City Life is the third studio album by the American rhythm and blues and jazz-funk fusion group the Blackbyrds. It was produced by Donald Byrd and includes the popular singles "Happy Music" and "Rock Creek Park." "Happy Music" was first given a limited released as a six-minute remix on 12-inch vinyl for club deejays,[3] then in early 1976 was released on standard 7-inch vinyl. "Rock Creek Park" has been sampled repeatedly by hip hop musicians.[4]
| City Life | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | November 1975 | |||
| Recorded | 1975 | |||
| Studio | Sound Factory (Hollywood) | |||
| Genre | Jazz-funk[1] | |||
| Label | Fantasy | |||
| Producer | Donald Byrd | |||
| The Blackbyrds chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [2] |
Background
editThree members of the band had left sometime after the completion of the previous album: Allan Barnes, Barney Perry, and Perk Jacobs. Guitarist Orville Saunders was brought on in place of Perry, who had left the band to form his own group, Malone & Barnes and Spontaneous Simplicity, while saxophonist Stephen Johnson replaced Barnes.
Track listing
editSong credits and timings taken from original LP.[5]
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Rock Creek Park" | Joe Hall, Keith Killgo, Kevin Toney, Orville Saunders, Stephen Johnson | 4:35 |
| 2. | "Thankful 'Bout Yourself" | Saunders | 5:11 |
| 3. | "City Life" | Toney | 5:22 |
| 4. | "All I Ask" | Toney | 3:50 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5. | "Happy Music" | Donald Byrd | 4:32 |
| 6. | "Love So Fine" | Hall | 5:00 |
| 7. | "Flying High" | Killgo | 3:29 |
| 8. | "Hash and Eggs" | Fonce Mizell, Larry Mizell | 5:06 |
Personnel
edit- The Blackbyrds
- Kevin Toney – keyboards
- Stephen Johnson – saxophone
- Orville Saunders – guitar
- Joe Hall – bass
- Keith Killgo – drums
- Additional musicians
The original LP doesn't credit any musicians individually and instead gives a general "very special thanks" to them. Vocals for the album are also uncredited.
- Merry Clayton – vocals on "Rock Creek Park" and "Happy Music"[6]
- George Bohanon
- Ernie Watts
- Patrice Rushen
- Gary Bartz
- Larry Mizell
- Fonce Mizell
- Tommy Morgan
Charts
editAlbum
edit| Chart (1976) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Billboard Top LPs | 16 |
| Top Soul LPs | 3 |
| Jazz LPs | 1 |
Singles
edit| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1975 | "City Life" | Disco Singles | 4 |
| "Flying High" | Billboard Hot 100 | 70 | |
| Hot Soul Singles | 22 | ||
| 1976 | "Happy Music" | Billboard Hot 100 | 19 |
| Hot Soul Singles | 3 | ||
| Disco Singles | 6 | ||
| "Rock Creek Park" | Billboard Hot 100 | 93 | |
| Hot Soul Singles | 37 |
References
edit- ^ Gorton, TJ (July 30, 2018). "BeatCaffeine's 100 Best Jazz-Funk Songs". BeatCaffeine. Archived from the original on August 25, 2018. Retrieved September 19, 2021.
- ^ Mason, Stewart. The Blackbyrds: City Life > Review at AllMusic. Retrieved 3 September 2011.
- ^ Niebur, Louis (2022). Menergy: San Francisco's Gay Disco Sound. Oxford University Press. p. 49. ISBN 9780197511077.
- ^ "Donald Byrd, Producer of "Rock Creek Park," Dead at 80". Archived from the original on 2022-07-05. Retrieved 2022-07-04.
- ^ City Life (album). The Blackbyrds. Berkeley, California: Fantasy Records. 1975. F-9490.
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ https://www.laphil.com/musicdb/artists/1151/merry-clayton