August (Eric Clapton album)

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August
Eric Clapton August.jpg
Studio album by Eric Clapton
Released 24 November 1986 (UK)
Recorded April – May 1986
Genre Rock, pop rock, funk rock, new wave
Length 55:31
Label Duck / Warner Bros.
Producer Eric Clapton, Phil Collins, Tom Dowd
Eric Clapton chronology
Edge of Darkness
(1985)Edge of Darkness1985		 August
(1986)		 The Cream of Eric Clapton
(1987)The Cream of Eric Clapton1987
Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
AllMusic 2/5 stars[1]
Kerrang! 4.5/5 stars[2]
Rolling Stone unfavorable[3]

August is the tenth studio album by English blues rock singer Eric Clapton, released in 1986. Primarily produced by Phil Collins, in association with longtime Clapton associate Tom Dowd, it became Clapton's biggest-selling LP to date.

Among the songs are the Dowd/Clapton-produced signature tune "It's in the Way That You Use It" (co-written with Robbie Robertson, and featured in the Paul Newman-Tom Cruise film The Color of Money in October 1986, a month before the album's release, subsequently reaching No. 1 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart for one week) and three Collins-produced numbers—the up-tempo, horn-laden "Run" and the guitar-laden rockers "Tearing Us Apart" (with Tina Turner), "Holy Mother", a tribute to Richard Manuel of The Band, and "Miss You." "It's in the Way That You Use It" would later win the prestigious MAGIS award for Clapton from the SGFC Ministry of Multimedia (SGFCMoM).[4]

The album's only UK top 20 hit, "Behind the Mask", was recorded at the suggestion of Greg Phillinganes. Legend has it that upon hearing Yellow Magic Orchestra's original track, around 1980–82, producer Quincy Jones fell in love with the track, and he and Michael Jackson recorded their own version with new lyrics by Jackson during his Thriller sessions. The track never made the Thriller album but Phillinganes, at the time keyboard player for Jackson, later released his own version of the song on his 1984 Pulse album, which resembles the Clapton version that became August's lead single in the UK. Jackson's version was finally released in 2010 on the posthumous album Michael.

Clapton's studio band for the album included drummer/vocalist Collins; bassist Nathan East and keyboard player Greg Phillinganes; saxophonist Michael Brecker, trumpeters Randy Brecker and Jon Faddis, and trombone player Dave Bargeron.

Veering between Collins soul/pop and Clapton blues/rock, August cemented Clapton's comeback. Clapton, drummer/vocalist Collins, bassist East and keyboard player Phillinganes would recreate their studio roles for Clapton's acclaimed live appearances over the next two years.

Track listing

  1. "It's in the Way That You Use It" (Eric Clapton, Robbie Robertson) – 4:11
  2. "Run" (Lamont Dozier) – 3:39
  3. "Tearing Us Apart" (with Tina Turner) (Clapton, Greg Phillinganes) – 4:15
  4. "Bad Influence" (Robert Cray, Michael Vannice) – 5:09
  5. "Walk Away" (Richard Feldman, Marcella Detroit) – 3:52
  6. "Hung Up on Your Love" (Dozier) – 3:53
  7. "Take a Chance" (Clapton, Nathan East, Phillinganes) – 4:54
  8. "Hold On" (Clapton, Phil Collins) – 4:56
  9. "Miss You" (Clapton, Bobby Columby, Phillinganes) – 5:06
  10. "Holy Mother" (Stephen Bishop, Clapton) – 4:55
  11. "Behind the Mask" (Chris Mosdell, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Michael Jackson (albeit uncredited)) – 4:47
  12. "Grand Illusion" (Bob Farrell, Dave Robbins, Wesly Stephenson) – 6:23 (CD Only)

Outtakes

  1. "Wanna Make Love to You" (Released on the Crossroads box set)
  2. "Lady of Verona" (Unissued)
  3. "Walking the White Line" (Unissued)

Personnel

Chart positions

Weekly charts

Chart (1986–87) Peak
position
Canadian Albums (RPM)[5] 40
Dutch Albums (MegaCharts)[6] 29
European Albums (IFPI)[7] 10
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[8] 32
Italian Albums (AFI)[9] 17
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[10] 38
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[11] 12
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[12] 7
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[13] 23
UK Albums (OCC)[14] 3
US Billboard 200[15] 37

Singles

Year Single Chart Position[16]
1986 "It's in the Way That You Use It" Mainstream Rock Tracks 1
1986 "Tearing Us Apart" Mainstream Rock Tracks 5
1987 "Miss You" Mainstream Rock Tracks 9
1987 "Run" Mainstream Rock Tracks 21

References

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  2. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  3. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  4. ↑ http://blog.sgfc.co/?p=116
  5. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  6. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – Eric Clapton – August" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved November 22, 2015.
  7. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  8. ↑ "Officialcharts.de – Eric Clapton – August". GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved November 22, 2015.
  9. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  10. ↑ "Charts.org.nz – Eric Clapton – August". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 22, 2015.
  11. ↑ "Norwegiancharts.com – Eric Clapton – August". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 22, 2015.
  12. ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – Eric Clapton – August". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 22, 2015.
  13. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – Eric Clapton – August". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 22, 2015.
  14. ↑ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 22, 2015.
  15. ↑ "Eric Clapton – Chart history" Billboard 200 for Eric Clapton. Retrieved November 22, 2015.
  16. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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