1977 Eric Carmen – Boats Against the Current
Boats Against the Current is a 1977 album by Eric Carmen. The title is taken from a line in the novel The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, “So we beat on, boats against the current, borne ceaselessly into the past.” It was Carmen’s second solo LP, after the Raspberries disbanded. It peaked at #45 on the Billboard album chart.
The album yielded two charting singles, the title track as well as “She Did It.” “She Did It” is the bigger hit from this album, which reached #23 Billboard and #15 Cash Box, as well as #11 in Canada. The title track subsequently reached #88 Billboard and #92 Cash Box, and “Marathon Man” was released as a third single but failed to chart. “Love is All that Matters” melody is lifted from Tschaikovsky’s “Fifth Symphony, Second Movement.”
Guest musicians on this album included back-up vocals by several of the Beach Boys and Burton Cummings (formerly of the Guess Who), guitar by Andrew Gold, and drumming by Toto’s Jeffrey Porcaro.
The title song was covered in 1978 by Olivia Newton-John on her album Totally Hot.
Tracks
1 Boats Against The Current (Eric Carmen) 4:25
2 Marathon Man (Eric Carmen) 3:59
3 Nowhere To Hide (Eric Carmen) 5:02
4 Take It Or Leave It (Eric Carmen) 4:00
5 Love Is All That Matters (Eric Carmen) 5:15
6 She Did It (Eric Carmen) 3:50
7 I Think I Found Myself (Eric Carmen) 4:23
8 Runaway (Eric Carmen) 8:05
Biography
Musicians
1 Boats Against The Current
| Bass | David Wintour |
| Drums | Jeffrey Porcaro |
| Guitar | Eric Carmen |
| Vocals | Eric Carmen |
| Piano | Eric Carmen |
| Synthesizer | Eric Carmen |
2 Marathon Man
| Bass | David Wintour |
| Drums | Nigel Olsson |
| Acoustic Guitar | Richie Zito |
| Acoustic Guitar | Richard Reising |
| Piano | Eric Carmen |
| Synthesizer | Michael Boddicker |
| Synthesizer | Eric Carmen |
| Percussion | Gene Estes |
| Background Vocals | Burton Cummings |
| Vocals | Eric Carmen |
3 Nowhere To Hide
| Bass | David Wintour |
| Drums | Nigel Olsson |
| Piano | Eric Carmen |
| Synthesizer | Michael Boddicker |
| Percussion | Gene Estes |
| Vocals | Eric Carmen |
4 Take It Or Leave It
| Bass | David Wintour |
| Drums | Nigel Olsson |
| Guitar (solo) | Richard Reising |
| Guitar | Richie Zito |
| Acoustic Guitar | Richie Zito |
| Acoustic Guitar | Eric Carmen |
| 12 String Guitar | Eric Carmen |
| Piano | Eric Carmen |
| Sax | Bobby Keys |
| Sax | Jim Horn |
| Sax | Tom Scott |
| Trumpet | Steve Madaio |
| Background Vocals | Richie Zito |
| Background Vocals | Richard Reising |
| Vocals | Eric Carmen |
5 Love Is All That Matters
| Bass | David Wintour |
| Drums | Jeffrey Porcaro |
| Guitar | Richie Zito |
| Acoustic Guitar | Richard Reising |
| Piano | Eric Carmen |
| Synthesizer | Eric Carmen |
| Percussion | Eric Carmen |
| Background Vocals | Bruce Johnston |
| Background Vocals | Curt Becher |
| Background Vocals | Nigel Olson |
| Background Vocals | Joe Chemay |
| Background Vocals | Richard Reising |
| Vocals | Eric Carmen |
6 She Did It
| Bass | David Wintour |
| Drums | Jeffrey Porcaro |
| Guitar (solo) | Andrew Gold |
| Guitar | Richie Zito |
| Guitar | Richard Reising |
| Piano | Eric Carmen |
| Synthesizer | Eric Carmen |
| Percussion | Ollie E. Brown |
| Percussion | Eric Carmen |
| Background Vocals | Bruce Johnston |
| Background Vocals | Curt Becher |
| Background Vocals | Nigel Olson |
| Background Vocals | Joe Chemay |
| Background Vocals | Richard Reising |
| Vocals | Eric Carmen |
7 I Think I Found Myself
| Bass | David Wintour |
| Drums | Nigel Olsson |
| Piano | Eric Carmen |
| Synthesizer | Eric Carmen |
| Synthesizer | Michael Boddicker |
| Percussion | Eric Carmen |
| Sax | Tom Scott |
| Background Vocals | Bruce Johnston |
| Background Vocals | Curt Becher |
| Background Vocals | Joe Chemay |
| Background Vocals | Richard Reising |
| Background Vocals | Nigel Olsson |
| Vocals | Eric Carmen |
8 Runaway
| Bass | David Wintour |
| Drums | Nigel Olsson |
| Guitar | Richard Reising |
| Guitar | Richie Zito |
| Guitar | Andrew Gold |
| Piano | Eric Carmen |
| Synthesizer | Michael Boddicker |
| Percussion | Ollie E. Brown |
| Percussion | Gene Estes |
| Vocals | Eric Carmen |
Liner Notes
Arranged by – Eric Carmen
Arranged By (Backing Vocals) – Bruce Johnston (Tracks 5, 6, 7)
Arranged By (Backing Vocals) – Eric Carmen (Track 6)
Arranged (Strings) – Eric Carmen (Tracks 1, 5)
Arranged (Strings) – Paul Buckmaster (Tracks 2, 3, 6, 7)
Conductor – Eric Carmen (Tracks 1, 5)
Conductor – Paul Buckmaster (Tracks 2, 3, 6, 7)
Mastered By – Doug Sax
Mixed By – Val Garay
Recorded By – Kevin Beamish
Art Direction – Robert L Heimall
Design, Photography – Ed Caraeff
Painting – Norman Adams
Typography – Michael Manoogian
Engineered At Crystal Sound
Engineered At Studio 55, LA
Engineered At The Sound Factory
Engineered At Brother Studio, Santa Monica
Mastered At The Mastering Lab
Mastered At Columbia Records Pressing Plant, Santa Maria
Mixed At – The Sound Factory
Phonographic Copyright Arista Records Inc
Copyright Arista Records Inc
Copyright C.A.M.
Noreen Romano
February 17, 2022 @ 06:18
Can you please correct the spelling of David Wintour, and Nigel Olsson?
Richard Reising does backing vocals on tracks 5 and 6.
Nigel Olsson does backing vocals on track 7.
No backing vocals on track 8.
admin
February 17, 2022 @ 10:13
Thanks, changed it
Michaël Midoun
May 11, 2025 @ 19:59
Underrated album by far ; what an artist!