Anything Chic can do we can... oh, I'll get me coat:
some niles and nard wannabes

Chanson - Don't Hold Back (1978)

Two guys, writing and producing their own work, one plays bass, the other guitar, executively produced by MK Productions . . . hang on, this is Chic. Well no, but you'd definitely be fooled into thinking so on the basis of their debut single, a big disco hit in 1978. It's actually its the work of David Williams and James Jamerson, jr - whose father was the major session bass player at Motown during the sixties and also happened to be Bernard Edwards hero.

Barry White - Sheet Music (1980)

huh huh... 'Sheet Music', huh, as in this music is really... quite good actually. "Music makes you 'freak', and girl you so unique... and 'chic'", Bazza opens. Subtle, no. The result, however, a hybrid of Chic and Bazza's uptempo disco, gives him more of a unsweetened groove to work with than he experienced in years.

Change - Glow of Love (1980)

Always a strange combination, a French studio project put together by Jacques Fred Petrus of top New York session players and Jacques, they excelled themselves by being a lot more interesting than much of the '100%' American product around them. The combination of rhythm guitar, soaring string arrangement and choice of Luther Vandross, then regular backing vocalist with Chic, leaves you in no doubt as to what the producers were aiming for. The fact that it works so well in its own right is even more impressive. Due to the success of this and the follow-up single Searching it seemed Luther could no longer avoid embarking on a solo career. Released with Lover's Holiday, a female led title in the Chic mould.

Change - You Are My Melody (1984)

Again? Four years on and a flagging profile caused Petrus to call in up-n-coming producers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. Whatever happened to them, eh? Oh yes, still one of the top R&B producers after over 15 years. Anyway, not a note for note reproduction by any means, but the use of chords together with the Chic style vocals and rhythm guitar on the chorus display a definite homage being paid to the original inspiration of the band. Top one.

BACK · 1 · 2 · 3 · 4 · 5 · 6 · 7 · 8 · NEXT