C'est Chic - Chic (1978)

Ideated from: In a way, the 80s started in 1978. A lot of huge 80s artists and their signature sounds were just debuting or just getting up to speed in 1978.

Edit adding the “three months in 77” tag but keeping the “80s in 1978” tag due to some disagreement about release dates.

Nile Rogers and Bernard Edwards were the duo that drove Chic, both as the guitar / bass combo at the center of the music and as producers and creators. They were thoroughly a disco-style band, but with a lot of the dirtier funk sound underneath.

It might seem weird to talk about the start of the 80s with a disco band that barely recorded in the 80s. But make no mistake: this record was a template for R&B in the 80s. The smooth bass, staccato guitar pops, and general songcraft paved the way for a new radio-friendly sound.

Byeond that, Rogers would bring Chic’s bass-heavy, rhythm-first approach to some of the biggest artists of the next decade: his production credits in the 80s included Diana Ross’ Diana, Bowie’s Let’s Dance, Madonna’s Like A Virgin, Robert Palmer’s Riptide, the Power Station project, and Duran Duran’s Notorious.