In the universe of unpredictable rock moments, the time funk visionary Sly Stone popped into an REO Speedwagon studio session ranks near the top. The year was 1973, the place was the legendary Record Plant in Sausalito, and the band was tracking “You Can Fly” for their 1974 album Lost in a Dream. What happened next is the kind of music lore that gets better with age.
As drummer Alan Gratzer tells it, the band was deep in the studio groove when, out of nowhere, Sly Stone strolled in around 10 p.m. carrying enough energy—and who knows what else—to shift the session’s entire vibe. “He poured out a huge pile on the console, about a foot high,” Gratzer recalled. “He said, ‘Hey cats, it sounds great, do you mind if I put a little something on this?’”
He wasn’t joking. Sly jumped in, layering bass, piano, and guitar onto the track, infusing it with his signature psych-funk touch. The result? A song with REO’s progressive rock spirit laced with a distinctly funky edge. And then, as the night wore on, Stone pushed for more: “Mind if I call my drummer?” Gratzer declined—politely but firmly. It was getting late.
“You Can Fly” still carries that wild, slightly off-the-rails charm—largely due to Sly’s fingerprints all over it. Yet his contribution was quietly noted, nearly buried in the album credits. “It’s in the dinkiest print I’ve ever seen,” Gratzer quipped.
Their paths would cross again, though not in a happy twist. During demos for Hi Infidelity, Sly appeared—reportedly with a gun—outside the locked studio door. “He was just cruising around, trying to get into studios,” Gratzer said. Decades later, Sly’s story has a silver lining: sobriety, reconciliation with his kids, and a legacy intact.
As REO Speedwagon gears up for a special reunion in Champaign to benefit cancer research, fans might look back and wonder—what if Sly had brought his drummer that night?
