Back Stabbers is the sixth 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. The recording sessions for the album took place at Sigma Sound Studios in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1972.
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 No. 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. 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." In 2012, the album was ranked No. 318 on Rolling Stones list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.
It was voted No. 754 in the third edition of Colin Larkin's All Time Top 1000 Albums (2000).
The song "Back Stabbers" was featured on the Looking for Mr. Goodbar soundtrack.
"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.
"Back Stabbers" was featured on the Dragged Across Concrete soundtrack.
"Who Am I?" is sampled on the Atmosphere track "Little Man", from the album You Can't Imagine How Much Fun We're Having.
The OâÂÂJays
Musicians
Production and design