Backless
	Produced by Glyn Johns
	Released on November 1978
	UK CHART POSITION #18 . . . US CHART POSITION #8 . . . PLATINUM RECORD
	Find it at GEMM
RS-1-3039 cover [high resolution scan]

B ackless is one of the better Clapton albums, a second Slowhand that features one hit (“Promises”) and a couple of near misses (“Tulsa Time,” “Watch Out For Lucy”). Some critics have cast a shadow on it, saying it doesn’t measure up to Slowhand, but that’s a shadow most of Clapton’s work would fall under. I see the glass as half full; Backless is a better album than There’s One In Every Crowd, No Reason To Cry or Another Ticket. It’s also an appealing portrait of the Tulsa sound: sleepy on the surface, agitated underneath, with grooves that shuffle along smartly and piquant playing to spice up an otherwise unshakeable country/R&B foundation. No matter how catchy the hook, Clapton is unruffled by it; the man is so low key he’s an octave apart from your usual rock hero. Reconciling his laidback vocal delivery with that lively guitar is where the enigma lies, and Clapton on Backless is enigmatic. The material is what it always is: a few Clapton originals that usually stand out, a Dylan track (or two) that doesn’t and covers that fall somewhere in between (J.J. Cale’s “I’ll Make Love To You Anytime” sounds like a faster version of “Cocaine”). In one sense, Backless marks the end of an era; it would be the last record to feature the Tulsan backing band of Carl Radle (who passed away in 1980), Jamie Oldaker and Dick Sims. From here on, you’d be less likely to encounter such a rich tapestry of styles (R&B, country, folk, reggae) on a Clapton record. If the subsequent albums were more focused, they also held fewer surprises. Backless may have sold a million copies on the back of Slowhand, but it’s the quality of the playing (and, yes, the material) that keep people coming back to it years later.

TRACK LISTING

1. WALK OUT IN THE RAIN    (Bob Dylan/Helena Springs)    4:10
2. WATCH OUT FOR LUCY    (Eric Clapton)    3:24
3. I'LL MAKE LOVE TO YOU ANYTIME    (J.J. Cale)    3:21
4. ROLL IT    (Eric Clapton/Marcy Levy)    3:40
5. TELL ME THAT YOU LOVE ME    (Eric Clapton)    3:30
6. IF I DON'T BE THERE BY MORNING    (Bob Dylan/Helena Springs)    4:35
7. EARLY IN THE MORNING    (traditional arr. by Eric Clapton)    5:25
8. PROMISES    (Richard Feldman/Roger Linn)    3:01
9. GOLDEN RING    (Eric Clapton)    3:30
10. TULSA TIME    (Danny Flowers)    3:30

CREDITS

ERIC CLAPTON -- guitar & vocals
MARCY LEVY -- vocals
JAMIE OLDAKER -- drums, percussion & vocals
CARL RADLE -- bass guitar & vocals
DICK SIMS -- keyboards
GEORGE TERRY -- guitar
Benny Gallagher -- backing vocals (9)
Graham Lyle -- backing vocals (9)
Glyn Johns -- engineer
David Stewart and Nello for El and Nell Ink -- design and art direction
Ken Carroll -- typography
Nello -- photography
Laura K. Sims, Rob Fraboni and Andy Seymour -- additional photography

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