Risqué (album)
Risqué | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
![]() | ||||
Studio album by | ||||
Released | July 30, 1979 | |||
Recorded | 1979 | |||
Studio | The Power Station (Manhattan, New York City) | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 36:46 | |||
Label | Atlantic | |||
Producer | ||||
Chic chronology | ||||
| ||||
Singles from Risqué | ||||
|
Risqué is the third studio album by American disco band Chic, released on Atlantic Records on July 30, 1979. One of the records that defined the disco era,[1] the album became highly influential not only within the movement, but also in other styles such as hip hop, art rock and new wave.[2] In 2020, Rolling Stone ranked the album at number 414 on their list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.[3]
Release[]
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Christgau's Record Guide | A−[4] |
Encyclopedia of Popular Music | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Mojo | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Pitchfork | 9.4/10[7] |
The Rolling Stone Album Guide | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Smash Hits | 8½/10[9] |
Sounds | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Spin Alternative Record Guide | 9/10[11] |
Risqué includes three classic Chic hits; "Good Times" (#1 US Pop, #1 US R&B June 23, 1979, #5 UK), "My Forbidden Lover" (#33 US R&B, #43 US Pop October 13, 1979, #15 UK) and "My Feet Keep Dancing" (#42 US R&B, #101 US Pop December 8, 1979, #21 UK). Risqué reached #5 on the US albums chart and #2 on the US R&B chart. It has been certified Platinum by the RIAA for sales over 1 million copies. It peaked at #29 in the UK and was certified Silver by the BPI.
Risqué was released on compact disc by Atlantic Records/Warner Music in 1991 (catalogue number 7567-80406-2). The album was digitally remastered and re-issued by Warner Music Japan in 2011.
Legacy[]
"Good Times" has been extensively sampled in other artists' works, most notably in the first rap song, "Rapper's Delight" by Sugarhill Gang, that same year. "Will You Cry" was sampled in "Just a Moment" by Nas from the 2004 album Street's Disciple.
Accolades[]
The information regarding accolades attributed to Risqué is adapted from Acclaimed Music, except where otherwise noted.[12]
Publication | Country | Accolade | Year | Rank | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Blender | United States | The 100 Greatest American Albums of All time | 2002 | 36 | ||
Dave Marsh and Kevin Stein | The 40 Best of Album Chartmakers by Year | 1981 | 7 | |||
Robert Dimery | 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die | 2013 | * | |||
Rolling Stone | The Essential 200 Rock Records | 1997 | * | |||
The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time | 2020 | 414[13] | ||||
Tom Moon | 1,000 Recordings to Hear Before You Die | 2008 | * | |||
The Guardian | United Kingdom | 100 Albums that Don't Appear in All Other Top 100 Album Lists | 1999 | 34 | ||
1000 Albums to Hear Before You Die | 2007 | * | ||||
My Favourite Album Series | 2011 | * | ||||
Guardian Writers' Favourite Albums Ever | 2013 | 17 | ||||
Mojo | Mojo 1000, the Ultimate CD Buyers Guide | 2001 | * | |||
The Mojo Collection, 3rd and/or 4th Edition | 2003/2007 | * | ||||
Paul Morley | Words and Music, 5 x 100 Greatest Albums of All Time | 2003 | * | |||
NME | Albums of the Year | 1979 | 23 | |||
NME's The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time | 2013 | 208 | ||||
Q | The 50 Best Albums of the 70s | 1998 | 45 | |||
The Rough Guide | Soul: 100 Essential CDs | 2000 | * | |||
Gilles Verlant | France | 300+ Best Albums in the History of Rock | 2013 | * | ||
Les Inrockuptibles | 50 Years of Rock'n'Roll | 2004 | * | |||
Philippe Manœuvre | 100 Necessary Albums | 2014 | * | |||
Rock & Folk | The 300 Best Albums from 1965-1995 | 1995 | * | |||
The Best Albums from 1963 to 1999 | 1999 | * | ||||
555 Albums from 1954-2014 | 2014 | * | ||||
Télérama | The Best Albums of All Time | 1993 | * | |||
(*) designates lists that are unordered. |
Track listing[]
All tracks are written by Bernard Edwards and Nile Rodgers.
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Good Times" | 8:08 |
2. | "A Warm Summer Night" | 6:10 |
3. | "My Feet Keep Dancing" | 6:38 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
4. | "My Forbidden Lover" | 4:39 |
5. | "Can't Stand to Love You" | 2:56 |
6. | "Will You Cry (When You Hear This Song)" | 4:06 |
7. | "What About Me?" | 4:09 |
Personnel[]
- Alfa Anderson – lead vocals (A1, B1, B3, B4)
- – lead vocals (A1, A3, B1, B2)
- Fonzi Thornton – vocals
- – backing vocals
- Ullanda McCullough – backing vocals
- Nile Rodgers – guitar, vocals
- Robert Sabino – keyboards
- Andy Schwartz – keyboards
- Raymond Jones – keyboards
- Bernard Edwards – bass guitar; lead vocals (A3)
- Tony Thompson – drums
- Sammy Figueroa – percussion
- Jon Faddis – trumpet
- Ellen Seeling – trumpet
- Alex Foster – saxophone
- Jean Fineberg – saxophone
- Barry Rogers – trombone
- The Chic Strings:
- Karen Karlsrud – strings
- Cheryl Hong – strings
- Karen Milne – strings
- Valerie Haywood – strings
- Gene Orloff – concert master
Production[]
- Bernard Edwards – producer for Chic Organization Ltd.
- Nile Rodgers – producer for Chic Organization Ltd.
- Bob Clearmountain – sound engineer
- Jackson Schwartz – engineer
- Jeff Hendrickson – engineer
- Jim Galante – engineer
- Peter Robbins – engineer
- Ray Willard – engineer
- Dennis King – mastering
- Carin Goldberg – art direction
- Ken Ambrose – photography
- All songs recorded and mixed at Power Station in New York. Mastered at Atlantic Studios, New York.
Certifications[]
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
United Kingdom (BPI)[14] | Silver | 60,000^ |
United States (RIAA)[15] | Platinum | 1,000,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |
References[]
- ^ Hamsley, David (2015). To Disco, with Love: The Records That Defined an Era. Flatiron Books. p. 285. ISBN 978-1250068453.
- ^ Jump up to: a b Henderson, Alex. "Risqué – Chic". AllMusic. Retrieved February 4, 2016.
- ^ "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time". Rolling Stone. September 22, 2020. Retrieved October 27, 2020.
- ^ Christgau, Robert (1981). "Chic: Risque". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies. Ticknor and Fields. ISBN 0-89919-026-X. Retrieved December 26, 2018.
- ^ Larkin, Colin (2011). "Chic". The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th concise ed.). Omnibus Press. ISBN 978-0-85712-595-8.
- ^ Brown, Geoff (October 2018). "Three Cheers!". Mojo. No. 299. p. 39.
- ^ Beta, Andy (December 12, 2018). "Chic / Sister Sledge: The Chic Organization 1977–1979". Pitchfork. Retrieved December 26, 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.
- ^ Starr, Red (September 6–19, 1979). "Albums". Smash Hits. Vol. 1 no. 20. p. 25.
- ^ Silverton, Peter (August 11, 1979). "Chic: Risqué (Atlantic K50634)". Sounds. Retrieved October 27, 2020 – via Rock's Backpages.
- ^ Walters, Barry (1995). "Chic". In Weisbard, Eric; Marks, Craig (eds.). Spin Alternative Record Guide. Vintage Books. pp. 81–82. ISBN 0-679-75574-8.
- ^ "Chic: Risqué". Acclaimed Music. Archived from the original on November 16, 2007. Retrieved February 14, 2016.
- ^ https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/best-albums-of-all-time-1062063/chic-risque-1062819/
- ^ "British album certifications – Chic – Risque". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved December 17, 2019.Select albums in the Format field. Select Silver in the Certification field. Type Risque in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
- ^ "American album certifications – Chic – Risque". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved December 17, 2019.
External links[]
- Risqué (Adobe Flash) at Radio3Net (streamed copy where licensed)
- Chic (band) albums
- 1979 albums
- Atlantic Records albums
- Albums produced by Nile Rodgers
- Albums produced by Bernard Edwards