ChicCustomer Review: This is one of the top 5 disco albums and a pinnacle from the best band since the big band era. It exploded with confidence and talent to spare onto an unsuspecting audience who had benignly liked the group's first lp. Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards seemed ready to discard conventions in pop music and had the skill to achieve this goal. Even the album cover was unique, listing the song titles on the front and depicting the band in the cool, detached, stylish way that became their trademark for a while. The music didn't depend on the personality of the vocalists; rather, the group was conceived to be an organic whole. Instrumental and semi-instrumental tracks were heard alongside songs with chanted verses; song construction and arrangement had the string section not just creating a backdrop but often carrying the melody. The guitar assumed rhythm duties; at times the bass played melody. The interplay of guitar and bass was well served with a bedrock of solid drumming and piano playing (witness "I Want Your Love," "Chic Cheer"). The arrangements were unconventional but subtle. Many people complained of the simplistic lyrics or repetitious choruses, failing to perceive the unity of the compositions, the use of voice as instrumentation, the employment of minor progressions and layering to build and release tension. Much has been said about "Le Freak," a huge hit in 1978. A hard sell to the label suits, it ended up an anthem of the times, serving multiple duty as disco hit, dance step hallmark, and banner for the socially disenfranchised who were being edged off the very club floors they created by increasing numbers of suburban dancers. More remarkable is "I Want Your Love," a perfection of a song that works in the clubs, on the radio, in the living room, and especially in the bedroom. Seductive and plaintive, it is one of the most gorgeous, well crafted recordings ever. Overlooked gems abound on this lp. "Happy Man" contains the rare male vocal lead and a rolling bass that gathers increasing steam to the extended instrumental fade. "At Last I Am Free" is a tone poem that shows the emotive capabilities of the vocalists, proving that Chic was not a group with personality-less, interchangeable singers. "Savoir Faire" is a hybrid jazz-pop construction that puts the string section to use in rare ways. In sum, this was a stunning achievement, hardly predicted from the group's one previous effort. That there was still more innovation to come from the group was a hope that was more than gratified in coming years.
- Artist: Chic
- UPC: 075678155222
- Manufacturer: Atlantic / Wea
| Tracks: | Chic CheerFreakSavoir FaireHappy ManI Want Your LoveAt Last I Am FreeSometimes You Win(Funny) Bone | | Release Date: | 1992-09-15 | | Label: | Atlantic / Wea |
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