Nightbirds

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Nightbirds
Nightbirds cover
Studio album by Labelle
Released September 13, 1974
Recorded N/A
Genre Disco/soul
Length 36:4
Label Epic Records
Producer Allen Toussaint
Professional reviews
Labelle chronology
Pressure Cookin'
(1973)		 Nightbirds
(1974)		 Phoenix
(1975)

Nightbirds is a 1974 album by Labelle. In 2003, the album was ranked number 272 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.

Labelle consisted of Patti LaBelle, Nona Hendryx, and Sarah Dash, and Nightbirds was their fourth album under that name after reinventing themselves radically as a result of their encounters with Vicki Wickham and Laura Nyro in the early 1970s.

Like the previous three Labelle albums, Nightbirds consisted of a mixture of original songs by Nona Hendryx and a number of covers, including two by Allen Toussaint. The single "Lady Marmalade" broke their space-funk style and glittery stage costumes into the mainstream and remains by far their best-known song. It topped the Billboard Pop singles chart, driving Nightbirds to #7 on the pop album charts, but the lack of a follow-up single made it difficult for Labelle to maintain their success.

[edit] Track listing

  1. "Lady Marmalade" (Bob Crewe, Keith Nolan) – 3:56
  2. "Somebody Somewhere" (Nona Hendryx) – 3:25
  3. "Are You Lonely?" (Nona Hendryx) – 3:12
  4. "It Took a Long Time" (Raymond Bloodworth, L. Brown, Bob Crewe) – 4:03
  5. "Don't Bring Me Down" (Allen Toussaint) – 2:48
  6. "What Can I Do for You?" (Edward Batts, James R. Budd Ellison) – 4:02
  7. "Nightbird" (Nona Hendryx) – 3:09
  8. "Space Children" (Nona Hendryx) – 3:02
  9. "All Girl Band" (Allen Toussaint) – 3:50
  10. "You Turn Me On" (Nona Hendryx) – 4:37