Sister Sledge - The Studio Album Collection 1975-1985 (2014) [Digital Download 24bit/192kHz]

Best known for their work with Chic in the late '70s, siblings Debbie, Kim, Joni, and Kathy Sledge – collectively Sister Sledge – reached the height of their popularity during the disco era but had been recording since the early '70s and were still active in the late '90s.

When Sister Sledge recorded their debut album Circle of Love, all four members of the group were still in their teens – Debbie Sledge, the oldest member, was 19, while the youngest, Kathy, was only 15. However, there's nothing bubblegum about Circle of Love. If Sister Sledge sounded like a female equivalent of the early Jackson 5 on 1973's "Mama Never Told Me," this vinyl LP found the Philadelphians sounding more like a younger version of the Three Degrees (who were also from Philly). This LP had a gem of a single in the haunting "Love, Don't You Go Through No Changes on Me," which wasn't huge but did reach number 31 on the R&B charts. The rest of the album isn't that strong, nor is it in a class with Sister Sledge's late-1970s/early-1980s work with Chic and Narada Michael Walden. Nonetheless, it's a decent, if uneven, collection of Philly soul, and the siblings handle themselves well on material ranging from the Gamble & $Huff-minded "Pain Reliever" and the charming "Cross My Heart" to the Thom Bell/Linda Creed ballad "Give in to Love".

Tracklist:

01 - Circle Of Love (Caught In The Middle)
02 - Cross My Heart
03 - Protect Our Love
04 - Give In To Love
05 - Love Don't Go Through No Changes On Me
06 - Don't You Miss Him Now
07 - Pain Reliever
08 - You're Much Better Off Loving Me
09 - Fireman

Together is a 1977 album released by American R&B/Soul group Sister Sledge. This is the second album by the group released on August 7, 1977 by Cotillion Records.

Tracklist:

01 - Blockbuster Boy
02 - Do The Funky Do
03 - I Was Made To Love Her (Him)
04 - Hold On To This Feeling
05 - As
06 - Sneaking Sally Through The Alley
07 - Funky Family
08 - Baby, It's The Rain
09 - Can't Mess Around With Love
10 - My Favorite Song
11 - Hands Full Of Nothing
12 - Moondancer

Before 1979's We Are Family, Sister Sledge wasn't a huge name in the R&B/disco world. The group had enjoyed a small following and scored a few minor hits, including "Love, Don't You Go Through No Changes on Me" in 1974 and "Blockbuster Boy" in 1977. But it wasn't until We Are Family that the Philadelphia siblings finally exploded commercially, and the people they have to thank for their commercial success are Chic leaders Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards. The Rodgers/Edwards team handles all of the writing, producing, and arranging on this album; so not surprisingly, almost everything on We Are Family is very Chic-sounding. That is true of the sexy "He's the Greatest Dancer" and the anthemic, uplifting title song (both of which soared to #1 on the R&B charts), as well as excellent album tracks like the lush "Easier to Love," the perky "One More Time," and the addictive "Thinking of You." The least Chic-sounding tune on the album is the ballad "Somebody Loves Me," which favors a classic sweet soul approach and is the type of song one would have expected from Thom Bell, Gamble & Huff, or Holland-Dozier-Holland rather than Rodgers/Edwards. Meanwhile, the intoxicating "Lost in Music" (a #35 R&B hit) is about as Chic-sounding as it gets.

Tracklist:

01 - He's The Greatest Dancer
02 - Lost In Music
03 - Somebody Loves Me
04 - Thinking Of You
05 - We Are Family (Single Version)
06 - Easier To Love
07 - You're A Friend To Me
08 - One More Time

Although Sister Sledge had already peaked with their 1979 powerhouse We Are Family LP, they returned in the first half of 1980 with Love Somebody Today. Not quite as successful as its predecessor, but still showcasing the group's remarkable vocal strength, the album foundered primarily because it hit the brick wall laid down by the burgeoning disco backlash, but still managed to peak at number seven on the R&B charts in March.

Tracklist:

01 - Got To Love Somebody
02 - You Fooled Around
03 - I'm A Good Girl
04 - Easy Street
05 - Reach Your Peak
06 - Pretty Baby
07 - How To Love
08 - Let's Go On Vacation

After recording two albums under the direction of Chic leaders Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards, Sister Sledge surprised the R&B world by working with Narada Michael Walden on All American Girls. The Philadelphia siblings had become identified with the Chic sound, and were ready for a change. It was a gamble that paid off artistically more than commercially. Far from a bomb but not as successful as it deserved to be, the album (reissued on CD in 1995 with informative liner notes by music journalist Gary Jackson) boasts its share of gems, including the hit title song (which, ironically, does have a few Chic-ish touches), the rock-influenced "He's Just a Runaway" and the infectiously funky "Make a Move." Interestingly, "Runaway" didn't became a hit until given a reggae remix that isn't nearly as exciting as the version heard on All American Girls, clearly one of the group's finest accomplishments.

Tracklist:

01 - All American Girls
02 - He's Just A Runaway
03 - If You Really Want Me
04 - Next Time You'll Know
05 - Happy Feeling
06 - Ooh, You Caught My Heart
07 - Make A Move
08 - Don't You Let Me Lose It
09 - Music Makes Me Feel Good

Keeping to their regular routine of releasing an album a year, Sister Sledge emerged in 1982 with The Sisters, their first self-produced effort. Keeping their disco-fied R&B in place, the sisters added a few contemporary kicks to hold their own in a decade fast leaving them behind. The move proved correct, as the group was rewarded with another Top 20 hit. The punchy, horn-heavy, and lightly funky "Super Bad Sisters" not only opens the album in fine style, but also adds a surprising sonic update via a rap from Kenneth and James Williams. Following that feat, though, the rest of the set settles down to soft-edged R&B and mediocre ballads. A less-than-stellar remake of the Mary Wells classic "My Guy" managed to reach number 14 R&B, while a passable duet between Kathy Sledge and David Simmons actually emerges as one of The Sisters' best moments. "Jacki's Theme: There's No Stopping Us," meanwhile, brought the set to a close with its quirky, snap-happy disco grooves. At the end of the day, and despite the fact that it's obvious that the band was still full of good ideas, The Sisters just doesn't reach its full potential. It could be that the band was too far out of its time and place, or that it just didn't have enough oomph to keep its edge, or perhaps it just suffered from production jitters. But ultimately, there are far finer ways to sample the remarkable talents of this R&B powerhouse.

Tracklist:

01 - Super Bad Sisters
02 - My Guy
03 - Lightfootin'
04 - My Special Way
05 - Grandma
06 - Get You In Our Love
07 - Il Mácquillage Lady
08 - Everybody's Friend
09 - All the Man I Need
10 - Jackie's Theme: There's No Stopping Us

With veteran jazzman-turned-funker George Duke at the production helm and a plethora of well-known musicians – including Al Jarreau, Michael Sembello, and Jeffrey Osborne – arrayed behind them, a late-in-the-day Sister Sledge released Bet Cha Say That to All the Girls to moderate success in 1983. While the band's blend of light urban dance was certainly urbane, the sisters were well past the days of the powerhouse R&B diva posturing that brought them to the top of the charts in the 1970s. Sister Sledge was instead bent on bright pop. Leading with the strong charting single "B.Y.O.B. (Bring Your Own Baby)," the rest of Bet Cha Say That to All the Girls unreeled in much the same manner. The superb harmonies and lush strings and horns swing from smooth R&B to light funk and back to classic mainstream pop with ease, as the beautiful ballad "Once in Your Life" and the funky closer "Thank You for the Party," as well as the title track, emerge as the album's real highlights. With perhaps a little too much emphasis placed on a light, bright sound which ultimately sacrifices substance, it's no surprise that this set foundered. Too much sugar can spoil even the sweetest desert.

Tracklist:

01 - B.Y.O.B. (Bring Your Own Baby)
02 - Lifetime Lover
03 - Once In Your Life
04 - Shake Me Down
05 - Dream On
06 - Let Him Go
07 - Smile
08 - Bet Cha Say That To All The Girls
09 - Gotta Get Back To Love
10 - Thank You For The Party

Note: 44kHz recording mastered to 192kHz.

Their last album to hit the charts, 1985's When the Boys Meet the Girls found Sister Sledge attempting to return to past form as they brought Chic's Nile Rodgers back onboard to produce and perform. And although the move would ultimately prove ineffective, as the album appeared and hovered just out of the Top 50, this easy pairing returned the sisters to an earlier edge. With the title track backed by an eclectic arrangement, those classic punchy Sister Sledge vocals were pushed well into the front of the action. The album birthed two further standouts, as both "Frankie," which is spun to become reggae-lite, and the heavily Rodgers-influenced club hit "Dancing on the Jagged Edge" rippled off the grooves. The latter, just barely limping to a paltry number 73 R&B, would prove the band's last hit until their comeback in the early '90s. Elsewhere, the Kathy Sledge-led ballad "You Need Me" emerges the best of the bunch, while the snappy "Peer Pressure" wades into wave territory, leaving the frenetic and not-quite-pleasing "Hold out Poppy" well out of the loop. When the Boys Meet the Girls is a fine effort, but this late in the day it just doesn't pull enough tricks out of the hat to make it worthwhile. And even through it's a major step up from their last effort, Sister Sledge is far better sampled across their earlier R&B heyday.

Tracklist:

01 - When The Boys Meet the Girls
02 - Dancing On The Jagged Edge
03 - Frankie
04 - You're Fine
05 - Hold Out Poppy
06 - The Boy Most Likely
07 - You Need Me
08 - Following The Leader
09 - Peer Pressure

Note: 44kHz recording mastered to 192kHz.


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