The Good and the Bad Times

The Good and the Bad Times
Studio album by The Crusaders
Released	1986
Studio	Baby'O Recorders
Genre	Jazz jazz fusion
Length	40:10
Label	MCA
The Crusaders chronology
Ghetto Blaster (1984) The Good and the Bad Times (1986) Life in the Modern World (1988)

The Good and the Bad Times is a studio album by The Crusaders, released in 1986 on MCA Records. ^[1] This album peaked at No. 4 on the US Billboard Top Jazz LPs and No. 49 on the US Billboard Top Soul LPs chart. ^{[2] [3]}

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[4]

Richard S. Ginell of AllMusic, in a 2/5 star review, remarked "The departure of Stix Hooper from the Crusaders basically knocked the main prop out from underneath their interlocked groove, and no combination of drummers and percussionists could put the structure together again...And most telling of all, this does not sound like a Crusaders record; the rhythm aside, Sample's reliance on harsh-sounding synths deconstructs and desiccates their sound. Pass it by." ^[4]

Track listing

Adapted from album's text. ^[1]

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Good Times"	Joe Sample	6:59
2.	"The Way It Goes"	Will Jennings, Joe Sample	5:27
3.	"Sweet Dreams"	Joe Sample	7:40
4.	"Mischievous Ways"	Joe Sample	6:09
5.	"Sometimes You Can Take It Or Leave It"	Joe Sample	6:44
6.	"Three Wishes"	Joe Sample	7:02

Credits

• Alto Flute – Joel Peskin
• Bass – Brad Bobo
• Drums – Perry Wilson, Edward "Sonny" Emory
• Engineer – F. Byron Clark, Robert Biles
• Engineer – Barry Conle, Mark DiSisto
• Guitar – Dean Parks
• Keyboards, Piano – Joe Sample
• Percussion – Lenny Castro, Paulinho da Costa
• Producer – Joe Sample, Wilton Felder
• Saxophone – Wilton Felder
• Synthesizer – David Ervin, Dr. George Shaw
• Trumpet – Sal Marquez
• Vocals – Nancy Wilson
• Writer – Joe Sample, Will Jennings

References

1. The Crusaders: The Good and the Bad Times (album). MCA Records. 1986.
2. "Billboard Top Black Albums" (PDF). February 7, 1987. p. 30. Retrieved August 30, 2025.
3. "Billboard Top Jazz Albums" (PDF). Billboard. February 14, 1987. p. 60. Retrieved August 30, 2025.
4. S. Ginell, Richard. "The Crusaders - The Good and the Bad Times". AllMusic . Retrieved August 30, 2025.