Altered Zones

Joe Knight of Rangers says:
Chic became one of the most popular funk groups of the late '70s thanks to their disco hits and the impeccable production by Nile Rogers and Bernard Edwards. I find that a lot of funk and R&B from the late '70s has a unique sound caught somewhere in between the ultra-dry, dead room sound (think Aja by Steely Dan) and what would became the '80's synthetic sound of gated drums, digital delay and the highly coveted (or loathed) solid state logic console (think Avalon by Roxy Music). C'est Chic [1978] by Chic sounds incredible. It has the warmth and lushness of classic '70s records with the liveliness of early '80s records. It's not too warm or cold, too dry or wet.

"At last I am free," which clocks in at over 7 minutes, oozes out of the speakers at a snail's pace, too slow and strange to dance to. The first thing that caught my ear with this song was the snare drum, which is pretty much the best sounding snare I have heard in any song. It sounds big and dubby and full of reverb yet small and warm at the same time. Perfect. Bernard's flare for the dramatic gets us going with one of his singular mini-solos, which he later re-visits. Nile glides into one of the signature chord progressions that would end up being a huge influence on the Postcard [Records], Scottish Pop sound as well as Manchester's Johnny Marr and countless others. The vocals are not the focal point of the song but simply another color in the mix. Even the repeated chorus, "At least I am free,/ I can hardly see in front of me," doesn't make a whole lot of sense in context of a love (or failed love) song. It's a strange thing to say, but somehow  it works, and it's as if the singers are experiencing sensory overload from the music (or are peaking on acid). The verses are the obvious weak spot but luckily don't last that long before crescendoing to the outro. The clever arrangement and the thick, ambiguously ominous atmosphere keep me from dismissing "At last I am free" as cheesy jacuzzi funk. To me it sounds like a sultry dub ballad on quaaludes.

MP3: Chic: "At Last I Am Free"