On September 18th, all of Sister Sledge's out of print albums for the Atlantic label (which is pretty much all of them except "We Are Family") will finally be reissued on CD by Wounded Bird Records. Wounded Bird (I've always found that the stangest name for a record label) seem to have been carving out a bit of a niche lately in no-frills, quality CD reissues, mostly from the Warner labels (see the last batch of Chic album reissues, among others)..
Aside from "Love Somebody Today," "All American Girls" (both of which had been previously released on CD by Rhino in the mid-90's) and of course "We Are Family," this will also mark the CD debut of all of the other Sister Sledge albums in their entirety.. No word on the tracklists yet, if there will be any bonus tracks included with any of the reissues. Wounded Bird aren't exactly known for adding extras, so for now, I'm assuming these will be straight reissues with just the original tracklists..
Considering the gap between Wounded Bird's Chic reissues (Real People/Tongue In Chic in 2003, the rest only last year), the simultaneous release of seven of the sisters' albums comes as a rather pleasant surprise. Given how closely Sister Sledge is associated with the Chic sound, I'm assuming their Chic reissues from late last year have done pretty well for these to have gotten the go-ahead...
Update: Pictures and prices now available on the Wounded Bird website..
Circle Of Love (1975, Atco/Atlantic / 2007, Wounded Bird)
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The first album - produced by Bert DeCoteaux and Tony Silvester. Much of the album was written by Gwen Guthrie and Patrick Grant aside from "Give In To Love" written by Thom Bell/Linda Creed and the title track co-written by none other than Patrick Adams and Faye Hauser. Overall, I don't exactly consider this among their best albums, though the title track and the single "Love, Don't You Go Through No Changes On Me" are both standouts..
SISTER SLEDGE - CIRCLE OF LOVE LP (REVIEW) @ ALL MUSIC GUIDE
SISTER SLEDGE - CIRCLE OF LOVE LP @ DISCOGS
Together (1977, Cotillion/Atlantic / 2007, Wounded Bird)
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Before striking gold with Chic and "We Are Family," they had hooked up with German producers Michael Kunze and Sylvester Levay (the production team behind Silver Convention) for this album. Unfortunately, I don't even have this album yet, but it certainly sounds like an interesting and promising 'Philly meets Munich' type of collaboration. So far, at least for now, this also appears to be the hardest to find out of all their LPs (at least in my experience). Some of the notable tracks on here include a couple of Stevie Wonder covers: "As" and "I Was Made to Love Her (Him)" along with "Blockbuster Boy," which was included on their early '90s "Best Of Sister Sledge (1973-1985)" (1992, Rhino) CD.. In any case, I can't wait to finally hear this one..
SISTER SLEDGE - TOGETHER LP @ DISCOGS
Love Somebody Today (1980, Cotillion/Atlantic / 2007, Wounded Bird)
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Their second and last album with producers Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards AKA The Chic Organization. This one may not reach the heights of "We Are Family," nevertheless Chic's magic touch doesn't fail them on this one either. As a whole, it's one of my favourite Sister Sledge albums containing some great uptempos like "Got To Love Somebody," along with some of Chic's best balladry as well ("Let's Go On Vacation", "I'm A Good Girl"). Also a rather timely reissue considering the high prices Rhino's out-of-print 1995 reissue have commanded in the recent past.
SISTER SLEDGE - LOVE SOMEBODY TODAY LP (REVIEW) @ ALL MUSIC GUIDE
SISTER SLEDGE - LOVE SOMEBODY TODAY LP (REVIEW) @ ROBERTCHRISTGAU.COM
SISTER SLEDGE - LOVE SOMEBODY TODAY LP (REVIEW) @ WARR.ORG
SISTER SLEDGE - LOVE SOMEBODY TODAY LP @ DISCOGS
SISTER SLEDGE - LOVE SOMEBODY TODAY (1995 CD REISSUE) @ AMAZON.COM
All American Girls (1981, Cotillion/Atlantic / 2007, Wounded Bird)
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This album was also reissued on CD by Rhino in 1995 (complete with butchered cover art) and if it weren't for me checking just now, I could have sworn that it was out of print as well.. I suppose Rhino must have only recently put theirs back in print - just in time for this release, no less.. Although that probably makes this reissue a tad redundant, as far as the album goes: despite this being their break from the Chic Organization, producer Narada Michael Walden and the sisters (who also contribute to the production as well as a great deal of the songwriting) manage to deliver a great record here. Kicking things off on a high with the Chic-inspired title track and the original, energetic, rock-influenced album version of "He's Just a Runaway" (a million miles better than the lackluster "Bob Marley tribute" version that became the single) and "If You Really Want Me," this record has a much livelier, assertive approach than their previous. One of their most underrated and enjoyable, in my opinion..
SISTER SLEDGE - ALL AMERICAN GIRLS LP (REVIEW) @ ALL MUSIC GUIDE
SISTER SLEDGE - ALL AMERICAN GIRLS LP @ DISCOGS
SISTER SLEDGE - ALL AMERICAN GIRLS (1995 CD REISSUE) @ AMAZON.COM
The Sisters (1982, Cotillion/Atlantic / 2007, Wounded Bird)
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Notable for being the only album entirely produced by the Sisters themselves (hence, the title). I actually find this album to be somewhat better than the singles off of it indicated it to be (lukewarm cover of Mary Wells' "My Guy," to name one). Aside from the ballads (like their version of "All The Man That I Need" - originally by Linda Clifford, later made famous by Ms. Nippy), there was also a slight sleek, urban edge on some of the album tracks, like "Super Bad Sisters" which included a little rap section and the awesome "Il Mácquillage Lady," which has become one of my all-time favourite Sister Sledge tunes. It wasn't a single, but notable nonetheless for being the basis of Daft Punk's 2001 single "Aerodynamic" (which I only found out recently). Overall not quite as good as The Sisters' previous three records, but still a relatively decent album in it's own right.
SISTER SLEDGE - THE SISTERS LP (REVIEW) @ ALL MUSIC GUIDE
Bet Cha Say That To All The Girls (1983, Cotillion/Atlantic / 2007, Wounded Bird)
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Produced by George Duke, this is another one that I don't have yet, so I can't speak for the entire record.. The songs that I have heard so far: "B.Y.O.B. (Bring Your Own Baby)" and "Get Back To Love" off their '92 Best of CD are good, but nothing really special..
SISTER SLEDGE - BET CHA SAY THAT TO ALL THE GIRLS LP (REVIEW) @ ALL MUSIC GUIDE
SISTER SLEDGE - BET CHA SAY THAT TO ALL THE GIRLS LP @ DISCOGS
When The Boys Meet The Girls (1985, Atlantic / 2007, Wounded Bird)
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Their last really major album and a reunion of sorts with Nile Rodgers, right around the time when he was probably one of the hottest producers around.. Again, this is yet another one that I don't have yet. Out of the tracks I've heard so far, I don't really care for "Frankie" too much, "Dancing On The Jagged Edge" however, is one of my all-time favourites by the sisters..
SISTER SLEDGE - WHEN THE BOYS MEET THE GIRLS LP (REVIEW) @ ALL MUSIC GUIDE
PREVIOUS RELATED ENTRIES:
BBC RADIO 2 - THE RECORD PRODUCERS: NILE RODGERS (SATURDAY JANUARY 6, 2007)
UPCOMING REISSUES & RELEASES (CHIC AND MORE!): (DECEMBER 1, 2006 - JANUARY 22, 2007) (SATURDAY NOVEMBER 25, 2006)
UPCOMING REISSUES & RELEASES (APRIL 25 - MAY 30) (FRIDAY APRIL 21, 2006)
DISCO DELIVERY #2: NORMA JEAN WRIGHT - NORMA JEAN (1978, BEARSVILLE) (SATURDAY JANUARY 14, 2006)
CATEGORIES: REISSUES & RELEASES
10 comments:
What fabulous news! I'll be buying them all. I love me some Sister Sledge!
I'll probably end up buying them all, too.. eventually.. lol.. I can't wait to finally hear their second album and the one from '85 with Nile Rodgers..
Great to hear that .I will finally have an ocassion to see Sister Sledge in Poland on 31.08.Cant wait!
Hope there will be also some Casablanca reissues..someday
Greetings from Poland
Which album is Lost in Music on?
Hope you enjoy the show, osses! :) I hope to see them live one of these days.. I'd love some more Casablanca reissues, too.. Hope Universal will do more with the Casablanca catalogue in the future..
Hey M.E. Grant! "Lost In Music" is on their "We Are Family" album, which unlike their others, has been in print rather consistently.. Which reminds me, I really need to listen to that album again..
its great to see older things reissued.. its just that Wounded Bird doesnt really do any remastering to the tracks which is sad, but i guess they can' afford to pay someone to do it.. so usually the releases sound very maginal.
great news . there has recently been a fab hi-nrg cover version of love dont you go through no changes on me by british diva belle laurence and it's awesome.
Hey Apollo Zero. Thanks for the comment!
Yeah, it does seem actual remastering is a bit of a luxury for the smaller labels, especially when it comes to disco reissues. As long as they are mastered well from the original master tapes, then I'd likely be satisfied..
I've come across so many disco reissues of marginal sound quality (ie. mastered from bad vinyl), it seems the market is practically littered with them. The few Wounded Bird releases that I've obtained so far (Labelle and Chic) have been pretty solid as far as sound goes (even if they're pretty skimpy on the artwork). I'm hoping that these will at least live up to the standard on those.
Anonymous, thanks for that tip! I'll have to hear that one for myself sometime..
The 3 peak era albums "Family", "Somebody" and "All American" are certainly recommended, but i can't imagine the pre and post-fame albums would be worth the money for non-fanatics. Hey, I'm an obsessed Donna Summer fan, and even I would think twice about forking over $15 for the remastered releases of some of Donna's flat-as-a-pancake 80s albums like "Cat's Without Claws."
I do know of two great Sisters songs that aren't included on their 3 album peak, "Love Don't Go Through No Changes On Me" from the first album, and "Dancing On The Jagged Edge" from their last. They are most likely the only great songs on those albums though. I certainly respect the Sisters talents enough that I'd take the time to listen to all of their albums I've never heard, and yes I'm sure there's a few hidden gems, but not enough to justify the purchase. I consider a lot of the singles on their greatest hits album to be unlistenable, most of the pre and post fame stuff. Raw vocal talent can't overcome poor material and production.
What fabulous news! I love the Sister Sledge!
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