Thief in the Night (album)

Thief in the Night
Studio album by
Released1985
Studio
Genre
Length38:10
LabelElektra
ProducerGeorge Duke
George Duke chronology
Rendezvous
(1984)
Thief in the Night
(1985)
George Duke
(1986)
Singles from Thief in the Night
  1. "Thief in the Night"
    Released: 1985
  2. "I Surrender"
    Released: 1985
  3. "Love Mission"
    Released: 1985
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusicStarStar[1]
People(favourable)[2]

Thief in the Night is the eighteenth studio album by American keyboardist and record producer George Duke. It was released in 1985 through Elektra Records, making it his first release on the label. The recording sessions for the album took place at Le Gonks West in West Hollywood, California. Duke played various keyboard instruments on the album, including Synclavier II, Memorymoog, Fender Rhodes, Sequential Circuits Prophet-5, clavinet, Yamaha P F15 and Minimoog. The album features contributions from Lynn Davis, Paul Jackson Jr, Paulinho da Costa, Robert Brookins and Deniece Williams among others.

The album peaked at number 183 on the Billboard 200 and number 52 on Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. Its lead single, a title track "Thief in the Night", reached number 37 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, number 21 on the Dance Club Songs, and number 89 in the UK Singles Chart. Its second single "I Surrender" and a promotional single "Love Mission" did not chart.

Track listing

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."I Surrender"3:32
2."Thief in the Night"George Duke4:47
3."Remembering the Sixties"
4:34
4."We're Supposed to Have Fun"4:25
5."Ride"George Duke3:54
6."Love Mission"
4:24
7."Jam"George Duke5:11
8."Why"George Duke4:12
9."La La"3:37
Total length:38:10

Personnel

Musicians

Vocalists

  • George Duke – all vocals (1, 5, 7), lead vocals (2–4, 6, 9), backing vocals (2–4, 6, 8)
  • Lynn Davis – backing vocals (2–4, 6, 9), handclaps (4)
  • Lena Sunday – backing vocals (2, 3, 6)
  • Robert Brookins – backing vocals (3, 4)
  • Carl Carwell – backing vocals (3, 4, 6, 9)
  • Alice Murrell – backing vocals (3)
  • Petsey Powell – backing vocals (4), handclaps (4)
  • Deniece Williams – backing vocals (6, 9)
  • Shirley Jones – backing vocals (7)
  • John Fiore – lead vocals (8), backing vocals (8)
  • Paulinho da Costa – backing vocals (9)
  • Howard Hewett – backing vocals (9)
Party sounds on "La La"
  • Corine Duke
  • George Duke
  • Mitch Gibson
  • Paul Jackson Jr.
  • Alice Murrell

Production

  • George Duke – producer
  • Mick Guzauski – recording, mixing (2, 5, 7)
  • Tommy Vicari – recording, mixing (1, 3, 4, 6, 8, 9)
  • Erik Zobler – additional engineer
  • Mitch Gibson – assistant recording engineer, basic tracking (5)
  • Steve Schmidt – assistant mix engineer (1, 3, 4, 6, 8, 9)
  • Rick Clifford – assistant mix engineer (2, 5, 7)
  • Brent Averill – technician
  • Brian Gardner – mastering at Bernie Grundman Mastering (Hollywood, California)
  • Alice Murrell – production assistant
  • Carol Friedman – art direction, sleeve photography
  • JoDee Stringham – design
  • Chris Callis – cover photography
  • Jay Vigon – cover concept
  • Richard Seireeni – cover concept
  • Herb Cohen – management

Chart history

Chart (1985) Peak
position
US Billboard 200[3] 183
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[4] 52

References