Street Life
The Crusaders
1979
Album Summary
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). It was No. 5 on the UK Singles Chart. "Street Life" also hit the disco chart, peaking at No. 75, 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.
WikipediaOne of the best records I’ve ever heard. Jazz, funk, and lead guitar all working together. Smooth as hell and the title track is infectious.
This album actually made me angry because it felt like I was waiting on hold for 40 minutes - this is telephone hold music!!! Only the title track has vocals and is a bit more disco-influenced, but there's a mismatch between the jaunty tune and the lyrics about life on the street.
C'est avec une curiosité prononcée que je me dirigeais vers cet album des Crusaders en ce mercredi matin, après que mon camarade robvipère m'ait fait part de son attirance pour ce disque. Malheureusement, comme bien souvent, Rob etait complettement a côté de la plaque. Lui, incapable de differencier un bel album d'une daube artistique la faute à une oreille musicale absente, lui critiquant le contenu photographique pourtant fort qualitatif de son partenaire de tablée aux 1001 sushis, lui qui cautionna les insultes emises a l'egard de Ray Charles par l'affreux Elvis Costello, en punissant le pauvre Ray d'un scindant 2/5, lui, qui ferait bien de remettre son tablier de critique, et de se trouver une nouvelle vocation.
Wishing I would have paid attention to this style of music when it came out. I was in my mid-teens and was exploring other genres
Not my usual listening but absolutely loved it. Knew street life but was a slower cooler version. Other jazz instrumentals really great. Love it!
Funky vibes, but nothing that really grabs me. It's not bad per-se, but it's just kind of... bland. Sounds like a watered down version of On the Corner or Head Hunters.
Very uninteresting jazz. This is the sort of thing you hear in an abandoned mall, perpetually out of time. About as close as you get to muzak without actually being muzak. This is background music.
Wat een heerlijke muziek. Fijne melodien en prettige vocals. Goede opname kwaliteit. Will listen again!
Erstes Lied 11:18, wow. Direkt mal arrogant erwarten, dass Leute so lange dran bleiben würden direkt von Beginn. Aber was soll ich sagen; ich bins und das Lied ist n absoluter geiler Klassiker, bekomme Bock in ner Zappelhalle zu stehen und mit ner feschen Disco-Schnalle mal den Weißen Teufel in den Nasenkanal zu schallern und die ganze Nacht Vodka-Sodas zu peitschen, wenn ich wisst was ich meine ;) Generell verspüre ich bei dem Orgel- und Saxophonsolo geile Fick-Vibes mit Intimbehaarung, Pailletten-Kleidern aber ohne Gummi. In den 80er gabs ja noch kein AIDS, oder?! Ich würd einfach gern mal wieder draußen saufen. :( Street Life Minute 9. – Ich überlege zu skippen. My Lady kommt direkt um die Ecke mit einem – zurecht – tausendfach gesampleten Saxophon-lick man kennt's. Nur gut. Bekomme noch mehr Bock auf legeres Koksen in einer Disco. (Ich sollte mir ein Pastellfarbenes Hemd kaufen.) Rodeo Drive bisschen Uptempo, und schöne Bassline drunter. FONKEYYYY. Gitarrensolo hab ich nicht erwartet, mich trotzdem drüber gefreut. Carnival Of The Night, direkt perkussiver(schreibt man das so?), der Bass wird ge-slapped, so wie der Ass von der Bitch. (Wo bekommt man schnell Kokain her?) The Hustler. (Ich brauche mehr Schmuck und Drogenquellen, außerdem Nutten). Guter Track, bisschen mehr Funk als Discovibes, aber was solls. Night faces, kleines Betthupferl. Ich kann das verdammte Orgel-gebimmel nicht mehr ertragen. Meine kriminelle Energie ist nach dem Album sehr hoch, fühle mich wie ein Zuhälter in Frisco, der aber irgendwie nur so der nette Dude ist und nicht so n Frauenschläger. So 'n netter halt. Deswegen schlafen sowohl \"seine\" Mädels als auch \"normale\" Mädels gerne und oft mit ihm. Dass hinterher immer Geld und Kokain aus seiner Wohnung fehlt, übergeht er und sagt sich: \"Die Mädels brauchen das dringender als Ich\". Er will sich nicht eingestehen, dass er ausgenutzt wird, denn mit Ablehnung kommt er nicht klar (deswegen ja auch Zuhälter). Er weint und raucht eine Cohiba, während Emma Watson(im Hogwarts Schuloutfit) ihm einen bläst. Den Schlüssel zu seinem goldenen Käfig hat er schon vor Jahren im Kokswahn verloren. Ich fand das Album gut 5*. Bis zum Nächsten review! Euer EL Mayo
Una gran canción de apertura y todo suena bien, como para fiesta elegante o día tranquilo ☺️. 9/10
This is unreal. Perfect background work music. It's jazz but with funk added in and lots of cool hooks too. Never gets boring. Zero knowledge of them before but this one might be going into rotation.
Way jazzier and more elevator-music-like than I was expecting! Really liked this, reminds me of the newer "chill" playlists and stations I listen to.
Caught myself dancing and enjoying life more than usual during this listen. Top fucking notch
fantástico, funky, chill, sonidos muy agradables, excelente para tener de fondo, la calidad es buenísima. lo que sí, es muy corto y no propone cosas nuevas, solo buena música, ja, qué más necesitar? en una palabra: cómoda
This album is so beautiful and smooth. I love the lounge vibes. Jazz is a very comforting genre for me.
Very smooth and great to listen to while studying. I think in other settings it would also be equally as good. Nice Jazz, would've potentially enjoyed more singing though
Brings back memories of listening to crusaders and George benson on tape in the car. A lovely funky jazzy Motown album that was a joy to listen to
Right outta the gates this is smooooth. There are some pretty tasty licks on this album. Definitely a nice choice when feeling like a fresh jazz groove.
Pretty great album. A handful of tracks, but they all work it. If I didn't know better, I'd swear this was a live jazz album recording... 4 stars.
Relaxing to have on in the background - driving, cooking, doing stuff round the house.
The jazz caught me by surprise, but it was a very welcome surprise. Super chill, great vibe, will definitely listen again.
Yeah! Love the title track, and the rest of the album followed suit. Not much else to say.
A bit flat due to drum machine and other electronic techniques of the 80s, but some good highs as well. Good singing and nice catchy tunes
Super album de Jazz avec des gros classiques. J'ai reconnu de samples de NTM et j'imagine qu'il y a en plus!
A very fun little funky jazz album. Certainly not the sort of thing you'll blast on repeat for days, but it's a good thing to put on for some creative energy while working.
Soulful, funky grooves and sultry singing. Some instrumental tunes, with borders on cool/smooth jazz.
JAMS, songs can go a little long often times but love the cores of these songs Light 4
The title track is amazing! It really should be too long at over 11 minutes but it is somehow consistently interesting. I think it's the best song on the album although everything else is still pretty good. I love the saxophone on every song. Wilton Felder's tone is really nice and it fits the funk/smooth jazz style well. For the most part, it doesn't blow me away enough to warrant 5 stars but it's certainly a very good album. Favorite songs: Street Life, My Lady, Rodeo Drive, The Hustler Decent 8/10
This album is so cool - amazing saxophone work and the basslines are very fun. An incredible vibe.
Late 70s jazz-funk, mostly sad-forward instrumentals except the title track. Source of many samples. A time piece, production-wise. Reminds me of George Benson Greatest Hits in places. Very nice, a bit smooth.
Good 70's jazz funk fusion album. The first keyboard that came in really felt it like setup the sounds that would stick through the album. Then the bass line in particular was super funky. I've been wanting to listen to more jazz, and while this wasn't exactly what I had in mind it was a blast to listen to. Favorite Songs: Street Life
On the fence between a 3 and 4, its better than most 3s so I'm gonna go with a 4. I love the first two tracks, it falls off a bit after that. I think one of them was used in Jackie Brown?
11 minute jazz intro? Let's get it "Street Life" is some solid Funk Notes of sonic adventure casino in the rest of the album Okay definitely gets into smooth slow jazz by the end of the album
I had liked the album's eponymous song before already, despite the fact that it doesn't shine with conciseness. I did enjoy Carnival Of The Night a lot though!
All excellent, pretty brief album and didn't quite consolidate into a single work for me.
Turns out that I didn't know I needed some sweet, sweet Jazz Fusion on a random Wednesday, but I did. It's an easy listen and the 11 minute version of Street Life is the icing on the cake.
Loved the title track, the instrument and vocal parts worked well together. Even my 9 year old son was snapping along in the back of the car.
Loved it. Forgot I was listening and didn't notice when Youtube moved on to similar music.
Cool - the instrumental cuts are sleek and classy, hitting similar beats to Gaucho era Steely Dan. The title track, featuring Randy Crawford's impeccable vocals, is solid gold. No grit in this oyster, but a muso's dream nonetheless.
Silky smooth jazz record. Enjoyed it quite a bit. Favorites: "Street Life", "My Lady", "Carnival Of The Night"
Very fun album. Especially enjoyed the last track “Night Faces” with the drums real playing a big part in the experience
Really great vibe to this album. I actually wish there would have been more vocals on the album but otherwise this is great jazz/soul for the soul.
Street Lights is a poppin' 70s groove. There is plenty to groove on in this album but nothing really feels spicy or exotic in the jazz styling. It feels closer to jam band music than jazz.
Somewhat surprisingly quite liked this. The jazz and funk combo was very groovy and found myself nodding along to it more than usually with an genre like that
Very fun album. The kind you'd like to own on vinyl and play while you're cooking a weekend breakfast.
Coincidentally I was listening to this album not that long ago after listening to some garbage that got suggested to me by this list. I said to myself "it's a shame I get that crap but something this good will never show up". That's the universe once again telling me to shut my damn mouth. Thanks universe.
A sound so fresh, so clean, the band is tight, the sound is crisp, Street Life is stunning. A real gem of jazz fusion.
I will describe every jazz album I like as chill jazzy vibes, and that's what this was. Street life especially slapped tho.
Have you ever encountered a track that, while great, makes you wonder when it will end? Makes you wonder how long the track actually is as it is going on? Then you see and it's beyond ten minutes and you don't mind it at all as the song is rather great from start to finish. That was me with Street Life. The other songs are good too, those aren't to be missed as well. Favorites: Street Life, Rodeo Drive (High Steppin'), Carnival of the Night.
Street Life track was waaaaaaaaaay too long and felt long-winded. The other songs were good and easy to listen to. This album had a rough start but overall a good listen.
I get the allegations of elevator music, but loved this all the same...funky sunshine music, very chill
This album was a great jazz, funk, R&B mix. The Crusaders are tight and some of that guitar playing was amongst the best I’ve heard in that genre and the rhythm section was incredible. The music itself had a great groove and incorporated enough jazz motifs and key changes to keep it interesting enough for both jazz fans and funk/soul fans
J'aime le côté funky. J'ai groové tout le long et beaucoup aimé. Par contre, une fois l'écoute terminée, ne m'a pas semblé marquant.
-S Tier- ***n/a*** -A Tier- Street Life My Lady -B Tier- Carnival of the Night The Hustler Night Faces -C Tier- Rodeo Drive AVG SCORE: 3.2 / 5 - - - Jazz fusion that makes me feel like I’m walking the city streets in the late 70s — which is odd since I was born in the early 80s. The musical equivalent of a Robert Altman film. Impossible not to love.
Love the cohesiveness of this group and the playing to Joe Sample. Very soulful album with a strong jazz nod. I will listen to Randy Crawford song anything.
Well that is not what I expected. I feel like I'm at a swanky dinner club listening to an excellent jazzy lounge act. I like it.
Finally listened to this during my morning shift. Fun stuff! I'm not sure if this is soul, funk, or disco, but it's a lot of fun. The vocal track at the start of the album has great singing, and I like the rhythms/percussion/keys. I'd want to listen to this again in more depth, but this is good instrumental music that I don't have established familiarity with — fun tuff!
Enjoyable listen, obviously hugely skillful with some enjoyable moments. However, felt a tad generic and the slick 80s production got wearing by the end. Fine, but can't see myself listening to it again.
от прослушивания получаешь весьма интересный опыт, поскольку я в целом весьма далек что от мира джаза, что от мира фанка, а уж слышать эти два жанра вместе для меня было совершенно в новинку. но несмотря на оригинальность стиля, стоит признать, что кроме одноименной песни нет абсолютно ничего интересного. иными словами, альбом блекнет от поставленных слушателю ожиданий. уверен, что ценителям жанра понравится, никаких проблем с релизом нет, но не послушав этот альбом, массовый слушатель не потеряет шедевр.
I really enjoyed listening to this in a dimly lit bathtub filled with bubbles and rose petals.
Street Life, An iconic song in the 70s. All around a nice instrumental jazz album with hints of soul.
Quite relaxing but slightly upbeat/bop jazz Didnt like the vocals in "Street Life", but this is the only song with vocals. 3stars?
It SOUNDS good, as in production and mixing... but it also sounds like telephone hold music
The stand out song by far is Street Life. While the instrumentals of the rest of the albums are a strong mix of Jazz and Funk, the soulful voice truly brings completion to the title track.
i don't think i'd ever heard of them before this, but i thought this album was pretty ok. spotify, as it does, kept playing when i was over, and the first track was Look Beyond The Hill, from The 2nd Crusade - and that was AWESOME.
Compared to the metal music we were hearing, it was nice to have calming “elevator music”
Man nenne mich Musikbanause, aber ich bin wirklich selten (also nie) in der Stimmung für die Jazz-Funk-Verbindung. Einziger Moment wäre vielleicht im Ballsaal eines bald untergehenden Schiffes. Bisschen soziales Geplänkel auf einer Soirée. ‚Ja mein Herr, ich bin allein hier. Sehr gern würde ich noch einen Martini nehmen. Sie Charmeur. Ihre Koje hat Ausblick? Das würde ich sehr gern sehen.‘
Street life kennt man ja sogar. 1a Jazz track den ich mir zu einem klassischen mit Omar Sy besetzten "ziemlich-beste-freunde"-esken Film gut vorstellen kann. Der Rest isch hald a subbr dschäs. Kannst nix sagen. Nur ist Instrumental Jazz nicht mein Ding. Alles in allem Solid!
Meh. I feel like I've heard at least one of these songs, perhaps on a movie soundtrack.
Highlight: Rodeo Drive This is essential 70's funk-jazz. Pleasant to listen to, but my brain isn't wired for jazz.
Night Time Street Jazz. Very background, but would put on in the right mood, and the opener is killer thanks to the vocalist.
Street Life, the song, is cream of the crop, one of best 70s songs. Rest of the album is decent instrumental jazz with cool funky and r&b/soul vibes
No es el tipo de disco que yo elegiría escuchar (la música instrumental me apetece escucharla sólo en momentos muy concretos), pero suena súper bien.
Ihan ok taustamusaa, olisko genreltään lounge jazzia? Jatsilta kuulosti ja loungeen voisin kuvitella tämän lätyn soimaan. Vähän sellainen sielukas vivahdekin tässä oli, ainakin kun laulettiin. Ei herättänyt tunteita oikein suuntaan tai toiseen.
Easy flowing yacht-rock with a tinge of elevator music. This album perfectly encapsulates the late 70's sound.
Street Life is great, but the rest of the album just sounds like an extended instrumental break from that song. You could take any track and insert it into Street Life and it would fit perfectly.
In Conclusione: Li avevo già sentiti nominare ma mai ascoltati prima. Devo dire che questo Jazz/Funk è sicuramente sfizioso ed è forse tra le incarnazioni migliori del Jazz perché toglie la vena pretenziosa alla Bill Evans. Comunque mi ha divertito molto ma la natura del genere, con queste lunghe simil-improvvisazioni strutturate mi porta a non riuscire a dare un voto particolarmente alto perché la percepisco molto come background music (e questo è un problema della maggior parte del Jazz che segue la struttura classica tema/improvvisazione). Comunque magari me lo risentirei volentieri come sottofondo raffinato che groova, però difficilmente farei un ascolto dedicato.
Intro a little pedestrian. 2nd song "My Lady" definitely has a great pace, soaring. Rest just OK.
Something definitely interesting. I wasn’t blown away by any means. It was pretty alright for a one time listen.
Riassunto: inizialmente parte qualcosa che mi ricorda Beautiful (soap opera), ma poi si apre e riconosco la canzone.. "Street Life", che bomba! Poi il resto delle tracce strumentali che mi piacciono a tratti, ma che trovo un po' noiose. Sarebbe un 2.5, ma siccome due mi sembra troppo poco do un 3. (Forse anche Ute se lo meritava..)
Some good jazz but didn't love it. Wish it had more vocals as the title track was superior with them
Some straight-up jazz, less esoteric than some of the previous things on the list (Mingus, etc.) but made for a great mountain biking soundtrack. The instrumentals shone.
Solid jazz funk fusion album. The first track that came in really felt it like setup the sounds that would stick through the album. Then the bass line in particular was super funky. (6/10) Favourite Tracks: Street Life
It's alright. Just 40 min of mostly instrumental jazz. Not my first pick for most circumstances
This was okay, some good tunes. I think I'm finding out that I'm too particular about saxophones because I only like them sometimes.