| Pilgrim | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio album by Eric Clapton | ||||
| Released | March 10, 1998 | |||
| Recorded | Mid-Late Autumn, 1997 | |||
| Genre | Rock, Blues, Pop | |||
| Length | 75:33 | |||
| Label | Duck/Reprise | |||
| Producer | Eric Clapton Simon Climie |
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| Eric Clapton chronology | ||||
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Pilgrim is a rock album by Eric Clapton released in 1998. The album was recorded at Olympic Studio in London in late 1997. Neon Genesis Evangelion character designer Yoshiyuki Sadamoto designed the cover of the album.
Contents |
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic | [1] |
| Rolling Stone | [2] |
Pilgrim's release marked Clapton's first album of original material since 1989's Journeyman. Reviews for Pilgrim were mixed upon release. Allmusic described the album as "bland", while Rolling Stone's David Wild gave it four out of five stars, stating, "Pilgrim is the work of someone who has learned in the hardest way imaginable that although he cannot change the world, he might be able to change himself."
Clapton wrote in his autobiography that he wanted to make the "saddest album" to the moment, so he called Simon Climie and started the project. He had already written two songs when his son, Conor, died in March 1991. The songs ended up being "My Father's Eyes" and "Circus", originally named "Circus Left Town". "Circus" was about the last time he saw his son, when he took him to the circus. According to Clapton's autobiography, Conor died the next day.
The album experiments with drum machines and certain sounds like synthesizers, guitars, strings reminiscent of R&B.
The song "Pilgrim" also appears on the Lethal Weapon 4 soundtrack.
Four tracks of this album were included on the One More Car, One More Rider album of 2001.
| Chart (1998) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Top 50 Albums[3] | 17 |
| Austrian Top 75 Albums[4] | 4 |
| Belgium (Flanders) 100 Albums[5] | 9 |
| Belgium (Wallonia) 100 Albums[6] | 6 |
| Canadian Top CDs[7] | 5 |
| Finnish Top 50 Albums[8] | 5 |
| French Top 200 Albums[9] | 5 |
| German Albums[10] | 3 |
| Netherlands Top 100 Albums[11] | 7 |
| New Zealand Top 40 Albums[12] | 10 |
| Norwegian Top 40 Albums[13] | 1 |
| Swedish Top 60 Albums[14] | 3 |
| Swiss Top 100 Albums[15] | 4 |
| UK Albums Chart[16] | 6 |
| US Billboard 200[17] | 4 |
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | "My Father's Eyes" | Adult Contemporary | 2 |
| 1998 | "My Father's Eyes" | Adult Top 40 | 7 |
| 1998 | "My Father's Eyes" | Mainstream Rock Tracks | 26 |
| 1998 | "My Father's Eyes" | Top 40 Mainstream | 21 |
| 1998 | "She's Gone" | Mainstream Rock Tracks | 28 |
| Country | Provider | Certification (sales thresholds) |
|---|---|---|
| Australia[18] | ARIA | Gold |
| Austria[19] | IFPI | Gold |
| Finland[20] | IFPI | Gold |
| France[21] | SNEP | Gold |
| Germany[22] | BVMI | Gold |
| Norway[23] | IFPI | Platinum |
| Sweden[24] | IFPI | Gold |
| Switzerland[25] | Swiss Music Charts | Gold |
| United Kingdom[26] | BPI | Gold |
| United States[27] | RIAA | Platinum |
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