Backstage (album)
| Backstage | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | May 27, 1968 | |||
| Recorded | 1967/68 | |||
| Studio | Gold Star (Hollywood, California) | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 36:17 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Producer |
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| Cher chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Backstage | ||||
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Backstage is the fifth album by American singer-actress Cher, released in June 1968 by Imperial Records.[1] This album was her first commercial failure, failing to chart. The album is by-and-large a covers album.
Album information
Backstage was released in 1968, was produced once again by Sonny Bono with Denis Pregnolato and Harold R. Battiste Jr. and was Cher's last album on the Liberty Records subsidiary Imperial Records.
Ten of the 12 tracks were also issued in 1970 as an LP on Sunset Records (Liberty Records' budget subsidiary) as This Is Cher (the songs "A House is Not a Home" and "Song Called Children" were not included).
In this year Cher recorded two other songs: "Yours Until Tomorrow" and "The Thought Of Loving You". "Yours Until Tomorrow" was released as a single with "The Thought Of Loving You".
The album was re-issued on CD in 2007 along with the greatest hits release Golden Greats.
In 2016, the song "It All Adds Up Now" was used in the NatWest advertising campaign, with the title of the song being used as the company's slogan. This was following the success of an Amazon Prime ad using Sonny & Cher's hit "Little Man", evoking the public's interest in Cher's early 1960s work.
Critical reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic | [2] |
Record World praised the album, writing that Cher was "developing into one of the most expert singers on the scene of rock and straight pop material", and noting that her "deep and rich" voice was used "with suppleness", calling the collection "one of her best".[3] Billboard noted that Cher "attempts to come across as a versatile performer" on Backstage, highlighting that she is "in her element" on songs such as "Reason to Believe" and "Take Me for a Little While", which the magazine described as "good singles possibilities".[4]
In a retrospective review for AllMusic, Joe Viglione described it as an album that "feels like the end of the first chapter of Sonny & Cher". He was critical of several performances, writing that "a good portion of the performances here lack that something special found on her hit records", ultimately characterizing the record as "a mixed bag".[5]
Commercial performance
Backstage was not a success and was her first album not to chart.[6] "The Click Song" and "Take Me For A Little While" were released as singles, but they did not chart.[7]
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Go Now" |
| 3:56 |
| 2. | "Carnival" |
| 3:26 |
| 3. | "It All Adds Up Now" | Doug Sahm | 2:57 |
| 4. | "Reason to Believe" | Tim Hardin | 2:26 |
| 5. | "Masters of War" | Bob Dylan | 4:09 |
| 6. | "Do You Believe in Magic" | John Sebastian | 2:36 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "I Wasn't Ready" | 2:59 | |
| 2. | "A House Is Not a Home" | 2:14 | |
| 3. | "Take Me for a Little While" | Trade Martin | 2:46 |
| 4. | "Click Song" | Miriam Makeba | 2:53 |
| 5. | "The Impossible Dream" | 2:26 | |
| 6. | "Song Called Children" | Bob West | 3:35 |
Personnel
- Cher – lead vocals
Production
- Sonny Bono – record producer
- Harold R. Battiste, Jr. – record producer
- Denis Pregnolato – record producer
- Stan Ross – sound engineer
Design
- Sonny Bono – photography
- Woody Woodward – art direction
External links
References
- ^ "New Album Releases". Billboard. Vol. 80, no. 23. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. June 8, 1968. p. 61. ISSN 0006-2510.
- ^ Backstage at AllMusic. Retrieved 2009-02-05.
- ^ "Album Reviews" (PDF). Record World. 22 (1096): 14. June 8, 1968. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 7, 2026. Retrieved March 7, 2026.
- ^ "Album Reviews". Billboard. Vol. 80, no. 23. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. June 8, 1968. p. 42. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved March 7, 2026.
- ^ Viglione, Joe. "Backstage - Cher | Album | AllMusic". AllMusic. RhythmOne. Archived from the original on June 17, 2012. Retrieved March 7, 2026.
- ^ PEOPLE Cher at 75!. Time Home Entertainment. May 7, 2021. ISBN 978-1-5478-5685-5. Retrieved March 7, 2026.
- ^ Wheway, Daniel (January 11, 2017). The Sonny & Cher Guide. Daniel Wheway. ISBN 978-1-5203-5934-2. Retrieved March 7, 2026.