While the Chi-Lites did some lovely romantic work, they also did some great social songs, still timely -
Found this album review of 1971's (For God's Sake) Give More Power to the People: The social messages on this album can easily be overlooked due to the overwhelming success of the album's big hit, "Have You Seen Her." Through the production work and penmanship of lead singer Eugene Record, the Chi-Lites made some rather inviting contributions to the cause of many with songs like "Yes I'm Ready," "We Are Neighbors" and the title track "(For God's Sake) Give More Power to the People." The former addresses the issue of school busing and integration during the late '60s and early '70s. The second selection confronts the realities of Blacks and Whites living side by side. The latter's title implies politicians and/or the powers-that-be need to relinquish some of their control and put some in the hands of the people. "Give More Power to the People" peaked at number four on the Billboard R&B charts, and "Yes I'm Ready" was never a release but is a standard among many Quiet Storm formats. As for the romance the Chi-Lites became known for, "Have You Seen Her" heads the list. The timeliness number had a two week run at number one on the Billboard R&B charts. "I Want to Pay You Back," "Love Uprising" and "You Got Me Walkin'" round out that list. The former is mellower and the other two have bouncy rhythms. All the songs on this album are polished with the group's exquisite three-part hamonies and dynamic string and horn arrangements. ~ Craig Lytle, All Music Guide http://www.artistdirect.com/store/artist/album/0,,64153,00.html (For God's Sake) Give More Power To The People CHI-LITES (Eugene Record) For God's sake, you got to give more power to the people There's some people up there hoggin' everything Tellin' lies, givin' alibis about the people's money and things And if they gonna throw it away, might as well give some to me Yeah they seen and heard it, but never had misery There are some people who are starvin' to death Never knew but only hate us [?], and they never had happiness Oh, oh, oh, if you don't have enough to eat, how can you think of love You don't have the time to care so it's crime you're guilty of, oh yeah For God's sake, you got to give more power to the people For God's sake, why don't you give more power to the people Cut this jive and see who's got the power to kill the most When they run out of power, the world's gonna be a ghost They know we're not satisfied, so we begin to holler Makin' us a promise and throwin' a few more dollars There's no price for happiness, there's no price for love Up goes the price of livin', and you're right back where you was So whatever you got, just be glad you got it Now we're gonna get on up and get some more of it http://ntl.matrix.com.br/pfilho/html/lyrics/f/for_gods_sake_give_more_power_to_the_people.txt and Chi-Lites history: http://www.onlinetalent.com/Chilites_biography.html Vince
