Back Stabbers
Studio album by
the O'Jays
ReleasedAugust 1, 1972 (1972-08-01)
Recorded1972
StudioSigma Sound, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Genre
Length39:54
Label
Producer
The O'Jays chronology
Super Bad
(1971)		 Back Stabbers
(1972)		 Ship Ahoy
(1973)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Christgau's Record GuideB+[2]
The Daily VaultA[3]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music[4]
Melody Makerfavorable[5]
MusicHound[6]
Pitchfork9.2/10[7]
Rolling Stone 1972favorable[8]
Rolling Stone 2004[9]
Yahoo! Musicfavorable[10]

Back Stabbers is a 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. Recording sessions for the album took place at Sigma Sound Studios in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1972.

Reception

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 #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 #318 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.[12]

It was voted #754 in the third edition of Colin Larkin's All Time Top 1000 Albums (2000).[13]

Trivia

The song Back Stabbers was featured on the Looking for Mr. Goodbar (film) soundtrack

The song 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]

Track listing

Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."When the World's at Peace"Kenneth Gamble, Bunny Sigler, Phil Hurtt5:21
2."Back Stabbers"Leon Huff, Gene McFadden, John Whitehead3:07
3."Who Am I"Sigler, Hurtt5:14
4."(They Call Me) Mr. Lucky"Gamble, Huff3:20
5."Time to Get Down"Gamble, Huff2:53
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
6."992 Arguments"Gamble, Huff6:09
7."Listen to the Clock on the Wall"Gamble, Huff, Whitehead, McFadden3:48
8."Shiftless, Shady, Jealous Kind of People"Gamble, Huff, Whitehead, McFadden3:36
9."Sunshine"Sigler, Hurtt3:42
10."Love Train"Gamble, Huff2:59
2011 remastered reissue bonus tracks
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
11."992 Arguments" (single version)Gamble, Huff, Whitehead, McFadden2:22
12."Love Train" (Tom Moulton Mix)Gamble, Huff6:13

Personnel

The O’Jays

Musicians

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

Charts

Weekly charts

Title Information[15]
Back Stabbers

Singles

Title Information[15]
"992 Arguments"
"Back Stabbers"
  • US Pop Singles (1972) #3
  • US Black Singles #1
"Love Train"
  • US Pop Singles (1973) #1
  • US Black Singles #1
"Time to Get Down"
  • US Pop Singles (1973) #33
  • US Black Singles #2

References

  1. ↑ Henderson, Alex. "The O'Jays: Back Stabbers" at AllMusic. Retrieved 14 October 2011.
  2. ↑ Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: O". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies. Ticknor & Fields. ISBN 089919026X. Retrieved March 10, 2019 – via robertchristgau.com.
  3. ↑ McGuane, Kenny S (9 April 2008). "Backstabbers: The O'Jays". DailyVault.com. Retrieved 14 October 2011.
  4. ↑ Larkin, Colin (2007). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th ed.). Omnibus Press. ISBN 978-0857125958.
  5. ↑ "The O'Jays, Back Stabbers". Melody Maker. London: IPC Specialist & Professional Press. 13 July 1996. p. 52. ISSN 0025-9012. Retrieved 14 October 2011. a stone-classic
  6. ↑ Graff, Gary; McFarlin, Jim (1998). MusicHound R & B : the essential album guide. Detroit: Visible Ink Press. ISBN 978-1-57859-026-1. Retrieved 14 October 2011.
  7. ↑ Deusner, Stephen M. (June 2, 2021). "The O'Jays: Bank Stabbers Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved June 23, 2023.
  8. ↑ Goldberg, Daniel (26 October 1972). "The O'Jays: Back Stabbers". Rolling Stone. No. RS 120. Straight Arrow. ISSN 0035-791X. Archived from the original on 2007-05-06.
  9. 1 2 Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian David (2004). The new Rolling Stone album guide (Completely revised and updated 4th ed.). New York: Fireside. pp. 601–602. ISBN 978-0-7432-0169-8. Retrieved 2 January 2009.
  10. ↑ Crisafulli, Chuck (27 February 1996). "Back Stabbers". Yahoo! Music. Archived from the original on 2006-09-12.
  11. ↑ "American album certifications – The O'Jays – Back Stabbers". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 23 August 2008.
  12. ↑ "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time". Rolling Stone. No. Special Issue. Straight Arrow. November 2003. 318 | Back Stabbers – The O'Jays. ISSN 0035-791X. Archived from the original on September 10, 2012. Retrieved 23 August 2008.
  13. ↑ Colin Larkin (2006). All Time Top 1000 Albums (3rd ed.). Virgin Books. p. 239. ISBN 0-7535-0493-6.
  14. ↑ "A SAMPLE OF THE EVIDENCE IN O.J. SIMPSON CASE". Orlando Sentinel. 12 October 1994. Retrieved 8 January 2020.
  15. 1 2 "Back Stabbers > Charts & Awards at AllMusic. Retrieved 23 August 2008.
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