Footprint is the second solo album by American musician Gary Wright, released in 1971 on A&M Records. It contains "Stand for Our Rights", an anthem-like song calling for social unity that was issued as a single in advance of the album. Wright recorded the majority of Footprint in London with a large cast of musicians – including George Harrison, Hugh McCracken, Alan White, Klaus Voormann, Jim Gordon, Jim Keltner and Bobby Keys – many of whom, like Wright, had played on Harrison's All Things Must Pass triple album in 1970. Harrison's contributions included an uncredited role as producer, and serve as an example of his support for Wright during the early stages of Harrison's solo career. The ballad "Love to Survive" is one of three tracks that feature an orchestral arrangement by John Barham.
To promote Footprint in America, Wright performed the song "Two Faced Man" on The Dick Cavett Show, backed by his short-lived band Wonderwheel, with Harrison as guest guitarist. Although it received favorable reviews from some music critics, the album failed to chart in the US or Britain. After recording and touring with Wonderwheel through 1972, Wright rejoined his former band Spooky Tooth, before returning as a solo artist with his breakthrough album, The Dream Weaver (1975).
Footprint was issued on CD in 2005, coupled on a two-disc set with Wright's debut, Extraction (1970). "Stand for Our Rights" and "Two Faced Man" also appeared on the 1998 compilation Best of Gary Wright: The Dream Weaver. The song "Give Me the Good Earth" was covered by Manfred Mann's Earth Band and provided the title for their 1974 album The Good Earth.
Background
After leaving the band Spooky Tooth in January 1970, American keyboard player Gary Wright remained in London and recorded his debut solo album, Extraction (1970), with musicians such as guitarist Hugh McCracken, German bassist Klaus Voormann and future Yes drummer Alan White. That same year, he joined Voormann and White at the sessions for All Things Must Pass (1970), George Harrison's first solo release following the break-up of the Beatles. Wright was one of the principal keyboard players on All Things Must Pass and struck up an enduring friendship with Harrison. Out of gratitude for Wright's musical contributions, Harrison – together with what author Simon Leng terms "half the cast of All Things Must Pass" – participated in the recording of Footprint, Wright's second album for A&M Records. In addition to Voormann and White, these musicians included former Delaney & Bonnie sidemen Jim Gordon, Bobby Keys and Jim Price.
Recording and musical content
Recorded in 1971, the album was engineered by Andy Johns, Wright's co-producer on Extraction, and Chris Kimsey, and again featured McCracken. Although only Wright received a production credit on the album, he has since stated that Harrison produced part of Footprint, and has variously named "Two Faced Man" and "Stand for Your Rights" as having been produced by the former Beatle. Harrison's contributions were credited to his pseudonym "George O'Hara" and included slide guitar on some of the tracks. Other musicians at the sessions were drummers Jim Keltner and Colin Allen, along with Mick Jones (guitar) and Bryson Graham (drums), both members of Wright's new back-up band, Wonderwheel.
In his 2014 autobiography, Wright says he considers Footprint to be "a far more melodic album than Extraction", adding: "I felt my songwriting was beginning to blossom." John Barham, Harrison's regular orchestral arranger, provided string arrangements on some of the album's songs. One such track was the ballad "Love to Survive", which Barham later described as "one of the most emotionally powerful love songs that I have ever worked on". In his biography of Harrison, Leng notes the influence of "Love to Survive" on the ex-Beatle's subsequent songwriting, particularly "That Is All", released on Living in the Material World (1973).