The Twelfth Son

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Lore & Background

The title comes from the last line of a four-line poem written by Clapton (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.' 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'.

In Their Own Story

From the Cradle prompted a wide range of critical response. Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic felt the album is almost perfect, with Clapton's guitar soloing 'original and captivating,' though he found Clapton's singing laboured or overly emotive. Tom Sinclair of Entertainment Weekly felt the recordings were 'flawlessly faithful' but rather boring, especially compared with Cream's live version of 'Spoonful.' The Music Box's John Metzger felt Clapton's appearance on Saturday Night Live to promote the record was more powerful than the album itself, which was a 'perfunctory' performance. Robert Christgau compared Clapton's work to Son Seals and Otis Rush, saying Clapton played better than the former but sang worse than the latter, and felt 'Motherless Child' and 'Blues Before Sunrise' were stand-out tracks.

Reader's Guide

The album features 16 tracks, all blues covers. Notable tracks include 'Blues Before Sunrise' (Leroy Carr, also inspired by Elmore James's rendition), 'Third Degree' (Eddie Boyd, Willie Dixon), 'Reconsider Baby' (Lowell Fulson), 'Hoochie Coochie Man' (Dixon, originally performed by Muddy Waters), 'Five Long Years' (Boyd), 'I'm Tore Down' (Sonny Thompson, originally by Freddie King), 'How Long Blues' (Carr), 'Goin' Away Baby' (James A. Lane), 'Blues Leave Me Alone' (Lane), 'Sinner's Prayer' (Lloyd Glenn, Fulson), 'Motherless Child' (Robert Hicks), 'It Hurts Me Too' (Tampa Red, credited to Elmore James whose version was the blueprint), 'Someday After a While' (Freddy King, Thompson), 'Standin' Round Crying' (McKinley Morganfield), 'Driftin'' (Charles Brown, Johnny Moore, Eddie Williams), and 'Groaning the Blues' (Dixon, originally by Otis Rush). Personnel includes 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), and The Kick Horns (Simon Clarke, Tim Sanders, Roddy Lorimer). Producers were Eric Clapton and Russ Titelman.

Did You Know?

• From the Cradle is Eric Clapton's only UK number-one album to date.
• The album title comes from a four-line poem Clapton wrote himself, printed in his handwriting in the CD booklet.
• The album was almost entirely recorded live in the studio with no overdubs or edits, except for dobro on 'How Long Blues' and drums on 'Motherless Child'.
• From the Cradle won the 1995 Grammy Award for Best Traditional Blues Album.
• Guitar World placed From the Cradle on their 2014 list 'Superunknown: 50 Iconic Albums That Defined 1994'.