It was all about the rhythm. Nile Rodgers' deft guitar, Bernard Edwards' fluid bass, Tony Thompson's propulsive drumming - Chic reduced disco to its basic elements then raised it to high art. After a unimpressive start [the grating "Dance Dance Dance (Yowsah Yowsah Yowsah)"], Chic blasted off with a series of singles about the wisdom of dance - how it can free minds and unite peoples - that truly transcended the genre. "Everybody Dance," "I Want Your Love," and "Good Times" are not just timeless disco classics, they are classics - period. The Rodgers/Edwards songwriting style was curious; they stressed repetition over melodic development, and their use of language was convoluted and baroque. But, as if by magic, it worked.

Rhino/Atlantic's Dance Dance Dance: The Best Of Chic (which has the hits) and The Best Of Chic Vol. 2 (lesser singles and album cuts) is as much as almost anyone would want. Together they make a case for Chic as the best self-contained disco group of them all. A later Rhino release, The Very Best Of Chic boils the contents of the two discs down to one incredibly tight collection. It bears noting, however, that seevral of Chic's long-players, especially C'est Chic (1978), Risqué (1979), and Real People (1980), are among the best disco albums ever waxed - easily worth purchasing on their own.

Adding to their legacy, Nile Rodgers and/or Bernard Edwards lent their production and songwriting skills to numerous records. These included smashes by David Bowie ("Let's Dance"), Diana Ross ("Upside Down"), Madonna ("Like A Virgin"), Sister Sledge ("We Are Family"), Robert Palmer ("Addicted To Love"), and Power Station ("Some Like It Hot").