C'est Chic

“C’est Chic” by Chic (1978) R&B/early disco, with lyrics basically consisting of “I want you, baby; Let’s dance!” and other inane dance club pickup lines. But the music is very well done, if you can get past the New York City Club 54 pretentiousness. Excellent lilting bass and feathery guitar, if somewhat excessively repetitive. “Savoir Faire” displays some nice rhythmic variations, and fine jazz lead guitar solo. This track is really the highlight of the album. This album makes me want to dance, but it’s 5:37am, and I got nobody. Overall, good. 3/5

Amazing. I’m ashamed to say that I’ve owned this for like 7 years, and I have somehow never listened to it front to back. This is what I imagine heaven sounds like. On the B side, I stood up on three separate occasions b/c I thought that the song was so good, that it must be their grand finale. Every time there was an even better song waiting in the wings

Can't deny the instrumentation is good and there's obviously a few classics but every song also felt like it was 10 minutes too long.

this one i get it. list of 1000 albums? sure, it makes the cut.

Classic disco record. Fun, catchy tunes, great production, killer bass and guitars here and there. Le Freak is great. At the same time, there are repetitive, easily consumable songs that are often longer than they should be.

If I didn't give this album five stars, you would know I had been kidnapped and forced to give a different vote. I sometimes like to play Chic or edits of Chic in my dj sets and the impact they have had on disco with this album is insane. I have had the pleasure of seeing them live, and I will say this listen brought back happy memories. Thank you Rodgers and Edwards

Why everyone, before they die, should spend what felt like 20 minutes listening to a lady repeating "I can hardly see what's in front of me" in a dramatic voice is insane to me. I guess it's a decent dance album, but every track is double the length it needed to be, and absolutely nothing happens or evolves.

Classic disco album, great for getting up and dancing to and singing along to.

Nile Rodgers is God

One thing I'd like to note right out of the gate is how nice this record is produced. At least through my headphones, the bass is some of the best I've heard. You can hear the spring of the strings clear as day. Gorgeous, and really adds a lot to the music. That being said, sometimes the tracks can drag a little, but I think they're mostly made to dance to, and not to be as focused, critically, as I am on them. A few are also slightly interchangeable, sound-wise. Still, good, funky, fun. Favorite tracks: "I Want Your Love", "Sometimes You Win", "(Funny) Bone"

I wasn't familiar with CHIC until this listen, aside from obviously being familiar with guitarist, and band co-founder, Nile Rodgers, and the song "Le Freak". I haven't listened to "Le Freak" in its entirety but after hearing it now, it's quite the elegant disco track. Pristine mixing, ear-wormy vocals, and glammy strings partnered with a killer groove, it's everything I wanted from a record like this. I guess all that applies to most of this album, there were quite a handful of highlights. "Savoir Faire" is an outright gorgeous instrumental track that encapsulates a blissful city-night feeling in its repetitive, yet continuously enjoyable 5-minute run time. "I Want Your Love" sparks a similar feeling within me with a particularly enjoyable outro. I also generally love the vocals on this album, mostly performed by Alfa Anderson. My favorite would be the vocal melody on "At Last I am Free" about being so free that you can't even see it in front of you. That particular melody repeats throughout the entire second half of the song before slowly fading out; it's beautiful. "Sometimes You Win" is a particularly wholesome track lyrically speaking. Overall, the formula on all these songs is very similar; thick basslines, plucked rhythm guitar, string segments, light piano, and emotive lead vocals. I personally really enjoy this formula and it makes me wonder why Disco gets such a bad rep, perhaps it gets repetitive but in its nearly 40-minute runtime, I never really felt that way (aside from maybe the subpar closer). This is a wholesome album that's very spacious and manages to be patient while still filling out the entirety of its sonic space with gorgeous instruments. I haven't listened to much 70s disco but this feels like a gold standard for the genre. It's an album you can just lay back to and breathe for a bit. 8/10

It's good fun to listen to, nice and funky. It's always cool to hear these classic albums and find songs you've always known about but never known the name or artist (Le Freak), or songs that have been sampled elsewhere (Chic Cheer). Doesn't blow me away though, but i'm not mad about getting it.

Legendary disco album. Bernard Edwards <3

Disco fever!

Good dance album, not really much going for it other than that. A lot of the songs tend to drag on and are pretty one dimensional. My least favorite of the albums I've listened to so far. Favorite Tracks: Happy Man, Sometimes You Win

super groovy!

Album starts out hot af. Bass is bumping and the vibe is groovy. I've, of course, heard of the second song on the album. It's well-known for a good reason. It's groovy and the inclusion of orchestral instruments really adds to it. Man, the album keeps it up as the songs go along. Each one has great vibes. 10/10.

Niles Rodgers bops. Pretty groovy stuff. About what you expect with I want your love and freak out on it.

Accidentally listened to this on repeat all night and enjoyed it the whole time, good stuff

"C'est Chic" is the second studio album by American R&B band Chic. The music genre isclassified as disco, funk and R&B. I'd add a little bit of jazz too. It was produced by guitarist Nile Rodgers and bassist Bernard Edwards and was their most successful album peaking at #4 in the US and #2 in the UK. A crowd cheer and horns open "Chic Cheer." The groove sets in. Nile Rodgers' guitar and Bernard Edwards' deep bass. The whole band and others are singing a repeated "Chic, Chic." Let's party! Awwwwww..Freak Out and we're off with "Le Freak." Now this would be at the very top of my list if you had me name a disco song. Great production with the groove, horn and strings. "Savoir Faire" is lush with strings. A prominent bass. I would categorize this as jazz with the guitar. And a guitar jam too. The familiar bells, horns and bass announce their second big single "I Want Your Love." Smooth. The much-copied "scratchy" Niles Rodgers' guitar. Alfa Anderson killing it on the vocals repeating "I Want Your Love." Almost a Sister Sledge song. A great deeper cut is "At Last I Am Free." This is slower, a ballad, with strings and piano. One of the best songs on the album. The album ends similar to how it began with crowd noise on the mostly instrumental "(Funny (Bone)." A disco/R&B jam. There's disco. There's what I would call R&B nowadays. There's a ballad. There's a jazz song. There's the much copied Nile Rodgers' guitar sound. The songs are in the five to minute range and most of the songs get a great groove going. There's a lot to like here.

5 Fun fact about me: I’m a bigger disco fan than I let on. There’s something about the cliché guitar patterns and orchestras and funnnnky bass lines that I love. This would be workout music for me, if I was the type of person that took proper care of themselves. It’s uptempo, it’s iconic, and so sleek and cool. The songs run a little long but even then I couldn’t stop dancing. I was prepared to listen for as long as it would go. I can just imagine myself doing chores listening to this album and having an absolute blast. I definitely didn’t care for the repeated overuse of the band name as lyrics, I’ve always found that lame no matter who does it. The tender but skillful instrumentals were a welcome surprise too. All in all this was a really fun listen that I will absolutely listen to again. Favorites: Chic Cheer, Le Freak, Savior Faire, Happy Man, Sometimes You Win,(Funny) Bone

If I were at a party, I wouldn't mind if this album played for five hours straight. Listening to it at home does not feel like the proper setup, but still, it makes me wonder what would be of music as we know it today if it weren't for Nile Rodgers. Overall good, but gets a bump up for being so influential.

Chic. Nile Rogers. Excellent.

One of the few albums on this list that I’ve felt compelled to listen to twice in a row. A great disco album altogether, though it could benefit from slightly more experimentation or variation. 9

Yasssss bitch C'est chic la Disco. Ca groove en sequin dress dans la cuisine!!!

it was blumming great

I can see why everyone was getting pregnant in the 80s

This album was awesome, just that guitar and bass, how do you not love that. Funky and blissful. Must-listen #160.

Apparently, this journey has revealed to me that I'm a Disco fan. This had me dancing in the morning while driving. FREAK OUT! Favorite Track: "Le Freak".

Perfectly funky and groovy. Didn't really like At Last I Am Free, but the rest of the album had me boogieing.

really fun and groovy instrumentals.

Thats how discos should sound like! After listening to World Clique by Deee-Lite this album really made my world click. Its funky, groovy and souly. The Instrumentals are obvious what makes this album shine and the lyricism are okay but not outstanding. (4.0/5.0)

Smooth, groovy and love the guitar solos. At Last I Am Free is far too long and gets boring.

Groovy

This is #day102 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge and... here's to some sheer class late '70s disco. Funky, groovy, jazzy... I've never heard this one before, but that was finger-licking good. It's a solid 4 out of 5 this time around. Looking forward to #day103.

Don't really have a bad word to say about this. It's a tight 8 tracks of funky Chic vibes. It's not a 5 for me as there isn't really any real stand-outs on here for me, but a very solid album. Fave Tracks: Le Freak, I Want Your Love, Sometimes You Win 4.2/5

Great stuff, some of their best tunes [EDIT - busy day, basic review but I did end up purchasing this]

Album still sounds amazing and apparently it has the foundational grooves that all of hip hop is based on?

The first song was unbearable - but the everything past that was surprisingly enjoyable. Didn’t think it would catch my attention like it did. I may listen to it again.

Who doesnt know the first two songs? Funk to r and b. Entertaining 3.5

groovy

Funky, groovy, smooth. Not many huge standouts but an easy ride throughout. (3.5 stars)

Very groovy. The instrumental Savoir Faire a highlight.

I had to have a tooth extracted today, it sucked, but this was a fun soundtrack that bookended that experience.

I had a 'Death Before Disco' T-shirt way back in the day, although I would have ditched it for a night out at Studio 54. Some classic hits on this album.

C'est Chic is the second studio album by Chic, originally released in 1978. This is right around the era that funk/R&B began to turn disco. Most people know the song "Le Freak", which is such a banger. Sure to get people out on the dancefloor. Most of the other tracks don't reach the same heights, but still make you want to dance. The production on this record is so good, as was the standard with most late-70s records. The bass player on here is such a beast. Just laying out those funky riffs. Although this sounds pretty dated, it was still a fun listen.

I enjoyed this more than I should have. Yes it’s disco but great playing, great production and not obnoxious. Savoir faire instrumental may have been my favorite. A part of me wants to give it 4 stars but I won’t.

Meh. Disco doesn't bother me but it's not usually very memorable, either.

Le freak kennig Flowig insgesamt

The music is groovy and lively, but MAN IS IT REPETITIVE. I found myself at multiple points checking the remaining time on a track only to find that it still has another 2 minutes remaining. I can only listen to someone say "I'm a happy man" so many times before getting sick of it. Overall, a fine album, but I wouldn't actively attempt listening to it again.

“Le Freak” is timeless, but what of the rest? The opener’s alright. The hinterland between soul, disco and yacht rock has “Savoir Faire” as its capital: some immense vocal effort, or maybe a Kraftwerk power unit would raise it up; the guitar solo is a butterfly where an afterburner is needed. “Happy Man” is as interesting as the experience of someone telling you they’re a happy man could be. “I Want Your Love” is inarguably fab and makes me realise how most of the preceding songs missed Alfa Anderson’s vocals, which rule without effort, and redeem the long instrumental outro when they drop back in. She can’t redeem the mawkishness of “At Last I’m Free”, though, quite a yawn. “Sometimes You Win” is better, but not by much. The closer is an extended piece of nothing. My review references a CD generously donated by Kevin Rowland. I am grateful this record is on this list, as I doubt the other gift, “The Very Best Of The Blow Monkeys”, will come up. The Wikipedia wormhole this sent me on was fun. Simon, are The Power Station any good?

Slightly concerned I'm falling into the trap of "I know this, I like this, its a 5", but I'm once again finding Nile Rodgers providing an album with such strong singles they do prop up the whole album. I had fun start to finish, and I like French house so every 30 seconds is another sample recognised.

Nice pop.

Wow, hätte nicht gedacht, dass ein Disco Album mich so packt. Wäre sowas heute in Clubs würd ich da auch hingehen

My dad raised me on Disco so this was great for me. It is filled with wonderful, funkadelic vibes. What more could you want? I saved "Le Freak" "Savoir Faire" and "I Want Your Love".

Fuck, this slapped.

pure disco classic, what a record

LOVE LOVE LOVE THIS ALBUM! SO MUCH I HAVE IT ON VINYL! NEW YORK IN ANOTHER COMPLETE DIFFERENT WAY! DISCO! FREAKED OUT CUZ YOU COULDN'T GET INTO STUDIO 54! THE HEDONISM! THE 70S! NILE RODGERS PIONEERING HIS IMPACT ON EVERY SINGLE GENRE! BERNARD EDWARDS GIVING US THE MOST TIMELESS AND ICONIC BASSLINES E V E RRRRRRR. OH MY GOD! BLACK ARTISTRY AT ITS FINEST....... AUTOMATIC FIVES, NO ESSAY NEEDED. I WANT YOUR LOVE IS ONE OF THE GREATEST SONGS OF ALL TIME. MY GOATS WILL NEVER BE WASHED! REST IN PEACE BERNARD!

A stone cold classic

another nile rodgers project, not sure if anyone has more vocal presence than sister sledge but the songs and arrangements are just about equally wonderful!!! just incredibly decadent but not overfilling music yk yk...like honey or something. warm, spacious, very tightly wound, clearly made with tons of effort and consideration but Feels effortless and intuitive...pitch perfect disco p much , w/ some obviously classic tracks! has been cool to encounter this previously unfamiliar-to-me corner of music, good illustration of how even thru various waning moods and feelings ive rly never felt any drive at all to stop doing this whole project

slay

Solo por Le Freak y I want your love ya merece la pena el disco. 8 temas, 8 gemas con alguna de ellas de infinitos quilates. Savoir affaire es funky sofisticado, como el nombre y el estilo elegante que ellos buscaban y encontraron. Fue tal el éxito que al año siguiente se hicieron campañas contra la música disco (Disco Sucks, especialmente virulentas contra los Bee Gees). Esto es el abecé de la mitad de grupos, bandas y sonidos del rap/hip-hop. Elegante, bailable, perdurable. Guitarra y bajo, con unas buenas voces y base rítmica. Rodgers y Edwards: de aquí a la eternidad. Y todo ello en plena explosión punk. Tremendamente influyentes, desde Queen (Another one bites the dust), Bowie (Let´s dance y sus pocos logros ochenteros más White tie...), Madonna (Like a virgin), Sugarhill (...y las Ketchup), hasta Daft punk o !!! y más allá. Otros discos del 78: The Man Machine de Kraftwerk, debuts de Kate Bush, Pere Ubu, Magazine, , Public Image Ltd., Dire Straits, Police, The Only Ones, Devo, The Cars y Siouxsie and the banshees, (también Chris Rea y Midnight Oil), así como discos esenciales: Plastic letters y Paralell Lines, Some Girls, This year´s model, Darkness on the Edge of Town, Incantations, Équinoxe, Ambient 1: Music for Airports, All mod cons, Some girls, One Nation Under A Groove, Outlandos d´amour los directos de Cheap Trick, Thin Lizzy, Bob Marley, AC-DC y The last waltz, e incluso Grease.

Absolutely bloody brilliant. So beautiful. At first I was confused as I thought their music was disco but it is more soul/rnb with wondrous vocals and production that includes guitar solos. Most importantly is the way this album made me feel - comforted and invigorated at the same time.

Good vibes and funky

Groovay

I've never listened to the whole album but the two big singles have become ever-present classics. That meant, that I'd never heard "Savoire Faire", which is astonishing. Yes, the tracks are probably a bit long but, on this occasion, I can overlook that.

Fantastic

So many classics

I knew within 5 seconds of the intro to the first song that I was going to like this. And I don't even like disco that much; or at least, I never learned how to properly appreciate it. Every human on the fucking planet has listened to Le Freak at least 30 times. I dare say it's the most well known & generic disco song of all time; next to Disco Inferno & Stayin' Alive. I dare say this may be more recognisable though. The guitarwork on Savoir Fare was incredible. It reminded me of Zappa's Watermelon in Easter Hay. The guitar tone was near identical. And the beautiful backing track, with the loud, crisp and gorgeous guitar tone over the top. Whoever was playing it was an absolute fucking weapon too. That's genuinely one of the best solos I've ever listened to. I cannot emphasise that enough. Happy Man was a fresh and uplifting tune after the brevity of one of the best guitar instrumentals you'll ever hear. Straight back to monkey business on the disco dancefloor. Chic. I found this song not as iconic as the others, with a lot less substance to take in than it's predecessors, but I still enjoyed it very much indeed. I Want Your Love takes you straight back to the radio friendly disco that I was expecting from this record. This feels very similar to an early 80's pop song, with less emphasis on the disco elements. Very remiscent of Steview Wonder & Steve Vinwood (or whatever the Higher Loves guys name is) It was super catchy and I caught my head bobbing along more than a few times. The longer this song went on the more I fell in love with it. At Least I am Free slowed things down a lot. I didn't gel with this one as much. The singing was obviously great, but otherwise I didn't find this one particularly interesting. I didn't necessarily hate it, but the song just sounded like a stereotypical 80's romcom interlude song. You know the part where the girl comes to terms her love failing? That part. Next. After the slowdown, Sometimes You Win perks you right back up and throws you straight back into boogie mode. This duet is where the two singers really show off their synergy and talent. It's more of the same disco-ey feel that I've come to expect 7 songs in; which means it's catchy, crisp, and crammed with immense talent. The instrumental solo really broke things up and kept the song feeling fresh, though I do wish it came on a little earlier than the before the last chorus of the song. Oh well, still a great listen. (Funny) Bone sends you off the album with some sharp instrumentals. I'll admit, it feels like an interlude to the second side of this thing - but it's not. It's the end. I actually really enjoyed the way this thing ended, especially with the Circus and Clown comment. If you couldn't tell from my wall of text and analysis of each song individual; I fucking adore this thing. I've never heard any song from CHIC apart from Le Freak (who hasn't), but boy am I glad I did. This album is fucking amazing. I was not going into this expecting to give it anything higher than a 3, but alas, a 5 it is. Absolutely fantastic, I'm genuinely blown away, and can't sing this thing's praises enough. This is one of the best albums I've listened to so far out of the 202 or so I've gotten through. 6/5.

I friggin love disco man.

Fav: Le Freak; Sometimes You Win;

Great album and super fun to listen to. Some of the ideas seem a bit unfinished- savoir faire sounds like the vocals are about to enter but it’s just guitar solos. Nice Rodgers is great though and Bernard’s Edward’s bass lines are so good.

Love nile and bernard, grooves are sick and the love the strings/orchestration on i want your love. Tbh vocals are kinda mid and some of the songs feel a little unfinished but sick vibes

SENSACIONAL!

Very funky; loved the guitar and bass. Real good sampling material

The Sgt Pepper of disco/funk!

great

Очень хорошо!

All the middle-school feels.

Ziemlich lässige Mukke

Disco-dancing down the street like a freeak

Nile Rodgers and crew doing what they do best! Make bootys shake!!!

Disco increíble. Simplemente genial

Rogers and Edwards respective guitar and bass lines are fantastic.

Another influential classic

Hot stuff

Great album. Lots of songs to dance to. Fantastic guitar and instrumental.

Today's album is, "C'est Chic" (1978) by Chic. Here is what I want to say. Bernard Edwards as a bassist is upper echelon. Nile Rogers as a guitarist is upper echelon. AND ALSO...they are both upper echelon as writers and producers. AND AND ALSO...Nile went on to prove himself one of the greatest and most successful writers and producers ever. The rest of the production on this album? Superb. Vocals, all around? Sublime. (Shout out, Luther Vandross, rip) The arrangements and the larger band? Stellar. And the album is a perfect little piece of disco elegance and sophistication. Five Stars.

Insanely good, so many classics

Much like one can play seven degrees of separation with Kevin Bacon, the iconic guitar riffs of Nile Rodgers will always be seven degrees of separation from your favorite sample. Disco for the ages.

iconic disco greatness

I recognized the songs, and no idea where from

I had no idea I knew these songs… and some are used as samples by well known rappers!

Let’s get funky.

classic. sampled so many times

Nice. Soul and funk with some strong disco tendencies.

Yeah, Baby, yeah.

Loved it!

disco classic

I’m realizing that I’ve only given five star ratings to albums with which I’m already familiar. And while I know “Le Chic,” this album was otherwise new to me. I loved it. And I’m ready to trade in Daft Punk.