This is a tough one.Both bands created some of the best Disco jams of the late 70s.Heatwave gave us classics like "Boogie Nights","The Groove Line" and one of the all-time great slow jams "Always & Forever".

But Chic,featurig Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards,gave us unforgettable dancefloor jams like "Le Freak","Good Times" and "I Want Your Love".

And the award goes to...

Brass construction

I like both groups but Chic with Nile Rogers and Bernard Edwards was great Dance,Dance,Dance, Le Freak, I Want Your Love. Excellent Disco Tunes. Classic.

DavidEye said:

A topic after my own heart.

Heatwave was pretty cool, and Rod Temperton went on to big fame writing for Michael Jackson's first 2 solo records, Chic was the quintessential disco outfit. Everything they touched was gold. Not just their stuff, but the stuff they produced for Sister Sledge, Diana Ross, etc...


Hands down, Chic wins.

I really hate these "vs." things when it comes to music. NOBODY of the disco era had the musicianship of Chic, and 95% of disco is producer-driven anyway. I cringe when people call Chic a "disco group."


Nile
Bernard (RIP)

at last...i am free...i can hardly see in front of me...i can hardly...see in frooont...of meee...

chic rules all, dammit.

I loved both groups, but Chic was the first group that I heard (besides Brainstorm) that had the FONKIEST violins I ever heard. I think I tried to learn all those violin licks!

Heatwave - great songs and good potential

but

Chic had it all the way live and got me through the roller skatin days!!! Nile and Bernie got the party started!!

NuPwr319 said:

whachuknow bout BRAINSTORM?



Singer Bellita Woods is currently a P-FUNK ALL STAR.
[This message was edited Mon Nov 18 15:32:42 PST 2002 by PFunkjazz]

I love both bands but I'm gonna have to go with Heatwave.They simply have more great songs that I love,and they even had a few kickass jams in the early 80s too.Also,Heatwave recorded many classic ballads in addition to their Disco hits.These are my favorite Heatwave jams...


***"Boogie Nights"(1977)---With it's haunting,moody arrangement,this is one of Disco's brightest moments.

***"Sho Nuff Must Be Love"(1977)---I love this tender ballad from their debut album.It's a "Quiet Storm" staple.

***"Too Hot To Handle"(1977)---Another rump-shaking jam from their debut album.

***"Ain't No Half Steppin"(1977)---This is funky!!!

***"The Groove Line"(1978)---This was da jam back in the day.This song has one of the most powerful grooves I've ever heard!! A kickass party song that rocks!

***"Mind Blowing Decisions"(1978)---As I mentioned above,Heatwave recorded many great ballads and this is one of them.

***"Star Of A Story"(1978)---This haunting ballad was later recorded by George Benson on his 1980 'Give Me The Night' album.It's a dreamy,intoxicating slow jam.

***"Happiness Togetherness"(1978)---Everyone always makes a big deal about their song "Always & Forever",but I think this song is superior.It's a jazzy ballad with wonderful vocals.Coulda easily been a hit back in '78.

***"Central Heating"(1978)---For these guys,the kickass jams came non-stop.This is yet another funky workout that sizzles.

***"Send Out For Sunshine"(1978)---Another song that could have easily been a hit if it had been released as a single back in '78.

***"Eyeballin"(1979)---By 1979,leader Rod Temperton had moved on and joined the Quincy Jones camp.But he still kept giving hits to his former band,and this one is great.

***"Gangsters Of The Groove"(1980)

***"Posin Til Closin"(1981?)---This song makes me think of the nightclub scene in the early 80s.The lyrics paint a vivid picture of that whole crazy post-Disco scene.



Btw,where is Wellbyond? Heatwave was one of his favorite bands from this era!

PFunkjazz said:

Is this the same Brainstorm that had the 1977 hit "Lovin Is Really My Game"? I love that song!

Supernova said:[quote] I cringe when people call Chic a "disco group."


I see what you're saying.Chic was so much more than just a "Disco" group.Every album had at least one killer instrumental on it,where Nile and Bernard would really stretch out and add a little jazz to the proceedings (check out "Savior Faire" on the 1978 'C'est Chic' album).But I think the reason they get lumped in with the Disco groups of that era is because of their hit singles,which were undeniably Disco..."Dance,Dance,Dance (Yowsah Yowsah Yowsah)","Everybody Dance","Le Freak","Good Times",etc.

Btw,someone mentioned the Chic song "At Last I Am Free".That is an amazing track!!

ChimChimBadass said:

"Got myself together,yeah...I'm moving on"

CHIC!!!
that characteristic funky guitarlicks of
nile rodgers & the sooo perfect right-in -the-pocket
groove basslines of bernard edwards.

they were their own producers & perfected their
own sound 2 the max.
as a producer nile rodgers was huge in the early
80´s.he went on 2 produce major acts like
bowie,madonna & duran duran before he kind of
burned out his own sound & disapeared from
the charts.

but just go back & take a listen 2
chic cheer from 1978 album c'est chic.
peace out / manki

Chic, would win in my book, I just re-listened 2 their greatest hits cd and wow that's some cool disco... they're also partially responsible 4 Bowie's Let's Dance...

I dig Both Bands&Love Battles because it truly makes you think.I always break things in my 5 Point System:songwriting,Arrangments,Production,Instrumentation&Vocals.I gotta Say Heatwave Wins.I Love Chis but it was more of a Sound with Niles&Bernard&fill in the Blank with whomever you want as a Vocalist.you can put Diana Ross's "The Boss" Album in there into there Chic Factory.but Heatwave wrote&Had more of a Full FLedged Concept take IMHO.not too Mention Johnny Wilder there lead Singer added a Soulful TOuch too Heatwave that Chic never went after on there Vocalists fully IMHO.

A little trivia about both bands...


***In 1995,a reunited Chic went on tour and one of their female vocalists was none other than JILL JONES! A "Live" CD was released from this tour.

***In 1984,Nile Rodgers of Chic produced Madonna's second album 'Like A Virgin'.Madonna said she wanted to work with him because "he's a genuis".

***Rod Temperton left Heatwave in 1979 and joined the Quincy Jones camp.He is responsible for writing big hits like "Rock With You" and "Thriller" by Michael Jackson,"Give Me The Night" by George Benson,"Razzamatazz" by Quincy Jones featuring Patti Austin,and "The Secret Garden" by Quincy Jones.

***In 1980,Nile and Bernard of Chic produced an album for Diana Ross.The hit single "Upside Down" was originally offered to Aretha Franklin,who promptly turned it down.

***Speaking of "Upside Down",it became a Number One pop hit in the fall of 1980,Diana's biggest hit in years.But the original version is much different than the released version.After the song was supposedly "finished",Diana took the master tape and had the song "slightly remixed",to bring out her voice more.Producers Nile and Bernard were a little ticked off by this,and the original version is said to be more "Chic-like" with prominent background vocals on the chorus from Chic,which Diana completely removed.

***Despite this little deception,Diana was actually gonna record a second album with Nile and Bernard in 1981,but sheduling conflicts prevented this from happening.

***Heatwave actually filmed a video for their 1978 smash hit "The Groove Line". It's nothing spectacular,just a performance clip inside a studio.Anybody seen it?

***I saw Heatwave in concert a few years back,at one of those "Super Oldies" concerts.They have mostly all-new members,but they still put on a killer show.

***In 1992,Chic reunited for the album 'Chicism' but it flopped and Niles said that there will be no more new Chic albums.Heatwave continues to record and release new albums independently.
[This message was edited Tue Nov 19 5:51:32 PST 2002 by DavidEye]

chic all the way

DavidEye said:

Diana Ross went too Nile&Bernard after Rick James Turned Her Down too Produce on Teena Marie.Diana really knocked them out the Mix.

DavidEye said:

I'll play along...

1. EVERYTHING anyone could dance to during that era was considered disco, no matter the instrumentation - unless it was hard funk.

2. Since Chic was of the disco era, since there music was obvsiously great dance music, since they used a string section often, since they were really and truly chic in terms of the way they presented themselves, since their songs were huge hits on the charts and in discos, therein lies the "disco" tag. Admittedly, disco has all of these elements.

3. Chic was playing more rock and jazz prior to signing their recording contract.

4. The interplay between Nile's guitar, Bernard's bass, and the way they arranged that string section (as distinctive as Philly International's famous string arrangements) really set them apart from true "disco groups" - though disco is largely a producer's medium Nile and 'Nard were Chic's founders, producers, its two prominent musicians, AND its soul.

5. Luther sang background vocals for Chic back then a couple of times, and Luther ain't no disco bumkin!

6. Even many rock groups loved Chic, and paid homages to them - macho rock groups don't admit to such things about true disco groups. After all, it was the rock groups and their fans who set the tone for the "disco sucks" revolt of burning disco records and the rest of the backlash that came with it.

7. Chic had true FUNK in the stew because of the rhythm section, particularly Bernards heavy, thick, accomplished bass vocabulary. How many disco groups can say such a thing?

8. For argument's sake, let's say they were a disco group. Well, they're certainly the most influential group of the disco era. I hear Chic in a lot of music that came after them, I can't say that about Heatwave, considering Heatwave had no truly definable sound other than Johnny Wilder's voice. From "Good Times" being one of the most famous samples this side of James Brown, to Queen siphoning it off, to Niles' guitar influence on production chores with Debbie Harry, Grace Jones, David Bowie, Stevie Ray Vaughan...to the Norma Jean Wright, Alfa Anderson, Luci Martin inspired vocal arrangements of Soul II Soul - heck, on at least a few of Soul II Soul's songs all they needed was a rhythm guitar and some might have said they were ripping off Chic (not meant to detract from that group because I loved them). I've even heard a song lately that (I don't know the name of) sampled and looped "Soup For One." Now there's a forgotten classic.

How'd I do, David?


Ps, yes, I do know about Rod Temperton's production chores and songwriting outside of Heatwave, but that has nothing to do with what I'm talking about. For those who are about to have a knee jerk reaction.
[This message was edited Tue Nov 19 22:10:09 PST 2002 by Supernova]

Yeah,Chic's sound was VERY influential.In the early 80s,there were many bands borrowing from their sound,such as Change,BB&Q Band,and several others.And of course,there were many pop groups who jumped on the bandwagon too (Queen's "Another One Bites The Dust",Debbie Harry's solo work,etc).