August (album)

August
Studio album by Eric Clapton
Released	24 November 1986
Recorded	April - May 1986
Genre	Blues rock, pop rock, New Wave
Length	55:31
Label	Duck / Warner Bros.
Producer	Eric Clapton, Phil Collins, Tom Dowd
Eric Clapton chronology
Edge of Darkness (1985) August (1986) The Cream of Eric Clapton (1987)

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic
Kerrang!
Rolling Stone	unfavorable
This table needs to be expanded using prose. See the guideline for more information.

August is an album by blues rocker 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 #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) and "Miss You".

The album's only UK top 20 hit, "Behind the Mask", was recorded by 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.

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 in 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" (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) – 4:47
12. "Grand Illusion" (Bob Farrell/Dave Robbins/Wesly Stephenson)– 6:23 (CD Only)

Outtakes

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

Personnel

• Eric Clapton - guitar, vocals, producer (track 1)
• Phil Collins - drums, percussion, backing vocals
• Tina Turner - vocals (track 3), backing vocals (track 8)
• Nathan East - bass guitar
• Henry Spinetti - drums (track 1)
• Michael Brecker - saxophone (tracks 2, 4, 6, 7, 9)
• Jon Faddis - trumpet (tracks 2, 4, 6, 7, 9)
• Gary Brooker - keyboards, vocals (track 1)
• Leon Pendarvis - horn arrangements
• Greg Phillinganes - keyboards, vocals
• Richard Feldman - additional keyboards (track 5)
• Laurence Cottle - bass (track 1)
• Dave Bargeron - trombone (tracks 2, 4, 6, 7, 9)
• Randy Brecker - trumpet (tracks 2, 4, 6, 7, 9)
• Richard Cottle - synthesizer (track 1)
• Katie Kissoon - backing vocals (tracks 7, 10, 11)
• Magic Moreno - backing vocals (track 7), engineer
• Tessa Niles - backing vocals (tracks 7, 10, 11)

• Steve Chase - engineer (track 1)
• John Jacobs - engineer (track 1)
• Paul Gommersall - engineer
• Peter Hefter - engineer
• Terry O'Neill - photography

Charts

Album – Billboard (North America)

Year	Chart	Position
1987	The Billboard 200	37

Singles – Billboard (North America)

Year	Single	Chart	Position
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