C'est Chic | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | August 11, 1978 | |||
Recorded | 1978 | |||
Studio | Power Station, New York City | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 41:23 | |||
Label | Atlantic | |||
Producer | Nile Rodgers, Bernard Edwards | |||
Chic chronology | ||||
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Cover of Très Chic | ||||
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Singles from C'est Chic | ||||
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C'est Chic is the second studio album by American band Chic, released on Atlantic Records in 1978.[3]
Release
[edit]C'est Chic includes the band's signature hit "Le Freak", which topped the US Hot 100 chart, US R&B, and US Club Play in October 1978,[4] selling six million copies in the US. The album also contains the hit single "I Want Your Love" (number 5 R&B,[4] number 7 Pop,[4] number 4 UK[5]).
C'est Chic was the band's most commercially successful album, reaching number 4 on Billboard's album chart and topping the US R&B chart for eleven weeks.[6] C'est Chic was Billboard's 1979 R&B Album of the Year, claiming the number one spot on Billboard's Year End Review. The album was certified platinum by the RIAA,[7] selling over a million copies. In the UK it peaked at number 2[5] and has been certified Gold by the BPI.[8]
The European version was originally called Très Chic, with the cover featuring a woman wrapped around a neon light tube. It was withdrawn and replaced with the C'est Chic version with a less risqué cover. Très Chic had a different track listing.
C'est Chic was released on compact disc by Atlantic Records/Warner in 1991 (catalogue number 7567-81552-2). The album has been digitally remastered and re-issued twice: first in 2011 by Warner Music Japan and then in 2018 at Abbey Road Studios by Atlantic.
Critical reception
[edit]Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Christgau's Record Guide | B[10] |
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Pitchfork | 8.4/10[12] |
Rolling Stone | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
The Rolling Stone Album Guide | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Spin Alternative Record Guide | 9/10[15] |
The Globe and Mail deemed C'est Chic "a sleekly elegant variation" of disco.[16] The Los Angeles Times opined that, aside from "Le Freak", the album "consists of pedestrian disco pieces and plodding R&B ballads."[2]
Track listing
[edit]All songs written by Bernard Edwards and Nile Rodgers; except where indicated.
C'est Chic
[edit]- Side one
- "Chic Cheer" – 4:42
- "Le Freak" – 5:27
- "Savoir Faire" – 5:01
- "Happy Man" – 4:17
- Side two
- "I Want Your Love" – 6:55
- "At Last I Am Free" – 7:08
- "Sometimes You Win" – 4:26
- "(Funny) Bone" – 3:41
- (LP only hidden track- moog solo)
Très Chic
[edit]- Side one
- "Chic Cheer" – 4:42
- "Le Freak" – 5:23
- "I Want Your Love" – 6:55
- "Happy Man" – 4:17
- "Dance, Dance, Dance (Yowsah, Yowsah, Yowsah)" (Edwards, Kenny Lehman, Rodgers) – 3:35
- Side two
- "Savoir Faire" – 5:01
- "At Last I Am Free" – 7:08
- "Sometimes You Win" – 4:26
- "(Funny) Bone" – 3:41
- "Everybody Dance" - 3:22
Personnel
[edit]
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Charts
[edit]
Weekly charts[edit]
|
Year-end charts[edit]
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Certifications and sales
[edit]Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Canada (Music Canada)[28] | Platinum | 100,000^ |
France (SNEP)[29] | Gold | 100,000* |
Hong Kong (IFPI Hong Kong)[30] | Gold | 10,000* |
United Kingdom (BPI)[31] | Gold | 100,000^ |
United States (RIAA)[32] | Platinum | 1,000,000^ |
* Sales figures based on certification alone. |
Cover Versions
[edit]Robert Wyatt had a top 20 UK Indie Chart hit with a cover of "At Last I Am Free" in 1980.[33]
See also
[edit]- List of number-one R&B albums of 1978 (U.S.)
- List of number-one R&B albums of 1979 (U.S.)
- Billboard Year-End
References
[edit]- ^ Molanphy, Chris (January 19, 2021). "These Are the Good Times Edition". Hit Parade | Music History and Music Trivia (Podcast). Slate. Retrieved February 1, 2024.
- ^ a b "Pop Music". Calendar. Los Angeles Times. December 17, 1978. p. 127.
- ^ Bourne, Kay (December 7, 1978). "Disco group 'Chic' produce own success". Bay State Banner. No. 9. p. 17.
- ^ a b c "US Singles Charts > Chic". Billboard. Retrieved May 21, 2015.
- ^ a b "UK Charts > Chic". Official Charts Company. Retrieved September 11, 2010.
- ^ "US Albums Charts > Chic". Billboard. Retrieved May 17, 2012.
- ^ "US Certifications > Chic". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved February 8, 2012.
- ^ "UK Certified Awards Search > Chic". British Phonographic Industry. Archived from the original on May 1, 2013. Retrieved February 8, 2012.
- ^ Birchmeier, Jason. "C'est Chic – Chic". AllMusic. Retrieved October 23, 2018.
- ^ Christgau, Robert (1981). "Chic: C'est Chic". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies. Ticknor and Fields. ISBN 0-89919-026-X. Retrieved October 23, 2018.
- ^ Larkin, Colin (2011). "Chic". The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th concise ed.). Omnibus Press. ISBN 978-0-85712-595-8.
- ^ Beta, Andy (December 12, 2018). "Chic / Sister Sledge: The Chic Organization 1977–1979". Pitchfork. Retrieved December 22, 2018.
- ^ Walters, Barry (September 8, 2005). "Chic: C'est Chic". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on March 16, 2008. Retrieved October 23, 2018.
- ^ Sisario, Ben (2004). "Chic". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. p. 161. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
- ^ Walters, Barry (1995). "Chic". In Weisbard, Eric; Marks, Craig (eds.). Spin Alternative Record Guide. Vintage Books. pp. 81–82. ISBN 0-679-75574-8.
- ^ Gilday, Katherine (December 20, 1978). "Pop". The Globe and Mail. p. F9.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Buskin, Richard. "Classic Tracks: Chic 'Le Freak'". SoundOnSound. Sound On Sound. Retrieved July 27, 2023.
- ^ "Austriancharts.at – Chic – C'est Chic" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved June 10, 2021.
- ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Chic – C'est Chic" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved June 10, 2021.
- ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Chic – C'est Chic" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved June 10, 2021.
- ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – Chic – C'est Chic". Hung Medien. Retrieved June 10, 2021.
- ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Chic – C'est Chic". Hung Medien. Retrieved June 10, 2021.
- ^ "Chic Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved June 10, 2021.
- ^ "Chic Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved June 10, 2021.
- ^ "Jaaroverzichten – Album 1979". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved June 10, 2021.
- ^ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1979". Billboard. Retrieved June 10, 2021.
- ^ "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 1979". Billboard. Retrieved June 10, 2021.
- ^ "Canadian album certifications – Chic – C' Est Chic". Music Canada. Retrieved December 17, 2019.
- ^ "French album certifications – Chic – C'est Chic" (in French). InfoDisc. Select CHIC and click OK.
- ^ "IFPIHK Gold Disc Award − 1979". IFPI Hong Kong. Retrieved December 17, 2019.
- ^ "British album certifications – Chic – C' Est Chic". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved December 17, 2019.
- ^ "American album certifications – Chic – C'est Chic". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved December 17, 2019.
- ^ Indie hits : 1980-1989 : the complete U.K. independent charts (singles & albums). Barry Lazell. London: Cherry Red Books. 1997. ISBN 0-9517206-9-4. OCLC 38292499.
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