The single, 'Janet,' barely made Billboard's Top 100 and never made it into the R&B top 50. Regarded as an out-of-the-ordinary track for the Commodores, 'Animal Instinct', with Orange on lead vocals, was released almost six months after 'Nightshift', and reached #23 on the R&B charts, and only #43 on the pop charts. Though not as successful as the 'Nightshift' single, two other tracks from the album were released. Paying tribute to the late soul singers Marvin Gaye and Jackie Wilson, who both died in 1984, 'Nightshift' also earned the group its only Grammy. Written by Walter Orange, Dennis Lambert and Franne Golde, 'Nightshift' was the band's biggest post-Lionel Richie hit, reaching #3 on The Billboard Hot 100, and #1 on Billboard's chart for top R&B/hip-hop singles. By and large, the album's popularity was due to its hit title track, ' Nightshift'.

Other musicians that play on this album include: Peter Wolf, Paul Fox, John Robinson, Neil Stubenhaus, Jeff Lorber, Peter Maunu, Harold Hudson, Dennis Lambert, Paulinho da Costa, Vinnie Colaiuta, Jerry Hey, Gary Grant, Gary Herbig and Larry Williams.ĭespite the album's middling reviews, it remained in the top of the R&B charts in the US for a month, and it peaked at #3 on the pop chart. Dennis Lambert was chosen as producer, the Commodores hoping to find the same magic created by producer/arranger James Anthony Carmichael, with whom they had worked since 1974 and who was a major impetus in their earlier success. For Nightshift the Commodores permanently replaced Richie with British-born J.D.

Their previous album Commodores 13 (1983) had featured interim lead vocalist Harold Hudson of Mean Machine. Nightshift is the Commodores' second album without Lionel Richie, who left the band in 1982, and their last album with their original bass guitarist Ronald LaPread.

Commodores nightshift live