![]() His blend of political commitment, an endearing folk twang and a sense of musical experiment and liberty has led to career of almost unrivalled range and influence. Wyatt is one of the great heroes of British counterculture, like a cross between an old English sheepdog and Pan. So it seems a long journey from Chic's original seven minutes of At Last I am Free to the version by Robert Wyatt, which appeared on his 1982 singles and B-sides compliation, Nothing Can Stop Us. The person who stood out the most was the much-missed Edwards, who played the bass with the élan of a funkified praying mantis. Rodgers glued their sound together with his distinctive and often-copied rhythm guitar, Tony Thompson was that most unusual of beasts, a chic drummer, Alfa Anderson and Luci Martin provided the ice-cold vocals while all around them the piano and strings whirled and purred. ![]() I remember watching Top of the Pops open-mouthed as they mimed to I Want Your Love. The band's heavily cultivated image of sophistication and affluence was in part a response to the economic and social depression of late-70s New York, but this can't muddy the luminous wonder of their songwriting, musicianship and production, which went on to enhance – in some cases rescue – the careers of Sister Sledge, Diana Ross, David Bowie, Madonna, Duran Duran and many others (not to mention their huge influence on hip-hop). Rodgers and Edwards were two of my earliest musical heroes.
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