From the Cradle

From the Cradle is the twelfth solo studio album by Eric Clapton, released on 12 September 1994 by Warner Bros. Records.^[2] A blues cover album and Clapton's follow-up to his successful 1992 live album, Unplugged, it is his only UK number-one album to date.

From the Cradle
Studio album of cover songs by Eric Clapton
Released	12 September 1994 (1994-09-12)[1]
Recorded	1994
Studio	Olympic Studios, Barnes, London
Genre	Blues, electric blues, British blues, soul blues
Length	60:10
Label	Duck / Warner Bros.
Producer	Eric Clapton, Russ Titelman
Eric Clapton chronology
Derek and the Dominos Live at the Fillmore (1994) From the Cradle (1994) The Cream of Clapton (1995)

Although he had long been associated with the blues, From the Cradle was Clapton's first attempt at an all-blues album. He would subsequently record Riding with the King with B. B. King; a tribute to Robert Johnson, Me and Mr. Johnson; and a collaboration with J. J. Cale, The Road to Escondido.

Title

The title comes from the last line of a four-line poem written by Clapton (and which he never set to music) and printed in his own handwriting on the second page of the CD booklet: "All along this path I tread / My heart betrays my weary head / with nothing but my love to save / from the cradle to the grave."^[3]

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[2]
Chicago Tribune	[4]
Entertainment Weekly	B−[5]
Los Angeles Times	[6]
The Music Box	[7]
People	(Positive)[8]
Robert Christgau	[9]
The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings	[10]

From the Cradle has prompted a wide range of critical response. Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic feels that the album is almost perfect, with Clapton's guitar soloing "original and captivating". The weakness for him is Clapton's singing, which attempts to merely imitate the original singers, but is laboured or overly emotive, and falls short of the originals.^[2] Tom Sinclair of Entertainment Weekly felt that the recordings were "flawlessly faithful" but rather boring, especially compared with the inspiration evident in Cream's live version of "Spoonful".^[5] The Music Box's John Metzger felt that Clapton's appearance on Saturday Night Live to promote the record was more powerful than the album itself, which was a "perfunctory" performance lacking any originality.^[7] Robert Christgau compared Eric Clapton's work on the album to Son Seals and Otis Rush, saying that Clapton played better than the former, but sang worse than the latter and felt that "Motherless Child" and "Blues Before Sunrise" were stand-out tracks on the album.^[9]

According to the liner notes, the album was almost entirely recorded live in the studio with no overdubs or edits, the only overdubs being featured on "How Long Blues" (dobro) and "Motherless Child" (drums).^[11]

The album won Clapton the 1995 Grammy Award for Best Traditional Blues Album and he received a further nomination for Album of the Year.

In July 2014, Guitar World placed From the Cradle on their list "Superunknown: 50 Iconic Albums That Defined 1994".^[12]

Track listing

1. "Blues Before Sunrise" (Leroy Carr) – 2:58 this version is inspired also by Elmore James's rendition of the song
2. "Third Degree" (Eddie Boyd, Willie Dixon) – 5:07
3. "Reconsider Baby" (Lowell Fulson) – 3:20
4. "Hoochie Coochie Man" (Dixon) – 3:16 originally performed by Muddy Waters
5. "Five Long Years" (Boyd) – 4:47
6. "I'm Tore Down" (Sonny Thompson) – 3:02 originally performed by Freddie King
7. "How Long Blues" (Carr) – 3:09
8. "Goin' Away Baby" (James A. Lane) – 4:00
9. "Blues Leave Me Alone" (Lane) – 3:36
10. "Sinner's Prayer" (Lloyd Glenn, Fulson)^[13] – 3:20
11. "Motherless Child" (Robert Hicks)^[14] – 2:57
12. "It Hurts Me Too" (Tampa Red) – 3:17 credited in the booklet to Elmore James, whose version was the blueprint for this one
13. "Someday After a While" (Freddy King, Thompson) – 4:27
14. "Standin' Round Crying" (McKinley Morganfield) – 3:39
15. "Driftin'" (Charles Brown, Johnny Moore, Eddie Williams) (Johnny Moore's Three Blazers) – 3:10
16. "Groaning the Blues" (Dixon) – 6:05 originally performed by Otis Rush

Personnel

Musicians

• Eric Clapton – guitars, vocals
• Andy Fairweather Low – guitars
• Chris Stainton – keyboards
• Dave Bronze – bass
• Jim Keltner – drums
• Richie Hayward – percussion on "How Long Blues"
• Jerry Portnoy – harmonica
• The Kick Horns – horn arrangements
• Simon Clarke – baritone saxophone
• Tim Sanders – tenor saxophone
• Roddy Lorimer – trumpet

Production

• Producers – Eric Clapton and Russ Titelman
• Engineers – Alan Douglas (Tracks 1–6 & 8–16); Alex Haas (Track 7).
• Assistant Engineers – Giles Cowley and Julie Gardiner
• Mixing – Alan Douglas and Russ Titelman
• Mastered by Ted Jensen at Sterling Sound (New York, NY).
• Guitar Technician – Lee Dickson
• Equipment Technician – Ravi Sharman
• Project Coordinator – Mick Double
• Design – Wherefore Art?
• Cover Photography – Eric Clapton
• Photography – Jack English

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (1994–1996) Peak position Australian Albums (ARIA)[15] 6 Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[16] 1 Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[17] 24 Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)[18] 2 Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[19] 3 European Albums (IFPI)[20] 2 Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)[21] 3 German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[22] 6 Hungarian Albums (MAHASZ)[23] 22 Italian Albums (Musica e Dischi)[24] 10 Japanese Albums (Oricon)[25] 6 New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[26] 2 Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[27] 4 Portuguese Albums (AFP)[28] 6 Scottish Albums (OCC)[29] 7 Spanish Albums (AFYVE)[30] 5 Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[31] 2 Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[32] 1 UK Albums (OCC)[33] 1 UK Jazz & Blues Albums (OCC)[34] 1 US Billboard 200[35] 1 US Top Blues Albums (Billboard)[36] 1

Year-end charts Chart (1994) Peak position Australian Albums (ARIA)[37] 60 Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[38] 35 Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)[39] 27 Dutch Albums (MegaCharts)[40] 60 German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[41] 62 New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[42] 35 Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[43] 40 US Billboard 200[44] 64 Chart (1995) Peak position US Billboard 200[45] 65

Certifications and sales

Certifications and sales for From the Cradle

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Argentina (CAPIF)[46]	Gold	30,000^
Australia (ARIA)[47]	Platinum	70,000^
Austria (IFPI Austria)[48]	Gold	25,000*
Brazil	—	250,000[49]
France (SNEP)[50]	2× Gold	200,000*
Germany (BVMI)[51]	Gold	250,000^
Japan (RIAJ)[52]	Platinum	400,000[53]
New Zealand (RMNZ)[54]	Platinum	15,000^
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[55]	Platinum	100,000^
Sweden (GLF)[56]	Platinum	100,000^
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[57]	Gold	25,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[58]	Gold	100,000^
United States (RIAA)[59]	3× Platinum	3,000,000^
Summaries
Europe (IFPI)[60]	Platinum	1,000,000*
* Sales figures based on certification alone. ^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

1. "BPI".
2. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Review: From the Cradle by Eric Clapton". United States: AllMusic. Retrieved 5 July 2011.
3. CD booklet, page 2.
4. Kot, Greg (16 September 1994). "From Safe To Sorry". chicagotribune.com. Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 10 October 2013.
5. Sinclair, Tom (16 September 1994). "Music Review: From the Cradle – Eric Clapton". Entertainment Weekly. No. 240. ISSN 1049-0434. Archived from the original on 21 October 2012. Retrieved 18 July 2011.
6. Boehm, Mike (11 September 1994). "Album Review > ERIC CLAPTON, "From the Cradle" (Duck/Reprise)". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 10 October 2013.
7. Metzger, John (January 1995). "Review: From the Cradle by Eric Clapton". The Music Box. 2 (1). Retrieved 18 July 2011.
8. "Picks and Pans Review: From the Cradle". People. 3 October 1994. Archived from the original on 25 March 2016. Retrieved 31 January 2014.
9. Christgau, Robert. "Eric Clapton: Consumer Guide Reviews". Robert Christgau. Retrieved 18 July 2011.
10. Russell, Tony; Smith, Chris (2006). The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings. Penguin. p. 122. ISBN 978-0-140-51384-4.
11. CD booklet, page 15.
12. "Superunknown: 50 Iconic Albums That Defined 1994". GuitarWorld.com. 14 July 2014. Archived from the original on 15 July 2014. Retrieved 14 July 2014.
13. BMI – Repertoire Search Sinner's Prayer Retrieved 26 April 2013
14. "Original versions of Motherless Chile Blues written by Barbecue Bob | SecondHandSongs". secondhandsongs.com. Retrieved 25 November 2023.
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