Back Stabbers (album)
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| Back Stabbers | ||||
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | August 1, 1972 | |||
| Recorded | 1972 | |||
| Studio | Sigma Sound, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 39:54 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Producer | ||||
| The O'Jays chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Back Stabbers | ||||
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Back Stabbers is the sixth studio album by Philadelphia soul group the O'Jays, released in August 1972 on Philadelphia International Records and the iTunes version was released and reissued under Epic Records via Legacy Recordings. The recording sessions for the album took place at Sigma Sound Studios in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1972.
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |  [1] |
| Christgau's Record Guide | B+[2] |
| The Daily Vault | A[3] |
| The Encyclopedia of Popular Music |  [4] |
| Melody Maker | favorable[5] |
| MusicHound R&B | [6] |
| Pitchfork | 9.2/10[7] |
| Rolling Stone 1972 | favorable[8] |
| Rolling Stone 2004 |  [9] |
| Yahoo! Music | favorable[10] |
Back Stabbers was a breakthrough album for the group, reaching the top 10 of the Billboard Pop Albums chart and selling over 500,000 copies within a year of release. It also featured two of their most successful singles, "Back Stabbers" and "Love Train", which hit No. 1 on the Billboard Pop Singles chart. On September 1, 1972, the title track was certified as a gold single by the Recording Industry Association of America.
The following year, on May 8, Back Stabbers was also certified Gold by the RIAA.[11] It has gained the reputation as a landmark album of early 1970s soul and has been cited by critics as "the pinnacle of Philly soul."[9] In 2012, the album was ranked No. 318 on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.[12]
It was voted No. 754 in the third edition of Colin Larkin's All Time Top 1000 Albums (2000).[13]
Usage
The song "Back Stabbers" was featured on the Looking for Mr. Goodbar soundtrack.
"Back Stabbers" was featured on the Carlito's Way soundtrack, which was found and collected as evidence from O. J. Simpson's white Ford Bronco.[14]
"Back Stabbers" was featured on the Dragged Across Concrete soundtrack.
"Who Am I?" is sampled on the Atmosphere track "Little Man", from the album You Can't Imagine How Much Fun We're Having.
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "When the World's at Peace" | Kenneth Gamble, Bunny Sigler, Phil Hurtt | 5:21 |
| 2. | "Back Stabbers" | Leon Huff, Gene McFadden, John Whitehead | 3:07 |
| 3. | "Who Am I" | Sigler, Hurtt | 5:14 |
| 4. | "(They Call Me) Mr. Lucky" | Gamble, Huff | 3:20 |
| 5. | "Time to Get Down" | Gamble, Huff | 2:53 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6. | "992 Arguments" | Gamble, Huff | 6:09 |
| 7. | "Listen to the Clock on the Wall" | Gamble, Huff, Whitehead, McFadden | 3:48 |
| 8. | "Shiftless, Shady, Jealous Kind of People" | Gamble, Huff, Whitehead, McFadden | 3:36 |
| 9. | "Sunshine" | Sigler, Hurtt | 3:42 |
| 10. | "Love Train" | Gamble, Huff | 2:59 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11. | "992 Arguments" (single version) | Gamble, Huff, Whitehead, McFadden | 2:22 |
| 12. | "Love Train" (Tom Moulton Mix) | Gamble, Huff | 6:13 |
Personnel
The O’Jays
- Eddie Levert
- Walter Williams
- William Powell
Musicians
- Dennis Harris – guitar
- Bobby Eli – guitar
- Roland Chambers – guitar
- Bunny Sigler – guitar, piano, producer
- Norman Harris – arranger, guitar
- Ronnie Baker – bass guitar
- Lenny Pakula – organ
- Leon Huff – producer, piano
- Earl Young – drums
- Don Renaldo – conductor, horns, strings
- Thom Bell – arranger, strings, producer
- Larry Washington – bongos, congas, percussion
- Vincent Montana Jr. – percussion, vibraphone
Production and design
- Kenneth Gamble – producer
- Tony Martell – executive producer
- Adam Block – director
- Joe Tarsia – engineer
- Leo Sacks – reissue producer
- Tony Sellari – art direction
- Bobby Martin – arranger
- Thom Bell – arranger
