Street Life (The Crusaders album)

Last updated
Street Life
Street Life.jpg
Studio album by
the Crusaders
ReleasedDecember 9, 1979
Recorded1979
StudioHollywood Sound Recorders, Hollywood, California
Genre Jazz, R&B, disco
Length39:21
Label MCA
Producer Wilton Felder, Stix Hooper, Joe Sample
The Crusaders chronology
Images
(1978)		Street Life
(1979)		Rhapsody and Blues
(1980)

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.

Contents

The cover photograph was taken at 409 N Rodeo Drive, Beverly Hills, California. [3]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [4]
The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svg [5]
The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide Star full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [6]

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

  1. "Street Life" (Will Jennings, Joe Sample) – 11:18
  2. "My Lady" (Wilton Felder) – 6:43
  3. "Rodeo Drive (High Steppin')" (Sample) – 4:28
  4. "Carnival of the Night" (Felder) – 6:24
  5. "The Hustler" (Stix Hooper) – 5:18
  6. "Night Faces" (Sample) – 5:10

Personnel

Charts

Album - Billboard (United States)

YearChartPosition
1979Black Albums3
1979Jazz Albums1
1979Pop Albums18

Singles - Billboard (United States)

YearChartSinglePosition
1979Black Singles"Street Life"17
1979Club Play Singles"Street Life"75
1979Pop Singles"Street Life"36

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Crusaders (jazz fusion group)</span> American jazz fusion group

The Crusaders were an American jazz group that was successful from the 1960s to the 2010s. The group was known as the Jazz Crusaders from their formation in 1960 until shortening their name in 1971. The Crusaders were comfortable playing a wide assortment of genres, from straight ahead jazz, to urban R&B, to R&B-based jazz, to even blues. The band reached a commercial apex in 1979 with their hit single "Street Life", featuring lead vocals by Randy Crawford, and their accompanying album of the same name.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wilton Felder</span> American saxophone and bass player

Wilton Lewis Felder was an American saxophone and bass player, and is best known as a founding member of the Jazz Crusaders, later known as The Crusaders. Felder played bass on the Jackson 5's hits "I Want You Back" and "ABC" and on Marvin Gaye's "Let's Get It On".

<i>Collection</i> (Joe Sample album) 1991 compilation album by Joe Sample

Collection is a compilation album of jazz songs by American pianist Joe Sample that was released in 1991 through GRP Records.

<i>Take It Home</i> (B. B. King album) 1979 studio album by B. B. King

Take It Home is a studio album by the American musician B.B. King, released in 1979.

<i>Midnight Believer</i> 1978 studio album by B. B. King

Midnight Believer is the twenty-fifth studio blues album by B.B. King, released in 1978 on ABC Records. The album reached No. 27 on the Billboard Top Soul Albums chart.

<i>Those Southern Knights</i> 1976 studio album by The Crusaders

Those Southern Knights is a 1976 studio album by The Crusaders. It peaked at number 38 on the Billboard Top LPs chart, as well as number 9 on the Soul LPs chart and number 2 on the Top Jazz LPs chart.

<i>Royal Jam</i> 1982 live album by The Crusaders with B.B. King and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra

Royal Jam is a live recording by the jazz-funk band The Crusaders with B.B. King, Josie James and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. It was recorded at London's Royal Festival Hall.

<i>Southern Comfort</i> (The Crusaders album) 1974 studio album by The Crusaders

Southern Comfort is a 1974 album by jazz fusion band The Crusaders.

<i>Freedom Sound</i> (The Jazz Crusaders album) 1961 studio album by The Jazz Crusaders

Freedom Sound is the debut album by The Jazz Crusaders recorded in 1961 and released on the Pacific Jazz label.

<i>The Jazz Crusaders at the Lighthouse</i> 1962 live album by The Jazz Crusaders

The Jazz Crusaders at the Lighthouse is a live album by The Jazz Crusaders recorded in 1962 and released on the Pacific Jazz label.

<i>Lookin Ahead</i> 1962 studio album by The Jazz Crusaders

Lookin' Ahead is the second album by The Jazz Crusaders recorded in 1962 and released on Pacific Jazz Records.

<i>Tough Talk</i> 1963 studio album by The Jazz Crusaders

Tough Talk is the fourth album by The Jazz Crusaders, recorded in 1963 and released on the Pacific Jazz label.

<i>Heat Wave</i> (The Jazz Crusaders album) 1963 studio album by The Jazz Crusaders

Heat Wave is the fifth album by The Jazz Crusaders recorded in 1963 and released on the Pacific Jazz label.

<i>Stretchin Out</i> (The Jazz Crusaders album) 1964 studio album by The Jazz Crusaders

Stretchin' Out is the seventh album by The Jazz Crusaders recorded in 1964 and released on the Pacific Jazz label.

<i>The Thing</i> (Jazz Crusaders album) 1965 studio album by The Jazz Crusaders

The Thing is the eighth album by The Jazz Crusaders recorded in 1965 and released on the Pacific Jazz label.

<i>Lighthouse 68</i> 1968 live album by The Jazz Crusaders

Lighthouse '68 is a live album by The Jazz Crusaders recorded in 1967 and released on the Pacific Jazz label.

<i>Lighthouse 69</i> 1969 live album by The Jazz Crusaders

Lighthouse '69 is a live album by The Jazz Crusaders recorded in 1969 and released on the Pacific Jazz label.

<i>The Festival Album</i> 1966 live album by The Jazz Crusaders

The Festival Album is a live album by The Jazz Crusaders recorded in 1966 at Newport Jazz Festival in Rhode Island and Pacific Jazz Festival in California. It was released on the Pacific Jazz label that same year.

<i>Now We May Begin</i> 1980 studio album by Randy Crawford

Now We May Begin is an album by the American R&B singer Randy Crawford, released in 1980 on Warner Bros. Records. The album got to No. 10 on the UK Albums Chart and No. 30 on the US Billboard Top R&B Albums chart. Now We May Begin has also been certified Silver in the UK by the BPI.

<i>Free as the Wind</i> 1976 studio album by The Crusaders

Free as the Wind is a studio album by The Crusaders issued in December 1976 on MCA Records. The album rose to No. 8 on the Billboard Top Soul Albums chart.

References

  1. ↑ Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 140.
  2. ↑ Whitburn, Joel (2004). Hot Dance/Disco: 1974-2003. Record Research. p. 66.
  3. ↑ "Musical Maps". Musicalmaps.com.au. Retrieved 4 August 2018.
  4. ↑ "Street Life". AllMusic . Retrieved 4 August 2018.
  5. ↑ Cook, Richard; Morton, Brian (2008). The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings (9th ed.). Penguin. p. 323. ISBN   978-0-141-03401-0.
  6. ↑ Swenson, J., ed. (1985). The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide. USA: Random House/Rolling Stone. p. 53. ISBN   0-394-72643-X.
  7. ↑ Lane, George (7 June 1979). "Shades of Blue". Bay State Banner. No. 35. p. 13.
  8. ↑ 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.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.