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Chic: C'est Chic

 A l b u m   D e t a i l s

Artist: Chic
Title: C'est Chic
Released: 1978
Label: Atlantic Recordings
Time: 42:09
Producer(s): Nile Rodgers, Bernard Edwards
Appears with:
Category: Disco / Funky
Rating: ******.... (6/10)
Media type: CD
Purchase date:  2000.10.07
Price in €: 9,99
Web address: www.chictribute.com

 S o n g s ,   T r a c k s


[1] Chic Cheer (Edwards/Rodgers) - 4:42 
[2] Le Freak (Edwards/Rodgers) - 5:23
[3] Savoir Faire (Edwards/Rodgers) - 5:01
[4] Happy Man (Edwards/Rodgers) - 4:17
[5] I Want Your Love (Edwards/Rodgers) - 6:45
[6] At Last I Am Free (Edwards/Rodgers) - 7:08
[7] Sometimes You Win (Edwards/Rodgers) - 4:26
[8] (Funny) Bone (Edwards/Rodgers) - 3:41

 A r t i s t s ,   P e r s o n n e l


Chic
Nile Rodgers - Guitar, Arranger, Conductor, Producer
Bernard Edwards - Bass, Arranger, Conductor, Keyboards, Vocals, Producer
Tony Thompson - Drums
Alfa Anderson - Vocals
Luci Martin - Vocals

Luther Vandross - Vocals
David Lasley - Vocals
Diva Gray - Vocals

Chic Strings
Jon Faddis - Trumpet, Horn
Alex Foster - Horn, Saxophone
Alfa Anderson Barfield - Vocals
Marianne Carroll - Strings, Violin
Sammy Figueroa - Percussion
Jeanie Fineberg - Horn, Saxophone
Cheryl Hong - Strings, Violin
Raymond Jones - Keyboards
Karen Milne - Strings, Violin
Gene Orloff - Concert Master
Barry Rogers - Trombone
Jose Rossy - Percussion
Robert Sabino - Piano, Keyboards, Electric Piano, Clavinet
Andy Schwartz - Keyboards
Ellen Seeling - Trumpet, Horn

Bob Clearmountain - Engineer
Bob Defrin - Art Direction
Ray Willard - Assistant Engineer
Jeff Hendrickson - Assistant Engineer
Dennis King - Mastering
Joel Brodsky - Photography

 C o m m e n t s ,   N o t e s

1978 LP Atlantic 19209
Released: November 1978
Chart Peak: #4
Weeks Charted: 48
Certified Platinum: 12/27/78



Chic was the best and most influential disco band of the latter half of the '70s, earning hits with both their own records and the outside productions of co-leaders Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards. Beginning their career as the Big Apple Band, the group changed their name to Chic in 1977 after Walter Murphy & the Big Apple Band had a number one hit with "A Fifth of Beethoven." Along with the change in name came a change in music, from fusion to disco. Edwards (bass), Rodgers (guitar), and Tony Thompson (drums) hired Norma Jean Wright and Alfa Anderson to sing, and they recorded a demo of "Dance Dance Dance." Atlantic picked it up in late 1977 after a series of rejections from other record labels; the single sold a million copies in one month, catapulting Chic into the forefront of the disco scene. After Wright left for a solo career, Luci Martin joined the band. Chic's biggest hits — "Le Freak" (number one), "I Want Your Love" (number seven), and the "Good Times" (number one) — came in 1978-1979, and as disco started to fade, so did the group's popularity. Still, Chic's influence was apparent throughout the '80s; "Good Times" alone spawned Queen's hit "Another One Bites the Dust" (a complete rip-off), and Sugarhill Gang used the record as the foundation for "Rapper's Delight," arguably the first rap single. Nile Rodgers was one of the most successful producers of the early '80s, scoring hits with David Bowie's Let's Dance, Madonna's Like a Virgin, and Mick Jagger's solo debut, She's the Boss. Edwards' solo productions weren't as consistent as Rodgers', but the Power Station's album (which featured Tony Thompson on drums) was a hit. Chic re-formed in 1992, but failed to recapture the fire of its glory days.

Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All-Music Guide



With Chic's second album, C'est Chic, all of the pieces in Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards' puzzle fell into place perfectly. The group's self-titled debut album had unveiled a winning sound, and on C'est Chic, Rodgers/Edwards took it to an even higher level. C'est Chic boasted such major hits as "Le Freak" and "I Want Your Love," and the songs that weren't among the hit singles are also superb, including the optimistic "Happy Man," the reflective "At Last I Am Free," the quirky "Funny Bone" and the classy instrumental "Savoir Faire." The infectious opener, "Chic Cheer," quickly caught the attention of New York's emerging hip-hoppers who found its addictive funk groove to be perfect for rapping and mixing. Make no mistake, C'est Chic is among Chic's best albums.
 
Alex Henderson, All-Music Guide



Eine der wichtigsten Bands der Disco-Ära veröffentlichte 1978 mit ihrem zweiten Album C'est Chic ihren wohl größten Erfolg. Die beiden Singles "I Want Your Love" und vor allem "Le Freak" stürmten die Charts. Es folgten weitere Hits, doch mit Beginn des neuen Jahrzehnts verlor sich die Gruppe zunehmend in privaten Turbulenzen. Drogenprobleme brachten die beiden Masterminds Bernard Edwards und Nile Rodgers 1983 auseinander und besiegelten das Schicksal der Formation. Beide verlagerten fortan ihre Energien auf die Plattenproduktion hochrangiger Künstler.

So arbeitete Edwards unter anderem mit Diana Ross, Rod Stewart oder Duran Duran zusammen, während sich Nile Rodgers Madonnas Album Like A Virgin widmete. 1991 rauften sich die beiden wieder zusammen und brachten unter dem alten Namen Chic das Album Chicism heraus. Die Scheibe floppte grandios. Chic waren eben ein Anachronismus, untrennbar mit der Saturday-Night-Epoche verbunden. Als Re-issue sind jetzt C'est Chic und The Best Of Chic auf CD erhältlich. Für Fans und Nostalgiker werden die beiden Scheiben von unschätzbarem Wert sein, denn eine weitere Reunion wird es nicht geben. Bernard Edwards starb 1996 in einem Tokyoer Hotelzimmer an einer Lungenentzündung.

Sascha Mennel, Amazon.de



First of all - for those of you that have started their musical journey by delving into Hip-Hop, Jack, R + B - well right here is where all of todays musicians have taken guitar riffs and bass-lines and brought them into the 90's and beyond. The first track, Chic Cheer, starts with them performing at a concert with the sound effects of an audience applauding. Then the great Nile and the late Bernard start with those hot guitar licks with Tony Thompson keeping the percussion goin' on! Second track 'Le Freak' - those of us that remember hearing it for the first time in the 70's will know that they have never heard a record like it - the way they mixed strings, vocals (featuring a little known Luther Vandross on backing vocals), drums, piano and not forgetting guitar and bass has never been bettered. Third track 'Savoir Faire' is a pleasant piece of instrumental with soaring strings with Bernard coaxing the best out of his bass. Fourth track 'Happy Man' is a straightforward track with an infectious chorus. Track Five 'I want your love' was the definitive soul track to own in the summer of 1979. Criminally shortened to just over three minutes when released as a single, this 6 minute plus track has two verses, the infectious refrain 'I want your love, I want, your love' and the excellent instrumental break where there is just bass and drums, then the track gradually builds it self back again with guitar added, strings, and so on ending with the plaintive cry 'I want your love'. Perfect soul! My one complaint? The next track 'At last I am free' - too long and dare I say vapid but Edwards and Rogers do their thang - albeit slowly! Track seven 'Sometimes you win' is of similar ilk to 'Happy Man' The final track 'Funny Bone' is another instrumental of with soaring strings, strong beats and hand-claps.

Well, my review is done, I now feel suitably enboldened to perhaps do a review of one of the Chic produced CD's from Sister Sledge.

'THE WHOLE WORLD IS A CIRCUS - DONT YOU BE THE CLOWN - CIAO!



Granted, the single, "Le Freak" is a smash. Yet Chic's second album doesn't come close to the sheer joy of their first; there's just too much filler here. "Happy Man" is a possibility.

© 1978-1999 College Media Inc. All rights reserved.



Although "Le Freak," already a disco, soul and Top 40 hit, is the standout cut of the eight songs offered, the band proves it is able to work in styles other than disco. "Savoir Faire" features some nimble guitar work reminiscent of George Benson, and "At Last I'm Free" is a straightforward soul ballad. The rest is disco saved from being run-of-the-mill by the vocals of Alfa Anderson, Bernard Edwards, Diva Gray, Luci Martin, David Lasley and Luther Vandross. Best cuts: "Le Freak," "Happy Man," "Chic Cheer," "Savoir Faire."

Billboard, 1978



The hooky cuts are more jingles than songs, the interludes more vamps than breaks, and I won't dance, so don't ask me. Well, maybe if you're really nice. B

Robert Christgau, Christgau's Record Guide, 1981



C'est Chic catches Chic at the height of the late 70s dance era. With both Alfa Anderson and Norma Jean Wright still on vocal duties, and Luther Vandross' sublime backing help, Chic spawned their best LP and two hugely popular songs, "Dance, Dance, Dance (Yowsah, Yowsah, Yowsah)" and "Le Freak." * * * 1/2

Bryan Lassner, Musichound Rock: The Essential Album Guide, 1996



Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards were two struggling New York musicians who were inspired by Roxy Music to put together a soul group who could be avante garde as well as polished. Atlantic Records half-heartedly issued some singles, but once "Dance Dance Dance" charted they soon got serious. C'est Chic was the result -- a smooth but strong, jazz-funk long-player that was as suave as any Armani or Fiorucci collection. However, under the silky bittersweet vocals lay th epower of Edwards' insistent bass, blasting horns and Rodgers' choppy guitar. The jittery hit "Le Freak" started as a jam about being turned away by Studio 54 (the "Freak out!" chorus had initially been a two-word obscenity), but it soon evolved into one of their best basslines. Once brass, strings and words -- about dancing, of course -- had been added, it became their third international hit, swiftly followed into the listings by another C'est Chic cut, "I Want Our Love." C'est Chic undoubtedly influenced Madonna, the Pet Shop Boys, George Michael's Wham and many others, and even now, it continues to live up to its mocking, self-congratulatory title.

Collins Gem Classic Albums, 1999



Chic are the disco band to which rockers, hip-hoppers, soul fans and funkateers all give props, and for good reason: Guitarist Nile Rodgers, bassist Bernard Edwards and drummer Tony Thompson comprised one of the tightest and most influential rhythm sections of the last thirty years.

The group's second and most popular album, 1978's C'est Chic, is also its most consistently satisfying. Inspired by Rodgers and Edwards being barred entrance at celebrity disco Studio 54, "Le Freak" (original title: "Fuck Off") boasts some of the most angular instrumental interplay this side of James Brown, and it became Atlantic Records' best-selling single ever. The follow-up "I Want Your Love" swirls around a tricky horn-and-strings riff that builds and builds until the track practically levitates. (Both hits feature a young Luther Vandross belting in the background.) "Chic Cheer" provides a titanium groove eventually sampled for Faith Evans' "Love Like This." The real surprise is the seven-minute ballad "At Last I Am Free," soon covered by prog-rock iconclast Robert Wyatt: As Chic vocalist Alfa Anderson aches at a relationship's end, Edwards spins supremely melodic bass lines that flesh out sorrows the skeletal lyrics only suggest.

Chic's final pop blockbuster, 1979's "Good Times," inspired both Queen's improbably funky "Another One Bites the Dust" and the Sugarhill Gang's early hip-hop milestone "Rapper's Delight," while the core trio's production, songwriting and playing skills went on to ignite the Eighties sound of David Bowie, Madonna, Diana Ross, Duran Duran, Mick Jagger, the B-52's and others. Although Edwards died in 1996 and Thompson in 2003, Chic's legacy of studio sophistication and rhythmic sass grooves on. * * * * 1/2

Barry Walters, Rolling Stone, 9/8/05
 

 L y r i c s


CHIC CHEER

(*) Chic (repeat)
Everybody strut
 
(* repeat)
 
Come on everybody
Give me a C C
 
Give me an H H
 
Give me an I I
 
Give me a C C
 
If your friends are chic
Consider yourself unique
Just one favour we ask
We hope it's not too hard a task
If you don't mind, would you please
Get up off of your seat and repeat
 
Chic (repeat and fade)


LE FREAK

(Chorus:)
Aaahh Freak out!
Le Freak, C'est Chic
Freak out!
Aaahh Freak out!
Le Freak, C'est Chic
Freak out!
Aaahh Freak out!
Le Freak, C'est Chic
Freak out!
Aaahh Freak out!
Le Freak, C'est Chic
Freak out!

Have you heard about the new dance craze?
Listen to us, I'm sure you'll be amazed
Big fun to be had by everyone
It's up to you, It surely can be done
Young and old are doing it, I'm told
Just one try, and you too will be sold
It's called Le Freak! They're doing it night and day
Allow us, we'll show you the way

(chorus)

All that pressure got you down
Has your head spinning all around
Feel the rhythm, check the ride
Come on along and have a real good time
Like the days of stopping at the Savoy
Now we freak, oh what a joy
Just come on down, two fifty four
Find a spot out on the floor
(chorus)

Now Freak!
I said Freak!
Now Freak!

All that pressure got you down
Has your head spinning all around
Feel the rhythm, check the ride
Come on along and have a real good time
Like the days of stopping at the Savoy
Now we freak, oh what a joy
Just come on down, two fifty four
Find a spot out on the floor

(chorus)


SAVOIR FAIRE

(Sorry, this lyrics is not available yet!)


HAPPY MAN

(*) (I,m a) happy man, happy man, that's me
Happy man, for you all to see
Happy man, and the world is my home
Happy man, with a style of my own
 
When you see me, I'm a smilin' face
Spreadin' all my love around the place
All around the world I go travelling
 
When they see me come, they start to sing
 
(* repeat)
 
Hanging out all night with the jet set
And I party every little chance I get
Don't you know life can be real nice
 
And if it's good, I do it twice
 
(* repeat 3 times)
I'm a happy man


I WANT YOUR LOVE

I want your love, I want your love.
I want your love, I want your love.

Do you feel like you ever want
To try my love and see how well it fits?
Baby can't you see, when you look at me
I can't kick this feelin' when it hits
All alone in my bed at night
I grab m pillow and squeeze it tight
I think of you and I dream of you all the time.
What am I gonna do?

I want your love, I want your love.
I want your love, I want your love.

Sometime, don't you feel like you
Never really had a love that's real?
Well, here I am, and who's to say
A better love you won't find today?
Just one chance and I will show you love
Like no other, two steps above.
On your ladder I'll be a peg.

I want your lovin', please don't make me beg.
I want your love, I want your love, ...


AT LAST I AM FREE

(*) At last I am free
I can hardly see in front of me
I can hardly see in front of me
 
(* repeat)
 
I'm lonely, please listen to what I say
I can't go on livin' life this way
I've tried and I've tried to make you see
You call this love, all this lyin'
My friend, it just can't be
 
(* repeat 2 times)

I'm lonely, please hold me
Come closer, my dear
It feels so good just havin' you near
But who am I foolin'
When I know it's not real
I can't hide all this hurt and pain
Inside I feel
 
(* repeat and fade)


SOMETIMES YOU WIN

(*) Take a little chance
It don't mean nothing
Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose
 
(* repeat)
 
And don't you know that life is just a game
That you play, win or lose, it's all the same
Open your eyes, you better
Look before you leap, take heed
And watch the signs of life
Don't play the cheat
The wheel of fortune just may take its toll
Be a gambler, play your ace in the hole
You'll never know
You might wind up way ahead
Shoot your best shot
Take a little chance before you're dead
 
(* repeat 4 times)
 
Here you come with that smile on your face
I assume that even time cannot erase
Confidence is the most important thing you need
To look inside yourself, you can succeed
All the time you better watch out for the trap
Be careful or first time out
You might roll crap
One mistake and life comes tumblin' down
All around, like galloping dominoes
That's how it goes
 
(* repeat and fade)


(FUNNY) BONE

(Sorry, this lyrics is not available yet!)

 M P 3   S a m p l e s


Currently no Samples available!