We Are Family

This is also the best Chic album. You can hear Nile Rodgers and his funky-ass guitar all over it. It's impossible for me to be subjective about some music, and that's especially the case for this album's title track. I used to always associate it with the 1979 Pittsburgh Pirates and their sabotaging of the song for their pennant run. That was until 1996, when it was played as the last song at 1:00 AM at our wedding reception. Even though the party was ending, there were close to 20 of members of my family who immediately took to the dance floor to jam out to some Sister Sledge. Thankfully someone had the wherewithal to video tape the moment, and I can still watch my Uncles and Aunts, brothers and sisters, and my 80 year-old grandmother joyfully tearing up a rug to "We Are Family". It's one of my favorite moments of the entire night. My marriage may not have lasted, but "We Are Family" certainly has.

I first met the Sledge sisters whilst backpacking around Papua New Guinea. Each evening one of them would approach me in private and scream "We Are Family" in my face for up to two hours. Looking back, I probably shouldn't have forced them to have that orgy in front of their grandparents, but what's a boy to do?

I used to be a sniffy about disco. It was not serious music, not very cred, too formula driven, etc. In nearly 30 years of mulling over these issues, I have come to the viewpoint that I was pretty much wrong on all counts. The “Disco sucks” movement was largely based in racist and homophobic resentment of anyone having fun without straight white men being in charge. Ideas of musical cred are also based in an exclusionary viewpoint by largely entitlement straight white guys (most critics) trying to gatekeep “good” music. So, now I am talking to all my white, straight, male homies: all of those criticism miss the point that disco is enormous fun. It is absolutely built from the ground up for dancing (which is awesome), and largely attuned to the tastes of women and gay men. And if you’re looking for a fun night out, you can’t beat dancing with a group of women and/or gay men. They know how to how to have a good time out on the floor, and, if you’re lucky, they’ll let you tag along. If you think you’re cool by shunning disco, you are a fool and missing out. I have been DJing parties a bit lately (with my mate Peter), and there is nothing as amazing as getting a room full of people to dance, and, to really get the dancing going, you need some disco. As to the accusation that disco is formulaic, I refer you to Sturgeon’s Law: “ninety percent of everything is crap". There is a lot of crap disco out there, but this Sister Sledge album is the gold standard. Produced by Chic at the height of their powers, I would argue that “We Are Family”, “Lost in Music” and “He’s the Greatest Dancer” are among the greatest disco songs ever. With the exception of the lackluster ballad “Somebody Loves Me”, the rest of the album tracks are excellent. I particularly enjoy “Thinking of You”. The band is tight and lays down a great groove, the tunes are memorable, and the vocal performances and harmonies are terrific (maybe not quite to the standard of contemporaries like the Pointer Sisters or Labelle, but still really strong). This is a consistently slick, groovy and (above all) fun album, that ranks amongst the best disco of all time, and should be celebrated.

04/08/2022 Bops on bops on bops! The girls just wont quit! Listened on Spotify, and the final 3 tracks are 24 mins of extended disco remixes, and I honestly unlocked a new level of homosexual after listening.

This album is funky, it swings. It makes me want to sing and dance. The vocals are incredible and the instruments are clear and good. This is music.

🕺Tastes like rusty cum.

This feels like you're wrapped in a warm, fuzzy blanket travelling on the grooviest spaceship around. The spaceship is shaped and lit like a lava lamp. What a refreshing and gorgeous album to listen to, especially in 2022 when it feels like we all need some warmth. Liked almost all of this except for the title track, which I've heard 450 million times in my life and is now on my DNL (Do Not Listen) list.

He's The Greatest Dancer - An absolute Banger! Infectious beat that gets your hips moving and your foot tappin. Lost In Music - Fun Disco song that's easy to dance to. Almost like a marching song for disco. Could see a lot of clapping going on to this song. Somebody Love Me - Great love song that I'd never heard before. Gives me 10cc's vibes. Hauntingly beautiful and sweet. Thinking Of You - That Bass walk is fuckin solid. Mixed with Niles Rodgers guitar riff carries this gem to be another Banger of a disco classic. We Are Family - Obvious gold standard of Disco. Song about unification produced to perfection. The hi hat is the backbone that the bass riff bounces along as the piano and strings hi five each other in celebration each time they tip toe along this fantastic groove. Easier To Love - Slowing it down after the roof raiser before the Sledge Sister ease you in to a harmonic hammock. Your body sways with the comforting beat of the bongos and the soothing strings. You're a Friend To Me - Wow slowing it down even more. Um not too sure how I feel about this one... It's fine, the strings are nice. Definitely the weakest of the bunch. One More Time - Fun little song to wrap the album up with. Songs like unused rhythms from their bangers but it's fun enough. The little guitar solo was fun.

Enjoy the instrumentation and smooth production but as the album goes on I start to lose interest. Some nice tracks but as an album it doesn't hold tigether for me.

I tried. Disco sucks.

This was a rough one for me. I did admittedly listen to it at the end of the day which may have colored how I felt about it but it was repetitive and just felt like it took forever to finish.

When the material works, this is really good. "We Are Family" is enduring and easily the best track. Hard not to sing along. The upbeat, feel-good, self-empowering messages are all welcome, nothing wrong with a positive message in the music (and god, what a stark contrast from the Alice In Chains album), but too often, this gets trite (and I hope and pray, oh please let the children play, all this killing each other, you should be loving your brother) and that significantly diminishes the impact of the album for me. It sounds great — Nile Rodgers must not have gotten any sleep in the '70-80s. Dude is all over the place. Pleasant enough, and brilliant in spots, but as a whole, it's a down-the-middle affair.

Good pick to start this 1001 days

Meh...

I absolutely love this. Impossible not to tap your foot or nod your head. Nile Rodgers is excellent, had no idea he was on this album but his guitar sound is instantly recognisable. Love the strings and the tight beats, such a groove. Just makes you feel good. He’s The Greatest Dancer, Lost in Music and Thinking of You are incredible. Played this album 4 times on Friday and had a good old boogie in the kitchen. 🕺🕺🕺🪩🪩🪩

This was a great listen. Well-written songs. Amazing bass lines. Great singing and production. I've really been enjoying disco the past few years. I can't believe how great the genre is, and this is a choice example of it. Is it a 5-star album? Hmmm... maybe? But today I'm going with a 4 because not every song grabbed me.

Disco is the worst. But the guys from Chic did a decent job writing an album for the ladies of Sister Sledge considering that they never even met them before writing it. See that?! THAT sentence is part of the problem with disco. One artist was asked by their label to write an ENTIRE ALBUM for another artist that they'd never even met. That's bullshit and I hate it. While the songs are alright (for disco), the whole idea of the album is enough to kill a star. Disco is the worst.

Not into this album at all. Just not my thing. Not a big fan of disco.

For the most part this was pretty good. I think some of the song were a bit repetitive and drawn out. I'm torn between giving this a 2 or 3, so I would give it a 2.5 if possible.

Holy smokes, what a tracklist. As good as US disco gets for me. Non stop slappage

The front half of this album is funky disco perfection. and the back half. this whole thing is 24k dripping Chic gold.

I loved EVERY song in this album. Came in knowing two originally, finished with loving every single song. I LOVE funky music, disco music and sister sledge is just amazing.

This whole thing is amazing. I usually skip any bonus tracks, but I was even hooked on those.

We Are Family ‘Just let me staple the vicar’ The sort of album I would have been a bit sniffy about in my younger days, but now it's the sort of album I really appreciate. Of course Nile Rogers and Bernard Fowler are a fantastic songwriting and production team. The whole record sounds great, but Nile’s guitar sound and Bernard’s bass sound in particular are so good - the bright, clean and rhythmic against the deep, warm and melodic is such a great, contrasting combination. Bernard Fowler would absolutely be in my top ten favourite bassists As well as that the Nile Rogers - Bernard Fowler - Tony Thompson playing axis is absolutely superb, and the sororal voices are excellent too, harmonising and blending as only siblings can. I guess He’s the Greatest Dancer, after being sampled by Will Smith, and We Are Family might be seen as slightly jokey, novelty disco records, but they are so much more than that, they are fantastic bits of pop song writing, full of hooks, big choruses and killer grooves, and ultimately they are just joyous bits of pop music. Lost in Music and Thinking of You are also superb of course, Thinking of You’s hypnotic groove is so satisfying and addictive, the swirling strings against the repeating chug of the guitar while being driven forward by the bass. That may well broadly be the Chic template, but it doesn’t matter when it's done as superbly as this. I’m less familiar with the other album tracks, but I really liked Somebody to Love and Easier to Love as lower tempo, lower key songs to contrast and counterpoint the 4 big bangers. Somebody to Love is a actually great 70s soul ballad, with less of the obvious Chic elements and with great vocals and harmonies. You’re a Friend to Me is really great, a real grower, getting better with every listen. Again a slower tempo track, but with the weight and dynamism of the uptempo songs. The bass is fantastic, particularly that repeating climb. One More Time perhaps feels a bit too Chic by numbers, not quite reaching the heights of the big songs, although the piano pattern is very good and I really like the slightly un-Nile Rogers-like guitar solo. I’m right on the cusp of 4 and 5. It really is a fantastic 40 minutes of disco pop satisfaction, but I’m not sure it's quite in the top bracket of albums. The 4 big songs are absolute bangers and they are well supported by the other songs, but it is probably a bit two tiered. A 5 would also give it a chance at a podium place, as in the final reckoning I think it would be worthy of a bronze (assuming you both don’t hate it). Hmm, tricky. It’s a beautiful sunny day, the album makes me happy with its joyfulness and I’m visualising Dan in his tiny pants by a Croatian pool, so I’ll let all that get the better of me and go 5. 🛷🛷🛷🛷🛷 Playlist submission: Toss up between Thinking of You and We Are Family, I’ll go We Are Family for its pure joyous disco pop infectiousness.

Arguably the best disco record, back to back bangers. Feels a bit like a Chic album, but that can only be said as a compliment. One of my favorite feel good records.

Some massive bangers in this album and a good vibe overall

disco. nice beat. loved the album.

Ich kannte bisher von Sister Sledge nur We Are Family und habe mich darauf gefreut, mehr von ihnen zu hören. Allerdings hat sich für mich schnell herausgestellt, dass es wohl einen Grund hat, dass nur We Are Family allgemein bekannt ist. Ich fand den Rest des Albums nicht sehr speziell. 5⭐️ für We Are Family 3⭐️ für den Rest des Albums

Elegantly funky, fantastically energetic and effortlessly cool. It takes a lot to outshine Nile Rodger's guitar playing, but Bernie Edward's bass mastery steals all limelight on this record. Every song is super fun and well written. Best Tracks: - He's The Greatest Dancer - Lost In Music - We Are Family Worst Tracks: N/A Rating: 8.5/10

It didn’t have to hit me over the head to send its message of love. A slow groove, but one well worth listening to. Can you dig it?

Another album that it helped to listen to more.

A highlight of the disco genre, for sure. The title track, appearing partway through the album, is an exhilarating pick-me-up after a slew of "disco ballads" on side 1. It's obvious why it's the lead single and the most well-known track by Sister Sledge, because dang it, it's catchy. The chorus line "Get up everybody and S I N G", with that sexy major 2nd added to the IV chord vocal harmony, really gets my jazz-soul heart pumping. The chord progression here is also so simple, yet so perfect: I-VIIb-IV-VIb/IV. You see it everywhere in disco, but Sister Sledge adds something extra, indescribable, magical. It's no wonder the song became such an anthem of the early 80s and the post-hipster era. The rest of the album isn't half bad either, except for the tracks Somebody Loves Me and You're a Friend to Me, which are half bad. He's the Greatest Dancer has a ridiculously memorable string riff that matches the chorus melody. The song goes on a bit longer than is justifiable, reminding me of Chic having the same problem with their megahit Good Times (released the same year as this album!). By the six-minute mark, my party drugs are wearing off. Cut the runtime in half, ladies. I also enjoy the laid-back, reggae-ish guitar in Thinking of You. It really brings the song together. In fact, in general, the sound is great. I like that the singing isn't overpowering and doesn't prevent the other instruments from shining. It's done skilfully and tastefully, though this comes at the cost of the music sounding like most other disco bands rather than an especially distinct one. Per another reviewer: "This album is funky, it swings. It makes me want to sing and dance. The vocals are incredible and the instruments are clear and good. This is music." (Though there's room for it to be even "more" music. Do you get me?) 4/5 Key tracks: He's the Greatest Dancer, Thinking of You, We Are Family

#blessed for Sister Sledge. "We Are Family" is easily one of the best disco songs of all time, but unlike many other albums that contain the artist's biggest hit, the rest of the album is solid. There is no dull point. Sure, the other songs are practically nobodies, but they are so smooth and delightful. Several songs are worth going into my regular rotation! Anyway, Nile Rodgers as a producer should surprise exactly no one--and I don't know how I had the audacity to be surprised.

Was ready to give this a 3 until I listened again on the good speakers and it suddenly made more sense. The drums and keys are consistently solid. The guitar is groovy. The BASS is absolutely nasty in the best way. Not every song is a winner, but the highlights are such jams. Favorites were He’s The Greatest Dancer, Lost In Music, We Are Family, and One More Time.

No. 57/1001 He's the Greatest Dancer 4/5 Lost in Music 4/5 Somebody Loves Me 4/5 Thinking of You 4/5 We are Family 4/5 Easier to Love 4/5 You're a Friend to Me 3/5 One More Time 3/5 Average: 3,75 Songs that are easy to listen to, funky and all around fun.

Man I love disco. This one was fun, some tracks you can't help but bop along to. It wasn't phenomenal but definitely good.

An enjoyable disco romp

Love the vibe and there are a few good songs.

Nice vocals. The first listen to “We Are Family” the song was pleasant. But their “Extended Version” album rolled into remix after remix of the song and it took me a moment to set aside my work and realize what was happening and just how agitated I was! Almost ruined it for me. 🤣

感觉很不错，79 年的 rnb，让我能联想到后面的 rnb 了呢

-now I’m getting flashbacks to singing We Are Family in elementary school choir… complete with interpretive dancing… -the first song got me really hyped because i liked it, but none of the other tracks lived up to it much imo. still pretty good though, lovely vocals and one of the higher quality r&b / disco adjacent albums of the 70s ive heard -Favorites are He’s the Greatest Dancer and Somebody Loves Me

Great vocals. Can’t say I dig the music, though.

The ladies seem like pretty good singers. The lyrics are pretty repetitive, though. Music's pretty OK. Solid "Meh," from me.

I know I gave Sade's Diamond Life a 5, but something about that album just pulled me in. It made my ears happy and I guess, caught in that little reverie, I gave it a 5. But Sister Sledge doesn't do that for me. It's just kinda boring. It's just "there." It's what you expect disco sounds like. It just keeps going and going and all the moving parts work together but there's no spark. Even "We Are Family" is kinda grating.

Let's hear it for sibling ensembles like Brothers Gibb and Sisters Sledge, coincidentally both into disco funk with violins. For me it's still just too soon to reminisce about disco and this record was released just as the genre was lapsing as an ignominious fad. However, Nile Rogers and Daft Punk have done a lot since to keep it cool.

I mean, it's not bad. I've listened to much MUCH worse in the past month. Great late-70s R&B riffs going on here. You can hear Nile Rodgers all over this record. And while it's a bit repetitive, you can see why it has been sampled so much in the last 40 years.

Generic 70s stuff... Meh

Growing up, I used to listen to some of the songs with my mom. It was a happy time when we listened to that. It got annoying after a while though. Don’t like the rest. Could never be reminded of my childhood again.

I was not pleased to see a disco album here. I have a bias. I'm sorry. However I didn't really hate it. I actually liked the funkier parts a bit. My main problem with the album is that some of the songs go on longer than I need them too. The opening track which is a pretty good song otherwise could've tapped out about 2 minutes sooner. I'm on the fence between a 2 and a 3 here. It really should be a 2.5 for me. I'm leaning toward a 3 for being better than I expected...but no it's a 2 because disco sucks. Sorry. Bias wins.

Pretty generic and repetitive. Guess I don't find R&B as genre to be particularly appealing beyond a casual listen. The title track was ironically not something I expected lol. // Favs: We Are Family Score: Strong 2

Didn't like their style. Too soft and generic sounding.

It's pretty underwhelming. I'm not a fan of disco so I got bored pretty quickly, specially with all the remixes at the end.

28/03/25 Ignoring the fact the extra songs were bonus songs and ruined the album, the album at it's core, was really good.

Absolute classics from the 1990’s. Sister sledge smashed it with this album. You’re more than likely to know the songs than ever heard of Sister Sledge. Greatest dancer and Thinking of You are total 10/10’s. Only thing bringing this album down is the 8 minute long remixes, I get it - you are family. 9/10.

Brilliant. I did not expect to enjoy this as much as I did. I played it twice in a row, to make sure. So groovy. A great find.

So funky and so catchy, with amazing bass and guitar across almost every track. Again I'm not a big fan of the slow ballads, but the upbeat disco songs are all fantastic. He's the Greatest Dancer, Thinking of You, Lost in Music and We Are Family are all great. I'd definitely come back to this.

An easy 5 from me! 🥇Lost in Music 🥈We Are Family

A fantastic disco/RnB album. One of my favourites. I really do love Sister Sledge... Every song on here is just groovy, sizzling and phenomenal. Faves: He's The Greatest Dancer 💖 Lost In Music 💖 Thinking Of You We Are Family Easier To Love 💖 You're a Friend To Me One More Time 💖 I did enjoy the remixes as well. Fantastic from start to end.

First 5 for an album I hadn't listened to before. Music to put a smile on your face and get you dancing

Nile Rodgers, the man that you are

Excellent front to back. “Thinking of You” is pure bliss.

ALL OUT FEEL GOOD BANGERS THROUGHOUT!

God damn thats funky

I LOVE YOU DISCO I LOVE YOU WOMEN

Incredible disco record. Love the "quit your job and just dance" vibes of "He's the Greatest Dancer" "Lost in Music" and "Thinking of You" Obviously, "We are Family" is the most popular song on this record with the public, and I think it's good but not as good as some of the other songs on this record. It works less well when they slow it down for "Somebody Loves Me," and the B side is weaker than the A side. Still, a very enjoyable disco listen.

Up there with the best and most innovative albums of the 70s, there's so much range here but the songs are also so catchy. They pushed things forwards as much as Kraftwerk and Eno.

From one sister to another. May be my favorite disco album of all time. He's the Greatest Dancer and Lost in Music are some of the best disco tracks ever made and the rest is just a nice bonus on top of that. I love the bass and the groove here. The songs feel like they could go on until the end of time and I wouldn't really mind. Not all tracks are as strong but the highs in this album more than make up for it.

It has to be from Guyana

Amazing production in a relatively short album, but nevertheless, filled with rythm, good times and good sound. Highly recommended.

I had no idea that I knew so much Sister Sledge. I knew almost every song in this album, and enjoyed very much listening to it all again now. I’ve always enjoyed funk music as I like when people get creative with bass playing. This amps it up with funky disco beats alongside. The whole thing comes together with the vocals to make something that will make me dance with 100% success rate. I can’t fault this album!

He's the greatest dancer

We are familyyyyyy

Makes me dance 🕺

Пиздато, но иногда кажется, что треки должны быть короче, но идите нахуй

A really funky album. Nile Rodgers’ bass guitar was excellent and the harmonies from the ladies were really good.

A classic that helped define disco with elements of Aretha Franklin soul and James Brown funk that help set the stage for Pop music over the next decades. Helped inspire diverse genres such as Hip Hop, New Romantic, New Wave, Electronica, and even far reaching into inspiring acts Chicago Wax Trax! Records acts My Life With the Thrill Kill Kult and Ministry with Industrial Rock. Favorites: "He's the Greatest Dancer", "Lost in the Music", "Thinking of You", "One More Time" and of course the Disco classic "We Are Family".

Maybe it was just the timing but I loved this.

Sounds like a band that ABBA would have copied... Niles Rodgers!

Certified bangers

I can't help it; I like disco.

Drop your 9 to 5, take some ecstasy and do it for family. Then do it again. What an album. If it's good enough for Will Smith and Daft Punk then it's good enough for me

Nice!

Love it, great easy listening music in the morning

Highlight album from the disco era, a real classic.

Prefect album for a Friday 10/10

Drag queens to the front

loved it front to back. I got suuucked in during the first 3 seconds of this one. No disco record is gonna beat this one im sure

Goddamn Nile Rodgers and company were in the bag on this one.

I think I’d be bopping my head along to Nile Rodgers playing guitar and Bernard Edwards playing bass while I was being drawn and quartered. That’s some irresistible good times, right there. This album might be the pinnacle of disco, methinks. Such a head bopper.

Once again I am forced to ask «why on earth do so many hate on disco?»

Dit album is geweldig album! Het heeft alle hits!! *****

I knew Nile Rodgers by name, but now I know Bernard Edwards by name too. I want to listen to this again and just zone in on that funky bass. I loved loved loved this! Lost in Music is about to become my anthem. And it's such a little thrill when you get to appreciate a classic that you've heard a million times in the context of an all around great record.

Remarkable to have so many massive disco hits in one album, it must have been unbelievable when it was first released Truly, peak disco.

Great album! Great rhythm, catchy tunes, I can't help but dance and snap my fingers to it. All songs are instantly recognisable, and you know they hit it big when the tracks are still remixed decades later. The remastered version also adds production value making it an amazing listening experience. Would definitely play again!

WOW. This is great. Perfect for a Monday morning walk to work cos of the feel good vibes and perfect brisk walking speed tempo. Maybe lags slightly at the end if I had to find a negative.

The ultimate Disco Queens - Sister Sledge and Nile Rodgers. This album is not 1, not 2, not 3 but 4 absolute disco dancefloor classics. Anyone who does fw disco, must have a misunderstanding the genre's complexities. Thinking of You is one of my all time top favourite songs (at least top 10). Love!

This is flat out one of the best so far. The hooks we know - We Are Family is something everyone who has attended a wedding in the past 30 years is familiar with - but the lesser known tracks are orchestral, great lyrics, beautiful voices. I WAS born in Detroit early 70s, so maybe these jams just speak to my soul, but a firm YES.

Yes <3

Nile Rodger's fingerprints are all over this album and that's a very good thing. Another easy 5.

I should listen to more disco. Lost in Music is the theme tune of this exercise.