Nightshift (album)

Nightshift
Studio album by Commodores
Released	January 15, 1985
Genre	R&B Funk
Length	38:41
Label	Motown
Producer	Dennis Lambert
Commodores chronology
Commodores 13 (1983) Nightshift (1985) United (1986)

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[1]
Rolling Stone	[2]

Nightshift is a nine-track album by the Commodores, released January 15, 1985, on Motown Records, their last album on that label before switching to Polydor.

Album credits; staff changes

Nightshift is the Commodores' second album without Lionel Richie, who left the band in 1982, and their last album with founding member/bassist Ronald LaPread. Commodores 13 (1983) featured only the interim lead vocalist, Harold Hudson of Mean Machine,^[3] and so it is with Nightshift that they permanently replaced Richie with British-born, J.D. Nicholas (formerly of Heatwave). Dennis Lambert was chosen to take the reins as producer, hoping to find the same magic created by producer–arranger James Anthony Carmichael, with whom they had worked since 1974 and who was a major impetus in their prior success. ^[4][5]

Additional Musicians involved in this album include among others: Peter Wolf, Paul Fox, John Robinson, Neil Stubenhaus, Jeff Lorber, Peter Maunu, Harold Hudson, Dennis Lambert, Paulinho da Costa, Vinnie Colaiuta, Jerry Hey, Gary Grant, Gary Herbig, and Larry Williams.

Success on the "Nightshift"

Despite the album's middling reviews, the album remained at the top of the R&B charts for a month, and it peaked at #3 on the pop chart.^[4] By and large, the album's popularity was due to its smash title-cut, "Nightshift." Penned by Clyde Orange, Dennis Lambert and Franne Golde, the song "Nightshift" ended up being their biggest post-Lionel Richie hit, reaching #3 on The Billboard Hot 100, and #1 on Billboard's chart for Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles.^[6][7] Paying tribute to the late soul singers Marvin Gaye and Jackie Wilson who both died in 1984, the song "Nightshift" also earned the group its first and only Grammy.^[6][8]

Although never reaching the success of the "Nightshift" single, two other tracks from the album were released. Regarded as an out-of-the-ordinary track for the Commodores, "Animal Instinct," featuring Orange on lead vocals, was released almost six months after "Nightshift," and petered out at #23 on the R&B charts, while only making it to #43 on the pop charts.^[9]The single, "Janet," barely made Billboard's Top 100 and never made it into the R&B top 50; however, it did reach #8 on the Adult Contemporary charts.^[10]

With their follow-up album, United, only reaching #17 on the R&B charts, Nightshift would become The Commodores last album to grace the top ten,^[11] and the song "Nightshift" would be their second-to-last song to reach the top ten, with 1986's "Goin' to the Bank" being their last.^[10]

Track listing

1. "Animal Instinct"
2. "Nightshift"
3. "I Keep Running"
4. "Lay Back"
5. "Slip of the Tongue"
6. "Play This Record Twice"
7. "Janet"
8. "Woman in My Life"
9. "Lighting Up the Night"

References

1. ^ Allmusic review
2. ^ Rolling Stone review
3. ^ Allmusic.com: Commodores 13 Overview Retrieved Nov. 6, 2007.
4. ^ ^{a b} AllMusic.com Nightshift Overview Retrieved Nov. 6, 2007
5. ^ AllMusic.com: James Anthony Carmichael Retrieved Nov. 6, 2007.
6. ^ ^{a b} Allmusic.com Song Review: Nightshift. Retrieved Nov. 6, 2007.
7. ^ Allmusic.com: Nightshift Billboard Singles Charts & Awards. Retrieved Nov. 6, 2007.
8. ^ Allmusic.com: Commodores Biography. Retrieved Nov. 6, 2007.
9. ^ Allmusic.com: "Animal Instinct" Song Review. Retrieved Nov. 6, 2007.
10. ^ ^{a b} Allmusic.com: Full List of Commodores Billboard Singles. Retrieved Nov. 6, 2007
11. ^ Allmusic.com: Commodores full list of Billboard albums. Retrieved Nov. 6, 2007

External links

• The Official Commodores Website
• AllMusic.com: Nightshift Overview

See also

• Commodores
• Lionel Richie
• Nightshift Single