The 2nd Crusade

The 2nd Crusade
Studio album by The Crusaders
Released	1973
Studio	Wally Heider Studios, Hollywood, CA Wally Heider Studios, Los Angeles, CA
Genre	Jazz jazz fusion
Length	1:12:05
Label	Blue Thumb
Producer	The Crusaders
The Crusaders chronology
Hollywood (1972) The 2nd Crusade (1973) Unsung Heroes (1973)

The 2nd Crusade is a studio album by The Crusaders, released in 1972 on Blue Thumb Records. ^[1] This album peaked at No. 1 on the US Billboard Top Jazz LPs and No. 4 on the US Billboard Top Soul LPs chart and No. 45 on the US Billboard Top LPs and Tape. ^{[2] [3] [4]}

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[5]

AllMusic's Thom Jurek, in a 4.5/5 star review, exclaimed "Given the critical and commercial success of 1 and their rebirth as the "Crusaders," the band decided to follow up the previous LP's double length with another one! There are 13 tunes here, all extrapolating the band's previously held notions of soul-jazz and hard bop as they emerged into the new funky '70s...or the most part, the tunes are shorter here and rely far more heavily on groove aesthetics rather than jazz syncopations... But make no mistake: this is a jazz record with greasy funk at its core, not a jazzy funk record." ^[5]

Accolades

The 2nd Crusade copped a Grammy nomination in the category of Best R&B Instrumental Performance. ^[6]

Track listing

Adapted from album's text. ^[1]

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Don't Let It Get You Down"	Joe Sample	3:00
2.	"Take It Or Leave It"	Wayne Henderson	3:40
3.	"Gotta Get It On"	Nesbert "Stix" Hooper	2:50
4.	"Where There's A Will There's A Way"	Wayne Henderson	5:30
5.	"Look Beyond The Hill"	Wilton Felder	3:20
6.	"Journey From Within"	Nesbert "Stix" Hooper	4:51
7.	"Ain't Gon' Change A Thang"	Wilton Felder	4:30
8.	"A Message From The Inner City"	Joe Sample	8:50
9.	"A Search For Soul"	Joe Sample	9:50
10.	"No Place To Hide"	Wayne Henderson	8:44
11.	"Tomorrow Where Are You?"	Wilton Felder	5:10
12.	"Tough Talk"	Nesbert "Stix" Hooper, Joe Sample, Wayne Henderson	6:00
13.	"Do You Remember When??"	Joe Sample	6:00

Credits

• Engineer – Rik Pekkonen
• Guitar – Arthur Adams, David T. Walker, Larry Carlton
• Keyboards – Joe Sample
• Percussion, Effects – Nesbert "Stix" Hooper
• Producer – The Crusaders
• Saxophone, Bass, Marimba – Wilton Felder
• Trombone – Wayne Henderson
• Writer – Nesbert "Stix" Hooper, Joe Sample, Wayne Henderson, Wilton Felder

References

1. The Crusaders: The 2nd Crusade (album). Blue Thumb Records. 1973.
2. "Billboard Top Soul LPs" (PDF). June 2, 1973. p. 31. Retrieved August 30, 2025.
3. "Billboard Top LPs and Tape" (PDF). June 2, 1973. p. 72. Retrieved August 30, 2025.
4. "Billboard Best Selling Jazz LPs" (PDF). June 2, 1973. p. 13. Retrieved August 30, 2025.
5. Jurek, Thom. "The Crusaders - The 2nd Crusade". AllMusic . Retrieved August 30, 2025.
6. "Crusaders". The Recording Academy . Retrieved August 30, 2025.