In the '90s, two albums resulted from various reunions of
Chic's co-founders/co-leaders
Nile Rodgers and
Bernard Edwards. The first was 1992's
Chic-Ism, a decent though uneven studio project that had its moments but fell short of the excellence of classics like
C'est Chic and
Risqué. The other was
Live at the Budokan, a gem that was recorded in Tokyo, Japan in April 1996 for the JT Super Producers series. Sadly, this concert would be
Edwards' last live appearance before his death, and for that reason,
Budokan would be historically important even if
Chic had given a mediocre performance that night. But this CD is far from mediocre.
Rodgers and
Edwards oversee an excellent band that includes, among others, singers
Sylver Logan Sharp and
Jill Jones, and drummer
Omar Hakim -- and the sparks fly in a major way when this
Chic lineup turns its attention to late-'70s favorites like "Good Times" (which is combined with
the Sugarhill Gang's "Rapper's Delight"), "Le Freak," "Dance Dance Dance" and "I Want Your Love." Listeners will notice that on-stage these songs have a tougher, harder edge than they did in studio, and the same thing happens with the
Sister Sledge classics "He's the Greatest Dancer" and "We Are Family" (both of which find
Sister Sledge joining
Chic on-stage). An interesting surprise comes when
Chic moves into rock territory and joins forces with
Steve Winwood and
Guns N' Roses guitarist
Slash for
Jimi Hendrix's "Stone Free." When
Rodgers was preparing to release
Live at the Budokan on his Sumthing Else label, he decided against adding any overdubs or smoothing any of the rough edges. Clearly, he made the right decision.