Album of the Day

If life give you lemons, make lemonade: after being unfairly denied entrance to Studio 54 on New Year's Eve, Chic's Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards vented their frustration in a song built around an expletive. When they changed those words to the more radio-friendly “freak out,” the resultant recording went to the top of the U.S. singles chart on this day in 1978. “Le Freak” is one of two Top 10 hits (the other being “I Want Your Love”) on C'EST CHIC, the second studio album from the dancefloor kingpins. Guitarist Rodgers and bassist Edwards handle songwriting and production chores on the Atlantic collection, but the heat from these grooves owes just as much to drummer Tony Thompson and the funky divas at the microphone, Alfa Anderson and Luci Martin. Named R&B Album of the Year by Billboard magazine upon its original release, the platinum-selling C'EST CHIC remains one of the disco era's very best.