| From the Cradle | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio album by Eric Clapton | ||||
| Released | 13 September 1994[1] | |||
| Recorded | 1994 at Olympic Studios Barnes, London | |||
| Genre | Blues, electric blues, British blues, soul blues | |||
| Length | 60:10 | |||
| Label | Reprise | |||
| Producer | Eric Clapton, Russ Titelman | |||
| Eric Clapton chronology | ||||
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| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic | [1] |
| Entertainment Weekly | (B-)[2] |
| The Music Box | [3] |
| Robert Christgau | [4] |
From the Cradle is a blues cover album by Eric Clapton. Released on 13 September 1994 (see 1994 in music) by Reprise Records,[1] the album was Eric Clapton's long awaited follow-up to his massively-successful live album, Unplugged. Per the liner notes, "This is a live recording with no overdubs or edits except for dobro overdub on 'How Long Blues' and drum overdub on 'Motherless Child'."
Although long 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.
Contents |
From the Cradle has received a wide-range of reviews by critics. Stephen Thomas Erlewine of Allmusic feels that the album is almost perfect and that the only thing bad about the album is Clapton's singing, which merely imitates the original recordings and sometimes can't pull it off.[1] Tom Sinclair of Entertainment Weekly felt that the recordings were "flawless" but were rather boring, especially when compared to the exitement of Cream's live version of "Spoonful".[2] The Music Box's John Metzger felt that Clapton's appearance on Saturday Night Live to promote the album was more powerful than From the Cradle and that the album had nothing that hadn't been done before on it.[3] 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 later and felt that "Motherless Child" and "Blues Before Sunrise" were stand-out tracks on the album.[4]
| Chart (1994) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Top 50 Albums[5] | 6 |
| Austrian Top 75 Albums[6] | 1 |
| French Top Albums[7] | 6 |
| German Albums[8] | 6 |
| Netherlands Top 100 Albums[9] | 3 |
| New Zealand Top 40 Albums[10] | 2 |
| Norwegian Top 40 Albums[11] | 4 |
| Swedish Top 60 Albums[12] | 2 |
| Swiss Top 100 Albums[13] | 1 |
| UK Albums Chart[14] | 1 |
| US Billboard 200[15] | 1 |
| Chart (1995) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Belgium (Flanders) 100 Albums[16] | 24 |
| US Blues Albums[15] | 1 |
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | "I'm Tore Down" | Mainstream Rock Tracks | 5 |
| "Motherless Child" | Mainstream Rock Tracks | 23 |
| Country | Provider | Certification (sales thresholds) |
|---|---|---|
| Austria | IFPI | Gold[17] |
| France | SNEP | Double Gold[18] |
| Germany | BVMI | Gold[19] |
| Sweden | IFPI | Gold[20] |
| Switzerland | Swiss Music Charts | Gold[21] |
| United States | RIAA | 3x Multi-Platinum[22] |
| United Kingdom | BPI | Gold[23] |
| Preceded by II by Boyz II Men |
Billboard 200 number-one album October 1–7, 1994 |
Succeeded by II by Boyz II Men |
| Preceded by In Concert 1994 by The Three Tenors |
UK number one album September 24, 1994 – September 30, 1994 |
Succeeded by Songs by Luther Vandross |
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