Behind the Sun(Eric Clapton album)
| Behind the Sun | ||||
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| Studio albumby | ||||
| Released | 11 March 1985 | |||
| Recorded | 1984 | |||
| Studio |
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| Genre | ||||
| Length | 50:17 | |||
| Label | Duck/Warner Bros. | |||
| Producer | Eric Clapton,Phil Collins,Ted Templeman,Lenny Waronker | |||
| Eric Claptonchronology | ||||
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| SinglesfromBehind the Sun | ||||
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| Review scores | |
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| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [2] |
Behind the Sunis the ninth solo studio album byEric Clapton,released on 11 March 1985 byDuck Records/Warner Bros. Records.It is Clapton's first collaborative project withPhil Collinswho co-produced the album and played on some of the tracks. While recording the album Clapton temporarily split withhis wife.
Background and recording
[edit]After nearly a decade of Clapton's guitar playing taking a backseat to his singing/songwriting, this album contains several guitar solos. The album includes synthesizers anddrum machinesplayed byPhil Collins,Ted Templeman,Peter Robinson,Michael Omartian,James Newton Howard,Chris StaintonandGreg Phillinganes,as well as Clapton'sRolandguitar synthesizeron "Never Make You Cry". BassistsDonald "Duck" DunnfromBooker T. & the MG'sandNathan East(later of thesmooth jazzquartetFourplay) also played on the sessions.
In his autobiography, Clapton remembers the 1984 session pleasantly: "The whole thing is going so great, I hope it never stops." However, his troubled marriage withPattie Boydbecame the subject matter for most of his original material: "She's Waiting", "Same Old Blues" and "Just Like a Prisoner" all contain extended guitar solos from Clapton. It was during this period that Boyd left him and "it was eventually decided that we should have a trial separation". Clapton assuaged his pain by writing the song "Behind the Sun", featuring only his guitar and vocals along with Phil Collins' synthesizer, as the final song on the album.
This was Clapton's first collaboration with songwriterJerry Lynn Williams.Warner Brothers looked critically at this follow-up to theMoney and Cigarettesalbum, Clapton's first for the label, which did not sell well. The Collins-producedBehind the Sunfirst submitted in the fall of 1984 was rejected by the label, insisting that he record several new songs written by Williams, backed by Los Angeles session players. The label put the project under the auspices of veteran company producers Lenny Waronker and Ted Templeman. Warner Brothers then emphasised the new tracks, releasing two of them, "Forever Man" (which reached the Top 40) and "See What Love Can Do," as singles. Clapton agreed to their terms, but asked them to provide some "hits" and record the songs with their own producer and musicians: "They sent me three songs by a Texas songwriter –" Forever Man "," Something's Happening "and" See What Love Can Do "– and they were good." The sessions featuredTotoguitaristSteve Lukatherand then-drummerJeff Porcaro,as well as Clapton's long-time collaborators, drummerJamie Oldaker,bassistNathan Eastand keyboardistGreg Phillinganes.
Promotion
[edit]TheBehind the Suntour was featured at the firstLive Aidconcert in 1985 where "She's Waiting" was performed along with "White Room"and"Layla".The video for" Forever Man "became an MTV favorite, featuring an accident where one of the cameras falls off the dolly." Same Old Blues "was resurrected for the 25th Anniversary world tour and theMontserratcharity show in 1988 and 1997, withMark Knopfleron rhythm guitar; Clapton resurrected "She's Waiting" for his1992 world tour.Clapton came to sit in withPaul Shafferto promote the album onLate Night with David Lettermanin 1985. Letterman was impressed by the songs on the album joking to Clapton if it would be alright for him if Letterman would sing "Forever Man".[3]
Reception
[edit]Deborah Frost, in a contemporary review forRolling Stone,felt the album was "slick but inconsistent", and was concerned that Clapton's move into commercial ballads would eventually see him turn his back on his rock fans, instead playing his greatest hits on the Vegas circuit.[4]Robert Christgauin hisVillage VoiceConsumer Guide described the album as "[s]ad [a]nd also bad" because Clapton was simply following commercial market fashion.[5]
In a retrospective summary forAllMusic,William Ruhlmann feels that the album is "somewhat schizophrenic" due to the tinkering of the record label, who were concerned that the original version of the album contained no hits and was too downbeat, so brought in new writers and producers. Ruhlman concludes that despite some effective guitar work the album is competent rather than exciting, and is not among Clapton's best.[6]
Cash Boxsaid that the second single "See What Love Can Do" "plays off areggae/gospeltheme and provides an excellent showcase for some tasteful guitar playing. "[7]Cash Boxalso praised its "tight background vocals and rhythm section."[7]Billboardsaid of that song that it has "moody groundwells of texture in a many-layered rock ballad."[8]
Track listing
[edit]| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "She's Waiting" | Eric Clapton,Peter Robinson | 4:55 |
| 2. | "See What Love Can Do" | Jerry Lynn Williams | 3:58 |
| 3. | "Same Old Blues" | Clapton | 8:15 |
| 4. | "Knock on Wood" | Eddie Floyd,Steve Cropper | 3:19 |
| 5. | "Something's Happening" | Williams | 3:23 |
| 6. | "Forever Man" | Williams | 3:13 |
| 7. | "It All Depends" | Clapton | 5:05 |
| 8. | "Tangled in Love" | Marcy Levy,Richard Feldman | 4:11 |
| 9. | "Never Make You Cry" | Clapton,Phil Collins | 6:06 |
| 10. | "Just Like a Prisoner" | Clapton | 5:29 |
| 11. | "Behind the Sun" | Clapton | 2:13 |
Some tracks were recorded for the album, but not included.
- "Loving Your Lovin'" (Jerry Williams) Produced by Templeman/Waronker – Released on theWayne's World movie soundtrack
- "Heaven Is One Step Away" (Eric Clapton) Produced by Phil Collins – Released on theBack to the Future movie soundtrackand later onCrossroads Box Set
- "Too Bad" (Eric Clapton) Produced by Phil Collins – Released as the B-side to "Forever Man" and then later on theCrossroadsBox Set
- "Jailbait" (Eric Clapton) Produced by Phil Collins – Released as B-Side of "She's Waiting" Single
- "You Don't Know Like I Know" (Eric Clapton) Produced by Phil Collins – Released in Australia only
- "One Jump Ahead of the Storm" – Unissued
Personnel
[edit]- Eric Clapton – lead vocals, backing vocals (6), guitar,guitar synthesizer(9)
- Steve Lukather– rhythm guitar (2, 6)
- Lindsey Buckingham– rhythm guitar (5)
- Donald Dunn– bass (1, 3, 4, 7–10)
- Nathan East– bass (2, 5, 6), backing vocals (5)
- J. Peter Robinson– keyboards (1, 3, 4, 7–10)
- Chris Stainton– keyboards (1, 3, 4, 7, 8, 10),Hammond organ(1, 8), acoustic piano (4),Fender Rhodes(9)
- Michael Omartian– keyboards (2, 6)
- James Newton Howard– keyboards (5)
- Greg Phillinganes– keyboards (5), backing vocals (5)
- Phil Collins–electronic drums(1, 3),right sidedrums (10),snare drum(1), backing vocals (4, 9),shaker(7, 9), synthesizer (11)
- Jamie Oldaker– drums (1, 3, 4, 7–9), backing vocals (9), "left" drums (10)
- Jeff Porcaro– drums (2, 6)
- John Robinson– drums (5)
- Ray Cooper– percussion (1, 8),gong(3),bongos(7)
- Lenny Castro–congas(2, 6)
- Ted Templeman– shaker (5), tambourine (5),timbales(6)
- Marcy Levy– backing vocals (1–3, 6–9)
- Shaun Murphy– backing vocals (1, 3, 7, 8)
- Jerry Lynn Williams– backing vocals (2, 5)
Production
[edit]- Producers – Phil Collins (tracks 1, 3, 4 & 7–11); Lenny Waronker and Ted Templeman (tracks 2, 5 & 6).
- Engineers –Nick Launay(tracks 1, 3, 4 & 7–11); Lee Herschberg (tracks 2, 5 & 6).
- Assistant Engineer (tracks 1, 3, 4 & 7–11) – Steve Jackson
- Mi xing – Nick Launay (tracks 1, 3, 4 & 7–11); Mark Linett (tracks 2, 5 & 6).
- Mix Assistant – Steve "Barney" Chase (tracks 1, 3, 4 & 7–11)
- Tracks 1, 3, 4 & 7–11 recorded atAIR Studios(Montserrat, West Indies); Mixed atTownhouse Studios(London, England).
- Tracks 2, 5 & 6 recorded atLion Share Recording Studio(Los Angeles, CA) andAmigo Studios(North Hollywood, CA); Mixed at Amigo Studios.
- Mastered at Townhouse Studios (London) and Sheffield Lab Matrix (Santa Monica, CA).
- Production Coordination (tracks 2, 5 & 6) – Joan Parker
- Art Direction, Design and Painting – Larry Vigon
- Photography – Patti Clapton
Charts
[edit]
Weekly charts[edit]
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Year-end charts[edit]
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Certifications
[edit]| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[24] | Gold | 35,000^ |
| Norway (IFPINorway)[25] | Silver | 25,000[25] |
| Switzerland (IFPISwitzerland)[26] | Gold | 25,000^ |
| United States (RIAA)[27] | Platinum | 1,000,000^ |
|
^Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
References
[edit]- ^"Music Week"(PDF).p. 16.
- ^"Behind the Sun – Eric Clapton | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic".AllMusic.
- ^"05-07-1985 Letterman Fred Willard, Beverly D'Angelo, Eric Clapton".The Last Show with David Letterman.Retrieved28 July2015– via YouTube.[dead YouTube link]
- ^Frost, Deborah (11 April 1985)."Album Review: Eric Clapton – Behind the Sun".Rolling Stone.Archived fromthe originalon 3 February 2007.Retrieved30 March2013.
- ^Christgau, Robert(30 April 1985)."Consumer Guide".The Village Voice.Music section.Retrieved22 February2012.
- ^Ruhlmann, William."Behind the Sun – Eric Clapton: Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards: AllMusic".AllMusic.Retrieved15 October2012.
- ^ab"Single Releases"(PDF).Cash Box.22 June 1985. p. 9.Retrieved29 July2022.
- ^"Reviews".Billboard.22 June 1985. p. 67.Retrieved29 July2022.
- ^Kent, David(1993).Australian Chart Book 1970–1992(illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book.ISBN0-646-11917-6.
- ^"Austriancharts.at – Eric Clapton – Behind the Sun"(in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 20 June 2024.
- ^"Top RPM Albums: Issue 0526".RPM.Library and Archives Canada.Retrieved 20 June 2024.
- ^"Dutchcharts.nl – Eric Clapton – Behind the Sun"(in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 20 June 2024.
- ^Pennanen, Timo (2021). "Eric Clapton".Sisältää hitin – 2. laitos Levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla 1.1.1960–30.6.2021(PDF)(in Finnish). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. p. 48.
- ^"Offiziellecharts.de – Eric Clapton – Behind the Sun"(in German).GfK Entertainment Charts.Retrieved 20 June 2024.
- ^"Hits of the World > Japan"(PDF).Billboard.97(17): 63. 27 April 1985.ISSN0006-2510.Retrieved28 November2015.
- ^"Charts.nz – Eric Clapton – Behind the Sun".Hung Medien. Retrieved 20 June 2024.
- ^"Norwegiancharts – Eric Clapton – Behind the Sun".Hung Medien. Retrieved 20 June 2024.
- ^"Swedishcharts – Eric Clapton – Behind the Sun".Hung Medien. Retrieved 20 June 2024.
- ^"Swisscharts – Eric Clapton – Behind the Sun".Hung Medien. Retrieved 20 June 2024.
- ^"Official Albums Chart Top 100".Official Charts Company.Retrieved 20 June 2024.
- ^"Eric Clapton Chart History (Billboard200) ".Billboard.Retrieved 20 June 2024.
- ^"Jaaroverzichten – Album 1985".dutchcharts.nl.Retrieved15 February2022.
- ^"Schweizer Jahreshitparade 1985".hitparade.ch.Retrieved15 February2022.
- ^"ARIA Gold Sales Award –" Behind the Sun "".Equipboard, Inc. 10 March 2024.
- ^ab"IFPI Norway Silver Sales Award –" Behind the Sun "".Equipboard, Inc. 10 March 2024.
- ^"IFPI Switzerland Gold Sales Award –" Behind the Sun "".Equipboard, Inc. 10 March 2024.
- ^"American album certifications – Eric Clapton – Behind the Sun".Recording Industry Association of America.Retrieved11 February2016.
Further reading
[edit]Templeman, Ted; Renoff, Greg (2020).Ted Templeman: A Platinum Producer's Life in Music.Toronto: ECW Press. pp. 374–84.ISBN9781770414839.OCLC1121143123.
