For the song of the same name, see Back Stabbers (song).
Back Stabbers
File:Backstabbersojays.jpeg
Studio album by The O'Jays
Released August 1972
Recorded 1972
Sigma Sound Studios
(Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
Genre Soul, funk, Philadelphia soul
Length 39:54
Label Philadelphia International
KZ-31712
Producer Gamble & Huff, Bunny Sigler
The O'Jays chronology
Super Bad
(1971)		 Back Stabbers
(1972)		 Ship Ahoy
(1973)
Music sample
"Back Stabbers"
noicon
Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
Allmusic 5/5 stars[1]
Robert Christgau B+[2]
The Daily Vault A[3]
Melody Maker favorable[4]
MusicHound 5/5 stars[5]
Rhapsody favorable[6]
Rolling Stone 1972 favorable[7]
Rolling Stone 2004 4.5/5 stars[8]
Virgin Encyclopedia 4/5 stars[9]
Yahoo! Music favorable[10]

Back Stabbers is a studio album by Philadelphia soul group The O'Jays, released in August 1972 on Philadelphia International Records.[11] Recording sessions for the album took place at Sigma Sound Studios in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1972.[12]

Contents

Reception [link]

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 number one 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 in sales by the RIAA.[13] 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."[8] In 2003, the album was ranked number 318 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.[14]

Track listing [link]

Side one
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
Side two
No. Title Writer(s) Length
6. "992 Arguments"   Gamble, Huff, Whitehead, McFadden 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

Chart history [link]

Album [link]

Title Information[15]
Back Stabbers

Singles [link]

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

Personnel [link]

Musicians [link]

  • The O'Jays - Vocals
  • Dennis Harris - Guitar
  • Bobby Eli - Guitar
  • Roland Chambers - Guitar
  • Bunny Sigler - Guitar, Keyboards, Piano, Producer
  • Norman Harris - Arranger, Guitar
  • Ronnie Baker - Bass
  • Eddie LeVert - Vocals
  • William Powell - Vocals
  • Walter Williams - Vocals
  • Lenny Pakula - Keyboards
  • Leon Huff - Keyboards, Producer, Piano
  • Earl Young - Drums
  • Don Renaldo - Conductor, Horn, Strings
  • Thom Bell - Arranger, Strings, Producer
  • Larry Washington - Bongos, Percussion
  • Vincent Montana, Jr. - Percussion, Vibraphone

Additional personnel [link]

  • Kenneth Gamble - Producer
  • Tony Martell - Executive Producer
  • Adam Block - Director
  • Joe Tarsia - Engineer
  • Leo Sacks - Reissue Producer
  • Tony Sellari - Art Direction
  • Bobby Martin - Arranger

References [link]

  1. ^ Henderson, Alex. "The O'Jays: Back Stabbers" at Allmusic. Retrieved 14 October 2011.
  2. ^ Christgau, Robert. "The O'Jays". RobertChristgau.com. https://robertchristgau.com/get_artist.php?name=the+o%27jays. Retrieved 14 October 2011. 
  3. ^ McGuane, Kenny S (9 April 2008). "Backstabbers: The O'Jays". DailyVault.com. https://www.dailyvault.com/toc.php5?review=5381. Retrieved 14 October 2011. 
  4. ^ "The O'Jays, Back Stabbers". Melody Maker (London: IPC Specialist & Professional Press): p. 52. 13 July 1996. ISSN 0025-9012. https://www.cduniverse.com/productinfo.asp?pid=7716839. Retrieved 14 October 2011. "a stone-classic" 
  5. ^ Graff, Gary; McFarlin, Jim (1998). MusicHound R & B : the essential album guide. Detroit: Visible Ink Press. ISBN 978-1-57859-026-1. https://www.acclaimedmusic.net/Current/A256.htm. Retrieved 14 October 2011. 
  6. ^ "Back Stabbers: The O'Jays". Rhapsody. https://www.rhapsody.com/the-ojays/back-stabbers. Retrieved 14 October 2011. 
  7. ^ Goldberg, Daniel (26 October 1972). "The O'Jays: Back Stabbers". Rolling Stone (Straight Arrow) (RS 120). ISSN 0035-791X. Archived from the original on 6 May 2007. https://web.archive.org/web/20070506024447/https://www.rollingstone.com/artists/theojays/albums/album/284045/review/5946350/back_stabbers. 
  8. ^ a b 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. https://books.google.com/books?id=lRgtYCC6OUwC&pg=PA601&dq=rolling+stone+back+stabbers&sig=ACfU3U2ynqvbMcN8_Kzq9SbFcOnV7DjsfA. Retrieved 2 January 2009. 
  9. ^ Larkin, Colin, ed. (2002). The Virgin Encyclopedia of Popular Music (4th revised ed.). London: Virgin Books. ISBN 978-1-85227-923-3. https://www.acclaimedmusic.net/Current/A256.htm. Retrieved 14 October 2011. 
  10. ^ Crisafulli, Chuck (27 February 1996). "Back Stabbers". Yahoo! Music. Archived from the original on 12 September 2006. https://web.archive.org/web/20060912101311/https://music.yahoo.com/read/review/12030124. 
  11. ^ "O'Jays, The - Back Stabbers". Discogs. https://www.discogs.com/release/436121. Retrieved 23 August 2008. 
  12. ^ "O'Jays - Back Stabbers CD". CDUniverse.com. https://www.cduniverse.com/productinfo.asp?pid=7716839. Retrieved 14 October 2011. 
  13. ^ "American album certifications – The O'Jays – Back Stabbers". Recording Industry Association of America. https://www.riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?artist=%22Back+Stabbers%22. Retrieved 23 August 2008.  If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH
  14. ^ "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time". Rolling Stone (Straight Arrow) (Special Issue): 318 | Back Stabbers - The O'Jays. November 2003. ISSN 0035-791X. https://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/500-greatest-albums-of-all-time-19691231/back-stabbers-the-ojays-19691231. Retrieved 23 August 2008. 
  15. ^ a b "Back Stabbers > Charts & Awards at Allmusic. Retrieved 23 August 2008.

External links [link]

The O'Jays
  • Bill Isles
  • Bobby Massey
  • William Powell
  • Sammy Strain
  • Nathaniel Best
Studio albums
Live albums
  • The O'Jays Live in London
Singles
Related articles

https://wn.com/Back_Stabbers

Back Stabbers (song)

"Back Stabbers" is a 1972 song by The O'Jays. Released from the hit album of the same name, the song spent one week at #1 on the Hot Soul Singles chart. It was also successful on the pop charts, peaking at #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart in October 1972. The narrator in "Back Stabbers" warns men about their male "friends" who smile to their faces, but are secretly planning to steal their wives or girlfriends. It was also inspired by an earlier hit with a similar theme, The Undisputed Truth's "Smiling Faces Sometimes", the chorus of which is quoted at the end of the song. It was part of the soundtrack for the 1977 movie Looking for Mr. Goodbar.

Cover versions

"Back Stabbers" is the second single from the 1979 album Love Explosion by Tina Turner.

The song, along with the other two singles released from Love Explosion, was largely disco-oriented and was overlooked by audiences both in Europe and the United States due to the so-called "anti-disco backlash" at the time.

Read more
This page contains text from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia - https://wn.com/Back_Stabbers_(song)

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PLAYLIST TIME:

Back Stabbers

by: O'jays

(What they do)
They smile in your face
all the time they wanna
take your place the
back stabbers (back stabbers)
They smile in your face
all the time they wanna
take your place the
back stabbers (back stabbers)
All you fellows
who have someone
and you really care
yeahhhhhhh, yeah, yeah
Then it's all of you fellows
who better beware, yeah, yeah
Somebody's out to get your lady
A few of your buddies
they sure look shady
Blades are long clenched
tight in their fist
Aimin' straight at your back
and I don't think they'll miss
(What they do!)
(They smile in your face)
All the time they want
to take your place
The back stabbers
(back stabbers)
I keep gettin'
all these visits
from my friends, yeah,
(What they doing to me)
They come to my house
again and again and
again and again, yeah
So are they there to see my woman?
I don't even be home
but they just keep on comin'
What can I do to get
on the right track?
I wish they'd take some
of these knives off my back
(What they do)
(They smile in your face)
All the time they want
to take your place
The back stabbers
(back stabbers)
Low down... dirty...
(What they do!)
(They smile in your face)
Smiling faces
smiling faces sometimes
(Back stabbers)
(They smile in your face)
I don't need
low down, dirty bastards
(Back stabbers)




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