Take It Off

Performer: Chic
Artist: Randy Brecker; Michael Brecker; Jocelyn Brown; Lenny Pickett; Ronnie Cuber
Engineer: W.G. Scheniman; W.G. Scheniman; Jason Corsaro
Producer: Nile Rodgers; Bernard Edwards
Distributor: Bayside Record Dist.

Notes: Chic: Alfa Anderson, Luci Martin (vocals); Nile Rodgers (guitar, vocals); Bernard Edwards (bass, vocals); Tony Thompson (drums). Additional personnel: Jocelyn Brown, Fonzi Thornton, Michelle Cobbs (vocals); Ray Maldonado, Randy Brecker (trumpet, flugelhorn); Michael Brecker, Lenny Pickett, Vinny Della Rocca (tenor saxophone); Ronnie Cuber (baritone saxophone); Ray Jones, Rob Sabino (keyboards); Sammy Figueroa, Manolo Badrena, Roger Squitero (percussion). Recorded at The Power Station, New York. All songs written by Bernard Edwards and Nile Rodgers. Personnel: Nile Rodgers (vocals, guitar); Bernard Edwards (vocals, keyboards); Fonzi Thornton, Luci Martin, Alfa Anderson Barfield, Jacelyn Brown, Jocelyn Brown, Alfa Anderson, Michelle Cobbs (vocals); Lenny Pickett (alto saxophone, tenor saxophone, baritone saxophone); Vinny de la Rocca, Michael Brecker (tenor saxophone); Ronnie Cuber (baritone saxophone); Raymond Maldonado (trumpet, flugelhorn, percussion); Randy Brecker (trumpet, flugelhorn); Ray Jones, Raymond Jones , Robert Sabino (keyboards); Tony Thompson (drums); Roger Squitero, Manolo Badrena, Sammy Figueroa (percussion). Audio Mixer: W.G. Scheniman. Recording information: Power Station Studios, New York, NY. Arrangers: Nile Rodgers; Bernard Edwards. In 1981, a lot of rock & rollers were claiming that the disco era was officially over. Disco, of course, never really died -- a lot of the dance-pop, house music, Hi-NRG, and Latin freestyle that was recorded in the '80s and '90s was essentially disco -- but as far as many of the radio stations and record company A&R men of 1981 were concerned, disco was dead. And that was bad news for Chic, a group closely identified with the disco era. Even though a lot of Chic's work had as much to do with funk and soul as it did with the Euro-disco sound, Chic was unable to live down its reputation as a disco group. But Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards gave it a try with 1981's Take It Off, an admirable, if uneven, project that finds the group downplaying the Euro-disco elements. With R&B and funk as the foundation, Chic tries to branch out by incorporating elements of pop-rock on "Your Love Is Canceled," and jazz on "Flash Back" and "So Fine" (which shouldn't be confused with the "So Fine" that Kashif produced for R&B singer Howard Johnson in 1982). In fact, a few of Rogers' guitar solos give the impression that he'd been listening to a lot of Wes Montgomery. But as likable as the LP is, it didn't contain a major hit -- the single "Stage Fright" only made it to #34 on Billboard's R&B singles chart. And for a group that had enjoyed #1 pop and R&B smashes only two and three years earlier, that was certainly disappointing. ~ Alex Henderson

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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