Rachel Sweet - Shadows of the Night (1981)

Originally by D.L. Byron, Rachel recorded this a year before Pat Benatar had a big hit with it. Released on the 1981 album, "And Then He Kissed Me".

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Rachel
• Sweet
• shadows
• of
• the
• night

[ginostats]

Rachel has a writing credit on this, i don't know if it's because lyrics differ from Benatar version...

[ILoveJenni47]

@ginostats Yes, it's because she altered some of the lyrics from the original D.L. Byron version.

[rocknrollphilip]

man....her singing just knocks me out. i've recently (finally..) ordered this album. thanks for posting this intense vocal!

[ILoveJenni47]

You're welcome, glad you discovered Rachel!

[corp2jonesa]

Thank you for posting this; Rachel Sweet is one of my favourite singers and I think she was much under rated and appreciated; this is possibly my favourite song of hers

[ILoveJenni47]

You're welcome!

[bemchgo]

With a voice like that, she really should have been much bigger. Isn't it amazing some of the no-talents that do make big?

[inhouserecordingstud]

Rachel was the first video DJ for the comedy channel. She was buds with Lene Lovitch-Stiff Records. Saw her in 79 at the Bayou in DC. Fab!!!!

Always loved her and even named my daughter after her-Rachel-Lee (it's a southern thang)

:)

[DodgerOfZion]

I like this version better than Benatar's overproduced single. Reminds me way too much of Springsteen and E Street to NOT be awesome.

[TwistedSister09]

This is sweet. But I love Pat Benatar's version better.

[albcwc]

There is no contest. The Benatar version is a very good record, but it simply cannot compete with Rachel Sweet's performance here. Sorry. The only weak part of this version that absurd Springsteenesque sax solo -- should have dropped that in favor of something with strings. Other than that, just no contest.

[SuperDrJeckyl]

Let me add to the amen chorus. Much superior to Benatar's version. More raw vocal and I love the sax solo. I loved this stripped down version not overly produced. The voice is much more soulful.

[bewareofzealots]

In my opinion better than Pat Benatar's. Pat Benatar's singing is wonderful, but her version sounds so over-produced. Rachel Sweet's voice is so lush and rich I know she could carry this one A Capella. What an extraordinary talent. She should have been a superstar - though to me, she is.

[darwinjr]

This is so much better than the Benatar version -- sounds like a 60s/Phil Spector produced song (yeah I know, but he still produced great songs).

[99somerville]

I think Rachel's version is superior to Benatar,s. She has an amazing voice. Too bad she stopped doing albums.

[sm1else]

@aculturemind I gotta stand up for Benatar's drummer here. I love me some Myron Grombacher. One of the best drummers ever. I think he drummed for Lita Ford for a couple of albums while working with Benatar. And I have to hand it to Pat. She behaves more like a band frontwoman than a solo artist, and her band is always top-notch (especially Neil Giraldo). I will grant that the video for Benatar's Shadows was really stupid, right down to the director casting her Jewish drummer as a Nazi.

[usrt46]

with the Sax and the Glock it has an E Street band feel to it

[DENo1MatchGameFan]

Pat Benatar OWNED this song, but at least Rachael's version isn't as bad as the Ashley TIsdale version!