''August'' is the tenth solo studio album by

Eric Clapton Eric Patrick Clapton (born 1945) is an English rock and blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He is often regarded as one of the most successful and influential guitarists in rock music. Clapton ranked second in ''Rolling Stone''s list of ...

, released in 1986 by Duck Records/

Warner Bros. Records Warner Records Inc. (formerly Warner Bros. Records Inc.) is an American record label. A subsidiary of the Warner Music Group, it is headquartered in Los Angeles, California. It was founded on March 19, 1958, as the recorded music division of the ...

. Described as a "hard R&B" album, it was primarily produced by

Phil Collins Philip David Charles Collins (born 30 January 1951) is an English singer, musician, songwriter, record producer and actor. He was the drummer and lead singer of the rock band Genesis and also has a career as a solo performer. Between 1982 and ...

, in association with longtime Clapton associate

Tom Dowd Thomas John Dowd (October 20, 1925 – October 27, 2002) was an American recording engineer and producer for Atlantic Records. He was credited with innovating the multitrack recording method. Dowd worked on a veritable "who's who" of recordings ...

Composition

The album opens with the Dowd-Clapton produced "

It's in the Way That You Use It "It's in the Way That You Use It" is a song which was written by the English rock musician Eric Clapton in collaboration with The Band's guitarist and composer Robbie Robertson. The song was recorded and performed by Eric Clapton, who released ...

", co-written with

Robbie Robertson Jaime Royal "Robbie" Robertson, OC (born July 5, 1943), is a Canadian musician. He is best known for his work as lead guitarist and songwriter for the Band, and for his career as a solo recording artist. With the deaths of Richard Manuel in ...

, late of The Band. It featured in the

Paul Newman Paul Leonard Newman (January 26, 1925 – September 26, 2008) was an American actor, film director, race car driver, philanthropist, and entrepreneur. He was the recipient of numerous awards, including an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, three ...

Tom Cruise Thomas Cruise Mapother IV (born July 3, 1962), known professionally as Tom Cruise, is an American actor and producer. One of the world's highest-paid actors, he has received various accolades, including an Honorary Palme d'Or and three Gol ...

film ''

The Color of Money ''The Color of Money'' is a 1986 American sports drama film directed by Martin Scorsese and released by Touchstone Pictures. The film was created from a screenplay by Richard Price, based on the 1984 novel of the same name by Walter Tevis. The ...

'' in October 1986, a month before the album's release, subsequently reaching No. 1 on the

Mainstream Rock Tracks Mainstream Rock is a music chart in ''Billboard'' magazine that ranks the most-played songs on mainstream rock radio stations in the United States, a category that combines the formats of active rock and heritage rock. The chart was launched in Ma ...

chart for one week. Two tracks, "Run" and "Hung Up On Your Love", were written by veteran

Motown Motown Records is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. It was founded by Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on June 7, 1958, and incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmanteau of ''moto ...

composer

Lamont Dozier Lamont Herbert Dozier (; June 16, 1941 – August 8, 2022) was an American singer, songwriter, and record producer from Detroit, Michigan. He co-wrote and produced 14 US ''Billboard'' number-one hits and four number ones in the UK. Career Doz ...

while "

Tearing Us Apart "Tearing Us Apart" is a song recorded by English blues rock guitarist and singer Eric Clapton on his 1986 album ''August'', produced by Phil Collins. The song was about "the committee", the group of Pattie Boyd's friends whom Clapton blamed for co ...

" was a duet with

Tina Turner Tina Turner (born Anna Mae Bullock; November 26, 1939) is an American-born Swiss retired singer and actress. Widely referred to as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Queen of Rock 'n' Roll", she rose to prominence as the lead singer o ...

and "Bad Influence" was a cover of a number by blues musician

Robert Cray Robert William Cray (born August 1, 1953) is an American blues guitarist and singer. He has led his own band and won five Grammy Awards. Early life Robert Cray was born on August 1, 1953, in Columbus, Georgia, while his father was stationed at ...

. "Holy Mother", co-written with Stephen Bishop, was dedicated to the memory of another member of The Band,

Richard Manuel Richard George Manuel (April 3, 1943 – March 4, 1986) was a Canadian singer, multi-instrumentalist, and songwriter, best known as a pianist and one of three lead singers in The Band, for which he was posthumously inducted into the Rock and ...

, who had taken his own life earlier that year. The album's only UK top 20 hit, "

Behind the Mask Behind the Mask may refer to: Film and television * ''Behind the Mask'' (1932 film), a film featuring Boris Karloff * ''Behind the Mask'' (1936 film) or ''The Man Behind the Mask'', a British mystery film by Michael Powell * ''Behind the Mas ...

", was recorded at the suggestion of

Greg Phillinganes Gregory Arthur Phillinganes (born May 12, 1956) is an American keyboardist, singer-songwriter, and musical director based in Los Angeles, California. A prolific session musician, Phillinganes has contributed the role of keyboards to numerous alb ...

. Legend has it that upon hearing

Yellow Magic Orchestra Yellow Magic Orchestra (YMO for short) is a Japanese electronic music band formed in Tokyo in 1978 by Haruomi Hosono (bass, keyboards, vocals), Yukihiro Takahashi (drums, lead vocals) and Ryuichi Sakamoto (keyboards, vocals). The group is conside ...

's original track, around 1980–82, producer

Quincy Jones Quincy Delight Jones Jr. (born March 14, 1933) is an American record producer, musician, songwriter, composer, arranger, and film and television producer. His career spans 70 years in the entertainment industry with a record of 80 Grammy Award n ...

fell in love with the track, and he and

Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Over a ...

recorded their own version with new lyrics by Jackson during his '' Thriller'' sessions. The track never made the ''Thriller'' album but Phillinganes, at the time keyboard player for Jackson, later released his own version of the song on his 1984 ''

Pulse In medicine, a pulse represents the tactile arterial palpation of the cardiac cycle (heartbeat) by trained fingertips. The pulse may be palpated in any place that allows an artery to be compressed near the surface of the body, such as at the nec ...

'' album, which resembles the Clapton version that became ''Augusts lead single in the UK. Jackson's version was finally released in 2010 on the posthumous album ''

Michael Michael may refer to: People * Michael (given name), a given name * Michael (surname), including a list of people with the surname Michael Given name "Michael" * Michael (archangel), ''first'' of God's archangels in the Jewish, Christian an ...

''. Clapton's studio band for the album included Collins on drums and backing vocals, bassist

Nathan East Nathan Harrell East (born December 8, 1955) is an American jazz, R&B, and rock bass player and vocalist. With more than 2,000 recordings, East is one of the most recorded bass players in the history of music. East holds a Bachelor of Arts degr ...

and keyboard player

; saxophonist

Michael Brecker Michael Leonard Brecker (March 29, 1949 – January 13, 2007) was an American jazz saxophonist and composer. He was awarded 15 Grammy Awards as both performer and composer. He was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from Berklee College of M ...

, trumpeters

Randy Brecker Randal Edward Brecker (born November 27, 1945) is an American trumpeter, flugelhornist, and composer. His versatility has made him a popular studio musician who has recorded with acts in jazz, rock, and R&B. Early life Brecker was born on Nov ...

and

Jon Faddis Jon Faddis (born July 24, 1953) is an American jazz trumpet player, conductor, composer, and educator, renowned for both his playing and for his expertise in the field of music education. Upon his first appearance on the scene, he became known ...

, and trombone player

Dave Bargeron David W. Bargeron (born September 6, 1942) is an American trombonist and tuba player who was a member of the jazz-rock group Blood, Sweat & Tears. Career Bargeron was lead trombonist with Clark Terry's Big Band and played bass trombone and tub ...

. Collins, East and Phillinganes would recreate their studio roles for Clapton's acclaimed live appearances over the next two years. Veering between Collins soul/pop and Clapton blues/rock, ''August'' cemented Clapton's comeback.

Track listing

" (Eric Clapton,

) – 4:11 #"Run" (

) – 3:39 #"

" (with

) (Clapton,

) – 4:15 #"Bad Influence" (

, Michael Vannice) – 5:09 #"Walk Away" ( Richard Feldman,

Marcella Detroit Marcella Levy (born June 21, 1952), known professionally as Marcy Levy and (later in her career) Marcella Detroit, is an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist. She co-wrote the 1977 Eric Clapton hit "Lay Down Sally" and released her debut al ...

) – 3:52 #"Hung Up on Your Love" (Dozier) – 3:53 #"Take a Chance" (Clapton,

, Phillinganes) – 4:54 #"Hold On" (Clapton,

) – 4:56 #"Miss You" (Clapton,

Bobby Colomby Robert Wayne Colomby (born 20 December 1944) is a jazz-rock fusion drummer, record producer and television presenter. He is best known as an original member of the group Blood, Sweat & Tears, which he co-founded in 1967. He has also played with ...

, Phillinganes) – 5:06 #"Holy Mother" ( Stephen Bishop, Clapton) – 4:55 #"

" (

Chris Mosdell Christopher John Mosdell (born 9 November 1949) is a British lyricist, poet, author, composer, vocalist and illustrator based in Tokyo, Japan, and New York City, United States. He has collaborated with an extensive array of musicians and artist ...

Ryuichi Sakamoto is a Japanese composer, pianist, singer, record producer and actor who has pursued a diverse range of styles as a solo artist and as a member of Yellow Magic Orchestra (YMO). With his bandmates Haruomi Hosono and Yukihiro Takahashi, Sakamoto inf ...

) – 4:47 #"Grand Illusion" (Bob Farrell, Dave Robbins, Charles Robbins, Van Stephenson) – 6:23 (CD only) Some tracks were recorded for the album, but not included: #"Wanna Make Love to You" (released on the "Behind the Mask" single; later included on ''

Crossroads Crossroads, crossroad, cross road or similar may refer to: * Crossroads (junction), where four roads meet Film and television Films * ''Crossroads'' (1928 film), a 1928 Japanese film by Teinosuke Kinugasa * ''Cross Roads'' (film), a 1930 Brit ...

'') #"Lady of Verona" (unissued) #"Walking the White Line" (unissued)

Personnel

– guitars, lead vocals *

Gary Brooker Gary Brooker (29 May 1945 – 19 February 2022) was an English singer and pianist, and the founder and lead singer of the rock band Procol Harum. Early life Born in Hackney Hospital, East London, on 29 May 1945, Brooker grew up in Hackney ...

– keyboards (1), backing vocals (1) * Richard Cottle – synthesizers (1) *

– keyboards (2-12), backing vocals (2-12) * Richard Feldman – additional keyboards (5) *

Larry Williams Larry Williams (born Lawrence Eugene Williams, a.k.a. Lawrence Edward Williams; May 10, 1935 – January 7, 1980) was an American rhythm and blues and rock and roll singer, songwriter, producer, and pianist from New Orleans, Louisiana. Williams ...

– synthesizer programming *

Laurence Cottle Laurence Cottle (born 16 December 1961) is a Welsh bass guitarist and composer. Career His solo recordings have been mostly in jazz and jazz fusion. He was a member of the fusion quartet The Fents and appeared on their second album, ''The Ot ...

– bass (1) *

– bass (2-12) *

Henry Spinetti Enrico Antonio Giorgio Spinetti (born 31 March 1951) is a Welsh session musician, session drummer whose playing has featured on many prominent rock and pop albums. Career Spinetti was born in Cwm, Blaenau Gwent, Cwm, near Ebbw Vale, Monmouthshir ...

– drums (1) *

– drums (2-12), percussion (2-12), backing vocals (2-12) *

– saxophones (2, 4, 6, 7, 9) *

– trombone (2, 4, 6, 7, 9) *

– trumpet (2, 4, 6, 7, 9) *

Leon Pendarvis Leroy Leon Pendarvis (born 1945) is an American session musician. He plays keyboards and is a background vocalist. He is also an occasional guitarist. The artists he has worked with over the years include Bonnie Raitt on her ''Streetlights'' albu ...

– horn arrangements (2, 4, 6, 7, 9) *

– lead vocals (3), backing vocals (8) *

Katie Kissoon Mac and Katie Kissoon are a pop soul duo, consisting of brother and sister Mac Kissoon (born Gerald Farthing, November 11, 1943, Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago) and Katie Kissoon (born Katherine Farthing, March 11, 1951, Port of Spain). Ea ...

– backing vocals (7, 10, 11) * Magic Moreno – backing vocals (7) *

Tessa Niles Tessa Margaret Niles ( ''née'' Webb; born 27 January 1961 in Ilford, Essex) is an English singer, best known as a backing singer for a wide variety of contemporary artists. She began her professional singing career in 1979. Early life and ca ...

– backing vocals (7, 10, 11)

Production

* Producers – Eric Clapton (Track 1); Tom Dowd (Tracks 1–12); Phil Collins (Tracks 2–12). * Engineers – Steve Chase and John Jacobs (Track 1); Paul Gommersall, Peter Hefter and Magic Moreno (Tracks 2–12). * Photography – Terry O'Neill * Photography Assistant – Tony Burdett * Artwork – Zarkowski Designs, Ltd. * Management – Roger Forrester

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Singles

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:August (Album) Eric Clapton albums 1986 albums Albums produced by Phil Collins Albums produced by Tom Dowd Reprise Records albums Warner Records albums