SISTER SLEDGE-LOVE SOMEBODY TODAY.

dereksmusicblog ♦ December 6, 2011 ♦ Leave a comment

SISTER SLEDGE-LOVE SOMEBODY TODAY.

Recently, I bought a copy of Niles Rodgers new autobiography Le Freak, which I’ve been working my way through. In the book, he talks about all the artists and groups he’s worked with. One of these groups, was Sister Sledge, who with Bernard Edwards they wrote, arranged and produced two albums. With Niles and Bernard guiding their careers, Sister Sledge were transformed from a struggling albeit talented group, to a group with a platinum album, We Are Family. I’ve previously reviewed that album some time ago, so will now review the second album Sister Sledge recorded with Niles and Bernard, Love Somebody Today.

After the huge success of We Are Family, which had been released in January 1979, and reached number three in the US Billboard 200 and number one in the US R&B Charts, the pressure was on to release a follow-up album. This would be a tough proposition, because We Are Family featured three great singles, We Are Family, He’s the Greatest Dancer and Lost In Music. Both We Are Family and He’s the Greatest Dancer had reached number one in the US R&B Singles Charts, so the pressure was on to come up with something equally brilliant. However, by 1980, when Love Somebody Today was recorded and released, the musical landscape in America was very different.

When Love Somebody Today was released, there had been a real anti-disco backlash in America. This was wasn’t pleasant to watch, when on 12 July 1979, Disco Demolition Night took place. A crate full of disco records was blown up on Comiskey Park, in Chicago, before a baseball game between Chicago White Sox and the Detroit Tigers. This was watched over by baying hordes of small minded people, and was the night when disco died. However, thankfully, disco was resurrected, made a come back. Sadly this was too late for Sister Sledge, whose album Love Somebody Today suffered from this anti-disco backlash.

Like its predecessor We Are Family, Sister Sledge’s fourth album Love Somebody Today had been written, arranged and produced by Niles Rodgers and Bernard Edwards. The album was recorded by the Sledge sisters Kim, Debbie, Joni and Kathy in 1980, and was full of eight musical gems written by Niles Rodgers and Bernard Edwards. When Love Somebody Today was released, it didn’t do as well as well as We Are Family, only reaching number thirty-one in the US Billboard 200 and number seven in the US R&B Charts. Three singles were released from the album, the first being Got To Love Somebody, which reached number sixty-four in the US Billboard 200 and number six in the US R&B Charts. Reach Your Peak didn’t do as well, only reaching number 101 in the US Billboard 100 and number twenty-one in the US R&B Charts. Let’s Go On Vacation was the last single released from the album, reaching just number sixty-three in the US R&B Charts. Although this was a long way from the success of We Are Family, it was very much a case of the wrong album at the wrong time. There was nothing wrong with the music, just musical tastes and fashions had changed, as a result of the small minded, anti-disco crusade. However, since then, people have realized that Love Somebody Today is a great album, featuring some fantastic music, which I’ll now tell you about. 

Love Somebody Today opens with the most successful of the three singles released from the album, Got To Love Somebody. It’s a track that literally bursts joyously into life with Niles guitar chiming, while a driving rhythm section, blazing horns, piano and percussion complete the sound. After this fast, full and uptempo introduction, a powerful, yet joyful lead vocal enters, while the rest of the Sledge sisters provide backing vocals. Behind them, the interplay between Niles and Bernard is at the heart of the arrangement, while horns and the Chic Strings, are augmented by percussion. Later a saxophone solo drenches the hook-laden arrangement, which sweeps along, with that hugely, powerful joyous lead vocal soaring high above it. When this vocal is combined with Niles and Bernard’s luscious arrangement, the result is an outstanding track, which deserved to do much better than it did when it was released as a single.

You Fooled Around is another track that has a big, sweeping arrangement, with the lushest of strings, piano, chiming, shimmering guitars and rhythm section opening the track. Subtle, clever chord changes on piano and guitar are apparent straight away, and help give the song its emotive sound. When the lead vocal enters, it’s a much more gentle, full of sadness and regret, having discovered her boyfriend has been playing around. The rest of the sisters, sing backing vocals, their voices reflecting the heartbreak and sadness. Behind them, swathes of swirling, sweeping strings are at the heart of the emotive arrangement, while a piano adds to the melancholy sound, which envelops the vocal. Like the opening track, the tempo is quicker, the sound fuller, this time with strings playing an important part in the arrangement, while the Sledge sisters deliver some lovely, emotive, melancholy vocals.

The style and sound changes on I’m A Good Girl, a piano lead track which has a much more understated arrangement. It’s just a piano and gentle rhythm that accompany a tender lead vocal, before Niles’ quicker guitar playing enters shimmering and quivering. This quickly drops back out, leaving a lovely piano and vocal combination to take centre-stage. Midway through the track, it takes a brief funky turn, with the arrangement and vocal quickening up, with even a jazzy sound apparent. However, mostly the song has a lovely subtle piano lead arrangement, perfect for the gorgeous vocal.

Easy Street sees Sister Sledge combine to accompany a an arrangement that sees chiming guitars and the rhythm section dominate the sound. Layers of guitars accompany the sisters, reverberating while Bernard’s bass line is fast and funky, Tony Thompson’s drums provide the track’s heartbeat and keyboards augment the sound. Meanwhile, Sister Sledge’s vocals unite to produce a tight joyous sound, their voices complimenting each other perfectly. When combined with a catchy, melodic arrangement, that although isn’t as full as the first two songs, is just as good, the result is a catchy, hooky track, that’s a good way to end side one of Love Somebody Today.

Side two of Love Somebody Today opens with Reach Your Peak, a driving track, delivered in short, sharp bursts by Sister Sledge. It’s a quite different arrangement, with a driving sound, Niles, Bernard and Tony driving the track along, guitar and bass and drums. Keyboards, dramatic swirling strings and braying horns all contribute to making this a fuller, funk drenched arrangement when the soaring, united vocal of Sister Sledge drop out. The result is a quite different sounding track, with choppy uplifting vocals accompanied by an arrangement that’s not short of funk.

Pretty Baby has much in common with the first two tracks on the album. It has a bigger, sweeping sound, thanks to an arrangement that opens with Niles’ chiming guitar accompanied by piano and the rhythm section who drive the catchy, sweeping arrangement along. Atop the arrangement sits Sister Sledge’s high, soaring vocals accompanied by handclaps and an arrangement dominated by interplay between the guitars, rhythm section and piano which constantly punctuates the arrangement, with one chord played continuously. There’s a similar abrupt, sharp, choppy delivery of the vocals like on the preceding track. This works however, adding a dynamic and dramatic sound to the vocal, which fits well with the dramatic sound of the arrangement, caused by the interplay between guitar, rhythm section and piano.

It’s a slow, lush sound that opens How To Love. Layers of strings over-layed with effects, combine with a piano and the rhythm section before the lead vocal enters. It too, is slow, thoughtful and delivered with feeling against the piano and string lead arrangement. Niles’ guitar chimes gently, combining well with the piano. Nothing is allowed to overpower the vocal, which is full of sadness and emotion, as she sings about now knowing how to love. Behind her, the strings sweep slowly, their sound full of sadness and emotion. This sadness is reflected in the piano which combines perfectly with the strings and vocal. The effect is quite beautiful, resulting a stunning love song with a lush, sad sound.

Love Somebody Today closes with Let’s Go On Vacation which can also be found on the Chic soundtrack album Soup For One. This is the perfect song to end the album. It’s a joyous, uptempo track that sweeps beautifully along, featuring some joyful vocals from the four Sledge sisters. Against a backdrop of the lushest, sweeping strings, chiming guitars, keyboards and funky rhythm section, Sister Sledge take you on musical journey, that takes in California and Philadelphia. It’s a track that’s so catchy it’s absolutely dripping in hooks. Not only that, but it’s uptempo, good-time sound is guaranteed to make you want to dance and put a smile on your face. What a fantastic way to end the album, and why it wasn’t a much bigger hit than number sixty-three in the US R&B Charts is beyond me.

Although Love Somebody Today didn’t have the big hits of their previous album We Are Family, it’s still a really great album. The eight songs on the album feature a mixture of joyous, emotive and sad songs with vocals to match. Niles Rodgers and Bernard Edwards produced some brilliant arrangements to compliment these vocals. On the album they unleashed The Chic Strings, a proliferation of horns and of course Niles’ stunning guitar work and Bernard’s brilliant bass playing. Not only did they play on the album, but the wrote, arranged and produced Love Somebody Today. They brought out the very best in Sister Sledge, transforming their careers, and turning them into a hugely successful platinum selling group. Unfortunately, Love Somebody Today was released just as the anti-disco backlash gathered pace, and music like Sister Sledge’s and indeed Chic’s, was no longer as popular. This was a great shame, as otherwise great albums, including Love Somebody Today were cast aside, and ignored by the wider record buying public. As usual, the many followed the few with the loudest voices, who said disco sucked. They were wrong, and were nothing more than insecure, small minded, people with loud voices, but not the intelligence to match. Over thirty years later, disco is still a thriving musical genre, loved by many people, including new generations of music lovers. They’ve grown to love the music of Sister Sledge and Chic, including a number of hugely underrated albums, including Love Somebody Today. So, do yourself a favor, and go on a musical vacation with Sister Sledge through their 1980 album Love Somebody Today. Standout Tracks: Got To Love Somebody, Easy Street, Pretty Baby and Let’s Go On Vacation.

SISTER SLEDGE-LOVE SOMEBODY TODAY.