The Official Needles and Grooves 1001 Album Generator Project (aka Preachin’ about the Preachers if today’s selection sucks)

LL Cool J - "Mama Said Knock You Out". Had only heard the title track off this before, and I was a bit underwhelmed at how poorly it had aged. Had expected a lot more power in both the beats and delivery. Still, he has a decent flow and a couple of songs are pretty cool. Other songs feels very dated, both in sound and the sexist content. Score: 2/5

CHIC - "Risque". "Oh no, not disco!" was my first response when I saw this. Still cool to get to experience almost every dimension and genre of popular music in this project.
Good Times is a decent song with a killer bassline (that has been sampled and copied many times). The rest is an expose in the limitations of the disco genre, and it becomes pretty obvious why the genre pretty much died at the start of the 80s. Every song is so damn long too, and repetitive. Feels like they had enough material for a decent e.p. here, but decided to drag it out so they could charge us for an album. But I like some of the hooks, and the basslines are awesome. Score 2/5
 
Lee Newman said:
4/6/23
View attachment 171279
Chic - Risque



Allmusic Review:
www.allmusic.com

Risque - Chic | Album | AllMusic

Risque by Chic released in 1979. Find album reviews, track lists, credits, awards and more at AllMusic.
www.allmusic.com www.allmusic.com
Click to expand...

Holy shit, one of the most recognisable bass lines right off the bat!

Sampled 217 times apparently, according to whosampled.com

Great start, although it should have finished about 5 minutes ago.

What a come down.

This one seems a bit better, needs a higher tempo for goodness sake!

It's all a bit slow, can you disco to this?!

And it's over, that came around quickly. Apart from the first song, which tries to stretch a bassline out for way too long, nothing much really happens. I thought a disco record would be a bit more upbeat and uptempo, but this is frankly rather boring.

2 / 5 stars.
 
Lee Newman said:
View attachment 171297
Click to expand...
disco-stu-dancing.gif
 
Chic - Risque

First thought on opening up the page. Alright! Led Zeppelin! Wait, it's another sepia album cover. Not one I've listened to though.

Good Times - There's a reason this has 146 million plays and the rest of the album doesn't. The bass line & guitar. 8 minutes is too long, but I can see how you'd want to keep that groove going on the dance floor.

Rest of the album is forgettable as others have mentioned. Some nice bass lines and guitar playing, but nothing I'd revisit.

1/5
 
A different take:

My favourite album: Risqué by Chic | Pop and rock | The Guardian

<p>Our writers are picking their favourite albums. Here, <strong>Paul Lester</strong> takes a tour through love's darker chambers with Chic</p>
amp.theguardian.com amp.theguardian.com

I do think opening the album with Good Times is a mistake. It’s a fourth of the album and sets up an expectation that not even “My Feet Keep Danicng” can live up too.

It also feels happy but has signs of all the dark that is going to follow. It would probably be a better closer.

It’s also deceptive. There is some complex shit happening in these sort of laid back dance songs. The bass lines the whole time are impressive as hell. There is an orchestrated feel to it as well: it’s kind of like progressive disco (obligatory @Joe Mac tag) but it ain’t noodly bullshit, these songs have tight forms and accomplished scoring. Everything fits and it all feels a little perfect, kind of like Steely Dan, but there is a thread of the deep funk - like this is a cleaned up Parliament and points towards some of the more sophisticated things Prince would do.

There is a pocket groove that defines the whole deal and on a cursory listen would seem samey but even in a second listen… it is blooming, flowering and showing itself to be more than just a daisy but a complex orchid of sound.

I’ve been known to defend a groove, I still think Filthy is of one Timberlake’s best songs (even if that album is a travesty). This album is just groove after groove after groove.

It’s also an impressive display of a group functioning as a group. The vocalists are clearly very capable - the melody in Will You Cry is almost operatic - but unlike most blues or blues based rock, no one really takes over. There are intricately syncopated bridges instead of searing guitar and bass solos which you almost want in a you need it kind of way, it brings you to the edge of wanton lust and then grooves back into the theme of the piece.

It’s an album to get lost in not to get lost in the background. It also doesn’t surprise me that given this group’s scores and writing about dance and prog music that this is probably going to be our lowest ranked album… it’s playing to an audience not meant to appreciate it (which is fine) but I think this album deserves more than one listen trying to figure out why it’s disco or why it opens with what should probably close it.

As I think about it and keep listening to it, the more I think it might be a masterpiece and probably belongs in a collection that has quite a bit of Prince, and A Taste of Honey and multiple Rufus records (you know… someone like me).

I’m not giving it a five or anything yet, but damn it really got me on the second listen.
 
Yeah, I also don't think it was smart to start the album off with its most recognizable (and best) song, and an even bigger mistake was to follow it up with the album's absolute worst song. I still liked this album for the most part tho. 4/5
favs: Good Times (duh), My Feet Keep Dancing, What About Me
least fav: A Warm Summer Night
 
Lee Newman said:
A different take:

My favourite album: Risqué by Chic | Pop and rock | The Guardian

<p>Our writers are picking their favourite albums. Here, <strong>Paul Lester</strong> takes a tour through love's darker chambers with Chic</p>
amp.theguardian.com amp.theguardian.com

I do think opening the album with Good Times is a mistake. It’s a fourth of the album and sets up an expectation that not even “My Feet Keep Danicng” can live up too.

It also feels happy but has signs of all the dark that is going to follow. It would probably be a better closer.

It’s also deceptive. There is some complex shit happening in these sort of laid back dance songs. The bass lines the whole time are impressive as hell. There is an orchestrated feel to it as well: it’s kind of like progressive disco (obligatory @Joe Mac tag) but it ain’t noodly bullshit, these songs have tight forms and accomplished scoring. Everything fits and it all feels a little perfect, kind of like Steely Dan, but there is a thread of the deep funk - like this is a cleaned up Parliament and points towards some of the more sophisticated things Prince would do.

There is a pocket groove that defines the whole deal and on a cursory listen would seem samey but even in a second listen… it is blooming, flowering and showing itself to be more than just a daisy but a complex orchid of sound.

I’ve been known to defend a groove, I still think Filthy is of one Timberlake’s best songs (even if that album is a travesty). This album is just groove after groove after groove.

It’s also an impressive display of a group functioning as a group. The vocalists are clearly very capable - the melody in Will You Cry is almost operatic - but unlike most blues or blues based rock, no one really takes over. There are intricately syncopated bridges instead of searing guitar and bass solos which you almost want in a you need it kind of way, it brings you to the edge of wanton lust and then grooves back into the theme of the piece.

It’s an album to get lost in not to get lost in the background. It also doesn’t surprise me that given this group’s scores and writing about dance and prog music that this is probably going to be our lowest ranked album… it’s playing to an audience not meant to appreciate it (which is fine) but I think this album deserves more than one listen trying to figure out why it’s disco or why it opens with what should probably close it.

As I think about it and keep listening to it, the more I think it might be a masterpiece and probably belongs in a collection that has quite a bit of Prince, and A Taste of Honey and multiple Rufus records (you know… someone like me).

I’m not giving it a five or anything yet, but damn it really got me on the second listen.
Click to expand...

Hey! Don’t you tag me as a hater of Nile Rogers or Chic! Joe likes the good times as much as anyone else!
 
Lee Newman said:
4/6/23
View attachment 171279
Chic - Risque



Allmusic Review:
www.allmusic.com

Risque - Chic | Album | AllMusic

Risque by Chic released in 1979. Find album reviews, track lists, credits, awards and more at AllMusic.
www.allmusic.com www.allmusic.com
Click to expand...


This one is a 3.5/5 for me. Whether I round up or down would likely change on any given day depending on my mood or the phase of the moon. Today it feels like down so that's what's gonna get logged into the site. The groove is deep and the groove is sweet; the slow jams fluctuate the most in how I feel from day to day. There is so much bad and terrible disco out there but this is not that!
 
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