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We Are Family

 
Album Review: We Are Family

  • Artist: Sister Sledge
  • Rating: StarStarStarStarHalf Star
  • Release Date: 1979
  • Genre: Rhythm & Blues

Review

Before 1979's We Are Family, Sister Sledge wasn't a huge name in the R&B/disco world. The group had enjoyed a small following and scored a few minor hits, including "Love, Don't You Go Through No Changes on Me" in 1974 and "Blockbuster Boy" in 1977. But it wasn't until We Are Family that the Philadelphia siblings finally exploded commercially, and the people they have to thank for their commercial success are Chic leaders Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards. The Rodgers/Edwards team handles all of the writing, producing, and arranging on this album; so not surprisingly, almost everything on We Are Family is very Chic-sounding. That is true of the sexy "He's the Greatest Dancer" and the anthemic, uplifting title song (both of which soared to #1 on the R&B charts), as well as excellent album tracks like the lush "Easier to Love," the perky "One More Time," and the addictive "Thinking of You." The least Chic-sounding tune on the album is the ballad "Somebody Loves Me," which favors a classic sweet soul approach and is the type of song one would have expected from Thom Bell, Gamble & Huff, or Holland-Dozier-Holland rather than Rodgers/Edwards. Meanwhile, the intoxicating "Lost in Music" (a #35 R&B hit) is about as Chic-sounding as it gets. When Rhino reissued We Are Family on CD in 1995, it added four bonus tracks, all of which are remixes of either the title song or "Lost in Music." These remixes are intriguing; it's interesting to hear late '70s classics turned into high-tech 1990s dance-pop. But they are less than essential, and the original versions are by far the best -- how can you improve on perfection? Both creatively and commercially, We Are Family is Sister Sledge's crowning achievement. ~ Alex Henderson, All Music Guide

Tracks

Track TitleComposersPerformersTime
Everybody Dance Bernard Edwards, Nile Rodgers Sister Sledge
Thinking of You (Lyrics) Bernard Edwards, Nile Rodgers Sister Sledge
He's the Greatest Dancer (Lyrics) Bernard Edwards, Nile Rodgers Sister Sledge
True Love Joni Sledge Sister Sledge
Frankie Denise Rich Sister Sledge
Brother Brother Stop Debbie Sledge, Kathy Sledge, Kim Sledge, Joanie Sledge Sister Sledge
We Are Family (Lyrics) Bernard Edwards, Nile Rodgers Sister Sledge
Medley: Lost in Music/Melody Is Good to Me/Lost in Music (Reprise) Bernard Edwards, Nile Rodgers, Joni Sledge Sister Sledge
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Wikipedia: We Are Family (album)
Top
We Are Family
Studio album by Sister Sledge
Released 30 April 1979 (UK)
Recorded 1978-1979
Genre R&B
Length 43:56
Label Cotillion
Producer Nile Rodgers, Bernard Edwards
Professional reviews
Sister Sledge chronology
Together
(1977)
We Are Family
(1979)
Love Somebody Today
(1980)

We Are Family is a 1979 album by Sister Sledge. The album which was both written and produced by Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards of the band Chic includes four classic hit singles: the anthemic title track, "He's the Greatest Dancer", "Lost in Music", and "Thinking of You", all four of which have been sampled, remixed, and reissued through the 80's, 90's and 2000's.

We Are Family is one of two albums produced by Bernard Edwards and Nile Rodgers in 1979, the other being Chic's second album C'est Chic including hit singles "Le Freak" and "I Want Your Love".

We Are Family was digitally remastered and reissued on CD by Rhino Records in 1993.

Track listing

All tracks written by Bernard Edwards and Nile Rodgers.

Original LP
Side A:

  1. "He's the Greatest Dancer" – 6:16 About this sound Listen
  2. "Lost In Music" – 4:52 About this sound Listen
  3. "Somebody Loves Me" – 4:59
  4. "Thinking of You" – 4:31 About this sound Listen

Side B:

  1. "We Are Family" – 8:24 About this sound Listen
  2. "Easier to Love" – 5:05
  3. "You're a Friend to Me" – 5:31
  4. "One More Time" – 3:17

CD reissue

  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"
  6. "Easier to Love" – 5:05
  7. "You're a Friend to Me" – 5:31
  8. "One More Time" – 3:17
  9. "We Are Family (Sure Is Pure Remix)" – 8:05 *
  10. "We Are Family (Steve Anderson DMC Remix)" – 8:13 *
  11. "Lost in Music (Sure Is Pure Remix)" – 8:38 *
  12. "Lost in Music (1984 Bernard Edwards & Nile Rodgers Remix)" – 6:37 *

Bonus Track *

Personnel

Production


 
 
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Album Review. Copyright © 2009 All Media Guide, LLC. Content provided by All Music Guide ®, a trademark of All Media Guide, LLC. All rights reserved.  Read more
Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "We Are Family (album)" Read more