CHICISM REVISITED

So it being freezing in the UK I went to Egypt and whilst lying by the pool I found myself listening to the Chic Organisation; Chic, Sledge, Sheila B Devotion, Norma Jean, Carly Simon, the original chic mix of Diana etc and I'd sort of forgotten how phenomenal all this stuff is. I recommend dusting some of it down and revisiting. Example- He's The Greatest Dancer: Edwards, Rodgers, Thompson; tight as you like, the strings; sublime, lyrics; summing up the good times with tongue in cheek, horns & piano; subtle, the break; showcasing the component parts superbly, Kathy Sledge's lead vocal; perfect! What good times they were.

"Halston, Gucci, Fiorucci"

 

Shame of it is that Nile Rodgers stated on the excellent recent BBC4 Documentary Nile Rodgers: Hitmaker, that the whole 'Disco sucks' movement killed Chic. A bunch of middle Americans who were listening to the likes of REO Speed Wagon and Kansas, which is fair enough, but taking a perceived moral high ground and basically hating a music whose prime movers were Black, Gay or European, going to the extreme of burning Disco records. BURNING RECORDS!

Shameful.

 



In many ways Nile Rodgers had the last laugh by producing the likes of David Bowie, Duran Duran and Madonna and by doing so giving those artists great commercial success. The song that will be all over the radio this summer features Nile Rodgers: Daft Punk's Get Lucky, proving that Rodgers still has what it takes. Retrospection has given many a chance to reevaluate the Chic Organisation and realise that good music is good music regardless of any genre prejudices.