Night Birds (album) explained

Night Birds
Type:	studio
Artist:	Shakatak
Cover:	Night Birds (album).jpg
Released:	May 1982
Studio:	Jacobs Studios (Surrey) Pye Studio II (London)
Genre:	Jazz-Funk, crossover
Length:	43:32
Label:	Polydor
Producer:	Nigel Wright
Prev Title:	Drivin' Hard
Prev Year:	1981
Next Title:	Invitations
Next Year:	1982

Night Birds, released in 1982 on the Polydor label, is the second album by English jazz-funk band Shakatak. Night Birds established Shakatak's trademark jazz-funk sound, and contains two of the band's biggest hits, "Easier Said than Done" and "Night Birds", the former reaching the No. 12 spot in 1981, the latter climbing to No. 9 in the following year.

Track listing

• All tracks written by William "Bill" Sharpe and Roger Odell except where indicated.

Side 1:

1. "Night Birds" – 6:25
2. "Streetwalkin'" – 5:30
3. "Rio Nights" – 5:18
4. "Fly the Wind" – 4:20

Side 2:

1. "Easier Said Than Done" – 6:10
2. "Bitch to the Boys" – 6:28
3. "Light on My Life" – 4:48
4. "Takin' Off" (William "Bill" Sharpe) – 5:08

• Produced by Nigel Wright.

Charts

Chart (1982/83)	Peak position
Australia (Kent Music Report)^[1]	52
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)^[2]	35
United Kingdom (Official Charts Company)^[3]	4

Personnel

• Bill Sharpe – Bösendorfer grand piano, Fender Rhodes electric piano; Oberheim OB-X synthesizer, ARP Odyssey and Prophet-10 synthesisers
• Nigel Wright – Fender Rhodes electric piano, Oberheim OB-X & Prophet-10 synthesisers, trombone, brass arrangements
• Keith Winter – Yamaha SG2000 & Gibson ES-345 electric guitars, Ovation acoustic guitar; Mesa Boogie amplification and Custom Pedal Board
• George Anderson – Music Man StingRay and G&L 2000E electric basses
• Roger Odell – Sonor drums, Avedis Zildjian cymbals
• Jill Saward – vocals
• Jackie Rawe – vocals (also lead vocal on "Streetwalkin'")

Additional personnel

• Vocals by Lorna Bannon; lead vocal on "Light on My Life"
• Percussion, Portuguese translation and vocal on "Rio Nights" by Simon Morton
• Trumpet by Stuart Brooks
• Saxophone solos on "Streetwalkin'" and "Light on My Life" by Dick Morrissey (courtesy of Beggars Banquet)

External links

• Shakatak - Night Birds (1982) album review by Sharon Mawer, credits & releases at AllMusic
• Shakatak - Night Birds (1982) album releases & credits at Discogs
• Shakatak - Night Birds (1982) album to be listened as stream on Spotify

Notes and References

1. Book: Kent, David. David Kent (historian). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. illustrated. Australian Chart Book. St Ives, N.S.W.. 1993. 0-646-11917-6. 269.
2. Web site: 1982-10-31 . Top 40 New Zealand Albums Chart . https://web.archive.org/web/20230221104934/https://nztop40.co.nz/chart/render_pdf?pdf=355_31.10.1982_chartpdf.pdf . 2023-02-21 . 2023-02-21 . Official NZ Music Chart.
3. Book: Roberts , David . 2006. British Hit Singles & Albums. 19th. Guinness World Records Limited . London. 1-904994-10-5. 492.