Customer Reviews

All American Girls

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Maybe it was the relatively disappointing response to 1980's Love Somebody Today (which I reviewed recently and bought at the same time as this), maybe Bernard and Nile were busy, or maybe the girls just fancied a change but whatever it was, in 1981, it led them to them turn to Narada Michael Walden for their next album. At that time, Walden had already had worked with people like Weather Report, Jaco Pastorius, Jeff Beck and Carlos Santana, and had had some success in his own right and as a producer with teenage pop star Stacy Lattisaw. His sound definitely gave the sisters more freedom to move around and express themselves vocally. He also presented them with the opportunity to co-write and co-produce - something I doubt the Chic guys would ever have gone for.

The end result was bright and breezy, with lots of rhythm guitar licks, horns and synthesized strings working alongside the real thing. Walden took inspiration from the Chic sound and is even quoted as saying he wanted his music to be "a melding of Chic's rhythm and vocal trademarks with those of Earth, Wind & Fire's [Phoenix] Horns". He did a great job and tunes like "Next Time You'll Know", "Happy Feeling" and "Don't You Make Me Lose It" could easily have been produced by Chic though in fairness to Walden, they do offer just that little bit extra. The rock-edged "He's Just A Runaway" is the one tune I could've happily done without but my favourite all these years has always been "If You Really Want Me", with its crazy sax solo. All in all though, this is a great album, typical 80s and huge fun to sing along to. I'm glad they decided to reissue it - and with the original album cover this time - as my vinyl copy was getting a bit worn. If you're a lover of the 80s sound like I am, this is definitely worth checking out.

Some trivia if anyone's interested: Walden played drums, percussion and keys on this album but included in his 'The Brothers Sledge Band' were Randy Jackson, now of "American Idol" fame, who played some excellent bass, provided "Inspiration" and even co-wrote the down and funky "Ooh, You Caught My Heart" and alto saxophone player Marc Russo, who was part of The See America Horns here but went on to become a member of one of my favourite bands of all time, Yellowjackets.

First of all, the Rhino CD re-issue I have contains(thankfully) the original version of 'Runaway'. Secondly, the first (or what was side 1 on the LP) half of the album is fantastic. But unfortunately, the post-disco/synth/early new wave flavor of the early '80's, really dooms the second half the CD. The only exception is the closing song- which aptly describes the sister's career after this album.

...even if it IS wrong! This is EASILY the best Sister Sledge LP and EASILY beats out anything they did after it. And yeah, I might go so far to say that is EASILY beats the previous "Love Somebody" album. But, why is this reissued with the remixed version of "He's Just a Runaway" rather that the rockish, euro-disco version on the original? It was just HOT how "All American Girls" segued right into "He's Just a Runaway". and how that song segued into the next. Three hot numbers right off the bat got this album started right. "Ooh, You Caught My Heart" is another hot, funky number. It is such a shame this is not in print. I really need this on CD. The ballads, are just as nice and some of the girls best. "Next Time You'll Know" and "I Don't Want to Say Goodbye" are standouts. I swear to God, Niles and Bernard of Chic could not write songs this good on their best day. Their lyrics left MUCH to be desired. "We Are Family" was a hit not just because it was a great song, but Kathy's performance just begged this song to be played over and over and over. I think this album sounds as fresh today as it did in 81.

A really fine album that didn't get the much needed attention that it should have especially on R&B radio. I think the single, "All American Girls" was the pop hit that did decent on the charts but aside from that this album produced no other top 10 hit cuts which is a major shame.

I think I read somewhere in which they performed "He's Just a Runaway" with its rock/new wave flavor in front of a black audience and they didn't applaud when the song came to an end. Just silence. They later issued a remake of the song with different arrangements and a more soulful appeal and it did chart well on the soul charts. Some blacks at the time felt the song "All American Girls" didn't take into account the racism and economic injustice that impacted the African-American community. I asume this is why it didn't do well on the soul charts in that it didn't "connect" to black disc jokeys and black audiences. The marketers probably didn't know how to promote the album.

I like how on the first side of the record, there is no pause between each song. Really cool idea for a black album. Not too many black records did this.

However,the fine standout songs are: Next Time You'll Know, If You Really Love Me(the jam--should have been an R&B single), Don't Let me Lose It, He's Just a Runaway, Happy Feeling and Music Makes Me Feel Good.

I strongly suggest that you purchase this newly discovered album from 1981. I strongly suggest.

This is definately one of the best of the Sister Sledge albums. All American Girls showcased the fact that these sisters can handle ballads and dance floor jams. The classic title track is simply addictive, with sister Kathy rivaling her "We Are Family" performance. Kathy's other shining moments are "Music Makes Me Feel Good" and the tender ballad "Next Time You'll Know". "Happy Feeling" features eldest sister Debbie offering a vocal as inviting as a tropical breeze. "I Don't Want To Say Goodbye" features Kim in her pop/soul inflections, while sister Joni soars vocally on "Make A Move". Overall, this album is superb and is a must have for Sister Sledge fans.

I think this is one of the best Sister Sledge albums , the 2nd best in my opinion behind "We Are Family" . This one was produced by the genius that is Narada Michael Walden who knows a lot about producing Women(Stacy Lattisaw,Angela Boffill,Aretha,Whitney,Mariah,etc...).You can feel that the ladies had gone from Disco Soul to Funky soul in a very mature way and it shows in one of the album's funkiest tunes"If You Really Want Me:, the music, Kathy's Voice, the arrangement, ...it's sheer pleasure to any die hard fan of old school soul.Love them and always will.

Lance

Beirut,Lebanon

Jettisoning the Chic production team for Narada Michael Walden proved a pretty wise choice,considering the similarity in sound. The main difference is Narada and Sister Sledge were not out to create a samey disco album with arty flourishes this time. They were out to create a funky dance-rock album with a lot of variety and to a large extent they succeeded. The title song is a classic-VERY much Narada and very drum oriented nontheless and very much in keeping with the hits Sister Sledge had with Chic,especially Randy Jackson's wonderful bass "breakdown"."He's Just A Runaway" is definately the big surprise;more of a new wavish dance-rock number that really introduced Sister Sledge to the new decade with ease. This team of Sledge and Narada do not shy away from the mirrored disco ball here as "If You Really Want Me","Ooh,You Caught My Heart","Make A Move" and "Music Makes You Feel Good" certainly fit into that catagory. But the "bottom" on these songs is a bit phatter and therefore funkier. Disco is basically a form of lite funk anyway and this just really emphasises that disco-funk hybrid a little more. There is a peppy pop tune here in "Happy Feeling",one of those little surprises commonly found on the best albums out there."Next Time You'll Know" and "I Don't Want To Say Goodbye" are very nice ballads but really don't need to be here;this album is really strongest when the tempo goes up and it would've worked just as well if a couple different kinds of uptempo songs were added instead of the ballads. Other then that I have no complaints.This is a great album in a string of excellent releases from Sister Sledge and we should all be lucky that it's now out there again for us to enjoy.

"All American Girls" is not exactly a masterpiece, but a thoroughly enjoyable, danceable and lovable record. I am happy for it to be available again for the lovers of that unmistakeable groovy 80s beat. I still catch myself singing to these timeless songs. Enjoy!

Okay, the thing about the original release of this album is that "He's Just A Runaway" was a Rock-Dance song. When it was released as the second single, after the title track, the sisters reworked it into a Reggae version in hopes of not alienating their Black/R&B audience. The Reggae version became the tribute to Bob Marley.

So the album is supposed to be the original Rock version, but the track listing on this page says it's the Bob Marley version.

Reviewers here mention the Rock version. So there is confusion here. Although both versions have merit it is unclear which you are getting on this CD.

I really liked this album. It moves from funk to chic to rock. I think the album has been underrated by alot of reviewers.

The title track is great...has that 70's chic sound but what is neat about it is the song goes straight into the rock sound of "He's Just a Runaway" which I call some versitility. The harmonies are great which proves these ladies have a set of pipes on them. The song goes straight into that chic funk sound again going into "If You Really Want Me". The first three songs is what really stand out to me because of the quick change of music genre. "Happy Feeling" makes you feel happy. The rest of the tracks are pretty much the dance feel you get from Sister Sledge which is great dance music. "I Don't Want to Say Goodbye" is another versatile song sounds to me like it could be a pop ballad but never made it to the charts.