''Backless'' is the sixth full-length studio album by Eric Clapton. 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 m ...

, ''Backless'' reached No. 8 on the pop charts. While the single "

Promises A promise is a transaction whereby a person makes a vow or the suggestion of a guarantee. Promise(s) may also refer to: Places * Promise, Oregon *Promise, South Dakota *Promise City, Iowa *Promise Land, Tennessee or Promise Film and TV * ''Pro ...

" 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", 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 company ...

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 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 collabo ...

) – 4:16 #" Watch Out for Lucy" (Eric Clapton) – 3:26 #" I'll Make Love to You Anytime" ( J. J. Cale) – 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 ...

) – 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) #"

" ( 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" ( Danny Flowers) – 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 * Carl Radle – 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 wa ...

– 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 attend ...

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 entries, 4 US Country No ...

– 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 R ...

, 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