We Are Family (album)

Background

Chic worked with Sister Sledge, who had signed to Atlantic in 1973, at the inspiration of Atlantic president Jerry L. Greenberg. Nile Rodgers remembered later; " That's why we came up with We Are Family. [–] Everything he said about them gave us a picture of them. You've got to remember, we never even met them. [-] All of the content on that record came from that one day with the president [–] I was fascinated and enthralled by the concept of people who loved music who could be in the midst of the whole disco era."

We Are Family is one of two albums produced by Bernard Edwards and Nile Rodgers in 1979, the other being Chic's third album Risqué including hit singles "Good Times" and "My Forbidden Lover". Edwards and Rodgers would only show the songs to Sister Sledge once the sisters were in front of the studio microphones. Rodgers has written that of the various albums produced by The Chic Organization for themselves and others, "pound for pound, I think We Are Family is our best album hands down."

The lead vocals to "We Are Family" were recorded in a single take by the then 19-year-old Kathy Sledge. "He's the Greatest Dancer" was the first single from the album and became the group's first major hit, reaching the top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number one on the R&B chart. We Are Family was digitally remastered and reissued on CD by Rhino Records in 1995.

Critical reception

The New York Times wrote that Edwards and Rodgers "have distilled disco down to its seductive essentials... The result is a spare, spacious elegance."

Track listing

All songs written by Bernard Edwards and Nile Rodgers.

1. "He's the Greatest Dancer" – 6:16
2. "Lost in Music" – 4:52
3. "Somebody Loves Me" – 4:59
4. "Thinking of You" – 4:31
5. "We Are Family" – 8:24
6. "Easier to Love" – 5:05
7. "You're a Friend to Me" – 5:31
8. "One More Time" – 3:17

Remastered CD bonus tracks

The remastered CD was released in 1995.

1. "We Are Family" (Sure Is Pure Remix) – 8:05
2. "We Are Family" (Steve Anderson DMC Remix) – 8:13
3. "Lost in Music" (Sure Is Pure Remix) – 8:38
4. "Lost in Music" (1984 Bernard Edwards and Nile Rodgers Remix) – 6:37

Personnel

;Sister Sledge

• Debbie Sledge – lead vocals (7), backing vocals (1–6, 8)
• Joni Sledge – lead vocals (2, 6), backing vocals (1, 3–5, 7–8)
• Kathy Sledge – lead vocals (1, 3, 4, 5), backing vocals (2, 6, 7, 8)
• Kim Sledge – lead vocals (8), backing vocals (1–7)

;Studio musicians

• Nile Rodgers – guitar, production
• Bernard Edwards – bass
• Tony Thompson – drums
• Robert Sabino – piano, clavinet
• Raymond Jones – keyboards, Rhodes piano
• Andy Schwartz – piano
• Sammy Figueroa – percussion
• Jon Faddis – trumpet
• Ellen Seeling – trumpet
• Barry Rogers – trombone
• Jean Fineberg – saxophone
• Alex Foster – saxophone, flute
• Gene Orloff – concertmaster
• Cheryl Hong – strings
• Marianne Carroll – strings
• Karen Milne – strings
• Luther Vandross – backing vocals
• Norma Jean Wright – backing vocals
• David Lasley – backing vocals
• Alfa Anderson – backing vocals
• Diva Gray – backing vocals
• Simon Le Bon – additional vocals on "Lost in Music" (1984 mix)
• Andy Taylor – additional vocals on "Lost in Music" (1984 mix)

;Technical

• Bob Defrin – art direction
• Jim Houghton – photography

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

References

References

1. McAleer, Dave. (August 22, 2001). "The Book of Hit Singles: Top 20 Charts from 1954 to the Present Day". Hal Leonard Corporation.
2. Turn The Beat Around, Peter Shapiro, p.163
3. (1 Feb 1979). "Sledges play together family stays together". Bay State Banner.
4. Rodgers, Nile. (2011). "Le Freak". [[Little, Brown and Company]].
5. Turn The Beat Around, Peter Shapiro, p.165
6. Henderson, Alex. "We Are Family – Sister Sledge". [[AllMusic]].
7. Christgau, Robert. (1981). "Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies". [[Ticknor and Fields]].
8. Brown, Geoff. (October 2018). "Three Cheers!".
9. Beta, Andy. (December 12, 2018). "Chic / Sister Sledge: The Chic Organization 1977–1979".
10. (1992). "The Rolling Stone Album Guide". Random House.
11. Starr, Red. (May 3–16, 1979). "Albums".
12. (1998). "The Virgin Encyclopedia of R&B and Soul". Virgin.
13. (22 Apr 1979). "Disco Is Not Just for Dancing". The New York Times.
14. Kent, David. (1993). "Australian Chart Book 1970–1992". Australian Chart Book.
15. "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1979".
16. "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 1979".