Sister Sledge: the "All American Girls" album

[soulster]

What is it about this album? I think it's great. It was supposed to be a great comeback after the relative letdown of "Love Somebody Today". It has it: soul, pop, and funk. Every track could have been a top 10 hit. It had energy and youthful vibrancy. The energy level never let up. the tracks were crossfaded and butt-edited to make the ride endless. The message of the title track was powerful, and the singing was excellent. It was producer, writer, and jazz/funk drummer Narada Michael Walden's first attempt at producing female artists, and was mixed and mastered for success, almost to the point of distortion. So, what happened?

Was the problem four Black women singing about being "all American girls"? Was it too pop? Was it not properly marketed to pop radio, or R&B radio? Was it just a victim of the disco backlash?

Comments?

[soulster]

Nuthin' huh? I guess all you people ever wanna do is talk about the Supremes.

[glencro]

Soulster, I was actually having this conversation with a friend a few months ago. He listened to the album after several years and wondered the same thing. I have to agree that it wasn't properly marketed but more importantly, all of the wrong singles were released except the title track. "All American Girls" was a great lead off single. There's no way on earth that "If You Really Want Me" and "Ooh You Caught My Heart" should not have been released as singles. "Next Time You'll Know" was a nice ballad but once it was released as the second single, I believe it changed the momentum of the project. There was a great energy on that album and it should have been marketed that way. The sisters were more known for their dance songs and that should have continued with this album. They often performed "He's Just A Runaway" on tv shows during the promotion of that album. I don't think that their audiences were ready for that rock sound coming from them. I really liked the self-produced "He's Just A Runaway" [[Tribute to Bob Marley) that they released later that summer but it was so far away from the feel of the "All American Girls" album and by then the momentum of the album had really died down. Had the label been smart, they would have shipped "I Don't Want to Say Goodbye" over to the country and western stations.
To be honest Sister Sledge as a whole weren't really marketed right. As massive as "Family" was, I could have easily seen them doing commercials for soft drinks, hair care products, LEGGS panty hoses, etc. They were pretty, wholesome recognizable and universal. Btw, LOL @ "I guess all you people ever wanna do is talk about the Supremes."

[soulster]

Glencro, I concur with your assessment as well.

They tried the formula again with the Nile Rodgers produced "When The Boys Meet the Girls" album. But, that album got spotty on the second side.

[glencro]

I was really expecting great things from "When The Boys Meet The Girls" prior to its release because Nile had previously done such a great job on Madonna's "Like A Virgin" and he was on a roll as far as kicking out the hits. He was so in demand during that era that I believe Sister Sledge got scraps as far as material goes for that album. I agree that it was spotty. The one song that I really liked musically was "The Boy Most Likely". The lyrics and subject matter was a bit juvenile but there was some slammin guitar and bass work on that song. The album topped the charts and went gold overseas but fell flat in the states. I heard that they were working on an album in the late 80's to be produced by The System but it never saw the light of day.

[jack020]

Problem was the We Are Family album was such a strong album that anything that came after that did not match up.

[soulster]

I was really expecting great things from "When The Boys Meet The Girls" prior to its release because Nile had previously done such a great job on Madonna's "Like A Virgin" and he was on a roll as far as kicking out the hits. He was so in demand during that era that I believe Sister Sledge got scraps as far as material goes for that album. I agree that it was spotty. The one song that I really liked musically was "The Boy Most Likely". The lyrics and subject matter was a bit juvenile but there was some slammin guitar and bass work on that song. The album topped the charts and went gold overseas but fell flat in the states. I heard that they were working on an album in the late 80's to be produced by The System but it never saw the light of day.

I think the best songs on that album are "Dancing On The Jagged Edge" and "You're Fine". But, of course, "Frankie" turned out to be the big hit.

[glencro]

"Dancing On The Jagged Edge" was a great song

[glencro]

soulster, reviving this post since I just gave the album another listen. "Happy Feeling", what another great song.

[Kamasu_Jr]

My dad reviewed this album years ago. He thought it was just so-so and too rock and would not be accepted by fans who were into 80s pop/rock and would be misunderstood by the group's core black audience.

[glencro]

There was only one rock tune on the album and a country ballad. The upbeat songs were actually funkier than what the Chic Organization had previously produced. This project was very r&b as was Narada Michael Walden's production style in the early 80's [[pre Aretha, Whitney, etc). Promoted right it could have been a great continuation of their prior success with "Family".

[Kamasu_Jr]

Sister Sledge and Chic were pretty much on the wane by 1981 and Narada Michael Walden had not hit his stride with Aretha and Whitney. As someone else noted We Are Family was such a huge hit, it was hard to top it.. I'm sure Atlantic sent All American Girls to black radio but it didn't get played. Rap was the in-thing at the time with Prince and Michael Jackson warming up in the bullpen. Tastes had changed. Sister Sledge would get some airplay with My Guy and Frankie, which I remember liking.

[Jerry Oz]

I seriously have to fire up the turntable and put this one on again. Not to diss the opinions of Soulster and Glencro, but when I listened to this album [[as soon as I got it home), my recollection is that it was a total dog. I agree that I was probably listening for something that would grab me and make me play it again after the first listen thanks to the success of "We Are Family" and "He's The Greatest Dancer" [[my favorite song by the group, by far).

Back in those days, I typically came home on payday with 3-5 albums and if I didn't like something right off the bat, I put the next one on. I am sure that my impatience cost me a good listen 30 years later.

[soulster]

My dad reviewed this album years ago. He thought it was just so-so and too rock and would not be accepted by fans who were into 80s pop/rock and would be misunderstood by the group's core black audience.

There was some truth to that, too. The Sisters claim it's relative failure was due to the title and title track in 1981. Black people took the title "All American Girls" as code for pop music, and ignoring that they were Black. When this album dropped it was Ronald Reagan's America, and he, and the social climate was not very acceptable to Blacks.

There was only one rock tune on the album, "Runaway", and for the single they redid it as a reggae tune, probably because they knew it wouldn't fly with the Black fans, and White audiences weren't yet ready for a rock tune by Blacks, less female ones.

I loved the album, and was highly disappointed that it didn't do better. I thought some of their best work was on it.

Glencro, you mind telling me what song was country? There was no country on that album.

Jerry, back in 1981, I was very receptive to rock music, as I always was, having grown up listening to top 40 radio. I kept an open mind and was not particularly listening for a style of music.

Strange that you, or someone else mentioned Chic. They may have been on the downslope in 1981, but in that year, they released the most R&B album of that band's history, "Take It Off" and even it was panned by the public, probably because it was not what people were expecting.

[Jerry Oz]

I think Chic crested sometime around "C'est Chic". They still came out with good albums but since they weren't somehow better [[if that was possible), it was kind of a let-down. It's unfair, but they aren't the only group held to that standard. There has never been a better three-man rhythm section than Rodgers-Edwards-Thompson. I would have liked to hear more solo [[and male) vocals from them. Their sound kind of was too much Chic and didn't really diversify.

[glencro]

Sister Sledge and Chic were pretty much on the wane by 1981 and Narada Michael Walden had not hit his stride with Aretha and Whitney.

Narada definitey received more commercial success with his productions with Whiteny & Aretha but he produced some pretty funky stuff for himself, Angela Bofill, the Sledges and others prior to that.

[glencro]

Glencro, you mind telling me what song was country? There was no country on that album.

The song "I Don't Want To Say Goodbye" a rare Kim Sledge lead was very pop/country

[Jerry Oz]

Narada definitey received more commercial success with his productions with Whiteny & Aretha but he produced some pretty funky stuff for himself, Angela Bofill, the Sledges and others prior to that.

My favorite song by Narada. I love this cut to this day.

[soulster]

I think Chic crested sometime around "C'est Chic". They still came out with good albums but since they weren't somehow better [[if that was possible), it was kind of a let-down. It's unfair, but they aren't the only group held to that standard. There has never been a better three-man rhythm section than Rodgers-Edwards-Thompson. I would have liked to hear more solo [[and male) vocals from them. Their sound kind of was too much Chic and didn't really diversify.

How familiar are you with their albums? You don't sound like you've heard everything. Just curious.

[soulster]

The song "I Don't Want To Say Goodbye" a rare Kim Sledge lead was very pop/country

On what planet?

[Kamasu_Jr]

Glencro knows his Sister Sledge. I'm going to dig All American Girls out and give it a spin for myself. I liked Narada Michael Walden's duet with Patti Austin, Gimme Gimme, Gimme.

[Jerry Oz]

How familiar are you with their albums? You don't sound like you've heard everything. Just curious.

I can pull out "Chic", "C'est Chic", and "Real People" on vinyl or their two-CD set. I lost interest after "Real People", though and that was the last of their vinyl that I purchased because of what I posted earlier.

[soulster]

I can pull out "Chic", "C'est Chic", and "Real People" on vinyl or their two-CD set. I lost interest after "Real People", though and that was the last of their vinyl that I purchased because of what I posted earlier.

I urge you to check out the "Take It Off" album. You will not be disappointed. It was recorded after the duo decided they wanted to stop doing disco. It's my second favorite Chic album after "C'est Chic".

[soulster]

Glencro knows his Sister Sledge.

I do too. It is his opinion, but I can't see how in God's green earth how he gets country out of that last song.

[glencro]

Narada's "I Should Have Loved Ya" was the joint....Bu this song sounds pretty country to me

[Jerry Oz]

I hate to agree with Soulster on this glencro, but I didn't get "country" out of that one. More of a pop ballad, to me.

[glencro]

Glencro knows his Sister Sledge. I'm going to dig All American Girls out and give it a spin for myself. I liked Narada Michael Walden's duet with Patti Austin, Gimme Gimme, Gimme.

Just youtubed that song for the first time. NICE cut, never heard it before

[glencro]

Ok, I'll take pop ballad

[soulster]

I hate to agree with Soulster on this glencro, but I didn't get "country" out of that one. More of a pop ballad, to me.

HEY! Why do you hate to agree with me?

[Jerry Oz]

Because that means that you are right again... Why else?