Street Life (The Crusaders album)
1979 studio album by the Crusaders
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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).[2] It was No. 5 on the UK Singles Chart. "Street Life" also hit the disco chart, peaking at No. 75,[3] 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.
| Street Life | ||||
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | May 1979[1] | |||
| Recorded | 1979 | |||
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| Genres | Jazz, R&B, disco | |||
| Length | 39:21 | |||
| Label | MCA | |||
| Producers | ||||
| The Crusaders chronology | ||||
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The cover photograph was taken at 409 N Rodeo Drive, Beverly Hills, California.[4]
Critical reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [5] |
| The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings | [6] |
| The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide | [7] |
The Bay State Banner noted that "Crawford's voice has passion and intensity, unlike the meanderings heard on her albums."[8]
The album was included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.[9]
Track listing
- "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
The Crusaders
- Wilton Felder – tenor saxophone (1–4), electric bass (1, 2, 5), alto saxophone (5, 6)
- Joe Sample – keyboards, horn and string arrangements
- Stix Hooper – drums, percussion
Additional musicians and vocalists
- Randy Crawford – vocals (1)
- Louis Aldebert – vocals (2)
- Monique Aldebert – vocals (2)
- Arthur Adams – guitars (1, 4)
- Roland Bautista – guitars (1, 4)
- Billy Rogers – guitars (1)
- Barry Finnerty – guitars (2–5)
- Paul Jackson Jr. – guitars (2, 5)
- David T. Walker – guitars (4)
- Alphonso Johnson – bass (3, 6)
- James Jamerson Jr. – bass (4)
- Paulinho da Costa – percussion (1–5)
- Jerome Richardson – alto saxophone (1)
- William Green – baritone saxophone (1)
- Robert Bryant Jr. – tenor saxophone (1)
- Maurice Spears – bass trombone (1, 3)
- Garnett Brown – tenor trombone (1, 3)
- Oscar Brashear – trumpet (1, 3)
- Bobby Bryant Sr. – trumpet (1)
- Benjamin Barrett – orchestra manager for strings
Production
- Wilton Felder – producer
- Joe Sample – producer
- Stix Hooper – producer
- Rik Pekkonen – engineer, mixing
- Bernie Grundman – mastering at A&M Studios (Hollywood, California)
- Tom Hooper – executive assistant
- Pamela Hope Lobue – production coordinator
- Stuart Kusher – art direction
- Jayme Odgers – design, photography
Charts
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 |