It is difficult to imagine in today’s world how big Disco music was way back in the late 1970s. Although now largely dismissed as a big fad of the time, Disco music did have some very magical moments despite the hostile negativity that it receives today. Led by guitarist extraordinaire Nile Rodgers, Chic was on a mission to make Disco music groove nicely. This album, their second album is widely seen as a real classic of the Disco era and one of the band’s most popular releases, decades before Nile Rodgers played on Daft Punk’s Get Lucky, which itself was a neo-Disco anthem. This therefore should be a very exciting and interesting listen, so let’s check out what we have here, released at the height of the Disco craze in 1978.

Chic Cheer begins with some looped audience chatter, followed by mass applause and the band getting going with a very funky piano riff and hi-hats. This is very exciting and excellent and quickly launches into a decent Disco groove with the band’s name being repeated over a simple and enjoyable Disco tune, complete with awesome guitars. This tune gradually builds up into an impressive and timeless Disco piece that sounds excellent, with Fender Stratocasters everywhere. This is mostly instrumentally driven but sounds brilliantly impressive. Chic does excitement very well, and this is a wonderful, joyous, and fine listen. All you need is platform shoes and flares, and you are underway on your retro Disco groove. Every single part of the song is perfectly played, and the music is really excellent. The singing here, more rhythmic than melodic, sounds really great. A fantastic introduction to a killer album ahead, this is a great listen. It ends with the audience applause again. Nice work.

Le Freak begins with a count-in, quickly launching into a Poppy and excellent piece of music that made the Disco era extra special. This song is an instant classic, it sounds very much like a late 1970s era piece that has truly stood the test of time. The female vocals and awesome string sections are very inspiring and fantastic. If you need to groove and freak out to some awesome Disco music, this is one of the best songs to do so with. A really awesome tune to hear regardless, Nile Rodgers and producer Bernard Edwards deserve a lot of credit for excellent songs such as these. Sure, it’s less lyrical and more textural based, but then again, so is a lot of EDM based music which was inspired by Disco. This sounds pretty, lush, and glorious, and still sounds really fantastic to this day. A wonderful and loveable tune before the largely terrible Synth Pop of the 1980s arrived, Disco music could be great, too. The music, performances, and mixing are very near perfect for Disco styled music. Nile Rodgers plays perfectly for this kind of music, laying back and grooving along really well. A great five-and-a-half-minute long song, and very good for repeat listens. Great tune. It ends with repeated vocals and a good fade-out. Fantastic work.

Savoir Faire begins with a simple intro with acoustic guitars, strings, piano, and a gurgling bass guitar. Of course, this sounds amazing and grand for every single moment that this is being played for. Nile Rodgers puts in some excellent guitar playing and proves you don’t need to shred to make a great musical impression. This five-minute-long song is a purely blissful sonic listen, and the guitar soloing on the Fender Stratocaster is nothing but magical here. A gorgeous, timeless, and golden classic, this music does seemingly borrow from the composition styled work that Burt Bacharach did, but it sounds miles better in some areas. A pretty, lovely, and gorgeous sounding tune, Chic does extremely well here. Sure, this is an instrumental, but all the same, it works perfectly well. No other musician understood Disco music better than Nile Rodgers did, and his guitar work is one of the many reasons why this is so. A great and lovely listening experience, this does do extremely well. A unique and explorational listen, this is fantastic music. Definitely worth hearing, and different, too. A real joyous instrumental, this is a winner and must be heard. It fades out nicely. Beautiful piece.

Happy Man begins with some interesting guitar and bass guitar work, along with some flanger heavy keyboard sounds. Soon enough, some perfectly matched male and female vocals enter, which sound sensational. This is a lovely listening experience, and it exudes happiness and joy throughout this tune. This was before digital recordings, computers and autotune were in existence, and it sounds extremely pure as a result. A really fantastic tune to hear. There is a mid-position Fender Stratocaster solo from Nile Rodgers, which is excellent before the song returns to the chorus. It is difficult to know if there are any drug based influences to this music, but it sure sounds like a proto-House music tune, complete with Disco biscuits. Still, it is pure Disco and excellent to listen, to this very day. Obviously, Punk rockers didn’t dig these kinds of polished and commercial sounding music. Nonetheless, a great tune once again, which must be listened to. Excellent.

I Want Your Love is an extended piece that runs for nearly seven minutes. It begins with clock chimes on a keyboard, funky guitar work, and brass sections. Soon enough, this launches into something that sounds romantic and intimate. This is a fantastic song that is lively, excellent, and about being deeply in love with a partner. It sounds excellent, with some excellent funky Fender Stratocaster work. Disco wasn’t as bad as people made it out to be, obviously. This is a great song that is a slow burner but still retains its melodic beauty throughout. The song itself is a lovely romantic ballad. Even if you don’t regularly listen to Disco music, this will still likely have a largely positive impact on your ears and listening tastes. A great piece of music from the era of The Winter Of Discontent (at least in the UK), this is mindblowing and a great tune to hear. In the middle of the song is a rhythmic string section solo that captures one’s imagination, followed by a brass section solo afterwards to match. A thoroughly awesome musical listening experience, the instrumentation is lush and divine. Soon enough, the strings and brass section leave, with just the rest of the band grooving along. This song is a stone cold classic of Disco music, and everything about it is clean, clear, and professional. Towards the end, the brass section soloing returns and we have a Disco heaven of nirvana musical listening, minus Kurt Cobain. A fantastic and enjoyable tune, this ends with the chorus chanted along extremely well, before a smooth fade out finishes the song. Great song, and definitely worth hearing.

At Last I Am Free is a seven minute epic. It begins with hi-hats, a lush combination of pianos and guitars, and some excellent bass guitar playing. This is instantly wonderful and relaxing to hear, and proves that you don’t need to go super fast in popular music tempo wise. Soon enough, gorgeous female vocals enter and this is proof that unlike how the male dominated Rock music scene may think otherwise, women are the equals of men. This music proves that. This is a gorgeous Pop piece about more relationship based issues, and it is very pretty and timeless. The music and vocals match each other perfectly, and the singing is perfect and absolutely gorgeous. If you have ever been through a serious relationship in your life where emotions are strong, this will make perfect sense to you, the listener. This is a true Pop music classic, straight from the middle of the Disco era. One can hear the emotions within the singing here, which is marvelous. Eventually, the singing stops in the second half for the smooth instrumental section to play along, before the singing resumes. If there were ever a definitive Disco record other than the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack, this likely would be it. A really lovely tune about relatable issues to the adult world, this really sounds great. Even towards the end, this does not bore one at all, and the music repeats nicely, all the way to the end, through to the fade out. Fantastic music, a must-listen. It ends with piano playing which is really cool. Excellent work.

Sometimes You Win begins with a quick drum roll, launching straight into another straightforward Disco piece. This is a bit more song-like rather than an instrumental, so to speak. Again, this is an amazing tune to listen to and confirms the classic album status that this listen deserves. The singing is tasteful, along with great rhythmic guitar work, piano, keyboards and other lush Disco instrumentation to boost the music along. Indeed, this music is very much against the Punk and live music ethos of Rock music. Despite any limitations that this music may have in that respect, it is sublime and gorgeous. Another brilliant listening experience, and there are many decent lyrics about keeping your head up throughout the darkest of times. Nonetheless, this is amazing and fun to hear. A set of trumpet and saxophone solos are here, and this makes the track come even more alive. A thoroughly great listen, once again, despite the fact that this is a little repetitive. All the same, this is lush Disco. It fades out gently, once again. Nice tune.

(Funny) Bone begins with some interesting musical instrumentation and arrangements, before the sound of laughter is heard. It is a bit of an oddity here, and goodness knows what these guys were thinking on this one with that. Still, it is another strong and excellent Disco tune, with strings galore and matching Disco instrumentation. At this point, why would you need anything more? It does sound great. The stereo panned laughing is pretty weird, and perhaps Chic were thinking to impress in a strange Are You Experienced? sort of moment. Regardless, this still sounds amazing, cool and clever to this day. Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards have both done an amazing job on this album, even on this rather unusual number. It makes sense if you enjoy your weed, but otherwise, a bit weird. It fades out with some “life advice”, as the piece fades out. An interesting finish to a great album.

This is a monumental album to listen to. From start to finish, it is a timeless masterpiece of Disco music that, along with the Saturday Night Fever film soundtrack compilation released just a before, is a defining moment of Disco music. Not everyone will enjoy this release in retrospect, but the music still sounds fantastic to this day. Should you listen to this album? Definitely, especially if you don’t mind getting down to boogie. Chic’s best album is here, listen to it today.

Fantastic.

9/10