Live At The Budokan

Performer: Chic
Artist: Slash; Sister Sledge; Steve Winwood
Engineer: Gary Tole
Distributor: Sumthing Distribution

Notes: Chic: Nile Rodgers (vocals, guitar); Bernard Edwards (vocals, bass); Sylver Logan Sharp, Jill Jones, Christopher Max (vocals); Bill Holloman (saxophone); Mac Gollehon (trumpet); Phillippe Saisse, Richard Hilton (keyboards); Omar Hakim (drums); Gerardo Velez (percussion). Additional personnel: Steve Winwood (vocals, organ); Slash (guitar). Sister Sledge: Kim Sledge, Degra De Bruine-Sledge, Joan Sledge (vocals). Includes liner notes by Nile Rodgers. In the '90s, two albums resulted from various reunions of Chic's co-founders/co-leaders Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards. The first was 1992's Chic-Ism, a decent though uneven studio project that had its moments but fell short of the excellence of classics like C'est Chic and Risqu�. The other was Live at the Budokan, a gem that was recorded in Tokyo, Japan in April 1996 for the JT Super Producers series. Sadly, this concert would be Edwards' last live appearance before his death, and for that reason, Budokan would be historically important even if Chic had given a mediocre performance that night. But this CD is far from mediocre. Rodgers and Edwards oversee an excellent band that includes, among others, singers Sylver Logan Sharp and Jill Jones, and drummer Omar Hakim -- and the sparks fly in a major way when this Chic lineup turns its attention to late-'70s favorites like "Good Times" (which is combined with the Sugarhill Gang's "Rapper's Delight"), "Le Freak," "Dance Dance Dance" and "I Want Your Love." Listeners will notice that on-stage these songs have a tougher, harder edge than they did in studio, and the same thing happens with the Sister Sledge classics "He's the Greatest Dancer" and "We Are Family" (both of which find Sister Sledge joining Chic on-stage). An interesting surprise comes when Chic moves into rock territory and joins forces with Steve Winwood and Guns N' Roses guitarist Slash for Jimi Hendrix's "Stone Free." (Considering how racist some of the lyrics to Guns N' Roses' "One in a Million" are, it's rather ironic to hear Slash playing with Chic). When Rodgers was preparing to release Live at the Budokan on his Sumthing Else label, he decided against adding any overdubs or smoothing any of the rough edges. Clearly, he made the right decision. [The CD was also released with a bonus track.] ~ Alex Henderson

The Wire (9/99, p.60) - "...a fitting tribute to the great Bernard Edwards. Recorded in April 1996 on the night Edwards died...[LIVE] features Edwards, Nile Rodgers and a cast of dozens running through Chic's greatest hits....the highlight...is the 14 minute version of 'Chic Cheer' in which the original's fake crowd noise becomes flesh."

Brainchild of guitarist Nile Rodgers and bassist Bernard Edwards, Chic was one of the most successful groups of the disco era, both financially and creatively. Employing sparse, syncopated rhythm tracks as the basis for a slickly produced, yet highly recognizable sound, Chic avoided typical disco blandness, appealing to a wide variety of listeners. After Chic's demise, Edwards and Rodgers became successful producers and Chic's influence continued to be heard in the music of everyone from David Bowie to Duran Duran.

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