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Rating: I have always thought that almost without exception, every musical genre was worthy of consideration and could potentially boast true masterpieces among its releases, considered, of course, within its own context and not in an absolute sense. Therefore, it makes no sense for me to compare King Crimson, Weather Report, and Led Zeppelin (for instance) with Battisti, Coroner, and Gheorghe Zamfir, even though, like everyone, I have my preferences. I tend to explore a lot in the artistic realm and believe that every genre has its masters and its filler, and that it's not enough to just throw down two random riffs and make a mean face to be necessarily better than the Bee Gees.
The discussion becomes heavy and gloomy if we approach the musical genre of disco music, which, as everyone knows, was born around 1975 and died not too slowly starting from 1980, overwhelmed by an advancing synth pop that even hides some appreciable gems (one above all: "Stanlow" by OMD). Bearing in mind that many years later electronic pop stars would declare they were inspired by funky and disco progenitors, it is evident that the best disco music at least had the merit of being quite "played," chewed on the instruments (especially the bass) and well-crafted in the arrangements, especially when the track unfolded on a few repetitive patterns and the variations took on importance.
Between electronics and gliding violins, sighs, and various musical games, there is no doubt that Chic represents the worthy and serious side of disco music. Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards were two exquisite musicians for invention, technique, and style, those who play by subtracting rather than adding, and they characterized Chic's music with a recognizable piano sound (no synthesizers) and enveloping and discreet circular riffs.
Since their first success in 1977, "Everybody Dance," enthusiasts of balanced and well-played music recognize clever and virtuous bass lines, and a brilliant rhythm guitar, which definitively designs the role of the instrument in disco and detaches it once and for all from the more typical street funky style, much dirtier and "coarser" (like Isaac Hayes). Chic became the class band par excellence, and their productions (Sheila, Sister Sledge, Ritchie Family, Diana Ross and others) attracted the attention of people like Bowie, Narada Michael Walden, and Quincy Jones: Rodgers became a top-notch music man, arranger, and producer, and the bass line of the famous "Good Times," when isolated, becomes "Rapper's Delight" and makes history.
A good greatest hits of Chic like this, from their best period (eight studio albums, but the first four write the legend) provides high-quality material and neglects just as much (I miss "My Forbidden Lover" a lot), but if there is one band capable of reconciling you with disco music, it's them, timeless and label-less music that over the years appealed to Jagger and Bowie, to Tom Jones and the Queen. Proof is that these tracks can be listened to in the living room, almost functioning as chamber music, without the need for a dance floor but fully enjoying the sophisticated and refined balance – almost jazz – of the instruments and the measure and genius of the tracks. Given the progressively declining caliber of dance music in the years to come, from "Comanchero" to "Rhythm Of The Night," one gets nostalgic for these records closer to Duke Ellington than to Puff Daddy.
Tracklist
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