The Ed Sullivan Show continued its rollout of archival content on YouTube on Sunday with a vintage clip of Sly and The Family Stone performing on the foundational TV program in 1968. The performance saw the group string together a medley of hits from its late-1960s heyday, including “I Want To Take You Higher”.
Though the video is labeled as “I Want To Take You Higher”, it is only a section of a larger medley, as pointed out by a YouTube commenter. This marked Sly and The Family’s first appearance on Sullivan and aired on December 29th, 1968. Sly Stone opened the performance by saying, “Don’t hate the black. Don’t hate the white.”
With that, the band launched into a medley that included “Everyday People”, “Dance to the Music”, Sing A Simple Song”, “M’Lady”, and “Music Lover”, with elements of “I Want To Take You Higher” also included. The video shows the last three songs of the segment, with the first two songs—including Sly’s intro—uploaded to YouTube back in February.
Even with the chopped-up nature of the video, the full 4:03 segment is gripping as Sly and The Family Stone make the most of their time on Sullivan’s hallowed stage. Between Sly’s frontman abilities, his back-and-forth with Rose Stone, or Larry Graham‘s deep baritone and bass chops, there isn’t a weak chain in the bunch. Sly and Rose steal the show as they take their music to the people, singing and dancing in the aisle. The crowd of old white men sitting perfectly still is hardly swayed by Sly’s movements, though a few enthused converts offer some claps of support that results in Sly slapping five with an audience member.
“Thank you for letting us be ourselves,” Sly Stone said to close the performance.
Watch Sly and The Family Stone perform a medley of hits on The Ed Sullivan Show on December 29th, 1968. Subscribe to the show’s YouTube channel for regularly uploaded archival material.
Sly and The Family Stone – “I Want To Take You Higher” (Medley) – 12/29/68