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City Lights (Dr. John album)

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City Lights
Studio album by
Released1978
Recorded1978
Studio
Length38:29
LabelHorizon (SP-732)
ProducerTommy LiPuma, Hugh McCracken
Dr. John chronology
Hollywood Be Thy Name
(1975)
City Lights
(1978)
Tango Palace
(1979)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music[2]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[3]

City Lights is an album by Dr. John, his first for Horizon Records.[4] It was released in 1978.[3][5]

Neon Park provided the album artwork.[citation needed]

Production

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Doc Pomus collaborated with Dr. John on a few of the album's songs.[6]

Critical reception

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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."[7]

Entertainment Weekly wrote that the album "established Dr. John as a skilled songwriter."[8] Phoenix New Times deemed "He's a Hero" " the ultimate hipster-in-the-night song."[9] 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."[10]

Track listing

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

Side One

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  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

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  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

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Musicians

References

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  1. ^ Jurek, Thom. "City Lights - Dr. John" at AllMusic. Retrieved 8 October 2011.
  2. ^ Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 3. MUZE. p. 112.
  3. ^ a b The Rolling Stone Album Guide. Random House. 1992. pp. 204–205.
  4. ^ "Dr. John | Biography & History". AllMusic.
  5. ^ Buckley, Peter (April 5, 2003). The Rough Guide to Rock. Rough Guides. ISBN 9781843531050 – via Google Books.
  6. ^ Friedman, Josh Alan (April 5, 2008). Tell the Truth Until They Bleed: Coming Clean in the Dirty World of Blues and Rock 'n' Roll. Hal Leonard Corporation. ISBN 9780879309329 – via Google Books.
  7. ^ Gilday, Katherine (7 Feb 1979). "INSIDE THE SLEEVE City Lights". The Globe and Mail: F9.
  8. ^ "Dr. John". EW.com.
  9. ^ Friedman, Josh Alan (April 6, 1995). "HIGH PRIEST OF EVERYTHINGDOC POMUS CRAFTED ENOUGH MAGIC MOMENTS TO FILL A MILLION JUKEBOXES". Phoenix New Times.
  10. ^ "R.I.P. Dr. John: 10 Essential Cuts from the Soul, Funk and Boogie Woogie Great". Billboard.