Real People (album)

{{Infobox album

| name = Real People

| type = studio

| artist = Chic

| cover = Chic - Real People.jpg

| alt =

| released = June 30, 1980

| recorded = 1980

| venue =

| studio = Power Station, New York City

| genre = {{hlist|Disco|funk|R&B}}

| length = 37:03

| label = Atlantic

| producer = {{hlist|Nile Rodgers|Bernard Edwards}}

| prev_title = Les Plus Grands Succès De Chic: Chic's Greatest Hits

| prev_year = 1979

| next_title = Take It Off

| next_year = 1981

| misc = {{Singles

| name = Real People

| type = studio

| single1 = Rebels Are We

| single1date = July 1980 {{Cite web|url=https://dutchcharts.nl/showitem.asp?interpret=Chic&titel=Rebels+Are+We&cat=s|title=Chic singles}}

| single2 = Real People

| single2date = 1980

| single3 = 26

| single3date = 1980

}}

Real People is the fourth studio album by American R&B band Chic, released on Atlantic Records in 1980. It includes the singles "Rebels Are We" (US R&B #8, Pop #61), "Real People" (#51 R&B, #79 Pop), and "26" (issued only in the UK).

The album was one of four written and produced by Bernard Edwards and Nile Rodgers in 1980, the other three being Sister Sledge's Love Somebody Today, Sheila and B. Devotion's King of the World, and Diana Ross' multi-platinum selling album Diana.

The album peaked at #30 on the US Albums chart and #8 on the US R&B chart, a modest commercial success in comparison both to the Diana Ross project and their previous albums, most likely due to the so-called "anti-disco backlash". Though in spite of the backlash, all of the album cuts peaked at #29 on the American dance charts.{{cite book |title= Hot Dance/Disco: 1974-2003|last=Whitburn |first=Joel |author-link=Joel Whitburn |year=2004 |publisher=Record Research |page=57}}

Real People was released on CD by Atlantic Records/Warner Music in 1991. It was digitally remastered and reissued by Wounded Bird Records in 2003.

Critical reception

{{Album ratings

| rev1 = AllMusic

| rev1score = {{Rating|3|5}}{{cite web|last=Henderson|first=Alex|url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/real-people-mw0000085140|title=Real People – Chic|publisher=AllMusic|accessdate=June 1, 2015}}

| rev2 = Christgau's Record Guide

| rev2score = A{{cite book|last=Christgau|first=Robert|author-link=Robert Christgau|year=1990|chapter=Chic: Real People|chapter-url=https://www.robertchristgau.com/get_album.php?id=582|accessdate=March 28, 2017|title=Christgau's Record Guide: The '80s|title-link=Christgau's Record Guide: The '80s|publisher=Pantheon Books|isbn=0-67973-015-X|page=[https://archive.org/details/christgausrecord00chri/page/88 88]}}

| rev3 = The Encyclopedia of Popular Music

| rev3score = {{Rating|4|5}}{{cite book|last=Larkin|first=Colin|author-link=Colin Larkin|year=2011|chapter=Chic|title=The Encyclopedia of Popular Music|publisher=Omnibus Press|edition=5th concise|isbn=978-0-85712-595-8}}

| rev4 = MusicHound R&B

| rev4score = {{rating|3|5}}{{cite book|editor1-last=Graff|editor1-first=Gary|editor1-link=Gary Graff|editor2-last=du Lac|editor2-first=Josh Freedom|editor3-last=McFarlin|editor3-first=Jim|year=1998|chapter=Chic|title=MusicHound R&B: The Essential Album Guide|publisher=Visible Ink Press|isbn=1578590264|url=https://archive.org/details/musichoundrbesse00graf}}

| rev5 = Record Mirror

| rev5score = {{Rating|4|5}}{{cite magazine|last=Gardner|first=Mike|date=August 2, 1980|title=Chic: Real People / Sheila and B Devotion: Sheila and B Devotion|magazine=Record Mirror|page=15}}

| rev6 = The Rolling Stone Album Guide

| rev6score = {{Rating|4|5}}{{cite book|last=Coleman|first=Mark|editor1-last=DeCurtis|editor1-first=Anthony|editor1-link=Anthony DeCurtis|editor2-last=Henke|editor2-first=James|editor3-last=George-Warren|editor3-first=Holly|year=1992|chapter=Chic|title=The Rolling Stone Album Guide|title-link=The Rolling Stone Album Guide|publisher=Random House|edition=3rd|isbn=0-679-73729-4|pages=129–30}}

| rev7 = Smash Hits

| rev7score = 8/10{{cite magazine|last=Hillier|first=Bev|date=July 24 – August 6, 1980|title=Chic: Real People|magazine=Smash Hits|volume=2|issue=15|page=29}}

| rev8 = Spin Alternative Record Guide

| rev8score = 9/10{{cite book|last=Walters|first=Barry|editor1-last=Weisbard|editor1-first=Eric|editor1-link=Eric Weisbard|editor2-last=Marks|editor2-first=Craig|year=1995|chapter=Chic|title=Spin Alternative Record Guide|title-link=Spin Alternative Record Guide|publisher=Vintage Books|isbn=0-679-75574-8|pages=81–82}}

| rev9 = The Village Voice

| rev9score = A−{{cite news|last=Christgau|first=Robert|date=February 2, 1981|url=http://www.robertchristgau.com/xg/cg/cgv2-81.php|title=Consumer Guide|newspaper=The Village Voice|accessdate=July 13, 2016}}

}}

In a contemporary review for The Village Voice, Robert Christgau deemed Real People a better record than Chic's Risqué (1979), even though it lacked a song as great as "Good Times". "Jumpy, scintillating rhythms fuse with elegantly abrasive textures for a funk that's not light but sharp", he wrote. "Plus post-chic words that go with the attention-grabbing heat and invention of Nile Rodgers's postrock guitar." In his year-end list for the Pazz & Jop critics poll, Christgau named it the 15th best album of 1980.{{cite news|last=Christgau|first=Robert|date=February 9, 1981|url=http://www.robertchristgau.com/xg/pnj/pj80.php|title=Pazz & Jop 1980: The Year of the Lollapalooza|newspaper=The Village Voice|accessdate=July 13, 2016}}

AllMusic's Alex Henderson was less impressed in a retrospective review, calling Real People a satisfactory effort but inessential, highlighted by "Rebels Are We", "I Got Protection", and "Chip Off the Old Block", none of which he said were as good as Chic's past hits.

Track listing

All tracks written by Bernard Edwards and Nile Rodgers.

=Side A=

"Open Up" – 3:52
"Real People" – 5:20 {{audio|Chic - Real People.ogg|Listen}}
"I Loved You More" – 3:06
"I Got Protection" – 6:22

=Side B=

"Rebels Are We" – 4:53 {{audio|Chic - Rebels Are We.ogg|Listen}}
"Chip Off the Old Block" – 4:56
"26" – 3:57 {{audio|Chic - 26.ogg|Listen}}
"You Can't Do It Alone" – 4:39

Personnel

Luci Martin – lead vocals (A2, A3, B1)
Alfa Anderson – lead vocals (A4, B2)
Fonzi Thornton – lead vocals (B4)
Michelle Cobbs – vocals
Nile Rodgers – guitar, vocals
Andy Schwartz – keyboards
Raymond Jones – keyboards
Bernard Edwards – bass guitar; lead vocals (B3)
Tony Thompson – drums
Sammy Figueroa – percussion
The Chic Strings:
Valerie Heywood – strings
Cheryl Hong – strings
Karen Milne – strings
Gene Orloff – concertmaster

Production

Bernard Edwards – producer for Chic Organization Ltd.
Nile Rodgers – producer for Chic Organization Ltd.
Bob Clearmountain – engineer
Lucy Laurie – assistant engineer
Jeff Hendrickson – assistant engineer
Garry Rindfuss – assistant engineer
Dennis King – mastering
Bob Defrin – art direction
Bob Kiss – photography
All songs recorded and mixed at The Power Station, New York City.
Mastered at Atlantic Studios, NY.

References

Category:Chic (band) albums

Category:1980 albums

Category:Atlantic Records albums

Category:Albums produced by Nile Rodgers

Category:Albums produced by Bernard Edwards