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Recorded simultaneously with Chic's own C'est Chic album, We Are Family was written and produced by Rodgers and Edwards, who had recently scored big with Everybody Dance and Dance, Dance, Dance. They were offered the cream of Atlantic's roster to work with. Icons such as The Rolling Stones and Aretha Franklin were rejected in favour of Philadelphia quartet Sister Sledge. By taking this relatively blank canvas, who'd already released a duo of underperforming albums, expectations were low.
Disco myth suggests that Sister Sledge's records prior to this were simply not very good, but both had some great moments. If you listen to Funky Family from 1977's Together, you hear the template for We Are Family. However, it sounds like a cola commercial as opposed to the gargantuan groove produced by Rodgers and Edwards.
Rodgers observed the four Sledge girls huddling together in the studio. Inspired, he penned the album's title-track, one of their greatest hits, a song of sisterly love that brought a sense of family and joy to the late 70s 'me' generation. He's the Greatest Dancer catalogued the suburban dreams of local Travoltas everywhere, and Rodgers' eloquence ("he looks like a still, that man is dressed to kill") is married with the wide-eyed wonderment of lead vocalist Kathy Sledge.
Lost In Music–the code phrase that Rodgers and Edwards used when they didn't want to be disturbed–evokes the rapture of being caught up in a song (and has the distinction of having a marvellous cover version of it by The Fall). And then, there's Thinking of You, one of the best songs to capture the glory of love. Sweet and subtle, it never outstays its welcome.
With these four classics and a four similarly strong others, We Are Family still sounds alive, zesty and vibrant. It was especially taken to heart in the UK, and awarded Sister Sledge the disco diva status that they so rightly deserved. It remains the album on which their reputation rests. --Daryl Easlea
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Customer Reviews
There is a mixture of fab disco tunes and slow paced ballads, all the tracks are very good, although the ones that stand out are undoubtedly the dance tunes.
The original album was only eight tracks long, but was still value for money as many of the tracks are extended and about 6 minutes long. However, in this new version of the album, there are added remixes which definately add to the appeal of the album, particularly to the younger audience. It brings the Sister Sledge sound right up to date and makes one realise how timeless these tunes are.
The original recordings are still the best though, and the talents of the girls and Rodgers and Edwards (of Chic fame, and producers of this album) shine through on the originals best. They are infectious dance tunes that will never be out of date.
This is an album to listen to when you want cheering up; it can not fail to lift your spirits (unless, of course, you hate disco, in which case it will annoy the hell out of you!). The lyrics are original and unique to the Sister Sledge sound. I think young pop fans should listen to this album to see where a lot of today's popular music comes from (i.e Will Smith). I think it is a tribute to Sister Sledge that their music has been sampled so much, but a lot of young people have no idea who Sister Sledge or Chic are. It will be an education to you to realise that a lot of today's music is not all that original.
A must buy for any disco fan.
Meanwhile the three classic hit singles are present in longer versions here. The first two tracks, He's The Greatest Dancer and, particularly, the awesome Lost In Music, benefit hugely from being longer but are essentially the same mixes as the single edits. We Are Family, however, at well over 8 minutes, definitely outlives its welcome. This is entirely because Kathy Sledge is allowed to adlib solo over much of the track and, given the overall quality of the album, never mind the actual song, this is a major disappointment, wasting one of the greatest rhythm tracks ever committed to tape. You probably wouldn't be too bothered in a disco, but from a purely listening p.o.v. this is probably the low point of the album.
Finally the original album is augmented by two remixes each of We Are Family and Lost In Music. It's very unusual for such after-the-event remixes to equal, let alone improve on, the originals, and these certainly don't. The first three now sound dated anyway by virtue of being from the early 90s; the last is at least a Chic remix.
Buy for the (almost) flawless original album, disco didn't get much better than this; stuff the remixes.
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