feel all capture the era quite well. Couple that together with it being a Madison Square Garden show and that boosts the appeal for this collector. 1971 for Sly and the Family Stone was one of success and turmoil.

Inner fighting between a few members over salaries. The album release of There's a Riot Goin' On with a successful first single. And let's not forget a tour where the leader of the band was often missing in action. All of these things might've sunk other groups. For the time being, it didn't do so to Sly and company.

Getting back to the availability of this piece, it appears that a lot of Sly and co. posters are very accessible. This piece seems to vary between $17 and $31 across eBay. Signed posters of course will add to the sticker value; those versions definitely require some deeper digging.

Move just two years later and things had shifted for the worse for Sly and the Family Stone. Sly's drug use increased. Members of the band who had been around for quite a while decided to exit. The follow-up album to There's a Riot Goin' On did not perform as well as its predecessor. To be honest, tour posters for the Fresh album reflected this strife.

 

What a difference a few years makes

Sly and the Family Stone 1973 tour

This 1973 tour stop in Berkeley, California is in stark contrast to the colors and funkiness of the poster from 1971. It's very direct, informational, and not all that colorful. Granted, one can point to the differences in the marketing budget and talent level between Madison Square Garden and Berkeley Community Theather. Even so, it just feels very different for such a short period of time.

What's interesting about this piece is the value attached to it, comparatively. Because it is an original, it's starting price appears to be around $25. Again that's not a big increase from above, especially with the alleged claim of it being an original poster.

However, the rareness of it makes up for the lacking color.

 

Sly and the Family Stone 1969 tour

There are of course those posters that pose a challenge to obtain. For example, this 1969 poster that was available for auction in 2016 that started for $300. It allegedly comes from Sly Stone's personal collection. This particular poster supposedly has not been auctioned off, so you might be able to make your best offer; if not, further digging might be required. It is interesting to note the subdued nature of this piece, although due to it taking place on a college campus, that isn't all that surprising in terms of a marketing budget.

Picking college stops isn't a bad idea

 

Sly and the Family Stone 1970 tourAnother college piece would be this 1970 University of Oregon concert stop. Again college posters are going to vary a good deal more than regular tour stops in terms of artwork, but this one captures the band a bit better than the others. Around $24 is a pretty accessible piece, especially one from the same year as the band played Woodstock.

When it comes to collecting posters of classic bands, picking Sly and the Family Stone pieces is one of the easier choices for one's walls. Figuring out what kind of artwork is a fortunate issue to have.