From the Cradle

From the Cradle is the twelfth solo studio album by Eric Clapton, released on 12 September 1994 by Reprise Records. 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.

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."

Critical reception

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. 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". 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. 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.

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).

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".

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) – 3:20
11. "Motherless Child" (Robert Hicks) – 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

Certifications and sales