Yowsah, Yowsah, Yowsah! Rhino U.K. Keeps CHIC Fans “Up All Night” with New Two-Disc Compilation

With CHIC co-founder/co-producer/guitarist Nile Rodgers back in the musical spotlight where he belongs – his distinctive funk guitar anchors Daft Punk’s chart-topping single “Get Lucky,” the arguable song of the summer – Rhino’s U.K. arm has done well to introduce another CHIC-oriented compilation to stores.

Up All Night: The Greatest Hits (cheekily named after a lyric in “Get Lucky”) is more than just a set of tracks by the immortal disco band. Sixteen of the album’s 25 tracks are classics produced by Rodgers and late bassist Bernard Edwards on behalf of The CHIC Organization. These include mega hits by Sister Sledge (“We Are Family,” “He’s the Greatest Dancer”) and Diana Ross (“Upside Down,” “I’m Coming Out”) and awesome deep cuts by Norma Jean (“Saturday”), Debbie Harry (“Backfired”) and Carly Simon (“Why”). The title track to the legendary I Love My Lady, a shelved 1981 album produced by CHIC for Johnny Mathis, also makes an appearance. (Though I Love My Lady has yet to be released in full, several tracks from the sessions turned up on 2010’s Rodgers-assembled CHIC box set, which only came out in France, because the rest of mainland Europe or the U.S. apparently have gone insane.)

In fact, one can easily view this as a double-disc distillation of that box – although we have a few familiar names to thank for this compilation: the set’s been compiled by Wayne A. Dickson of Big Break Records and mastered by Dickson and BBR engineer Nick Robbins, with Christian John Wikane providing liner notes. “You will note that these are all the versions released on 12″ or LP,” Dickson posted on BBR’s Facebook page, “and that the the pitch/speed of the tracks is that of the original vinyl releases and not the slower versions on most CD releases up ’til now.” (On this point, we have retained the supplied timings in the track list.)

Up All Night: The Greatest Hits gets the party started on July 1. After the jump, pre-order your copy and check out the full track list!

Nile Rodgers Presents The CHIC Organization, Up All Night: The Greatest Hits (Rhino (U.K.), 2013) (Amazon U.K. / Amazon U.S.)

Disc 1

1. Le Freak – CHIC (5.20)
2. He’s the Greatest Dancer – Sister Sledge (6.04)
3. Upside Down – Diana Ross (4.03)
4. Everybody Dance (12” Version) – CHIC (8.25)
5. We Are Family – Sister Sledge (8.06)
6. Spacer (12” Version) – Sheila & B. Devotion (6.15)
7. I Want Your Love – CHIC (6.49)
8. Lost in Music – Sister Sledge (4.42)
9. Saturday – Norma Jean (6.04)
10. Dance, Dance, Dance (Yowsah, Yowsah, Yowsah) – CHIC (8.20)
11. Got to Love Somebody – Sister Sledge (6.50)
12. My Feet Keep Dancing – CHIC (6.33)

Disc 2

1. Good Times – CHIC (8.07)
2. I’m Coming Out – Diana Ross (5.20)
3. Why (12” Version) – Carly Simon (8.09)
4. My Forbidden Lover (12” Version) – CHIC (6.29)
5. Thinking of You – Sister Sledge (4.20)
6. I Love My Lady – Johnny Mathis (5.21)
7. Backfired (12” Version) – Debbie Harry (6.22)
8. Soup for One (12” Version) – CHIC (7.58)
9. High Society (12” Version) – Norma Jean
10. Reach Your Peak (12” Version) – Sister Sledge
11. Your Love is Good (12” Version) – Sheila & B. Devotion
12. My Old Piano – Diana Ross (3.54)
13. Chic Cheer – CHIC (4.41)

Disc 1, Tracks 1 and 7 and Disc 2, Track 13 from C’est CHIC (Atlantic, 1978)
Disc 1, Tracks 2, 5 and 8 and Disc 2, Track 5 from We Are Family (Cotillion, 1979)
Disc 1, Track 3 and Disc 2, Tracks 2 and 12 from diana (Motown, 1980)
Disc 1, Track 4 from Atlantic 12″ single DK 4621, 1978. Original version from CHIC (Atlantic, 1977)
Disc 1, Track 6 from Carrere 12″ single DM 4811, 1979. Original version from King of the World (Carrere, 1980)
Disc 1, Track 9 from Norma Jean (Bearsville, 1978)
Disc 1, Track 10 from CHIC (Atlantic, 1977)
Disc 1, Track 11 from Love Somebody Today (Cotillion, 1980)
Disc 1, Track 12 and Disc 2, Track 1 from Risqué (Atlantic, 1979)
Disc 2, Track 3 from Mirage 12″ single DM 4831, 1982. Original version from Soup for One: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (Mirage, 1982)
Disc 2, Track 4 from Atlantic promo 12″ single DSKO 207, 1979. Original version from Risqué (Atlantic, 1979)
Disc 2, Track 6 from cancelled album I Love My Lady (Columbia, 1981). First released on Nile Rodgers Presents The CHIC Organization Volume 1: Savoir Faire (Rhino/Warner France, 2010)
Disc 2, Track 7 from Chrysalis 12″ single CDS 2547, 1981. Original version from Koo Koo (Chrysalis, 1981)
Disc 2, Track 8 from Mirage 12″ single DM 4827, 1982. Original version from Soup for One: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (Mirage, 1982)
Disc 2, Track 9 from Bearville 12″ single DBSS 8898, 1979
Disc 2, Track 10 from Cotillion promo 12″ single DMD 229, 1980. Original version from Love Somebody Today (Cotillion, 1980)
Disc 2, Track 11 from Carrere promo 12″ single DMD 245, 1980. Original version from King of the World (Carrere, 1980)