''Backless'' is the sixth full-length 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 ...

. Produced by

Glyn Johns Glyn Thomas Johns (born 15 February 1942) is an English musician, recording engineer and record producer. Biography Early history Johns was born in Epsom, Surrey, England. He had three siblings, two older sisters and a younger brother, Andy ...

, and released by

RSO Records RSO Records was a record label formed by rock and roll and musical theatre impresario Robert Stigwood and record executive Al Coury in 1973. The letters "RSO" stood for the Robert Stigwood Organisation. RSO managed the careers of several maj ...

, ''Backless'' reached No. 8 on the pop charts. While the single " Promises" only reached No. 37 in the UK, it was a much bigger success in the US, reaching No. 9 on the Billboard charts. The follow-up single, "

Watch Out for Lucy "Watch Out for Lucy" is the B-side of the single " Promises" released by the British rock musician Eric Clapton in September 1978 of his studio album ''Backless''. Composition, release and success The song's lyrics and music were written by Cla ...

", was the

B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record compan ...

of "Promises", but reached No. 40 on the Billboard charts on its own merit. Later in 1980 "Tulsa Time" was US #30 with 1977 song "Cocaine" as B-side. It was Clapton's last studio album to feature his longtime bassist

Carl Radle Carl Dean Radle (June 18, 1942 – May 30, 1980) was an American bassist who toured and recorded with many of the most influential recording artists of the late 1960s and 1970s. He was posthumously inducted to the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame in ...

who died in 1980.

Track listing

#"Walk Out in the Rain" (

Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan, born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Often regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture during a career sp ...

Helena Springs Helena Lisandrello, known professionally as Helena Springs (born 1961), is an American singer. The singer was first a backup vocalist for Bob Dylan, starting in 1978 aged 17, and co-wrote 19 songs with him, more than any of his other collabor ...

) – 4:16 #"

" (Eric Clapton) – 3:26 #"

I'll Make Love to You Anytime ''5'' is the fifth studio album by J. J. Cale. Released in 1979, it was his first album in three years. When the album was re-issued on CD, "Katy Kool Lady" was replaced by a new song listed as "Out of Style," though it was still listed as the ...

" (

J. J. Cale John Weldon "J. J." Cale (December 5, 1938 – July 26, 2013) was an American guitarist, singer, songwriter and sound engineer. Though he avoided the limelight, his influence as a musical artist has been acknowledged by figures such as Mark Knop ...

) – 3:23 #"Roll It" (Clapton,

Marcy Levy 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 ...

) – 3:42 #"Tell Me That You Love Me" (Clapton) – 3:31 #"If I Don't Be There by Morning" (Dylan, Springs) – 4:38 #" Early in the Morning" (Traditional, arranged by Eric Clapton) – 5:25 (LP)/7:58 (CD) #" Promises" ( Richard Feldman,

Roger Linn Roger Curtis Linn is an American designer of electronic musical instruments and equipment. He is the designer of the LM-1, the first drum machine to use samples, and the MPC sampler, which had a major influence on the development of hip ho ...

) – 3:04 #"Golden Ring" (Clapton) – 3:32 #"

Tulsa Time "Tulsa Time" is a song written by Danny Flowers, and recorded by American country music artist Don Williams. It was released in October 1978 as the first single from the album ''Expressions''. It was Williams' eighth number one on the country chart ...

" (

Danny Flowers Daniel W. "Danny" Flowers (born 1948) is an American songwriter, recording artist, and multi-instrumentalist based in Nashville. He is known for creating songs that became hits for other artists. His best-known song is "Tulsa Time" recorded by ...

) – 3:28

Singles

* 1978 – "Promises" (#37 UK; #9 US) * 1979 – "Promises" (International) * 1979 – "Watch Out for Lucy" (#40 US) * 1979 – "Walk Out in the Rain"

Personnel

* Eric Clapton – guitars, lead vocals, arrangements on "Early In the Morning" * Dick Sims – keyboards * George Terry – guitars *

– bass, backing vocals *

Jamie Oldaker James Oldaker (September 5, 1951 – July 16, 2020) was an American rock music, blues rock and country music drummer and percussionist. Biography James Oldaker was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma. One of the first bands that he was a member of was ...

– drums, percussion, backing vocals *

– backing vocals (lead vocals on "Roll It") *

Benny Gallagher Bernard Joseph "Benny" Gallagher (born 10 June 1945, in Largs, Ayrshire) is a Scottish singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, most famous as half of the popular duo Gallagher and Lyle. Career The son of Irish parents, Gallagher atten ...

and

Graham Lyle Graham Hamilton Lyle (born 11 March 1944, in Bellshill, Lanarkshire, Scotland) is a Scottish singer-songwriter, guitarist and producer. Between 1970 and 1997, he co-wrote 18 British Top 40 hits, 9 Billboard Hot 100, ''Billboard'' Hot 100 entrie ...

– backing vocals on "Golden Ring"

Production

* Producer and Engineer – Glyn Johns * Assistant Engineer –

Jon Astley Jon Astley is a British record producer who has also recorded and released two albums as a singer-songwriter in the late 1980s. His most commercially successful song was "Jane's Getting Serious", later popularized by a Heinz ketchup television ...

* Art Direction and Design – David Stewart and Nello * Photography – Nello * Additional Photography –

Rob Fraboni Robert Alan Fraboni (born 23 April 1951) is an American, California-born record producer and audio engineer, well known for his work with Bob Dylan, The Band, Eric Clapton, The Rolling Stones, Tim Hardin, The Beach Boys, Joe Cocker, and Bonnie Ra ...

, Andy Seymour and Laura K. Sims.

Chart performance

Certifications

References

{{Authority control Eric Clapton albums 1978 albums Albums produced by Glyn Johns RSO Records albums Albums recorded at Olympic Sound Studios