Search - Sister Sledge :: We Are Family

Suzanne B. (SuzyB) from NORTHPORT, NY
Reviewed on 11/2/2006...

dig up those platform shoes

But why mess with perfection?

Olukayode Balogun | Leeds, England | 03/22/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Everything came together for Sister Sledge and Chic in 1979 and the result was this monster hit of an album that is still selling very well, according to my research, almost 30 years after its release. The four sisters had been around for some time prior to "We Are Family" but had only moderate r&b success. Meanwhile, Chic were on the up and up following the disco/pop hit success of their first three albums, Chic, C'est Chic and Risqué. The songs and production by Bernard Edwards & Nile Rodgers matched with the voices of Kathy, Debbie, Kim and Joni Sledge was pure heaven. I've never met anyone who doesn't know at least one of the songs on this album (and doesn't know the words to said song) and I've played tunes like "He's The Greatest Dancer", "Thinking Of You" and "We Are Family" at parties and people who weren't even born in 1979 have jumped up to dance. Every song is a winner and this is another album where it's next to impossible to choose favourite songs. If I had to though, my choice would be considered very odd by many: it would be "One More Time". Something about that song makes my heart smile every time I play or hear it. Also worth a mention is the brilliant piano work by Andy Schwartz & Robert Sabino.



And that on the title track - all 8mins and 20secs of it - Kathy Sledge delivers a lead vocal and ad lib performance, the likes of which I had never heard before and have never heard since.



This is a classic disco CD I think everyone should have and my only gripe is with the four remixes at the end of the CD. Personally I find them annoying and superfluous. Why mess with perfection?



It still gets five stars though. It's good to have it on CD after years of having it on vinyl. The remastering has given the CD a fuller sound than I was expecting and this might be the first CD I've ever bought that has managed to sound better than its vinyl original, even on a Technics 1200. Great stuff."

Disco Masterpiece enhanced

Pieter | Johannesburg | 07/20/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Before this team-up with Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards Sister Sledge had some minor hits but We Are Family placed them on the map big time. They sound almost like a carbon copy of Chic on tracks like the exquisite He's The Greatest Dancer and Thinking Of You. The following songs were huge hits: Dancer, Lost In Music and the rousing We Are Family, all hook-filled tunes with irresistible rhythmic patterns. The rest is great too, especially One More Time and Somebody Loves Me which is a beautiful soulful ballad. The album has been enhanced by 2 x 1990s remixes each of Lost In Music and the title track. For more Chic magic, give the album Norma Jean a listen and don't forget the mothership in the form of Dance, Dance, Dance: The Best of Chic. Read all about the Rodgers/Edwards legacy in Everybody Dance: Chic and The Politics of Disco by Daryl Easlea."