Framed (Asleep at the Wheel album)

Framed
Framed
Studio album by Asleep at the Wheel
Released	August 5, 1980
Recorded	February – May 1980
Studio	Austin Recording Studio; Pecan Street Studios; Ruff Cedar Studios (all Austin, Texas); Sumet-Bernet Sound Studio (Dallas, Texas);
Genre	Country; Western swing;
Length	34:21
Label	MCA
Producer	Ray Benson
Asleep at the Wheel chronology
Singles from Framed
	"Don't Get Caught Out in the Rain"; Released: October 1980;

Framed is the seventh studio album by American country band Asleep at the Wheel. Recorded at several studios in Austin and Dallas, Texas, it was produced solely by the band's frontman Ray Benson and released on August 5, 1980, as the group's only album on MCA Records. Following the departure of the group's primary songwriter LeRoy Preston (and other members) in 1978, the original material on Framed was written primarily by Benson, with Chris O'Connell the only other credited member.

Following numerous lineup changes and the band's departure from Capitol Records after five years, Framed marked a stylistic departure for Asleep at the Wheel, who reduced their regular Bob Wills-influenced Western swing output and explored other genres including rock, easy listening and jazz. The album was the group's first not to feature steel guitarist Lucky Oceans, who left Benson as the sole remaining original member when he left in early 1980 to spend time with his family in Australia.

Framed was Asleep at the Wheel's last release to chart in the US for ten years, reaching number 191 on the Billboard 200. The album received generally positive reviews from critics, who applauded the band's experimentation with other genres. However, retrospective commentators and band members have identified this departure as the main reason for the group's subsequent dip in popularity. Framed was the band's last album for five years, as lineup changes and financial issues continued.