Risque
CHIC
1979
Album Summary
Risqué is the third studio album by American disco band Chic, released on Atlantic Records on July 30, 1979. One of the records that defined the disco era, the album became highly influential not only within the movement, but also in other styles such as hip hop, art rock and new wave. In 2020, Rolling Stone ranked the album at number 414 on their list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.
WikipediaThe disco backlash was uniquely American. In Europe, people didn't torch their copies of Saturday Night Fever, but instead used disco as fertiliser for a crop of pioneering genres, from post-punk to Italo. Now, as much as commentators, with reason, point to prejudices against disco's black and gay subcultures as fuelling the backlash, it's not as if Europe lacked for such bigotries. What I say has been looked over is American exoticism as seen with the European gaze: what passes for everyday to Americans may either baffle or fascinate we Europeans. Many Americans damned disco as brainless, but many Europeans saw fierce innovation in these calls to dance. Yes, there were plenty of UK critics dismissing disco, and yes, some Americans did similar to Europe in devising new music inspired by disco, such as Chicago house, but they do not disprove the general trend of this specific American exceptionalism. And just remember: Nile Rodgers has not only had the last laugh, but he hasn't stopped laughing since 1983. Anyway, onto Risqué. One fault of Risqué is one of its great strengths: the opener, Good Times. Good Times, for several reasons, has rightfully become one of the most iconic 70s tracks (and here I'll mention its perhaps even more momentous half-sibling Rapper's Delight). The majesty of Good Times lies, of course, in Bernard Edwards' serpentine bassline, not that Nile Rodgers' guitar isn't fully up to snuff. But when you start an album with such a totem, the rest risks sounding diminished by default. To test this, I just tried listening to the album except for Good Times, and the magic of the other songs burst out. I had originally considered the strings on the rest of the album to sound too syrupy for the modern eardrum, but played independently, they sounded so warm and silky. Also, the latter half of the album revolves around themes of heartache, illicit love and betrayal, marking this out as substantially darker and richer than the fluff the name "disco" implies to some. So do we have the paradoxical result of the whole being less than the sum of its parts? Or one skyscraper of a song stealing all the other songs' sunlight? Or is it that Good Times is immediate in bestowing its rewards, whereas the other songs require more contemplation? Not the first, but I can agree to ther last two. The sheer quality of the songwriting, performances and production push this into the 5-star category, but the listener should heed the caveat that the best is the enemy of the good, and the best is Good Times.
Did you know that "Good Times" is over 8 minutes long? I sure didn't before today. Let me tell you, that's about 6 minutes longer than it needs to be. And, as annoying as that song is, it's the best part of this whole record. Disco is just the worst.
I think more people would like disco than care to admit. The bassline in Good Times is worthy of 5 stars alone, really like that it was sampled and squires a lot of later tracks.
starts off especially strong with Good Times, although i think it overstays it's welcome by a couple of minutes. while each song was extremely groovy it suffers from being quite repetitive. The runtime is quite short though which keeps the good times rolling without bearing too hard on the listener. 3.5 to a 4/5
Man, this is a hard one to pin down. Musically, this band is so tight and so clean. Disco gets such a bad rap, and I'd hesitate to limit this band to disco, but this is the prototype for funky dance/disco music. [The Outkast references are inadvertent but appropriate.] Tony Thompson (who you'll also recognize from Power Station and Bowie's "Let's Dance" album) on drums is a massive time keeper/groove provider, Nile Rodgers knows how to play funky guitar better than just about anyone, and the rest of the musicians all play their parts to perfection. Yes, the tunes roll on and on, but that's the point. I'll take humans killing a dance beat over techo every single time. Then... there's the vocals. Well, I should say, lyrics, because the vocals are totally right on and immediately identifiable (I didn't love the vocal melody on "Will You Cry," but the rest are perfect for the music). But the lyrics seem like an afterthought, and it holds this record back. Yes, it was a different era, so I'll even overlook some of the misogyny, but even on the biggest hit, "Good Times," the lyrics are trying to bring the song down. ("Don't be a drag, participate; Clams on the half shell, and roller skates, roller skates.") At the very least, it seems they were happy to settle on the first rhyme they came up with. So, for me, it was a tug between being super impressed with the music and wondering why they didn't work harder on the lyrics. Clearly, they did fine for themselves, and it works for the dance floor, because you know the lyric the second time it comes around and you're locked in, but IMO, a little more variety and a little more attention to quality lyrics would have made this a five. As it stands... I'm at like a 3.5... it's Christmas, so this gets the Santa bump.
The problem with Disco records is that all the songs are unnecessarily long with nothing to really hold them up for that extended length. Seriously, once you've heard the first 8-minute-long track off of this album, just stop listening, as the rest of the album is the same thing over and over.
I cringed when the first song started. The dreaded disco that I hated with passion and now I have to listen to it. I always thought there was a special place in hell reserved for the bands that played this. But wait! I'm starting to like the first song. This can't be. Am I going to hell too? Fortunately, after half liking the first song I truly hated the rest. No postmortal global warming for me
A classic Disco record. I don't know if I'd say it is a strong 5 due to bloat (drugs be crazy), but I think it has such staying power, that it at least deserves that 5 position.
Good Disco album can hear where the samples have been taken for other tracks
This album works best when it focuses on the uptempo, guitar-driven tracks, but even the slower songs have their place here. It's clear this is an LP to dance to - the track lengths and structures are undeniable in their rhythm and catchiness. Fun to see the building blocks of early House (four on the floor beats, synth-like piano lines, and tight, compressed guitar looped) permeate this album and remember where the samples originally came from.
Thought it was okay but everything sounds the same. Some of the tracks are way too long.
I enjoyed about 3 minutes of good times but after that, there wasn't really much worth listening to.
I liked their sound but the songs were too long and repetitive within each song. I didn't dislike the music, but wasn't especially impressed by anything
I reviewed the other Chic album and gave it a good mark but why are there two albums that are basically the same? Good times is the best song with Forbidden lover following closely on and the hits but the others are either identical beat with one line repeated for 4 minutes or laid back lovers soul. It's like the 1001 executives rigidly have to fill each genre with the required 20 albums regardless of quality.
Qué agradable disco, todo este sonido sí me gusta, jajaja, y creo que justo antes de iniciar los 80, ya a poco más de 40 años de su lanzamiento, uno puede apreciar hasta el día de hoy la influencia. Todas las canciones me gustaron bastante, excepto "Will You Cry (When You Hear This Song)". Aunque comparte estilos con C'EST CHIC, se pueden apreciar otras búsquedas acá. Qué risa además el "te quiero" intercalado y el "te quiero... papi" final de "A Warm Summer Night". Una media hora muy buena. 9.5/10.
Bloody love Chic (and Nile Rodgers). Forbidden Lover and my feet keep dancing are up there with my favourites of theirs. 5/5
Loved it! Super funky and great with the new setup at home. Amazing to hear the clear line of sight towards the bands that would this album would go on to influence. Definitely putting this one on high rotation.
It is hard to give any album that starts with a full 8-minute version of Good Times anything less than 5 stars. The opener and the other two singles, which are also great, form half of the album. Hence, it follows that \[(4+5)/2=4.5 + \mbox{the perfect sound} = 5 *.\]
This was thoroughly enjoyable. Soulful, funky, it has it all. Loved it!
love this! these are the 70s disco vibes i'm here for! love the instrumentals having orchestral sounds as well as nice drums and guitar, that's one of my favorite things about the genre. Good Times is of course a classic, and I know it so it stands out already, but I enjoyed all the other songs as well!
Good Times!! This is a album full of peak 70's disco boogie funk goodness.
Nile Rodgers is a guitar genius. Most of tbe songs on this album are more or less interchangeable, but he invented the new disco soynd so even though it's not what I would choose to listen to, it deserves 5 stars.
‘Good Times’ with its bassline that gave birth to hip-hop on wax dominates, but ‘Risqué’ is much more than that. Underneath its lush, upbeat, shiny veneer is an album tinged with loss, sadness and despair, layers of sarcasm and cynicism; an album that finds catharsis (or oblivion) through the dancefloor, ultimately transcending its genre and becoming something bigger and deeper than just a mere disco album.
Each song was as funky as the one before. Greatly recommend this song to anyone who is into funk and/or disco
Great grooves and hooks. Totally a unique sound with the group vocals and strings. Bernard Edwards basslines are super iconic. I like the long instrumental sections of just groove in Goodtimes. The tap dancing section in My Feet Feel like Dancing is cool. Can’t Stand to Love You is so great, probably my favorite song-I wish it were longer!
This album is great. I was nervous when I saw that the first few songs were quite long, but I was grooving and vibing to all the songs. There's some great funk and got me moving in my seat. Really enjoyable album to listen to. Favorite song: Will You Cry (When You Hear This Song) Worst song: N/A
Deserves to be on the list simply for putting down a groove that "inspired" both Rappers Delight and Another One Bites the Dust. All that said, the ballads here are equally impressive. The Edwards/Rogers team was humming at top gear throughout and writing, playing and producing at an extraordinarily high level.
Nile Rodgers rules. And the album would get a 5/5 for ‘Good Times’ alone. But the fact that so many great songs came from it, like Rapper’s Delight and Rapture makes me want to give it a 6.
I absolutely love Nile Rodgers and have been inspired by him in my own guitar playing. I also absolutely love disco music, but I'd never actually listened to this album in full. It's hard to judge since it opens with one of the most influential songs ever written. Good Times is such a fucking amazing song and influenced an entire genre of music and it opens the album. Everything after that is going to pale in comparison. It's still really good music, but damn is it hard to follow Good Times.
Half of these songs I love, the other half are timeless in nature and are beyond convention. Its strangely positive, its simplicity is spiritual, but takes a strange downward turn to melancholic darkness on the B-side. An amazing record. 4.5 rounded up.
A hidden gem and the kind of album I’m in this project for. Groovy, funky perfection that so well done. Will be coming back.
In a wierd piece of synchronicity, I got this album to listen to on the day a local venue announced Chic are playing an outdoor gig in my town thus July. Snapped up tickets straight away.
This feels like the swan's song of disco ... it was 1979 and disco was losing its popularity. Economic times were hard as well. This album encapsulates the entire genre, and does it so well I can't stop listening to it! Peppy beats but the lyrics are sad. The band is TIGHT. The songwriting is TIGHT. Musical and production skill practically oozes from this album. I love it. 5/5
Aw hell yeah... soon as I heard the first little riff I knew I was gonna like it. I think I need to admit that I really, really like disco haha. edit: the ballad-y songs are kinda bland, should be all upbeat numbers like the first one. 4/5 cause they're not all bangers.
Some really lush tracks on this album, that's the best way I can describe it. I liked it a lot more than the other CHIC album I listened to.
8/10 Good times es un rolololon que ya esta en el olimpo de las canciones
Super chill, ligerito, digerible y con una cantidad moderada de especias, como una pechugita de pollo a las finas hierbas. ¿Qué puedo decir? me gusta Chic mucho y fue agradable oir el disco. Canción fav: Good times porque soy basic bitch I guess. Mención honorifica: Will You Cry, porque es una balada que me agradó y a mi me gusta una balada una vez cada mil años. Mood: Tomando mi tecito caliente en un día frio pero soleado.
VERY short and very sweet, it’s saccharine, molasses thick. This album is vibes central and the vibes are good. It starts out with one of the most memorable bass lines ever and the vibes keep coming. I had an epiphany while listening: this is proto hip hop, all the songs stay on the break the whole tome so people can keep dancing, the songs don’t have the traditional verse/chorus/bridge format. Which, if intentional is revolutionary. In the slower “Will You Cry” is basically vapor wave before vapor wave. I bet this album has been sampled a million times and for good reason. Put it on and the party gets going. It’s a 4, maybe even a 5.
It feels goooooood. Unique sound that seems more substantial than other disco. Deep grooves. Attitude. White guy dancing at my standing desk. Sustained songs - they're not rushing anything. I thought A Warm Summer Night felt repetitive but I think that's exactly the point - it repeats the same romantic pattern like the evenings it describes. My Feet Keep Dancing is six minutes of joy, chimes, and incredible bass. The songs are long and the album is short. I love it. A-
Very decent album songs are kind of samey but theres some classics on there
Good album. The whole sound top to bottom is pretty consistent, and a really strong introduction with Good Times. Some of the tracks drag on a little, no doubt because of the dance floor audience, but a very listenable album.
When this record flies, it soars! Even for "Good Times" alone, it deserves a place on this list. But I also can't help but feel like tracks like "A Warm Summer Night" fall too easily into this kind of soft radio disco mode that just hasn't aged all that well. Rating 3.5/5 Favourite Tracks: Good Times, My Forbidden Lover, My Feet Keep Dancing, Best
Immediately recognized Good Times but did not know the band that made that great song. Now I do!
Detailed and beautifully crafted dance music. It got kinda boring after the second half though, I think it was not supposed to be an album rather than a collection of Dance songs. Another interesting fact was this album was released in the same year which "Disco Demolition Night" happened.
Bisher nie mit beschäftigt aber viele Wiedererkennungs-Lieder und tolle Songs insgesamt! Weiss jetzt wer Chic ist!
This clearly inspired Daft Punk and the likes. Great upbeat disco, bouncy bass lines, funky guitar riffs.
God, disco is the best, but every track is so goddamn long without really introducing new stuff