Street Life (The Crusaders album)
| Street Life | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | December 9, 1979 | |||
| Recorded | 1979 | |||
| Studio | Hollywood Sound Recorders, Hollywood, California | |||
| Genre | Jazz, R&B, disco | |||
| Length | 39:21 | |||
| Label | MCA | |||
| Producer | Wilton Felder, Stix Hooper, Joe Sample | |||
| The Crusaders chronology | ||||
| ||||
Street Life is a studio album by the American jazz band the Crusaders. It was a top 20 album on three Billboard charts and represents the peak of the band's commercial popularity. The title track, featuring singer Randy Crawford, was a Top 40 pop single (No. 36) and became the group's most successful entry on the soul chart (No. 17).[1] It was No. 5 on the UK Singles Chart. "Street Life" also hit the disco chart, peaking at No. 75,[2] and was re-recorded by Doc Severinsen with Crawford reprising her vocal for the opening sequence of the noir crime drama Sharky's Machine, directed by Burt Reynolds in 1981. This faster paced version was also featured in Quentin Tarantino's Jackie Brown, released in 1997.
The cover photograph was taken at 409 N Rodeo Drive, Beverly Hills, California.[3]
Critical reception
[edit]| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [4] |
| The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings | [6] |
| The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide | [5] |
The Bay State Banner noted that "Crawford's voice has passion and intensity, unlike the meanderings heard on her albums."[7]
The album was included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.[8]
Track listing
[edit]- "Street Life" (Will Jennings, Joe Sample) – 11:18
- "My Lady" (Wilton Felder) – 6:43
- "Rodeo Drive (High Steppin')" (Sample) – 4:28
- "Carnival of the Night" (Felder) – 6:24
- "The Hustler" (Stix Hooper) – 5:18
- "Night Faces" (Sample) – 5:10
Personnel
[edit]- The Crusaders
- Wilton Felder – tenor saxophone (tracks 1, 2, 3, 4), alto saxophone (track 5, 6), bass (tracks 1, 2, 5)
- Joe Sample – keyboards, horn and string arrangements
- Stix Hooper – drums
- Additional personnel
- Randy Crawford – vocals (track 1)
- Louis Aldebert – vocals (track 2)
- Monique Aldebert – vocals (track 2)
- Oscar Brashear – trumpet (tracks 1, 3)
- Robert O. Bryant Sr. – trumpet (track 1)
- Jerome Richardson – alto saxophone (track 1)
- Robert Bryant Jr. – tenor saxophone (track 1)
- William Green – baritone saxophone (track 1)
- Garnett Brown – tenor trombone (tracks 1, 3)
- Maurice Spears – bass trombone (tracks 1, 3)
- Arthur Adams – guitar (tracks 1, 4)
- Billy Rogers – guitar (track 1)
- Roland Bautista – guitar (tracks 1, 4)
- Barry Finnerty – guitar (tracks 2-5)
- Paul Jackson Jr. – guitar (tracks 2, 5)
- David T. Walker – guitar (track 4)
- Alphonso Johnson – bass (tracks 3, 6)
- James Jamerson Jr. – bass (track 4)
- Paulinho Da Costa – percussion (tracks 1-5)
Charts
[edit]Album - Billboard (United States)
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1979 | Black Albums | 3 |
| 1979 | Jazz Albums | 1 |
| 1979 | Pop Albums | 18 |
Singles - Billboard (United States)
| Year | Chart | Single | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | Black Singles | "Street Life" | 17 |
| 1979 | Club Play Singles | "Street Life" | 75 |
| 1979 | Pop Singles | "Street Life" | 36 |
References
[edit]- ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 140.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). Hot Dance/Disco: 1974-2003. Record Research. p. 66.
- ^ "Musical Maps". Musicalmaps.com.au. Retrieved 4 August 2018.
- ^ "Street Life". AllMusic. Retrieved 4 August 2018.
- ^ Swenson, J., ed. (1985). The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide. USA: Random House/Rolling Stone. p. 53. ISBN 0-394-72643-X.
- ^ Cook, Richard; Morton, Brian (2008). The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings (9th ed.). Penguin. p. 323. ISBN 978-0-141-03401-0.
- ^ Lane, George (7 June 1979). "Shades of Blue". Bay State Banner. No. 35. p. 13.
- ^ Robert Dimery; Michael Lydon (7 February 2006). 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die: Revised and Updated Edition. Universe. ISBN 0-7893-1371-5.
