August (Eric Clapton album)

August is the tenth solo studio album by Eric Clapton, released in 1986 by Duck Records/Warner Bros. Records. Primarily produced by Phil Collins, in association with longtime Clapton associate Tom Dowd, August became Clapton's biggest-selling album to date.

Composition
Among the songs on the album 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".

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)

Some tracks were recorded for the album, but not included:
 * 1) "Wanna Make Love to You" (Released on the Crossroads box set)
 * 2) "Lady of Verona" (Unissued)
 * 3) "Walking the White Line" (Unissued)

Personnel

 * Eric Clapton – guitar, vocals, production on track 1
 * Phil Collins – drums, percussion, backing vocals
 * Tina Turner – vocals on track 3, backing vocals on track 8
 * Nathan East – bass guitar
 * Henry Spinetti – drums on track 1
 * Michael Brecker – saxophone on tracks 2, 4, 6, 7, 9
 * Jon Faddis – trumpet on tracks 2, 4, 6, 7, 9
 * Gary Brooker – keyboards & backing vocals on track 1
 * Leon Pendarvis – horn arrangements on tracks 2, 4, 6, 7, 9
 * Greg Phillinganes – keyboards, backing vocals
 * Richard Feldman – additional keyboards on track 5
 * Laurence Cottle – bass guitar on track 1
 * Dave Bargeron – trombone on tracks 2, 4, 6, 7, 9
 * Randy Brecker – trumpet on tracks 2, 4, 6, 7, 9
 * Richard Cottle – synthesizer on track 1
 * Larry Williams – synthesizer programming
 * Katie Kissoon – backing vocals on tracks 7, 10, 11
 * Magic Moreno – backing vocals on track 7, engineering
 * Tessa Niles – backing vocals on tracks 7, 10, 11
 * Steve Chase – engineering on track 1
 * John Jacobs – engineering on track 1
 * Paul Gommersall – engineering
 * Peter Hefter – engineering
 * Terry O'Neill – photography
 * Tony Burdett – photography assistant
 * Zarkowski Designs, Ltd. – artwork
 * Roger Forrester – management