to hear the long version of we are family is worth the price alone nuff said.

So many people thought this 1979 album WE ARE FAMILY, was their debut album. However, these girls have been recording since 1971. Here is a list of their recording history up to date:

1. 1971- Sister Sledge released their first 45 single called
TIME WILL TELL. (Not available on any Lp or cd.)

2. 1972- They released their 2nd 45 single called WEATHERMAN.
(Not available on any Lp or cd.)

3. 1973- They released their 3rd 45 single called MAMA, NEVER
TOLD ME. (Available on recent BEST OF cd compilations.)

4. 1975- They released their first full length debut album
called CIRCLE OF LOVE. It contained the singles- LOVE,
DON'T YOU GO THROUGH NO CHANGES ON ME (which was actually
released at the end of 1974, just prior to this album's
release), PAIN RELIEVER, and GIVE IN TO LOVE.
This album will finally be released on cd on Sept. 18th, 2007.
In 2007 Belle Lawrence did a club remake of the song
LOVE DON'T YOU GO THROUGH NO CHANGES ON ME. The cd single
features 5 Almighty remixes.

5. 1976- They released a 45 single called CREAM OF THE CROP and
another one called THANK YOU FOR TODAY. Both of these songs
did not appear on an LP, but are available on some recent
BEST of cd compilations.

6. 1977- They released their 2nd album called TOGETHER, which had
the single BLOCKBUSTER BOY. This is being released onto cd on
Sept. 18th, 2007. The song AS is a Stevie Wonder remake (from
his 1976 double album SONGS IN THE KEY OF LIFE), and was also
put out by George Michael & Mary J. Blige as a single in 1999.

7. 1978- They released a 45 single called I'VE SEEN BETTER DAYS.
Not available on LP or cd.

8. 1979- They released their smash CHIC produced disco album called
WE ARE FAMILY. Rhino released a remastered version of this
album onto cd in 1995, and it has bonus tracks. The song
HE'S THE GREATEST DANCER was actually written for Chic's own
2nd album C'EST CHIC and the song I WANT YOUR LOVE was originally
supposed to appear on this Sister Sledge album, but the songs were
switched, perhaps to give the WE ARE FAMILY album a stronger
collection of hits. We Are Family and He's The Greatest Dancer
has been sampled by so many other artists I lost count. However,
in 2006, Dannii Minogue (Kylie's daughter) released her club
version of He's The Greatest Dancer.

9. 1980- They released their 3rd LP, and 2nd CHIC produced album
called LOVE SOMEBODY TODAY. Although Rhino had already released
this onto cd in 1995, a new version is coming out on Sept. 18th,
2007 by Wounded Bird Records.

10. 1981- They released their 4th LP ALL AMERICAN GIRLS, produced
by Narada Michael Walden. The version of HE'S JUST A RUNAWAY
on the album is the original version. The 45 single version
was called HE'S A RUNAWAY (TRIBUTE TO BOB MARLEY) and was a
reggae version. This reggae version is available on the Rhino
1992 BEST OF SISTER SLEDGE 1973-1985 cd. Although Rhino already
released this cd ALL AMERICAN GIRLS in 1995, a new version is
being released on Sept. 18th, 2007 by Wounded Bird Records.

11. In 1982 they released their 5th LP THE SISTERS, which they
produced themselves. It has the song ALL THE MAN I NEED, a
duet between Kathy Sledge and David Simmons. This song would
later be recorded as a solo by Whitney Houston in 1991, as well
as a solo recording by Luther Vandross in 1994.
THE SISTERS album is finally being released onto cd for the
first time on Sept. 18th, 2007 by Wounded Bird Records.

12. In 1983 they released their 6th LP BET CHA SAY THAT TO ALL
THE GIRLS, produced by George Duke. It featured the singles,
B.Y.O.B (BRING YOUR OWN BABY), GOTTA GET BACK TO LOVE, and SMILE.
This album is finally being released onto cd on Sept. 18th, 2007
by Wounded Bird Records.
Also, in 1983, Kathy Sledge appeared on the Stacy Lattisaw 1983
LP SIXTEEN singing a duet with Stacy called WHAT'S SO HOT
'BOUT BAD BOYS?.

13. In 1984 Nile Rodgers/Bernard Edwards released a remixed 12" of
LOST IN MUSIC, in the UK. (Available on this cd WE ARE FAMILY
put out by Rhino).

14. In 1985 they released their 7th LP WHEN THE BOYS MEET THE GIRLS,
produced by Nile Rodgers. It featured the singles FRANKIE and
DANCING ON THE JAGGED EDGE. This album is finally being released
onto cd on Sept. 18th, 2007 by Wounded Bird Records.
Also in 1985, Sister Sledge sang on the song THIS TOWN, from
the Elton John cd ICE ON FIRE.

15. In 1986 the Sisters sang a song on the soundtrack PLAYING FOR
KEEPS, called HERE TO STAY.

16. In 1988 the Sisters sang a song on the soundtrack ACTION JACKSON,
called KEEPING GOOD LOVIN, as well as singing a song on another
soundtrack COMING TO AMERICA, called LIVIN' THE GOOD LIFE (which
was written and produced by Nile Rodgers).

17. In 1989 Kathy Sledge sings a solo song on the soundtrack LAMBADA:
SET THE NIGHT ON FIRE, called LAMBADA DANCIN'.

18. 1992- Kathy Sledge releases her first and only solo album
called HEART, which features the 3 singles TAKE ME BACK TO LOVE,
ALL OF MY LOVE and HEART.

19. 1993- With Kathy off pursuing a solo career, the three remaining
sisters- Kim, Joni and Debbie continue on as Sister Sledge and
release their German album called AND NOW...SISTER SLEDGE...AGAIN.
It features their versions of the CHIC songs- EVERYBODY DANCE,
I WANT YOUR LOVE and GOOD TIMES (legend has it that originally,
the song I WANT YOUR LOVE was supposed to be on the Sister Sledge
WE ARE FAMILY album and the song HE'S THE GREATEST DANCER was
supposed to be on the CHIC C'EST CHIC album, but was switched
to give the WE ARE FAMILY album a stronger collection of hits).
This trio cd also includes remakes of their past hits-
HE'S THE GREATEST DANCER, WE ARE FAMILY, and LOST IN MUSIC.
Several singles came off the album, most notably WORLD RISE
AND SHINE and WALKING IN THE LIGHT. There are quite a few "live"
Sister Sledge cd's out there, some with the complete concert
track listing and some missing some of the tracks. If you're
interested in hearing the 3 Sisters in concert, try and find the
cd with the full 1993 concert tracklisting which runs 66 minutes-
the songs are 1. Medley: Everybody Dance/We Are Family/Frankie/
Thinking Of You. 2. Everybody Dance 3. Thinking Of You 4. He's
The Greatest Dancer 5. True Love 6. Frankie 7. Brother Brother
Stop (written by Joni Sledge) 8. Love Of The Lord (co-written
by Debbie Sledge). 9. We Are Family 10. Closing Medley: Lost In
Music/Melody Is Good To me/Lost In Music (Reprise).
(The studio version of Brother, Brother, Stop!- with lead vocals
by Debbie & Joni Sledge appear on the 1996 BROTHER, BROTHER,
STOP! musical stage production cd, along with the song For The
Children- lead vocals by Joni & Debbie Sledge). Also in 1993,
a cd called SISTER SLEDGE- THE ULTIMATE MEGAMIXES was released. It
is 2 seperate full length megamixes of the 3 Sisters versions of
their songs. Megamix #1 runs 15 min., and Megamix #2 runs 31 min.
*NOTE: Kathy Sledge DOES NOT sing in the live concert, even
though the cd covers keep showing the four girls as if she was
part of the concert. Nor does Kathy Sledge appear in the
megamixes- only the 3 Sisters do (Kim, Debbie and Joni).

20. In 1995 Kathy Sledge released a solo song on a cd single called
ANOTHER DAY, which she co-wrote. Also in 1995, Kathy released
a second solo song on a cd single called ANOTHER STAR (which
was a remake of the 1976 Stevie Wonder song from his SONGS IN
THE KEY OF LIFE album).

21. 1996- BROTHER, BROTHER, STOP! musical stage production featuring
songs by Debbie & Joni Sledge is released onto cd. It has these
2 songs- FOR THE CHILDREN & BROTHER, BROTHER, STOP!.

21. 1997 saw the 2 following releases: Sister Sledge (still a trio),
released AFRICAN EYES (which contained their 2 past singles
WORLD RISE AND SHINE and WALKING IN THE LIGHT from their German
album). AFRICAN EYES was produced by Vibetree. Kathy Sledge
sang on the Robert Miles cd single FREEDOM, from Robert's cd
23am.

22. 1998- K-klass puts out an album called K2 and it features Kathy
on 2 songs- KNOCKING DOWN THE WALLS and GIVE IT UP.

23. In 1999 CHIC released a live album called LIVE AT THE BUDOKAN,
which featured the 3 Sisters (Kim, Debbie and Joni) singing
their hits HE'S THE GREATEST DANCER and WE ARE FAMILY.
This was actually taken from an April 18th, 1996 concert.
Unfortunately, Bernard Edwards died of pneumonia that night
in his hotel room following the concert.
Also, in 1999- King Britt released a cd single titled
King Britt Presents SCUBA featuring Kathy Sledge- the song
is called READY.

24. In 2000 Hiroshi Fujiwara released his cd called REMIXES
and it features 2 Kathy Sledge songs- LET MY LOVE SHINE,
and A SONG FOR TWO (duet with Julien Brookes).

25. In 2001 King Britt released another cd single- King Britt
Presents Sylk 130 Featuring Kathy Sledge, the song is
called RISING.

26. In 2002 Kim Sledge releases her solo album, a gospel cd
called PEACEFUL. (Info at w3.kimsledge dot com). There had
been talk since 1995 that Kim was working on recording a
Jazz/Standards album, but that album was never finished.

27. Also in 2002, WACKSIDE released their cd single of remixes of
LOST IN MUSIC featuring Joni Sledge on vocals (although the
cd cover says featuring Sister Sledge).

28. In 2003 all 4 girls (Kathy, Debbie, Joni and Kim) reunited
to record their 8th album as a foursome. The album is
called STYLE and was produced by Symphony & Sage. The album
features classic standards, as well as new songs. I believe
the standards on this album are probably the ones Kim worked
on for her jazz/standards album, since she sings lead on all
3 of the standards: When I Fall In Love, My Funny Valentine,
amd Embraceable You.

29. In 2006, Pat Boone released yet another horrific covers album,
this one called WE ARE FAMILY: R&B CLASSICS, which features a
duet with Joni Sledge on the song WE ARE FAMILY (it incorrectly
says Pat Boone and Sister Sledge, but Joni is the only member
of Sister Sledge that sings with Pat on this song). The cd
also has duets of Pat with James Brown, Sam Moore, Earth Wind
& Fire, etc. And the cd is good for only one thing- if you're
feeling down, this cd will perk you up with laughter. If you recall,
Pat Boone put out a heavy metal album in 1997 called IN A METAL
MOOD: NO MORE MR. NICE GUY and it unfortunately featured frightening
versions of heavy metal songs that Pat trashed beyond belief.


If you would like more info go to w3.sistersledge dot com
The site is run by Debbie Sledge & Joni Sledge.
And Kathy has her own website: w3.kathysledge dot com.
Remember, wherever you go, take a little Sledge with you!

Just for fun I compiled my own version of their WE ARE FAMILY
album onto a cd-r, but instead of using HE'S THE GREATEST DANCER,
I used the Sister Sledge 1993 version of I WANT YOUR LOVE (the
cd single version is 7:32)- it definitely makes for a good
what if? album. Obviously, Chic knew what they were doing
because the song HE'S THE GREATEST DANCER just doesn't quite fit
the classy & sophisticated image that Chic was projecting for their
own group at the time, but I WANT YOUR LOVE does.

I also compiled my own version of the C'EST CHIC album onto cd-
I replaced I WANT YOUR LOVE with Chic's own 1996 version of
HE'S THE GREATEST DANCER, and it just seems so out of place.
Not so much because it is a 1996 version with 2 new female singers,
but because that song just seems to be tailor-made for a girl group.

Before this team-up with Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards Sister Sledge had some minor hits but We Are Family placed them on the map big time. They sound almost like a carbon copy of Chic on tracks like the exquisite He's The Greatest Dancer and Thinking Of You. The following songs were huge hits: Dancer, Lost In Music and the rousing We Are Family, all hook-filled tunes with irresistible rhythmic patterns. The rest is great too, especially One More Time and Somebody Loves Me which is a beautiful soulful ballad. The album has been enhanced by 2 x 1990s remixes each of Lost In Music and the title track. For more Chic magic, give the album Norma Jean a listen and don't forget the mothership in the form of Dance, Dance, Dance: The Best of Chic. Read all about the Rodgers/Edwards legacy in Everybody Dance: Chic and The Politics of Disco by Daryl Easlea.

This CD offerred every hit song from my generation that I was searching for. "He's the greatest dancer," "Easier to love," and my all time favorite "Somebody loves me," which is a hard song to find on any other compilation of Sister Sledge hits. I would recommend this CD to any fan of good quality, old school music.

Everything came together for Sister Sledge and Chic in 1979 and the result was this monster hit of an album that is still selling very well, according to my research, almost 30 years after its release. The four sisters had been around for some time prior to "We Are Family" but had only moderate r&b success. Meanwhile, Chic were on the up and up following the disco/pop hit success of their first three albums, Chic, C'est Chic and Risqué. The songs and production by Bernard Edwards & Nile Rodgers matched with the voices of Kathy, Debbie, Kim and Joni Sledge was pure heaven. I've never met anyone who doesn't know at least one of the songs on this album (and doesn't know the words to said song) and I've played tunes like "He's The Greatest Dancer", "Thinking Of You" and "We Are Family" at parties and people who weren't even born in 1979 have jumped up to dance. Every song is a winner and this is another album where it's next to impossible to choose favourite songs. If I had to though, my choice would be considered very odd by many: it would be "One More Time". Something about that song makes my heart smile every time I play or hear it. Also worth a mention is the brilliant piano work by Andy Schwartz & Robert Sabino.

And that on the title track - all 8mins and 20secs of it - Kathy Sledge delivers a lead vocal and ad lib performance, the likes of which I had never heard before and have never heard since.

This is a classic disco CD I think everyone should have and my only gripe is with the four remixes at the end of the CD. Personally I find them annoying and superfluous. Why mess with perfection?

It still gets five stars though. It's good to have it on CD after years of having it on vinyl. The remastering has given the CD a fuller sound than I was expecting and this might be the first CD I've ever bought that has managed to sound better than its vinyl original, even on a Technics 1200. Great stuff.