We Are Family

Was ready to give this a 3 until I listened again on the good speakers and it suddenly made more sense. The drums and keys are consistently solid. The guitar is groovy. The BASS is absolutely nasty in the best way. Not every song is a winner, but the highlights are such jams. Favorites were He’s The Greatest Dancer, Lost In Music, We Are Family, and One More Time.

Sister Sledge is, in fact, made up of "family". The group consists of four sisters.

Immediately upon hearing the tune to the first song on the album, He's The Greatest Dancer, I heard Will Smith's song Gettin' Jiggy Wit It. Turns out Will sampled the song.

We Are Family is an absolute disco staple! So iconic of the era. I learned that they worked with Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards from CHIC on the song.

This album gets a 4 simply because of how important it was to the genre.

Favourite songs: We Are Family, He's the Greatest Dancer, Lost in Music

Least favourite songs: You're a Friend to Me

4/5

I truly do not want or need this type of music in my life. Well crafted for what it is, but it's not for me.

2/5

Just ok...

I can't stand the title track having had to hear it so many times, and the ballads & slower tracks (Somebody Loves Me, Easier to Love, You're a Friend) are pretty dire schmaltz, but the uptempo disco tracks (Greatest Dancer, Lost in Music, One More Time) are perfect: wild funky bass grooves, that drum beat, Nile Rodgers going nuts on guitar, a bit of surplus percussion, some delightfully cheesy production touches, the alto vocals and tight harmonies floating gently over the track, just taking it easy. Pure fun. The recording is so crisp and there's so much space in the mix which makes it really warm and inviting.

That bass tho *Homer Simpson drool*

Basgangene i disco rammer bare anderledes!
Jeg er ikke så vild med deres ballader.

Funky disco, I like it. 3.375

I’m at a really good 4.

The biggest misstep on this album is the endlessly droning “Somebody Loves Me,” but besides that, what a great CHIC album. Yes, I know; it’s a Sister Sledge album, but this may as well be CHIC ft. Sister Sledge. That’s not to be taken as a complaint at all; I’m sure they had some level of say in the instrumentation and lyricism to make the songs feel more like their own, but this is a Nile Rodgers-led production if I’ve ever heard one.

Some of the lingering issues from Risque are here, but they come up far less often; a few songs hit on a little too much repetition, or a melody that lingers a bit too long, or a soundscape that just loses its luster after 4 minutes without really changing stuff up. Those issues are here, but I can usually look past them because of the excellent vocals of Sister Sledge.

I really don’t have any complaints; it’s a damn good album that gets dragged down to a 4 because of “Somebody Loves Me,” but without that track, I’d probably be at a 5. Honestly, I’ll probably just listen to it that way. It’s a very good listen, it’s catchy as hell, and it’s just some of the best disco of the era. Easily deserving to be on the list.

This is basically a Chic album under a different name, which is no bad thing. Amazing bass from Bernard Edwards, especially on Thinking of You and We Are Family. The funkier songs work better than the slower tempo ones, but overall this is a highly enjoyable listen.

This was a great disco album. The bass was addicting and the vocals were beautiful and powerful. There were just a few songs that didn't grab much attention. Otherwise extremely solid. 4/5.

Get jiggy wit it!

That’s the best thing about this album. I don’t like disco.

Arguably the best disco record, back to back bangers. Feels a bit like a Chic album, but that can only be said as a compliment. One of my favorite feel good records.

why is this actually making me wanna disco dance

I did not expect to enjoy this album as much as I did. We Are Family is iconic, but the rest was unknown to me. The disco vibe is strong, the bass lines are prominent, and it was just generally a fun album to listen to. Disco is so far from what I normally listen to, but I must have been in the right mood for this album!

Another Nile Rodgers production. Damn, this guy might be responsible for ALL the disco I actually like. Everything you expect from Chic is here but add 5 sisters with incredible range and vocal talent. Nothing but good vibes here. Dancing my ass off instead of working today.

Galet ojämnt. Varannan låt svänger sen kommer ett sömnpiller efter.

I didn’t love it. Too much disco, but there was some funky guitar. There were some three star songs on here, but too much of the rest grated on me. Also, I had to listen to We Are Family while not at a wedding reception.

Classic and beautiful. What's not to love?

Pretty enjoyable.

Fun!