''Footprint'' is the second solo album by American musician

Gary Wright Gary Malcolm Wright (born April 26, 1943) is an American musician and composer best known for his 1976 hit songs " Dream Weaver" and " Love Is Alive", and for his role in helping establish the synthesizer as a leading instrument in rock and po ...

, released in 1971 on

A&M Records A&M Records was an American record label founded as an independent company by Herb Alpert and Jerry Moss in 1962. Due to the success of the discography A&M released, the label garnered interest and was acquired by PolyGram in 1989 and began distr ...

. It contains "Stand for Our Rights", an anthem-like song calling for social unity that was issued as a single in advance of the album. Wright recorded the majority of ''Footprint'' in London with a large cast of musicians – including

George Harrison George Harrison (25 February 1943 – 29 November 2001) was an English musician and singer-songwriter who achieved international fame as the lead guitarist of the Beatles. Sometimes called "the quiet Beatle", Harrison embraced Indian c ...

Hugh McCracken Hugh Carmine McCracken (March 31, 1942 – March 28, 2013) was an American rock guitarist and session musician based in New York City, primarily known for his performance on guitar and also as a harmonica player. McCracken was additionally ...

, Alan White,

Klaus Voormann Klaus Otto Wilhelm Voormann (born 29 April 1938) is a German artist, musician, and record producer. Voormann was the bassist for Manfred Mann from 1966 to 1969, and performed as a session musician on a host of recordings, including "You're So V ...

, Jim Gordon,

Jim Keltner James Lee Keltner (born April 27, 1942) is an American drummer and percussionist known primarily for his session work. He was characterized by Bob Dylan biographer Howard Sounes as "the leading session drummer in America".Howard Sounes. ''Down ...

and

Bobby Keys Robert Henry Keys (December 18, 1943 – December 2, 2014) was an American saxophonist who performed with other musicians as a member of several horn sections of the 1970s. He appears on albums by the Rolling Stones, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Harry Ni ...

– many of whom, like Wright, had played on Harrison's ''

All Things Must Pass ''All Things Must Pass'' is the third studio album by English rock musician George Harrison. Released as a triple album in November 1970, it was Harrison's first solo work after the break-up of the Beatles in April that year. It includes the h ...

'' triple album in 1970. Harrison's contributions included an uncredited role as producer, and serve as an example of his support for Wright during the early stages of the latter's solo career. The ballad "Love to Survive" is one of three tracks that feature an orchestral arrangement by

John Barham John Barham is an English classical pianist, composer, arranger, producer and educator. He is best known for his orchestration of George Harrison albums such as ''All Things Must Pass'' (1970) and for his association with Indian sitar maestro R ...

. To promote ''Footprint'' in America, Wright performed the song "Two Faced Man" on ''

The Dick Cavett Show ''The Dick Cavett Show'' was the title of several talk shows hosted by Dick Cavett on various television networks, including: * ABC daytime, (March 4, 1968–January 24, 1969) originally titled ''This Morning'' * ABC prime time, Tuesdays, We ...

'', backed by his short-lived band Wonderwheel, with Harrison as guest guitarist. Although it received favorable reviews from some music critics, the album failed to chart in the US or Britain. After recording and touring with Wonderwheel through 1972, Wright rejoined his former band

Spooky Tooth Spooky Tooth were an English rock band originally formed in Carlisle in 1967. Principally active between 1967 and 1974, the band re-formed several times in later years. History Prior to Spooky Tooth, four of the band's five founding members h ...

, before returning as a solo artist with his breakthrough album, ''

The Dream Weaver ''The Dream Weaver'' is a solo album by Gary Wright released in July 1975. The album was said by Wright to be the first-ever all-keyboard album (though there were many all-synthesizer LPs before this, including ''Switched-On Bach'' by Wendy C ...

'' (1975). ''Footprint'' was issued on CD in 2005, coupled on a two-disc set with Wright's debut, ''Extraction'' (1970). "Stand for Our Rights" and "Two Faced Man" also appeared on the 1998 compilation ''Best of Gary Wright: The Dream Weaver''. The song "Give Me the Good Earth" was covered by

Manfred Mann's Earth Band Manfred Mann's Earth Band are an English rock band formed by South African musician Manfred Mann (musician), Manfred Mann. Their hits include covers of Bruce Springsteen's "For You (Bruce Springsteen song), For You", "Blinded by the Light" an ...

and provided the title for their 1974 album ''

The Good Earth ''The Good Earth'' is a historical fiction novel by Pearl S. Buck published in 1931 that dramatizes family life in a Chinese village in the early 20th century. It is the first book in her ''House of Earth'' trilogy, continued in ''Sons'' (1932) ...

''.

Background

After leaving the band

in January 1970,Chris Salewicz, "Spooky Tooth Together Again", '' Let It Rock'', February 1973; available a
Rock's Backpages
(subscription required). American keyboard player

remained in London and recorded his debut solo album, ''Extraction'' (1970), with musicians such as guitarist

, German bassist

and future Yes drummer Alan White. That same year, he joined Voormann and White at the sessions for ''

'' (1970),Mojo Flucke
"The Popdose Interview: Gary 'Dream Weaver' Wright"
Popdose, April 3, 2009 (retrieved March 6, 2015).

's first solo release following the break-up of

the Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...

.Melissa Parker
"Gary Wright Interview: The 'Dream Weaver' Gets 'Connected,' Tours with Ringo Starr"
Smashing Interviews, September 28, 2010 (retrieved March 2, 2015). Wright was one of the principal keyboard players on ''All Things Must Pass'' and struck up an enduring friendship with Harrison. Out of gratitude for Wright's musical contributions, Harrison – together with what author Simon Leng terms "half the cast of ''All Things Must Pass''" – participated in the recording of ''Footprint'', Wright's second album for

.Romanowski & George-Warren, p. 1094. In addition to Voormann and White, these musicians included former

Delaney & Bonnie Delaney & Bonnie were an American duo of singer-songwriters Delaney Bramlett and Bonnie Bramlett. In 1969 and 1970, they fronted a rock/soul ensemble, Delaney & Bonnie and Friends, whose members at different times included Duane Allman, Gregg Al ...

sidemen Jim Gordon,

and Jim Price.

Recording and musical content

Recorded in 1971, the album was engineered by

Andy Johns Jeremy Andrew "Andy" Johns (20 May 1950 – 7 April 2013) was a British sound engineer and record producer who worked on several well-known rock albums, including the Rolling Stones' ''Exile on Main St.'' (1972), Television's ''Marquee Moon'' (19 ...

, Wright's co-producer on ''Extraction'', and

Chris Kimsey Christopher Kenneth Kimsey (born 3 December 1951 in Battersea, London, England) is an English record producer, mixer and musician most famous for having co-produced The Rolling Stones' ''Undercover'' and '' Steel Wheels'' albums. He was also an ...

, and again featured McCracken. Although only Wright received a production credit on the album, he has since stated that Harrison produced part of ''Footprint'',Shawn Perry
"The Gary Wright Interview"
vintagerock.com (retrieved March 1, 2014). and has variously named "Two Faced Man" and "Stand for Your Rights"

The Daily Beast ''The Daily Beast'' is an American news website focused on politics, media, and pop culture. It was founded in 2008. It has been characterized as a "high-end tabloid" by Noah Shachtman, the site's editor-in-chief from 2018 to 2021. In a 20 ...

, September 29, 2014 (retrieved March 6, 2015). as having been produced by the former Beatle. Harrison's contributions were credited to his pseudonym "George O'Hara" and included

slide guitar Slide guitar is a technique for playing the guitar that is often used in blues music. It involves playing a guitar while holding a hard object (a slide) against the strings, creating the opportunity for glissando effects and deep vibratos tha ...

on some of the tracks. Other musicians at the sessions were drummers

and

Colin Allen Colin Eric Allen (born 9 May 1938) is an English blues drummer and songwriter. Career Allen spent the first ten years of his adult life working in aircraft engineering. He became interested in jazz at the age of 16 and two years later started ...

, along with Mick Jones (guitar) and

Bryson Graham Bryson Macrae Graham (12 September 1952 – 6 December 1993) was an English people, English rock drummer, most notable as a member of Mainhorse, Spooky Tooth and Girl (band), Girl, and as a session musician. Life and career Bryson Macrae Graha ...

(drums), both members of Wright's new back-up band, Wonderwheel. In his 2014 autobiography, Wright says he considers ''Footprint'' to be "a far more melodic album than ''Extraction''", adding: "I felt my songwriting was beginning to blossom."

, Harrison's regular orchestral arranger, provided string arrangements on some of the album's songs.Castleman & Podrazik, p. 201. One such track was the ballad "Love to Survive", which Barham later described as "one of the most emotionally powerful love songs that I have ever worked on".Leng, p. 108. In his biography of Harrison, Leng notes the influence of "Love to Survive" on the ex-Beatle's subsequent songwriting, particularly " That Is All", released on ''

Living in the Material World ''Living in the Material World'' is the fourth studio album by English musician George Harrison, released in 1973 on Apple Records. As the follow-up to 1970's critically acclaimed ''All Things Must Pass'' and his pioneering charity project, th ...

'' (1973). Wright has described "Stand for Your Rights", the album's advance single,Castleman & Podrazik, p. 101. as "a call for people to change their paradigms and unite, a reaction to the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...

, and the upheaval of social values at the time".Liner notes, ''Best of Gary Wright: The Dream Weaver'' (

Rhino Records A rhinoceros (; ; ), commonly abbreviated to rhino, is a member of any of the five extant species (or numerous extinct species) of odd-toed ungulates in the family Rhinocerotidae. (It can also refer to a member of any of the extinct species o ...

, 1998; produced by Gary Wright, Gary Peterson & David McLees). According to Wright, he and Harrison "structured the track together", with Harrison suggesting they add a

gospel Gospel originally meant the Christian message ("the gospel"), but in the 2nd century it came to be used also for the books in which the message was set out. In this sense a gospel can be defined as a loose-knit, episodic narrative of the words an ...

chorus "to get the right vibe" for the song, and also coming up with Keys and Price's horn parts. Supporting Wright on the basic track, which was taped at

Olympic Studios Olympic Studios was a renowned British independent commercial recording studio based in Barnes, London. It is best known for its recordings of many artists throughout the late 1960s to the first decade of the 21st century, including Jimi Hendr ...

,Wright, p. 97. Gordon and Keltner played drums, with

Jerry Donahue Jerry Donahue (born September 24, 1946, Manhattan, New York City) is an American guitarist and producer primarily known for his work in the British folk rock scene as a member of Fotheringay and Fairport Convention as well as being a member of ...

and Allen on percussion, Harrison and McCracken on guitars, White on

harpsichord A harpsichord ( it, clavicembalo; french: clavecin; german: Cembalo; es, clavecín; pt, cravo; nl, klavecimbel; pl, klawesyn) is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. This activates a row of levers that turn a trigger mechanism ...

and Voormann playing bass.Castleman & Podrazik, p. 207. London-based American

soul In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being". Etymology The Modern English noun ''soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest attes ...

singers

Doris Troy Doris Troy (born Doris Elaine Higginsen; January 6, 1937 – February 16, 2004) was an American R&B singer and songwriter, known to her many fans as "Mama Soul". Her biggest hit was " Just One Look", a top 10 hit in 1963. Life and career She ...

Madeline Bell Madeline Bell (born July 23, 1942) is an American soul singer, who became famous as a performer in the UK during the 1960s and 1970s with pop group Blue Mink, having arrived from America in the gospel show ''Black Nativity'' in 1962, with the v ...

Nanette Newman Nanette Newman (born 29 May 1934) is an English actress and author. She appeared in nine films directed by her husband Bryan Forbes, including ''Séance on a Wet Afternoon'' (1964), ''The Whisperers'' (1967), '' Deadfall'' (1968), ''The Stepfor ...

and

P.P. Arnold PP, pp or Pp may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Pianissimo'', a music term meaning ''very quiet'', from musical dynamics * Production code for the 1967–1968 ''Doctor Who'' serial ''The Enemy of the World'' * Police Procedural - a subgen ...

were among the backing vocalists, who recorded their parts the following day. Wright says he was confident that the song already sounded like a "smash hit", but "the icing on the cake" was

King Curtis Curtis Ousley (born Curtis Montgomery; February 7, 1934 – August 13, 1971), known professionally as King Curtis, was an American saxophonist who played rhythm and blues, jazz, and rock and roll. A bandleader, band member, and session musicia ...

overdubbed Overdubbing (also known as layering) is a technique used in audio recording in which audio tracks that have been pre-recorded are then played back and monitored, while simultaneously recording new, doubled, or augmented tracks onto one or more av ...

saxophone solo.Wright, pp. 97–98. Curtis recorded his contribution in New York, playing various parts from which Wright and Johns then edited a composite solo. The opening track on ''Footprint'', "Give Me the Good Earth", also featured Keltner, whose style of drumming impressed Wright and would feature again on the latter's 1975 single " Dream Weaver". In Wright's recollection, White was the drummer on the majority of ''Footprint'', and he highlights McCracken's "special touch" as a guitarist on "Fascinating Things".Wright, p. 99.

Release

A&M Records released "Stand for Our Rights", backed with the non-album

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 ...

"Can't See the Reason", on May 28, 1971 in Britain. ''Footprint'' was issued in America on November 1 (as A&M SP 4296), with a UK release following on January 21, 1972 (AMLS 64296).Castleman & Podrazik, p. 105. The album cover consisted of a photo of Wright taken by

Ethan Russell Ethan Allen Russell (born November 26, 1945 in Mt. Kisco, New York) is an American photographer, author and video director, mostly of musicians. He is known as "the only rock photographer to have shot album covers for The Beatles, The Rolling St ...

, with a painting by Joe Garnett on the back cover.Sleeve credits
''Footprint'' LP (

, 1971; produced by Gary Wright). The US release coincided with that of ''

B.B. King in London ''B.B. King in London'' is a studio album by B.B. King, recorded in London in 1971. He is accompanied by US session musicians and various British rock- and R&B musicians, including Ringo Starr, Alexis Korner and Gary Wright, as well as members of ...

'', an album by

blues Blues is a music genre and musical form which originated in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues incorporated spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts, chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads from the Afr ...

guitarist

B.B. King Riley B. King (September 16, 1925 – May 14, 2015), known professionally as B.B. King, was an American blues singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer. He introduced a sophisticated style of soloing based on fluid string bending, shi ...

on which Wright played piano and organ. As a second single off ''Footprint'', A&M issued "Fascinating Things" backed with "Love to Survive", on November 30, 1971. On November 23, as part of his promotion for the album, Wright and Wonderwheel performed "Two Faced Man" on ''

'' in New York. Introduced by host

Dick Cavett Richard Alva Cavett (; born November 19, 1936) is an American television personality and former talk show host. He appeared regularly on nationally broadcast television in the United States for five decades, from the 1960s through the 2000s. In ...

as "Gary Wright and Wonderwheel – ''and friend''", this performance featured Harrison on slide guitar. Harrison was on Cavett's show primarily to promote the

Ravi Shankar Ravi Shankar (; born Robindro Shaunkor Chowdhury, sometimes spelled as Rabindra Shankar Chowdhury; 7 April 1920 – 11 December 2012) was an Indian sitarist and composer. A sitar virtuoso, he became the world's best-known export of North Ind ...

documentary ''

Raga A ''raga'' or ''raag'' (; also ''raaga'' or ''ragam''; ) is a melodic framework for improvisation in Indian classical music akin to a musical mode, melodic mode. The ''rāga'' is a unique and central feature of the classical Indian music tradit ...

'' (1971), but he had arranged for Wright's band to make its US television debut. In a 2009 interview with vintagerock.com, Wright acknowledged Harrison's efforts to help him during this period of his solo career, and cited the former Beatle's assistance on ''Footprint'' and "having me on the Dick Cavett Show". Wright and Wonderwheel's appearance was included on the third disc of ''The Dick Cavett Show – Rock Icons'' DVD, released in 2005.

Reception

Wright recalls in his autobiography that, despite A&M and the music press being enthusiastic about the potential of "Stand for Our Rights" and Harrison's involvement, neither the single nor the album met with any commercial success – a situation that "stunned" him after the failure of ''Extraction'' the previous year. In the magazine's 1971 album review, ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' described "Stand for Our Rights" and "Whether It's Right or Wrong" as, respectively, "excellent" and "musically superb". Together with "Love to Survive", the reviewer continued, "These powerful cuts warrant heavy airplay on

progressive rock Progressive rock (shortened as prog rock or simply prog; sometimes conflated with art rock) is a broad genre of rock music that developed in the United Kingdom and United States through the mid- to late 1960s, peaking in the early 1970s. Init ...

stations and will lend considerable impact to the sales impact of this LP." Simon Leng writes of Wright's second solo album: "Although ''Footprint'' saw no chart action, it provided evidence of Wright's songwriting talents. One of the highlights was the rousing 'Stand for Our Rights.'" ''

Village Voice ''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture paper, known for being the country's first alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf, Ed Fancher, John Wilcock, and Norman Mailer, the ''Voice'' began as a platform for the creat ...

'' critic

Robert Christgau Robert Thomas Christgau ( ; born April 18, 1942) is an American music journalist and essayist. Among the most well-known and influential music critics, he began his career in the late 1960s as one of the earliest professional rock critics and ...

wrote: "Like his mentor, George O'Hara, Gary makes his spiritual home right next to his musical one, close by that great echo chamber in the sky. But unlike George he writes anthems that are forthright and tuneful ... The ecology-minded will also approve of 'Love to Survive' and 'Stand for Our Rights,' both of which are vague enough to appeal to every constituency. Cosmic-commercial lives." James Chrispell of

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

describes ''Footprint'' as a "superstar-filled record" containing "some fine music", and views it as " much stronger effort" than ''Extraction''.

Aftermath and reissue

Wright continued to work with Wonderwheel through most of 1972. They recorded the album ''Ring of Changes'' for A&M, only for the label to cancel its release, and supplied the soundtrack to a German comedy film, ''Benjamin'', which was issued by

Ariola Records Ariola (also known as Ariola Records, Ariola-Eurodisc and BMG Ariola) is a German record label. In the late 1980s, it was a subsidiary label of the Bertelsmann Music Group, which in turn has become a part of the international media conglomerat ...

in 1974. In September 1972, Wright decided to re-form Spooky Tooth, taking with him Jones and Graham from Wonderwheel.Romanowski & George-Warren, p. 938. He later explained to music journalist

Chris Salewicz Chris Salewicz ( ) is a journalist, broadcaster and novelist who lives in London. He was as a senior features writer for the ''New Musical Express'' from 1975 to 1981, where under tutelage of editor Neil Spencer he and other journalists were ...

that he was better suited to "getting the music together and arranging it" in a band setting, rather than being "out front with just backing musicians". After another brief tenure with Spooky Tooth, Wright returned to his solo career in 1974, and achieved significant commercial success with his first album on

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 ...

, ''

'' (1975). In 1974,

used "Give Me the Good Earth" as the opening track for their album ''

''. ''Footprint'' remained out of print until December 2005, when BGO Records released it on a two-CD set with ''Extraction''. Before then, "Stand for Our Rights", "Two Faced Man", "Love to Survive" and "Fascinating Things" had appeared on ''That Was Only Yesterday'', a 1976 compilation by A&M that combined tracks from Wright's solo career with recordings by Spooky Tooth. Wright's 1998 career-spanning compilation, ''Best of Gary Wright: The Dream Weaver'', also includes "Stand for Our Rights" and "Two Faced Man"."Gary Wright ''Best of Gary Wright: The Dream Weaver''"

(retrieved February 28, 2014).

Track listing

All songs written by Gary Wright. ;Side one #"Give Me the Good Earth" – 3:17 #"Two Faced Man" – 3:40 #"Love to Survive" – 4:48 #"Whether It's Right or Wrong" – 5:08 ;Side two #

"Stand for Our Rights" – 3:32 #"Fascinating Things" – 5:05 #"Forgotten" – 4:02 #"If You Treat Someone Right" – 4:50

Personnel

– vocals, keyboards, acoustic guitar *

– electric and acoustic guitars *

– electric guitar, percussion * Mick Jones – guitar *

– bass *Tom Duffy – bass * Alan White – drums, percussion,

– drums * Jim Gordon – drums *

– drums, percussion *

– drums *

–

tenor saxophone The tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor and the alto are the two most commonly used saxophones. The tenor is pitched in the key of B (while th ...

* Jim Price – trumpet, trombone *

– saxophone *

– string arrangements *

, Liza Strike, Barry St John,

P. P. Arnold Patricia Ann Cole (born October 3, 1946), known professionally as P. P. Arnold, is an American soul singer. Arnold began her career as an Ikette with the Ike & Tina Turner Revue in 1965. The following year she relocated to London to pursue a solo ...

Jimmy Thomas Jimmy Thomas (January 20, 1939 – April 25, 2022) was an American soul singer and songwriter. He was best known as a vocalist for Ike Turner. Thomas joined Turner's Kings of Rhythm in 1958, and remained with the band when the Ike & Tina T ...

– backing vocals

References

Sources

* Harry Castleman & Walter J. Podrazik, ''All Together Now: The First Complete Beatles Discography 1961–1975'', Ballantine Books (New York, NY, 1976; ). * Gary Graff & Daniel Durcholz (eds), ''MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide'', Visible Ink Press (Farmington Hills, MI, 1999; ). * Simon Leng, ''While My Guitar Gently Weeps: The Music of George Harrison'', Hal Leonard (Milwaukee, WI, 2006; ). * Jörg Pieper, ''The Solo Beatles Film & TV Chronicle 1971–1980'', lulu.com (2012; ). * Robert Rodriguez, ''Fab Four FAQ 2.0: The Beatles' Solo Years, 1970–1980'', Backbeat Books (Milwaukee, WI, 2010; ). * Patricia Romanowski & Holly George-Warren (eds), ''The New Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock & Roll'', Fireside/Rolling Stone Press (New York, NY, 1995; ). * Gary Wright, ''Dream Weaver: A Memoir; Music, Meditation, and My Friendship with George Harrison'', Tarcher/Penguin (New York, NY, 2014; ). {{Authority control Gary Wright albums 1971 albums A&M Records albums Albums produced by George Harrison