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 for the week ending October 8, 1977.
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. "Marathon Man" was released as a third single in March 1978 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, guitar by Andrew Gold, and drumming by Toto's Jeff Porcaro.
The title song was covered by Frankie Valli on his 1977 LP Lady Put the Light Out. "Boats Against the Current" was also covered in 1978 by Olivia Newton-John on her album Totally Hot, and it was included as the B-side of her single release, "Rest Your Love on Me." Patti LaBelle also included the song on her 1981 LP, The Spirit's in It.
As reported by Casey Kasem on the American Top 40 program of October 15, 1977, Boats Against the Current cost $375,000 to produce, six times the average cost for an album of that era. The LP had a series of false starts. Across six months starting in February 1977, three sessions with Elton John's producer Gus Dudgeon were undertaken using recording studios in London, Cleveland, and Los Angeles, but were all scrapped. Carmen then took over the production efforts himself before the tracks were complete and he was satisfied.

Live performances

Carmen performed three tracks from the LP on The Midnight Special television program on October 14, 1977. The show was hosted by Marilyn McCoo & Billy Davis Jr.

Track listing

All tracks composed by Eric Carmen:
  1. "Boats Against the Current" – 4:22
  2. "Marathon Man" – 3:55
  3. "Nowhere To Hide" – 5:05
  4. "Take It or Leave It" – 4:00
  5. "Love Is All That Matters" – 4:17
  6. "She Did It" – 3:48
  7. "I Think I Found Myself" – 4:25
  8. "Run Away" – 8:05

    Personnel