City Lights (Dr. John album)

City Lights is an album by Dr. John, his first for Horizon Records. It was released in 1978.

Neon Park provided the album artwork.

Production

Doc Pomus collaborated with Dr. John on a few of the album's songs.

Critical reception

The Globe and Mail wrote that Dr. John's "honky-tonk piano sounds especially fine and strange against the lushness of strings - the title song virtually drips with sweet decadence." DownBeat concluded, "In all, City Lights casts a fresh beam on the multi-talented Rebennack. His music is an amalgamation of American culture, all of it rendered with a style, wit and grace distinctly his own."

Entertainment Weekly wrote that the album "established Dr. John as a skilled songwriter." Phoenix New Times deemed "He's a Hero" " the ultimate hipster-in-the-night song." Writing after the musician's death, Billboard thought that the title track, "combining stride piano, strings and an evocative lyric, displays a subtlety Dr. John wouldn’t fully commit to again."

Track listing

All songs written by Mac Rebennack (Dr. John) except where noted

Side one

1. "Dance the Night Away with You" (Rebennack, Doc Pomus) – 4:06
2. "Street Side" – 6:01
3. "Wild Honey" (Rebennack, Bobby Charles) – 4:10
4. "Rain" – 4:48

Side two

1. "Snake Eyes" – 6:44
2. "Fire of Love" (Rebennack, Alvin Robinson) – 3:58
3. "Sonata (instrumental)/He's a Hero" (Pomus, Rebennack) – 5:20
4. "City Lights" (Pomus, Rebennack) – 3:22

Personnel

Musicians

• Dr. John – piano, vocals, Fender Rhodes and clavinet on "Street Side", Fender Rhodes on "Rain"
• Hugh McCracken – acoustic & electric guitars, Moog synthesizer on "Fire of Love", harmonica on "Street Side"
• John Tropea – acoustic & electric guitars
• Will Lee – bass guitar
• Steve Gadd – drums
• Richard Tee – Fender Rhodes, Hammond organ, clavinet, synthesizer, piano
• Arthur Jenkins – percussion
• Charlie Miller – cornet
• Neil Larsen – Hammond organ on "Street Side" and "Fire of Love"
• George Young – tenor saxophone
• David Sanborn – alto saxophone
• Ronnie Cuber – baritone saxophone
• Barry Rogers – trombone
• Ronnie Barron – background vocals
• George & Nancy Jones – background vocals
• Tamiya Lynn – background vocals
• Alvin Robinson – background vocals
• Plas Johnson – tenor saxophone on "Fire of Love" and "He's a Hero"
• Alvin Batiste – clarinet solo on "He's a Hero"
• Buzz Feiten – guitar solo on "Snake Eyes"

Technical

• Tommy LiPuma – producer
• Hugh McCracken – producer
• Hank Cicalo – engineer
• Kevin Herron – engineer
• Al Schmitt – engineer, mixing
• Don Henderson – assistant engineer
• David Prentice – assistant engineer
• Erick Labson – mastering
• Mike Reese – mastering
• Christine Martin – production assistant
• Cameron Mizell – production coordination
• Hollis King – art direction
• Isabelle Wong – design
• Neon Park – cover painting

Arrangements

• Dr. John – horn arrangements, rhythm arrangements
• Hugh McCracken – horn arrangements, rhythm arrangements
• Claus Ogerman – string arrangements, conductor

References