special introductory paragraph!

Creedence Clearwater Revival

Bayou Country

Green River

Willy And The Poor Boys

Cosmo's Factory

Pendulum

The Concert

Mardi Gras

Chronicle

Live In Europe

Andy Rolfe reviews a CCR concert!

Andy Rolfe reviews a Tom Fogerty solo album!

It's a good album, but knowing what we now know about how amazing these guys would be as early as the next year, this stuff isn't exactly imperative - except, of course, "Suzy Q," which is a goldurn rock and roll classic. Like "More Than A Feeling" or "Oooo, That Smell." Mmmm. Kind of a dark feel all over this album. A dark swamp feel - not that light-hearted jiffy lube stuff they would get into later. If you like dark swamps, you'll enjoy this record a large portion. If not, you will enjoy this record a slightly smaller portion, perhaps 3/5. I hate spiders.

Reader Comments

apple@atl.mindspring.com (Dave Brown)
Whoops, you dropped the ball on this one. Though there are three covers on the album, "Walk On The Water" is not among them! It is an original. Furthermore, "99 1/2" is in no way a rip off of ? and the Mysterians' 'garage classic' "96 Tears". "99 1/2" was written by Wilson Pickett and covered by Creedence. Whereas 96 tears are too much for ?, 99 1/2% of love is not enough for J.Fogerty (or Pickett). So, not only are the contents of both songs different, their relation to the number ninety- something are polar opposites. Incidentally, this is a great album. One little special point of interset is the guitar solo re-recorded backwards on "Gloomy", a la "Only Sleeping" off the Beatles' Revolver, and begs consideration of whether or not Creedence emerged totally unscathed by the psychedelia of the times.

mloewen@escape.ca (Matt Loewen)
This has long been my favourite CCR album, and the finest debut record of all time. The songs may not be well known, and the lyrics might be weak, but Fogerty's guitar shines and the songs rock hard. Definitely not CCR's second worst effort.

Beatown@msn.com (Dave Joens)
I agree with your first two sentences but Dave Brown summed up the rest of my comments very well (especially with regards to some of the factual errors in the review). I'm not sure how Creedence fans can be categorized, but I know there would be a category for those CCR fans who best like the dark, swampy feel that permeates throughout the first two CCR albums, shadows their second two albums and appears in certain songs in later albums. This category of fans likes (a lot) the unreleased Fogerty HooDoo album and every now and then can throw on Eye of the Zombie and listen to it without blushing (too much). Although Creedence's first album is not a great album, it is damn good.

ddamiani@liberty.cu.wlu.edu (David J. Damiani)
A problem with this album is it adheres almost too closely to the dark, swampy feeling everyone derives from it. On future CCR albums there are welcome tension-breakers, in the form of ballads or at least wittier songs. Sometimes it's tough to take this many relentless and vaguely morbid songs in a row. I must put in a good word for "Porterville," of which I will never tire, and "Suzie Q," which is a great guitar piece beyond that unfortunate telephone experiment. Other than these fine songs, however, then-underdeveloped lyrical skills and the unceasing dark mood make this album less than it might have been. Powerful? Sure. A memorable favorite? Not a chance. Other than "Rude Awakening #2," "Walk on the Water" is the most disjointed CCR song and really hurts the album in its closing role. Compare the mood of this song to that of more memorable and pleasant CCR closers-"Keep On Chooglin'," for instance, or "Sweet Hitch Hiker."

lehmann@ideasign.com (Doug Tedeschi)
Creedence is known for kick-ass, in your face rock and roll, and that's exactly what this album delivers. An album this powerful has little use for any juffy-lube fillers, and I'd think that anyone who's a big enough CCR fan to write reviews would be able to appreciate this album as their finest effort. I have to assert that, while there is something to tracks 1 and 3, the truly great cover on this album is "99 1/2". JCF does such a fine job with this cut that it's hard to believe he didn't write it. Instead of "Suzie Q", which I've never particularly enjoyed, "99 1/2" should be revered as a rock and roll essential. It far defeats "Suzie Q" and is even better than anything Boston or Lynyrd Skynyrd ever put out. But Creedence's original album goes far, far deeper than its three covers. "Porterville" absolutely rocks, and "The Working Man" is is a fine example of how Creedence had it long before "Proud Mary" or "Bad Moon Rising" ever reached the charts. "Gloomy" and "Walk on the Water" go to add JCF's famed solo abilities and his inspired originality to an album which, aside from "Suzie Q", is otherwise largely void of JCF's signature presence. There is no b.s. on this album and it has many fine Creedence moments. It is the purest, most vital peice of Creedence's history and is most likely, despite enormous later success, their finest album to date.

Glenn.Wiener@entex.com
Whereas this isn't their best work, you could tell that this band was really special. Although the songwriting is a little weak, John Fogerty's guitar work is near its best on this fine debut.

gstarst@freestamp.com (George Starostin)
Close to ideal. Close to perfect. If it weren't for the utterly stupid and completely out-of-line "Porterville" which should rather belong to Willy And The Poorboys, this would be a good candidate for a 10. As it is, Green River and Cosmo's Factory put this one on the third place in my personal rating. Still, a fascinating debut. My personal favourite is "The Working Man" - I can play those mad solos by Fogerty in my mind even while sleeping. "Susie-Q" is terrific, even more wonderful how they could pull out such wonderful musical ideas out of a silly tune like this one, and "Walk On The Water" is a great instrumental (well, it does have some lyrics in the beginning, but it's not much). Very raw. Very energetic. Very self-assured and sometimes downright naughty. This record cooks!

frechett@granite.mb.ca
porterville - extremely well thought out guitar parts (sweep solo near end). this song i knew off by heart as a two year old mom says.

keroscene@earthlink.net (Davey G. Johnson)
Y'know...the first CCR album is a classic. Untouched by psychedelia? I don't know about that. But anybody who doesn't see that the shining gem of this record is the proto-punk, post-blues "Porterville" is absolutely out of their gourds. I've got a feeling that those who thought the first Clash record and Never Mind The Bollocks weren't great r 'n' r probably are the ones who hate this track, as well.

harveyclan2@myfairpoint.net (Peter)
Hello,

Boston sucks, they are as bad or worse than the new crap you mentioned. I believe there are two types of music, good and bad. The beatles are my favorite then the clash and creedence and lots more even nirvana. The reason rolling stone might have said mystical is because that's what it was to creedence, they had never been down south, never seen the bayou, only dreamed of it. Back to boston, I've heard better sounds come out of a public restroom so please don't include these two bands together ever again. Creence was the american Beatles bar none, Boston was and is everything shitty about the 70's. Thank you.

P.S. BOSTON SUCKS!!!

And don't be freaked by the word "country" in the title - this ain't country music by a longshot - just scummy earthy bloozy rock and/or roll. Did I mention "Keep On Chooglin'" yet? An upbeat dandy - played here for 7:40, in concerts it would often stretch to ten or fifteen minutes - it's that kinda jam. Real good. Stop being a wussy and buy Bayou Country. Only gets an 8 'cuz the cover "Good Golly Miss Molly" and the generic blues "Penthouse Pauper" irritate my penis. The rest rules. It rules!

Reader Comments

jnw@iglobal.net (Jim Hull)
No kidding... Fogerty wasn't even "Born On The Bayou", but when he delivers that line...man, I believe he was...really simple, but wow...it's beat-your-ass stuff...

mloewen@escape.ca (Matt Loewen)
Good summary, but "Good Golly Miss Molly" and "Penthouse Pauper" certainly do not suck. The second half (the two above tunes and "Proud Mary" and "Chooglin'") is bar none the finest album side ever.

tukki.jyu.fi (Petri)
"Good Golly Miss Molly" really doesn't irritate. It's a superb version of the Penniman original. The intro of it is one of the greatest in the history of rock and roll, and the second solo from younger Fogerty is one of the best The Man put onto vinyl. Without "Graveyard Train" (too long) and "Keep On Chooglin'" (somehow lame compared to a live version), this would be Number 1 Creedence album. Bayou Country is also a democratic album; they play as a quartet and not as a backing group of John Fogerty. For instance, listen to "Bootleg" which is an essential Tom Fogerty-Stu Cook song.

Beatown@msn.com (Dave Joens)
Great review. However, "Good Golly Miss Molly" and "Penthouse Pauper" are both good tunes. I'd give the album a solid 9, losing that one point because "Graveyard Train" doesn't quite cut it after repeated hearings. On the other hand, at one time or another "Born On The Bayou," "Penthouse Pauper" and "Keep On Chooglin'" were my favorite songs. (and that doesn't include "Proud Mary," the classic CCR tune in a portfolio of classic tunes.)

ddamiani@liberty.cu.wlu.edu (David J. Damiani)
Although the cover of "Good Golly Miss Molly" is almost surrealistically far removed from the original and "Penthouse Pauper" is tedious, this album is loaded with good material. "Bootleg" is one of the best kept secrets in the annals of CCR, paced by a good, grimy vocal. "Born on the Bayou" is easily the greatest opener to a rock album or concert ever conceived. But best of all is "Proud Mary." I've heard it interpreted as everything from John's lament of his generation's lack of appreciation for simplicity to his expression of escape upon being discharged from the Army, but it's easy to enjoy without trying to search for any depth in the lyric.

Brian Fischer
Being a drummer and playing to this album in my basement 30 years ago, I would have to say this album, especially side 2 just totally kicks the ass off of anything I heard at that time or since then. "Penthouse Pauper," "Born On The Bayou," "Proud Mary" etc. etc. I still play to this album and it still kicks ass.

Glenn.Wiener@entex.com
Creedence was no secret after this phenomenal album. The songwriting catches up to the guitar playing.

gstarst@rsuh.ru (George Starostin)
No, this ISN'T a phenomenal album. Both "Born On The Bayou" and "Proud Mary" are prime songs, no doubt about that. And "Penthouse Pauper" has some great guitar and singing.

But "Graveyard Train"? Listening to this song it becomes obvious they just didn't have enough filler material. No surprise: that year (1969) they released THREE albums! THREE! Fogerty was a good composer, but not THAT good. So they took two average songs ("Train" and "Chooglin'" and developed them into dull and overlong jams). At least John could let loose his guitar (which, by the way, he did in "Susie-Q" and saved the song with it); he preferred harmonica instead (I don't know who was the harmonica player, but whoever he was he wasn't very good at it). If not for these two stupid songs and "Bootleg", this would be a prime album. Hey... idea! Why not screw them and dump the GOOD songs on "Green River"?

avsouza@webtv.net (Tony Souza)
This is probably my second favorie CCR album (Cosmo's Factory being the first). "Born on the Bayou" is one of the finest songs CCR has done , "Keep on Chooglin'" never gets boring and "Proud Mary" is a classic (though I've heard it way too many times). "Bootleg" is one of the most underrated songs in their catalog. I've always thought that song should've gotten a lot more airplay. The debut was good, but this is definitely a step forwad for the band.

mustang@wf.quik.com (Dean Dotson)
Bayou Country was my first album as a 10 year old kid and left a life long impression with me. Four of these songs are the most awsome ever! Born on the bayou is just total dynamite!(BLEW ME AWAY WHEN I FIRST HEARD IT) Penthouse Pauper is a song where you can see Fogerty's confidence blasting through full force, (KNOWS HE'S BAD!). Bootleg is another one of those "got to love", under rated songs and last but no least, Proud Mary, a song that everybodys heard and loves, but does not necessarily know that Fogerty wrote it. Over all, these four songs alone make this album a 10 in my book!

smuskol@online.no
This is a great album, an espesially "Graveyard Train" is INCREDIBLE (!!!!) I think. It has the beat of the early rock and roll and the spirit of the old blues (like Robert Johnson, and that kind of stuff). This is a supurb song, on a supurb album. Also songs like "Born On The Bayou" and "Proud Mary" is great also, but "Keep On Chooglin`", and espesially "Bootleg" are weaker songs.

Reader Comments

gniven@coastalnet.com (Graham Niven)
There's a different mix of "Bad Moon Rising" on the Time/Life AM Classics CD for 1969. This version has an entirely different vocal echo/delay setting, and features a lot of additional guitar overdubs throughout. John Fogerty's reasons for not releasing this superior version are unknown. Best guess would be that he realized all the extra guitar fills would be impossible to duplicate live.

la314w@crown.icongrp.com (Jesse Lara)
What do you mean "Tombstone Shadow" irritates you! That song is a jam! That whole cd is a jam!

Beatown@msn.com (Dave Joens)
Of the CCR albums, Bayou Country was always my favorite, Cosmo's Factory was the best seller and Green River and Willie And The Poor Boys were the two best. I used to think that Green River was the perfect album, without a blemish or a flaw and that Willie And The Poor Boys was almost perfect. Now I realize that, actually, both albums are perfect. And, when one realizes that Fogerty was cranking these albums out every 4 1/2 months while touring and doing just about everything else, one is really amazed. The song "Green River" continues to demand attention when played on the radio. My only regret about this song is that when played live they should have just jammed for about four or five minutes at the end. (The really great songs should never end.) Fogerty has said that "Green River" is his favorite CCR tune. It certainly is a great one and is probably my favorite too. However, the hidden gem on this album is "Cross Tie Walker."

ddamiani@liberty.cu.wlu.edu (David J. Damiani)
The great thing about this album is, beyond the well-known hits, this is just loaded with hidden gems. "Wrote A Song For Everyone" rates among the top 3 CCR songs in lyrical impressiveness and vocal performance. "Cross-Tie Walker" is another great lyrical piece, "Tombstone Shadow" is an excellent guitar piece, and "The Night Time Is The Right Time" is impossible to sit still through regardless of the annoying "Wah-doo-day"s. The only downside is "Sinister Purpose," which is too relentlessly dark.

Glenn.Wiener@entex.com
The John Fogerty songwriting machine is on a roll here with many fine tracks including "Lodi", "Wrote A Song For Everyone", "Bad Moon Risin'", and "Sinister Purpose".

gstarst@rsuh.ru (George Starostin)
This one's my favourite, if you omit the last two songs: "Sinister Purpose" - a rather dark-and-dull sounding pop-rocker and "The Night Time Is The Right Time" - a rather bright-and-not-less-dull sounding rock-popper (I wonder if it is REAL amusing to sing the same line for about three hundred times?)

Now the OTHER songs are a collection of GEMS! "Green River" and "Commotion" set the tune, then the sound becomes lighter with "Tombstone Shadow" which features some of John's best soloing ever (I like that one-note "twang - twang - twang - twang - twang..." in the middle: this proves you don't have to be a Jimi Hendrix to play the guitar like God!) and "Wrote A Song..." - John's best ballad; Side B opens with "Bad Moon Rising", which is lightweight but quite exciting, then it's "Lodi" (Fogerty's best introspective song) and "Cross-tie walker" is a good rocker, too. Just screw the last two songs.

Wonderful!

knowstev@med.umich.edu (Steven Knowlton)
I love this album, but why does he keep singing about an evil dolphin on side two?

emmatoresen@varteconline.net (MVT)
It always bothered me that BMR, Lodi and Proud Mary were never (to my knowledge) issued in stereo...

but wait!

They are in stereo, albeit in a mix so centred it sounds like mono.

Simply get yourself a stereo expander (or play the CD via your DVD player through your television with the Supersound on) and... hey presto! True stereo mixes of these great songs.

Simply copy them to CD (for your own use only!) and Robert is your father's brother...

"Down On The Corner" and "Fortunate Son" are the most popular, but you can't go wrong no matter where you place the stereophonic needle on this mother. Just fun country-blues-rock played RIGHT. No weak covers. No generic blues - not even "Feelin' Blue," which is actually an extremely pretty little ditty. An itty bitty pretty ditty - not shitty! The only downer is the closing song, "Effigy," which, despite harrowing vocal harmonies, is a bit...uhhh....questionable. Well, no...it's just that it's far darker than anything they've done since the first album. Does it belong on this record? Is John trying to make some point about small towns by putting this morbid tale of narrow-minded hatred at the end of a 30-minute celebration of the simple life? Or am I misunderstanding the song completely? Weird. Out of place. But great. And not "southern rock," dammit! Okay, it's sorta countryish, but this ain't dagnabbed redneck music! Asshole.

Just kiddin' about that "asshole" thing.

Reader Comments

flashman@uclink.berkeley.edu (Edward Garrett)
The reviews are great. Don't forget about "Don't Look Now...." To me this is one of the great overlooked tunes. A call for honesty and self respect. Not a real involved tune, but a great piece of songwriting altogether. Very human.

bmoylan@micron.net
Willy And The Poor Boys was the first CCR album I got! I love it!!

nobody@interlinx.qc.ca (Clients Interlinx)
for those fan around the world the site of willy and the poorboys street¸ corner is still there today.Duck Kee Market exactly as it was in 1969 and still the same owner.I do have lot of photos of the street corner and lot of photos of many important site related to CCR taken last years that included Fantasy building, old John`s studio on Key route Blvd. back cover of Willy And The Poor Boys etc....

mloewen@escape.ca (Matt Loewen)
Regardless of what you have just read, "Effigy" is one of John Fogerty's all-time masterpieces. The album is fantastic, but not perfect.

Beatown@msn.com (Dave Joens)
What a great review you wrote. You are to be commended. Anywhere you place the needle on this album you'll find a winner. I really like "It Came Out Of The Sky," but let's talk about "Fortunate Son." I thought Bob Seger had done the definitive live version of "Fortunate Son" (he released it as a single) until I saw Fogerty at the Welcome Home (Vietnam Vets) concert in Washington D.C. in 1987. Wow. Fogerty had the crowd by the balls and his performance reminded everyone why this was such a powerful tune (and why it was his). At the end of the tune, instead of fading out or segueing into "Commotion," Fogerty screams "I ain't no fortunate . . . I ain't no fortunate . . . I ain't no fortunate. . . I ain't no fortunate . . . I ain't no fortunate . . .I ain't no fortunate . . . I ain't no fortunate . . .I ain't no fortunate Sooooooooooooooooon!!!!!" Rock and Roll nirvana, ladies and gentlemen, but I digress. My question about this album and I have never seen it answered in a review is: was this an Americanized version of Sgt. Pepper? Maybe it too obviously is. It sure seems that way to me. Screw the fancy uniforms, we'll play washboard and Gut Bass in front of Duck Kee Market. Fancy celebrities in the picture? Nah, just a couple of poor kids dancing, thanks. If anyone can help me on this please e-mail this site. But again, I digress.

Oh shit. I forgot to add. "Feelin' Blue" is a great tune. Great!

davidt@utep.edu (David Torres)
"Effigy" is John's response to the scare of nuclear holocaust.

ddamiani@liberty.cu.wlu.edu (David J. Damiani)
Thank you for your diplomatic review of this fine album. You have no idea how sick I am of seeing this described as "The redneck Sgt. Pepper's." This album is about small-town virtue, not glorified redneck life. The lyrics to "Don't Look Now" and "Fortunate Son" certainly are not redneck; they are far more intelligent than those of other protest songs such as "Give Peace A Chance." "It Came Out Of The Sky" is one of the sliest pieces of songwriting of the era. As for "Effigy," I have seen it most often described as John's depiction of a nuclear holocaust but I always saw it as a protest against the activities of the KKK. The only drawback to this outstanding album is "Side Of The Road," the worst instrumental this side of "Rude Awakening #2."

andersly@d25.k12.id.us (Anderson Lynnette)
"Side O' The Road" is an awesome instumental. The first few minutes of "Rude Awakening #2" aren't that bad either so leave it alone. CCR was about music, not image, so screw Srgnt. Pepper.

AFU69@hotmail.com
My mom has this on vinyl, but I listen to it more than she does. A superb record. "Down on the Corner" was one of the first songs I learned how to play on guitar, because it's fucking cool (and easy).

Glenn.Wiener@entex.com
The greatness just continues and variety expands further.

mmille39@IDT.NET
I would just like to say that "Side o' the road" is a great instrumental, far from a bad one, as one of this site's contributers claimed.

gstarst@rsuh.ru (George Starostin)
I have a strange feeling towards this album. I have a feeling that there are no good songs here, and no bad songs either. Half of the songs are WONDERFUL and ECSTATIC, and the other half is HORRIBLE and CRAPPY (in the bad sense of the word). Therefore it does not deserve a ten.

The WONDERFUL songs are: (1) "Down On The Corner" - a great shuffle with a catchy little riff and great vocals as usual; (2) "It Came Out Of The Sky" - Fogerty always sounded great on faster songs; (3) "Cotton Fields" - a deeply touching cover, and tons of times better than the weak Beach Boys' version; (4) "Don't Look Now" - another great rocker; (5) "Midnight Special" - geez, I still can't understand what is it about this track, but it IS right there!

The HORRIBLE songs are: (1) "Poorboy Shuffle" - yeah, that's what it is, it's a poorboy shuffle, and a very poor boy shuffle it is! It's so quiet in the beginning, you almost start wondering if your CD player/tape recorder has gone broken; (2) "Feelin' Blue", blue, blue, blue, blue, feelin' blue, blue, blue, blue, blue, feelin' blue, blue, blue, blue, blue... you get my drift?; (3) "Side O' The Road" - you said you hated wankfests; this IS one; (4) "Effigy" - absolutely out of place on a cheerie album as this. And, well, I don't like "Fortunate Son", although it isn't as horrible as the others. So... guess I wouldn't want to be stranded on a desert island with this one. I'd better pocket Green River or Cosmo's Factory.

theburfs@sprynet.com (Scott Burford)
The other day, I took a friend over to see the Duck Kee Market, site of the Willy and the Poorboys Cover, but sadly, it has closed down. It was located in a tough section of Oakland, CA that has been hit by very hard times. However, the album will live on forever! If I was stranded on a desert island and I could only listen to three albums for the rest of my life, Poorboys would be one of them. The other 2 would probably be CCR albums as well. Bayou, Green River? Perhaps.

avsouza@webtv.net (Tony Souza)
Great album. I lke everything here. The only song that wears thin for me is "Midnight Special" but that's a minor complaint. My favorites are "Feelin" Blue" "Effigy" and "It Came Out of the Sky" . At this point, CCR used to tour and when they had some time off they would rehearse and go into the studio with the songs already formed and they would knock out an album like this in about 2-3 weeks. Amazing.

MatthewByrd@hotmail.com
John Fogerty has got to be one of the most overlooked composers of the last few decades. 'Who'll Stop The Rain?' 'Proud Mary' 'Run Through The Jungle' and 'Fortunate Son'? All great.

toro_92@yahoo.ca (Ron)
This needs to be said; all those wankers from Time to Newsweek, from Rolling Stone to Ben and Jerry's all have it so wrong with the Jerry Garcia/Grateful Dead worship. If you want a band that defined American rock and roll, it was Creedence Clearwater Revival. John Fogerty is still the most underrated man in rock history. Breathing life into old standards like "Midnight Special" and "Cotton Fields", as well as the timeless power of "Fortunate Son" , this album is a treasure from start to finish. I guess one has to be a certain age to get the reference to "Walter and Eric", guess that makes me old. Those were the days when band put out two albums a year, and you could make a statement in 2 minutes and 30 seconds.

Love that introductory paragraph on CCR Mark

thepublicimage79@hotmail.com
Willy and the Poor Boys isn't perfect. There, I said it.

I could end the review there, but I will elaborate. There are some absolutely all-time brilliant songs here, defining classics of actual rock and roll that are truly fiery and impassioned. However, there are some songs here that are just not good, at all. Both of the instrumentals are nothing special in the slightest. Ugly, stupid, and meandering. Whoopee. "Feelin' Blue" is fun, but really just trivial.

The other seven songs really are fantastic, though. Everyone knows about "Down on the Corner" and "Fortunate Son", and the two covers are spellbinding. But the other three originals haven't received much attention, which isn't good, because they're some of Fogerty's best songs. "It Came Out Of The Sky" is hilarious and brilliantly swinging and catchy, and there's a reason the Minutemen covered "Don't Look Now" - it's one of the total, all-time great Creedence songs, encapsulating American class realities within a two-minute acoustic shuffle that The Band spent years trying to write (and that's coming from someone who loves The Band). "Effigy", though, never gets any respect within the web reviewing community, and I honestly think that's preposterous. The song is completely out of character for Creedence - without question, it's their most depressing song ever, and it's really a fascinating one-time experiment. I can definitely say that if Creedence had sounded like this all the time, I wouldn't be a Creedence fan, but it's a great departure. The lyrics are hard to make out - is it simply about burning someone in effigy, or is it about a lynching? Both? - but the vocal harmonies are chillingly scary, and the melody is insidiously catchy. I seriously spent the last two days with this song's melody stuck in my head. Dissonant twangs and all. While it isn't one of Creedence's best songs, effort definitely went into it (unlike some of the other songs on this album), and I think it's a wrenching song that needs to be listened to at least once. Plus, the endless guitar solos are really good too.

Willy and the Poor Boys gets an eight out of ten from me.

Sadly, this ain't too swampish at all, but it's not like they sold out or anything. With maturity comes desire for change, even change this minor. And, like Willy And The Poor Boys, it lacks the boring generic bluesy crap that irritated my penis on the first few records. This is Creedence - not Clapton! Throw that 12-bar blues in the ash can!

Reader Comments

talon7@ix.netcom.com (Gary R. Dobson)
Your site is excellent, save for one particular and rather glaring error. "Ramble Tamble" is lengthy, however it is also much too short. The guitar work on the piece is at once, majestic, mystical and driving.

I recall the day this song shoved its way into my soul. The album had just been released and while my friends were kicking up a storm to, "Grapevine," I was sitting in my darkened bedroom, powering the wonder that was, "Ramble" through an exceptional set of headphones, connected to a very shabby stereo (non-detachable speakers). The next afternoon, I journeyed to a friend's home which, that afternoon, was chock full of Creedence fans. The best thing about this particular friend was that his father owned an exceptional stereo, complete with an equalizer and reverb unit. It took well over an hour to convince my pal to stop playing, "Grapevine" and give, "Ramble" a try. Finally, he placed the stereo's needle on the first groove on side one. As the opening note to, "Ramble" blasted its way into the assemblage's collective ears, they instantly realized that nirvana had been reached. Furthermore, my musical leanings were deemed to be exceptional and I became a sought after party attendee. "Grapevine" was not to make another appearance that afternoon.

To this very day, "Ramble" is played on my stereo unit at least once a month, if not more. I've yet to convince the world that the song is much too short, however, there is hope. After all, I'm only 43 and so time still remains. Perhaps my quest will be realized, at some point in the not too distant future.

I've lost contact with the friends who once considered me to be a person who should definitely be admired, but I'd like to think that somewhere in the land of oz, these at once, pals continue to recall the day that, "Ramble" entered their collective souls.

hardball@iswest.net (Chris Cross)
Ok, I've been sitting here reading your reviews of CCR, my favorite band, at 3 in the damn morning and I can't take it anymore. How can you say that great tunes like "Penthouse Pauper" and "Before You Accuse Me" are crap? Come on! "Pauper" is one of the finest blues songs I've heard, whether it be from a blues artist or rock or whatever! And how can you disregard the blues influence in CCR's work? It's damn impossible. Hell, that's what makes their music so good. When was the last time you heard any really GREAT rock music, without SOME blues influence? You can't; blues is the foundation for rock. And I say, the more bluesy CCR is, the better!

Beatown@msn.com (Dave Joens)
I like the way your reviews move Creedence from the swamps to the country and the suburbs. That is a damn good analysis. Cosmo's Factory, I believe, was Creedence's best seller and contributes eight of the 20 songs off of Chronicles. The underappreciated star of this album is "Run Through The Jungle," a song too deep and too disturbing to receive much airplay on radio today, which is a shame because it is a great rocker as well. The hits on this album speak for themselves, with "Who'll Stop the Rain," being especially significant, "Travelin' Band" being especially great and "I Heard It Through The Grapevine" just being especially mind-boggling. I like all of the covers on this album and think that "Ooby Dooby," "Before You Accuse Me" and "My Baby Left Me" add a certain lightness to the album. These songs make Cosmo's Factory an inconsistent album, ("Ooby Dooby" with "Run Through The Jungle"?), but they are well done and help explain why this is Creedence's best seller. The song I don't like is "Ramble Tamble," a great three minute song but a lousy long song. Sorry, when the guitar slows down during the middle jam, it is because everyone is falling asleep. I go back and forth about the merits of "Long As I Can See The Light" because I still think "Born On The Bayou" should be on Chronicles and this is the song "Bayou" most likely would have replaced. That said, if you ever want to hear a great version of this song, get Ted Hawkins The Next Hundred Years. Great tune.

ddamiani@liberty.uc.wlu.edu (David J. Damiani)
Why does no one give "Long As I Can See The Light" the respect it deserves? Sure, it sounds at times (especially lyrically) like Fogerty threw it together in thirty minutes to fill out the second side, but how can you ignore that vocal? Next to "Hideaway," truly one of the greatest vocal performances of the Creedence reign...and who couldn't be moved by the sax parts?

defrlib@vicnet.net.au (Defence Regional Library)
Cosmo's Factory was the first CCR album I listened to when I was knee high to a grasshopper. My father introduced me to the joys of CCR and they are THE band! Every song RULES! I have only heard "Ramble" ONCE on Australian radio, and when they play "Grapevine," it's the short version. GET A LIFE! "Ramble" is a real road song as is "Chooglin'." Every time I visit my parents out comes the Factory! Excellent!

Lodiccr5@aol.com
I do not know what some of you people are thinking, "Ramble Tamble" is one of the best damn songs CCR has. If it is lacking anythig (which it is not) it should be a tad bit longer. Cosmo's Factory I believe is the best Creedence album there is. It is in my opinion the best album in Rock & Roll history; I believe it deserves an 11.

Bjarne Eldhuset 1A
I want to thank David J. Damiani for his view on "Long As I Can See The Light". I totally agree with him. Though the lyrics may not be that good, they'll do just fine for me. The vocal is fantastic, and I love the saxophone section in the middle, ooooooh doo do doo doo do doo......

bgoulet@snet.net (Bill Goulet)
The reviews are right on, except the Clapton remark. Eric's playing from '65-'71 (Mayall thru Derek) is untouchable. There haven't been many players who've burned with that kind of intensity (even E.C. himself has lost most of the earlier fire). The blues had a baby and they named it rock and roll.

Glenn.Wiener@entex.com
Like a greatest hits compilation, only better. Great songs from start to finish from rock to country to ballads to soul to Elvis. An essential document of American Rock N Roll!

gstarst@rsuh.ru (George Starostin)
I think that "Ramble Tamble" owns a lot to the Beatles' "I Want You (She's So Heavy)", primarily in its repetitive riff; but the riff in "I Want You" is much more exciting and the mounting of tension is achieved with a lot more skill and delicateness. I would advise the guy who screwed "Grapevine" in favor of "Ramble Tamble" to listen to Abbey Road instead!

This is, however, a minor criticism. Cosmo's Factory may not be CCR's best, but it is certainly their most mature work. No wonder more than half of it was taken for the Chronicle. Apart from the annoying instrumental passage in "Ramble", I can think of almost no flaws on this one. "Grapevine" is the only instrumental I like that lasts THIS long! "Run Through The Jungle" is Fogerty's best effort at a scary song - a trillion times better than the stupid "Sinister Purpose" on Green River. "Ooby Dooby" is a fantastic and breathtaking piece of classical rock and roll; and, hey, there's nothing wrong with the covers (well, maybe, only with "My Baby Left Me": it is a bit worse than the Elvis version).

avsouza@webtv.net (Tony Souza)
My favorite album. Not as swampy, but still good. "Ramble Tamble" is another long CCR song that, for me, holds up well after all these years. In fact, just about all of CCR's lengthy tunes hold up. Some of 'em may be repetitious but they're never boring. I can hear all of Fogerty's influences on this one and to thnk this was the third album they put out in year. Fogerty was on a roll and it shows here. This is my 10/10.

cindydale@centurytel.net (Dale Kirk)
I totally disagree with that stupid Dave Joens.I'm only 15 years old, but I can feel a good song when I hear one."Long as I Can See the Light" is one of the best Rock'nRoll songs in history.Sometimes the simplist lyrics are the deepest.It is truly a classic that even young people enjoy.So shut up about so called 'Lame' songs and HEAR them instead of just listening.

pedroandino@msn.com
I heard about your whining of crap music. now why did you diss no doubt? man gwen is so sexy! mmmmmm! anyway back then my dad was vietnam soldier and grapevine was playing in full stereo. marvin gaye is without a doubt one of the top ten best motown singers in music and the version gets a whopping 11 minutes of guitar, bass, vocals, drums, and tasty cowbells! traveling band is like a chuck berry song! who will stop the rain is my dad's anthem thank you terry for the wonderful document on how music today sucks cock! oasis sucks cock! a big cock! that fucker sounds too fucking closely to john lennon and I hate that! fuck rap and that iritating cocksucker 50 cent! say were is the john forgerty solo records? listen: betta run thru da jungle! na na na na na na betta run thru da jungle na na na na na you gotta hy di hy di hyde the old maaaaaaaaaaan is down the road! sounds like that huh? centerfield is the best! gotta wrap things up.

Right after Cosmo's Factory, CCR toured with Booker T. And The MGs and were so impressed by that cool jazzy bluesy keyboardy "Green Onions" Stax Records sound that they decided to integrate it into their own beloved style. And it actually works very well, especially for those unfortunate folk who were getting bored with the age-old patented Creedence musical palate. It doesn't have tons of hits ("Have You Ever Seen The Rain" and "Hey Tonight" are classics, and every once in a while, you'll hear "Born To Move" and maybe "Pagan Baby," but that's it), but it's a nice nice record. "Hideaway," "Chameleon," and "It's Just a Thought" do the Booker T. soul thing pretty well, and "Sailor's Lament" is catchy as crap, as are, of course, the hits I mentioned a couple of sentences ago. There's some totally country ones that are nice enough, too. All in all, it's a smiley record.

The only real ball suck is the stupid "psychedelic" experiment, "Rude Awakening #2." You see, '60s soul music wasn't too far removed from CCR's influences to begin with, so the minor alteration wasn't that big a deal. More organs and less muddy guitar slashin', but that's about it. "Psychedelia," on the other hand, is what I thought this band was trying to rebel against in the first place. Even if that wasn't the case, 1970 was way too late to be pullin' boring artsy crap like this outta their collective musical butts. So just shut off the turntable after "Molina" and go enjoy yourself a nice low-fat Twinkie. Then listen to "Pagan Baby" again and remember the rock machine they once were before those OTHER influences took over. (In other words, "Pagan Baby" sounds like old CCR, and the rest doesn't, except possibly for "Have You Ever Seen The Rain," which is just gorgeous and deserves to be on an album far more popular than this one - say Green River or that first Pixies record - I mean, who goes into a disco store and orders a steaming hot bowl de Pendulum? Jack Crap, mister! That's who!) It doesn't kick butt, but it's a groovy trip, dude.

Reader Comments

Beatown@msn.com (Dave Joens)
I like Pendulum but it doesn't deserve the same 8 stars that you gave Green River and Bayou Country.

ddamiani@liberty.uc.wlu.edu (David J. Damiani)
If your knowledge of CCR only extends to the hits and you happen to gain access to this album, skip right over "Sailor's Lament" and "Chameleon." You may come to appreciate them if you have listened to a lot more CCR or if you understand the circumstances behind the change in their sound (not so much visits with Booker T. as complaints of uncreativity from the powerful art-rock lobby), but if you're new to the whole deal these songs could scare you away from buying any other Creedence albums. As for the other unusual sounds, "Hideaway" is too good to ignore, "Born To Move" and "It's Just A Thought" are just fine, and "Rude Awakening" could make you outwardly hate CCR if you don't have that much experience with them. Avoid.

aaap@netl.nw.com.au (Andy Rolfe)
I am glad you gave this album, my personal favourite, 8 out of 10, it deserves it, not least for its wide ranging musical styles, but also for its high production standard. Stu Cook informs that the early CCR albums were recorded on 8 track machines, and the later in 16 track, and it shows on this great album. The drumming on "Born to Move" is worth the purchase price in itself.

Glenn.Wiener@entex.com
What happened to all the raw guitar energy? My how the mighty have fallen.

dstraub@geosys.com (David Straub)
Not really a big CCR fan, but I just want to say that "...feel my bile rise..." is pretty damn funny to me because the word "bile" knocked ME out of a 5th grade spelling bee for the exact same reason... I'd simply never heard it before. "B-I-A-L." "Sorry. Have a nice day!" No justice, man....

The Chronicle albums are great. Otherwise I'm none too familiar with this band. My mom's favorite group after the Beatles. Guess she knows what's up!

gstarst@rsuh.ru (George Starostin)
Yeah, good. This would've been a nice swan song had they not released Mardi Gras afterwards. I totally agree that "Rude Awakening" is completely outta place here and even if it were not it would still be. Totally uninspired even compared to such experiments as "Sing This All Together", hell, even "Revolution 9"!

But most of the other tracks are fine. The raw guitar energy is right there, on the first track! The instrumental passage on "Pagan Baby" is every bit as good as the earlier jams! And "Have You Ever Seen The Rain" is a beautiful Fogerty ballad. And organ playing is perfect, too. An 8 is a perfect rating.

kimble@visuallink.com (Michael Kimble)
Absoutely my favorite album is Pendulum. A great saxophone, and no songs in which are not good. "Sailor's Lament" is the greatest on the album--But "Molina" has the best saxophone.

avsouza@webtv.net (Tony Souza)
This is an uneven album for me. I love "Pagan Baby", "Who'll Stop the Rain" "Born to Move" etc. but "Rude Awakening " sucks and I never really cared for "Molina". The production is good though; they sound better here than on any previous album. Fogert'y's songwriting is also a little more diverse here. I also give them credit for trying to stretch out musically a llittle more and most of the time they succeed.

mustang@wf.quik.com (Dean Dotson)
To me, this is one of their best yet, they were peaking here, with the Brooker T influence, these blue eyed soul brothers really got into a groove on this one. I liked every song on the album very much, even the first part of rude awakening 2, if John would have left off the space filler ending of this song, this album would have been unbeatable! I sure like the song Chameleon, feel it was one of their most under rated songs released, I loved the sax and keyboard in every song it was used in and thought, why did they wait so long to use them in their music. This LP is a definite 91/2 only because of the last part of "rude 2" knocks off a 1/2 of a point. One can't help but wonder what the LP after this one would have been like if Tom and the others would have just left John and his brillance alone and went along with the program, even though Doug and Stu are very good song writers and the best fellow band members a guy could ever ask for. Who knows?

j.bornhofen@worldnet.att.net (John H. Bornhofen)
Anderson Lynnette is right! I was waiting for someone to say it. The first three minutes of "Rude Awakening" are great. It helps to fade out once you start hearing the violin. As for "Effigy", I absolutely love this song. Why do you (Mark) demand that a band sustain the same mood throughout an entire album? For those who are interested, there is a great, rocking cover of "Effigy" by Son Volt on the No Alternative various artists disc. This disc can be found in a lot of close-out bins right about now. Never heard Son Volt rock so hard.

vsvitov@diamin.msk.ru (Svitovy)
Lolik: You're all wrong! Rude awakening #2 is the best CCR's cut! It sounds like something not from the Earth! And, of course, Hideaway is a great vocal effort. And Chameleon, with its saxophone, is just so great that I can't tell about it! Yahhhhhooooo!

Reader Comments

gniven@coastalnet.com (Graham Niven)
'Long about 19 whenever Fantasy first shit out this release, I heard the live version of "Who'll Stop The Rain" on the radio. I thought it was Springsteen's version.

Okay, I really don't mean to dis this recording. The 4 of them were near the peak if not on top of it at that show. JF always got criticized for their live thang bein' "just like the record", as if that was bad. I find it pretty dang amazing when four musicians can even approach a multi track studio version.

I saw em live in August 1970 in Jacksonville FLA and man, they were hot. So don't get the wrong impression by my Bruce comment. It is a true story, and the reason I thought it was him at first was it had been so damn long since hearing anything from CCR, and I knew Bruce was performing that tune live at the time also. I knew also that JF had vowed never to allow a "live CCR" release. John takes a bit of a vocal stumble at the start of "Who'll Stop The Rain" too.

I think its an interesting release because of the timing, they were in front of a hometown crowd in Oakland, and Tom was still adding his underrated guitar to the mix. Just wanted to qualify my statement a bit, like I said, it was indeed the first thought when it came on the radio back when Bruce ruled.

ddamiani@liberty.uc.wlu.edu (David J. Damiani)
If you were as mesmerized as I was the first time you heard "Who'll Stop The Rain" or "Bad Moon Rising" or "Down on the Corner," skip right over these tracks as John's flat voice will lead you down a highway of disillusionment. Stick with the more obscure songs never released as singles; "Midnight Special" and "Tombstone Shadow" sound far better than any of the hits on this album save for "Fortunate Son." And if any group ever comes up with a better opener than "Born on the Bayou," let me know, but I won't hold my breath waiting for a reply.

aaap@netl.nw.com.au (Andy Rolfe)
I always compare this album with the Live In Europe disc (a double CD here in OZ) rather than with the studio takes. If I want to hear studio takes, I'll put the relevant CD on!! The Concert does more for me than Live In Europe not least because I believe that the band just couldn't pull off that sound without Tom Fogerty excerting his understated influence. Also, the music on Live In Europe sounds flat in comparison, like "I've had enough and I wanna go home", whereas they still sound like they are enjoying themselves on The Concert. If you want to hear a trio recording that really kicks, get hold of a copy of the Live At The Filmore boot.

lehmann@ideasign.com (Doug Tedeschi)
This album makes only a few contributions to Creedence. It provides us with a version of "Tombstone Shadow" that places a shadow of its own over the studio recording...sadly, it omits JC's great 32-beat one-note solo. The other great contribution is a "Commotion" rendition that makes me like the song, when I never flipped for the studio version. Also, we hear slightly different versions of "Fortunate Son" and "Midnight Special", two songs which had soured in my mind after I first fell in love with them. They're back...

gstarst@rsuh.ru (George Starostin)
What makes up a good live band? Well - to my opinion, a good live sound DIFFERENT from the one achieved in the studio. Studio music and live music SHOULD be different. That's why the bands like the Stones, the Who, and the Cream were especially great: their studio sound and their live sound were just two different types of music.

Unfortunately, CCR does not rank among these great bands. What I heard on this album (and also on Live In Europe) is a weak replica of their studio originals. John's guitar sounds weaker than in the studio, and when it comes to passages where there were overdubs originally the sound is lost totally. Not a single solo is different from the original (besides the great "Tombstone Shadow" solo which is actually groovier in the studio)! Yes, this record really SHATTERED my opinion of John as one of the best guitarists ever! Yes, and his voice is also better in the studio!

Do not buy this album! If you're a CCR fan - it will only sadden you! If you're not - it will enrage you! Buy the studio records!

Troublenomore@entercomp.com
In regards to David J. Damiani's comment about "And if any group ever comes up with a better opener than "Born on the Bayou," let me know, but I won't hold my breath waiting for a reply". I agree completely that "Born on the Bayou" is a fantastic, but the Allman Brothers' "Statesboro Blues" is a damn good concert opener too!

jottol@ican.net
Funny that there are so many disillusioned Creedence fans when it comes to this live recording. This album is a snapshot--almost Candid Camera--which I think Creedence was/is all about. I met Stu Cook in October 1997 and asked him about the wonderfully upbeat "Green River" studio track; how did they get that tempo JUST RIGHT? His reply? "That's just the way it went down that day." Remember that succinct statement, fans, whenever you feel the need to analyze unfavourably this record. Snapshots are often blurry, grainy, and sometimes capture the subject(s) in compromising poses. That's why they're sometimes more powerful than exacting, well-planned shots. Line is live and studio is studio. Amazing how people get their criticism backwards--they jump for joy at studio sterility, but frown at the peaks and valleys of the live act.

I bet you'd all be afterglowin' had you actually been to The Concert!

Of course, his third contribution to the record is one of the biggest brownest smelliest pieces of C'n'W babyfinger that I've encountered since I tried to sit through an Alabama album in the sixth grade.

Never try to sit through an Alabama album in the sixth grade.

Okay. Now take a pencil eraser, and vehemently rub against the phrase "in the sixth grade."

There! Good night!

Reader Comments

tukki.jyu.fi (Petri)
I think Mardi Gras is not that bad album that rock establishment always argue. It contains four decent songs, including the sadly forgotten version of Ricky Nelson's "Hello Mary Lou". It's also worth noting that the B side opener "What're You Gonna Do", composed by Cook and Clifford, IS better than the A side opener "Lookin' For A Reason" which is a John Fogerty song. How many of current rock albums contain four good songs?

apple@atl.mindspring.com (Dave Brown)
The Alabama album you're referring to wouldn't happen to be Mountain Music with its cover of "Green River" on it, would it? I think Mardi Gras is an interesting album and does not get the credit it deserves. I don't think John had it in him to flesh out the rest of the album with his own material, judging by his subsequent solo output, as well as his pallid cover of "Hello Mary Lou". Hence the partial relinquishing of writing duties to Doug and Stu, who, as a combo, come through with a 50% effectiveness rate. John's own original compositions rank right up with any other Creedence song. Especially "Sweet Hitch Hiker", which kicks the previous songs in the can, serving as a testimony to John that he really was the straw that stirred the drink.

mloewen@escape.ca (Matt Loewen)
Yet another person who refuses to give Mardi Gras a chance. I expected to hate it, but was pleasantly surprised. I think this is the most underrated album of all time. I'd say only two tunes are throw-aways, but "What Are You Gonna Do?" and "Need Someone To Hold" are lost gems.

Beatown@msn.com (Dave Joens)
First of all, Mardi Gras is a better album than Pendulum. "Sweet Hitchhiker" is a great rocker. (About a month ago, a radio station near me played "Sweet Hitchhiker" and "Run Through The Jungle" back to back. I almost called the Nobel Prize committee to nominate the d.j. for the award for excellent taste.) "Someday Never Comes" is a great tune also and even though Fogerty once cut down his own version of "Hello Mary Lou," I like CCR's version. Remember, sometimes covers are done to pay tribute to one's musical influences, such as Ricky Nelson or Elvis. I really like Doug's "Tearin' Up The Country" and "Door to Door" is well written, if not well sung. The rest of the album is so-so, although "Lookin' For A Reason" is a song that always comes to my mind when I'm ready to leave a job (or a woman). Which brings me to another point. Are these guys bitching at each other in some of these songs? Fogerty's "Lookin' for a Reason to Stay," while Cook writes, "Baby you move over, give someone else a chance to try his luck" (Take It Like A Friend) and "Spent a long time listening to the captain of the sea, shouting orders to his crew, no one hears but me" (Sail Away). I'd like to know. Finally, for a trivia question, "Sail Away" is the title of a Stu Cook song on Mardi Gras and a John Fogerty tune on Eye Of The Zombie.

ddamiani@liberty.uc.wlu.edu (David J. Damiani)
If your original attraction to CCR was inspired by the countrified sound of some of the hit tracks, you'll like "Lookin' For A Reason." If you're expecting a repeat of "Fortunate Son" sound, skip right ahead to the last two cuts because there's nothing else here for you. This album might have held up if they let Fogerty sing all the time; Cook and Clifford are fine as songwriters, but to put their voices ahead of John's is just asking the album to self-destruct. If "Someday Never Comes" held up musically it could have become a classic; as it were it's worth a listen for the vocals and lyrics.

kgiard@liberty.uc.wlu.edu (Kathryn J. Giard)
To respond to Dave Joens: Several sources I have read have called "Take It Like A Friend" and "Sail Away" veiled attacks on John, but I have read nothing that called "Lookin' For A Reason" a musical dis of Doug and Stu. However, if the CCR members were writing about each other in the Mardi Gras tracks, it's nothing new. In a Rolling Stone interview in 1993, John stated that "Have You Ever Seen The Rain?" was his reaction to his expectation that Tom would leave the group and the possibility of the band breaking up.

tep@admiral.jyu.fi (Petri Silmala)
Stu Cook said recently that "Take It Like A Friend" and "Sail Away" are NOT about Fogerty.

ted.iorio@snet.net
Very, Very funny I really enjoyed your shindig. Your knowledge is good and I must take you to task on Mardi Gras however. It's not a ball suck and I like it as much as any other CCR album. "What you gonna do" is a great tune -as someone else said : it beats "lookin fer a reason". It proves that Cosmo can write too. Great organ in background and Johnny's solo is simple yet awesome. The other stunner is by Cosmo again:"Need someone to hold"."Been out walkin all night again" this part is repeated the 2nd time with an extra lyric and the effect is way cool. "Give out the wall comes back cold" what a great line- I think there's some Vietnam thoughts here from Doug: an allusion perhaps? I think drumming is very creative too. "Comes back cold" (bop-bop-bop-bop-bop-bop-bop) Oh God, Need someone to hold." I like these 2 gems as much as any Fogerty song. Yes a few weak songs("Take it like a friend", and "Lookin") but so what? Bayou country (my favorite) had "graveyard train" - a real buttsucker of a tune. Also your comments about "ho" and "dang botch" are the talk of a teenage boy. They also demean the ladies. J.C., I'm sure, would frown on that!!

lehmann@ideasign.com (Doug Tedeschi)
While "Sweet Hitchhiker" and "Someday Never Comes" are certainly the only two tunes on Mardi Gras that conform to Creedence's Top 40 Chronicle I form, the true greatness of the album lies within Clifford and Cook's own songs, which they are finally given an opportunity to write. Granted, "Lookin' for a Reason" is a God-awful song which taints an otherwise fantastic Chronicle II album, but Cosmo showcases a latent singing capability on "Need Someone To Hold" which, while it wasn't beautifully written, stands out as a beautifully sung three minutes, especially when contrasted Stu Cook's moaning, which, I will concede, lacks any trace of talent. Cook is, however, able to put forth a masterpiece in "Door To Door." This track is paired with "Hello Mary Lou," a terrific version of a fairly hokey song, and "Sweet Hitchhiker," a CCR classic, at the close of this album, just as it deserved to have been matched with "Mary Lou" at the end of Chronicle II. Miraculously shaped to sound good despite Cook's normally atrocious whaling, "Door To Door" goes down in history with "Porterville" and "99 1/2" as one of Creedence's three most underappreciated songs. I'd love to hear it on the radio some time. Why do the best songs get snubbed by the radio? "Tearin' up the Country" and "What Are You Gonna Do" display Cosmo's competence in songwriting and provide Mardi Gras with a talent that makes it a precious addition to anyone's CCR collection. It has fun.

Glenn.Wiener@entex.com
A badly underrated album. This record would have been much better if the song sequence wasn't so helter skelter. How can you put the two best songs at the end of each side? "Lookin' For A Reason" is a horrible choice for leading off this record. Doug Clifford's songs are well sung and decently written. Stu Cook's songs are well written but poorly sung. You really ought to give this record another look.

LOEFELLER@aol.com
Mardi Gras is, just as R.S. said "the worst album by a major rock band". I realize that anyone reading this is going to be a fan, and therefore predisposed to giving the benefit of doubt to a favorite. But, the litmus test I always apply when assessing work by favorite artists: If this record was the first one I heard by the artist, instead of Green River, would I have become a fan? The answer, of course, is "No freakin' way". Stu's singing bites the royal root, the album is 25 minutes long, and "Someday Never Comes" is not up to Fogerty's standards for a single. However, I hear "Lookin' for a Reason" as John's not too subtle goodbye to CCR: "Every night I ask myself again, just what it was that made our dream begin? Seemed like a good idea way back when, but I'm wonderin now what daydream took me in." Or, what about "I used to like it here, I can't remember why" I wonder what playback in the studio was like for that song?

kimble@visuallink.com (Michael Kimble)
The Critics don't know a thing about this album. Their best song, "Sweet Hitch-Hiker" is on here. And nothing much is wrong with this album. I love "What are you Gonna Do?", and "Tearin' Up the Country" also. Not a bad writer for one who has previously never wrote a song before (Doug Clifford). Even without Tom Fogerty, They would of still kept going if those "critics" didn't critize them. The 2nd best album.

avsouza@webtv.net (Tony Souza)
I'm a big fan of CCR. I own almost all of their albums, John Fogerty's solo albums, one Ruby (Tom Fogerty) album and two books written about them and I have to say I agree with Mark wholeheartly one this one. I think it's awful. Cook can't sing, and Clfford is only marginally better. Their songwiting isn't too bad but they aren't anywhere near as good as Fogerty's. Fogerty's singing and guitar playing are very disinctive and IMHO, it's these things that seperate CCR from the rest of the pack and it's why CCR's songs still hold up today. That was a good point LOEFELLER brought up. The test for me is that Cook and Clifford haven't done anything of note in the singing and songwriting department snce CCR disbanded in 1972. I know Clifford recorded a solo album and Cook spent time in Southern Pacific and that they both played in the Don Harrison Band. Hadly subsantial work. I also know they formed Creedence Clearwater Revisited but while they play old CCR tunes, they avoid the ones they wrote and sang on off Mardi Gra. They won't even play their own songs off this album in concert. This is a bad album. Stick to the others instead.

mustang@wf.quik.com (Dean Dotson)
When I first played this album in 72, and heard Looking for a reason start to play, and my first thought was, that they had packaged the album wrong or something? It was the worst sounding start for a Creedence song that I had heard(don't like c/w music). The words may have had a lot of truth to them, but should have been saved for an interview instead of a song. Hello Mary Lou was another should have been left off, and really didn't see why Forgerty didn't just stick to writing a song in place of this one beings he insisted that the other members write their own. But Sweet Hitch Hicker and Someday Never Comes are awesome stuff, best two songs on the album. I noticed that most that have written comments didn't like Cook's songs that well, I thought all three of them were great, as well as Clifford's though they leaned a little too close to the country side of things for me. All in all I thought it was a good album and with the subsitution looking for a reason and hello mary lou, would have been a great album, after hearing John sing those two, I thought to myself, what happened to "ninety- nine and a half(just won't do) got to have a hundred" way of thinking? speaking of which, why was that song along with penthouse pauper and chameleon not on chronicle 2 instead of looking for a reason and a couple of other that were not near as good?

jottol@ican.net
I could never find this album when I was completing my Creedence collection as a teenager, circa 1987. But I would SEE the title "Lookin' For A Reason" in the album catalogues. I began to fantasize what it might sound like, settling on a cross between "Who'll Stop" and "Lookin' Out." How naive of me, yeah . . . years later, I have my own rock band, a trio, and we've had some tense moments trying to get through creative sessions. I put on "Lookin' For A Reason" last week--for the first time since 1987--and I felt strange. Embarrassed, I'd say, because it was like walking in on the aftermath of The Couple Next Door who had just squabbled, argued, and then fought bitterly. Like listening to them be sarcastically over-civil to one another as I (the listener) sit there, wishing I could drop through the cracks in the floor. At least as a teenager I felt merely betrayed when I heard Johnny trying out his country persona--where the HELL did he get those 1972 outfits?

Oh, yes . . . since you don't like country, you'll be glad to know Fogerty was going to include "Today I Started Loving You Again"--from 1973's The Blue Ridge Rangers--on Mardi Gras.

vsvitov@diamin.msk.ru (Svitovy)
Well, well, well, here's another example of "dancing on bones"... If one of the group members is gone, how the hell the others can revive the group? I just don't understand it. I could only imagine the revived CCR with Tom as leader and his unpleased younger brother somewhere in the shade and allowed only to sing the final track just to let the people recall how it was in 1968-72 about CCR. Hey guys! I wouldn't like it anyway! It's no use in trying to reanimate the deadsome...

Hey, somebody said that John Fogerty is a jerk?! Okay, okay, probably so, but he's a very talented jerk. I know how hard is to be the younger, and it's no surprise he wanted to dominate everything in CCR, just the old-time-junior-dream to be the Best. Although in this musical style, especially lyrically, Andy Lloyd and Harper Hebb are/were much better, hold on, poor old Johnny! that's the time for you to REALLY prove that you ARE the best! and please, leave those ugly-CCR-looking Blue Moon Swamp sounds and try to be much HAAAAARDER! (something about "Headlines" and "Walking in a hurricane" is the way it's to sound like, IMHO) and, IMHO, it's no use in performing again CCR songs, there are the Revisited for whom it's the only way to be up.

"Hey, let's go all over the world, Rock'n'Roll Girls!!!!!" (and boys, too!) Oh, how happy I am living in Russia! I will never see the Revisited! Lolik. From rainy Moscow origin.

scottlapointe@canada.com
I think that Mardi Gras is a great album, although not the best one of the seven studio albums that CCR released. I think it is awesome that Stu Cook and Doug Clifford got to write and sing on this album. The band was already a famous group, so really I don't think that they had anything to lose by letting the other members in the group sing. John Fogerty may have been the most talented in the band, but I don't think that it matters if the the other members wanted to write and sing as well. This is what a band should really be about. Everyone in a group should be free to contribute whatever they can. It's too bad that Tom Fogerty did not get to write and sing his own compositions in Creedence. I heard a song off of one of his solo albums called "Joyful Resurrection", and he has a really great voice; he almost sounds like John. After the band made it big, John should have let the other three in the band write and sing. I think that it would have been great to hear four different song writers on an album, and the band would have carried on for many years afterward if John had let them.

As for the songs on the album, I don't think that they should have started the album with "Looking For A Reason". They should have started it with "Sweet Hitch-Hiker". It is an o.k. song, though. It's something different. "Take It Like A Friend" is a great country rock song, and I like Stu's rough voice. "Need Someone To Hold" is a great, simple ballad, and Doug also has a great voice. "Tearin' Up The Country is a really exciting, fast, 2/4 time country song. "Someday Never Comes" is another great ballad; very emotional. "What Are You Gonna Do ?" is nice because it has a tempo change on the drums on the chorus, also it has a nice organ part to it. "Sail Away" is a great song in a great key to be played in. Stu sounds like he is fed up with everything and just wants to move on to something else. "Hello, Mary Lou" is a great cover song, and I like the guitar solo in it because it sounds so much like the original. "Door To Door" is my favourite song from Stu. I think that this song rocks ! I have one minor complaint and that is that the song is too short. They could have added a longer guitar solo and maybe repeated some of the verses. Last, but certainly not least, is "Sweet Hitch-Hiker" This song really rocks ! Great vocals, guitars, bass, and drums. This is the classic CCR sound.

As I have said before, this album is not the best one out of the seven studio albums, but it is not total @#%$^% like some of you guys and the music critics think that it is.

rolando.aponte@exxonmobil.com
...another stupid and oxymoronic reviewer who thinks that bashing "Mardi-Gras" is avant-garde and cool! hey do you know 85% of today's output rates below Mardi-Gras, Pearl Jam included! (note: CCR's Mardi Gras: at least 5 good songs; Pearl Jams' 10: NONE!!!!)

Reader Comments

NOSPOL@aol.com
One excellent CD. 20 essential songs. I bought this CD about 2 years ago and it has not been away from my player since. Not one bad song. Either buy all of CCR's albums or buy this one. Before buying this one I was not as big a fan of CCR as I am now.The best hits compilation of all time along with Tom Petty's Greatest Hits.

amitc@cs.Princeton.EDU (Amit Chakrabarti)
I agree; this album can convert one into a CCR fan. Buy it. Now!

jason_a@earthlink.net (Jason Adams)
Makes long car trips with your family bearable. They should put a sticker on the CD saying that. Truly not a single dud on here. John Fogerty, of course, was sued in the eighties by his former record company for sounding too much like John Fogerty. This was around the same time Neil Young was sued by his record company for not sounding enough like Neil Young. Life is funny ha ha.

Reader Comments

Stu Cook
Joined Slayer? Whoa!!

AN OPEN LETTER TO CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL FANS FROM STU COOK AND DOUG "COSMO" CLIFFORD

Dear Creedence Fans:

We, Stu Cook and Doug "Cosmo" Clifford, two of the founding members of Creedence Clearwater Revival, are coming to Europe in May and June to perform with our new band Creedence Clearwater Revisited. We formed the band last summer to once gain perform live the CCR songs that we recorded and love to play live and which are enjoyed by fans worldwide. As you know, no original CCR member individually or as a group has toured to play these songs since Creedence Clearwater Revival broke up in 1972. John Fogerty declined to join us in reviving our music and touring the world. We elected to go forward without him.

It has now come to our attention that some of our upcoming Creedence Clearwater Revisited shows may have been incorrectly promoted in Europe and some fans may think that Creedence Clearwater Revival has re-formed and is now coming to tour Europe. This is incorrect. The band that is coming to tour Europe is not Creedence Clearwater Revival, but rather our new band Creedence Clearwater Revisited. Creedence Clearwater Revisited is made up of us, original CCR members Doug "Cosmo" Clifford on drums and Stu Cook on bass, and we are joined by Elliot Easton on lead guitar (formerly of The Cars), Steve Gunner on keyboards and John Tristao filling big shoes on lead vocals.

We believe that from a live performance standpoint, Creedence Clearwater Revisited is better than any band we have every played in. However, we certainly do not want anyone to be mislead into thinking that the original Creedence Clearwater Revival has re-formed. That is not the case. If anyone has been mislead, we invite you to return your ticket to the promoter that sold it to you for a full refund. Of course, we prefer that you come check out the show and judge for yourself. We are confident that you will agree with the nearly one hundred thousand fans that have seen Creedence Clearwater Revisited concerts here in the United States that our new band is fantastic and it is great to experience the music live again. If not, ask for your money back. Of course, it is not politics and personnel, but good music and good times that wins the day.

curtis@bv.be.wednet.edu (Curtis Ducken)
Having heard Creedence Clearwater Revisted two times in the last year I totally agree with Stu Cook's remarks. At least listen to the band once before making a bad judgment call and having your money refunded. I'm waiting for them to return to the Seattle Area again so I can enjoy one of the most powerful rock band shows on tour today.

tukki.jyu.fi (Petri)
According to recent news, John Fogerty's new album is due to come out late this year or 1997. That will be followed by a tour. No further details available. As for Creedence Clearwater Revisited, you can check out their concert schedule on http://www.jyu.fi/~petkasi/ccr.htm.

opl@qucdn.queensu.ca
Fortunately, all of the songs you don't like are a lot better than your reviews. No wonder you blew those spelling bees.

Beatown@msn.com (Dave Joens)
It is very difficult to capture a live concert on vinyl and the bluesier the band the harder it is. Neither of Creedence's live albums are great but both add a lot to my appreciation of Creedence and both certainly have their moments. I saw Creedence Clearwater Revisted twice this year and even though I don't really like the idea of them touring without Fogerty and even though their lead singer is not near as good as Fogerty, the bottom line is that they were both good concerts. Both shows captured the feel of a CCR concert, with people singing along, cheering in recognition of the songs and standing in awe over the great rhythm section of Stu Cook and Doug Clifford. So, if the live Creedence albums don't capture the essence of a live Creedence show, a very, very few live albums do justice to the bands, then all I can say is "You had to be there baby," because all I've ever heard is that Creedence was one hot live act and the two Revisited shows I saw showed how that is probably true.

loesch@ICSI.Net (Kenny Loesch)
I WILL BE SEEING CCR IN CONCERT ON 8/15/96 IN CORPUS CHRISTI TEXAS. ALTHOUGH I WOULD PREFER TO HAVE AS CLOSE TO THE ORIGINAL BAND AS POSSIBLE, I WILL ACCEPT THE FACT THAT THIS WILL NEVER HAPPEN.I WILL ENJOY CCR AND WHEN FOGERTY COMES AROUND I WILL ENJOY HIS SHOW.

MBHXCT@rohmhaas.com (CHEN Christophe)
Hi everybody : Well, reading this letter from Stu Cook and Doug Clifford (dated from whenever...) left me speechless 'cause, I from France (Europe) and still waiting for their coming live concert since good rock prehistoric time! No dates were given to their so forthcoming concerts in Europe. When and where hopefully should we wait for their appearances even 'Revisited' in Europe ? Thanks for taking care of them. Now we are really facing their legendary 'Revival' sense of word I quite never actually understood since. World of Rock, beware, CC Revisited is coming strongly back to the scene and joyfully for us, they would make some great history dates again and sooner! THANKS ! HURRA for Doug 'Cosmo' & Stu the bass cook! Deep friends mates they are.

defcon4@epix.net
These Creedence reviews are right on, and that opening paragraph was beautiful, I agree with him 100% CCR is the best band ever!

lehmann@ideasign.com (Doug Tedeschi)
Kudos for you, Stu and Doug! People forget that you guys founded CCR (with Tom). In a recent BMG catalog, they posted an imaginary ad that stated that JC and Tom were looking for a bassist and a drummer. I was a bit set back by sucha glaring error. You two have always been underappreciated, whether for creating and keeping intact CCR or for a great, vital bass performance on "Born On The Bayou" and an unparalleled drum presence on the latter half of Chronicle II. I also have to take the time to applaud fine efforts on Mardi Gras' "Door To Door" and "Need Someone to Hold."

fridge@scv.net
I just wanted to say how close your views are to mine of current rock music. A friend introduced me to CCR and I'm hooked. I'm 15, "I should be listening to punk," my friends say, but fuck that shit. CCR is good old rock and roll. They didn't need "cool" shirts or music videos for popularity - they had their music. And it will live on forever.

dunciad@bc.sympatico.ca (Animal)
thrilled beyond words that stu and cosmo are teaming up to bring us the gospel of john according to the solidest (have i just made up a word?) rhythm section of the 60s.

it's not really any surprise to me that in replying to your queries regarding the fate of stu & cosmo after the demise of ccr in '72, that no one mentioned their brief stint in the Don Harrison Band, which is hardly surprising, since Harrison and Russell Dashiell sure as hell ain't the Fogerty bros. all the same, "Living Another Day" from The Don Harrison Band (Atlantic, 1976) is a sweet tune.

ronbevault@prodigy.net (Keith Jones)
Creedence Clearwater Revisited???? Give me a break.

superper@hotmail.no
WHAT THE FUCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I DONT SEE THE POINT IN ARGUE ABOUT THIS IT IS CHILDISH. YOU ARE STUPID!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! MONKEY, IDIOT(A FUCKING IDIOT), FOOL, GET A LIFE??????????????????????????????????????????????? PLEASE SEND YOUR CCR PICTURES TO ME

jcarmack@texas.net (Jeff Carmack)
Hey bro

My cousin turned me on to your site and said you had some good comments about a bunch of our fave bands.

Have only had time to read your coverage of CCR and I'm impressed. I take it from some of your comments ("My generation refuses to acknowledge the genius of CCR.") that you didn't grow up listening to CCR as I did, because I know lots of folks of my generation (I'm 44) acknowledge John Fogerty to be a genius.

I had the pleasure of seeing Fogerty a couple of years ago when he was touring behind his Blue Moon Swamp album and I gotta tell you, it was one of the best concerts I've ever seen, and I've been going to concerts since 1969, when I saw Jefferson Airplane. His band was shit-hot and he played CCR tune you'd ever want to hear. It was heaven, let me tell you.

Anyway, I just wanted to give you and your site a thumbs-up and thank you for giving John Fogerty and CCR their props.

Peace.

rdvandrese@portup.com (Roger)
Hey ! As a baby boomer who got caught-up in Uncle Sam's war in the late 60's & who spent half of 1968 all of 1969 & part of 1970 in Okinawa, the far east in support of our brave men & women in Viet Nam I can say this about this band CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL: With there" down home" feelings and everyday senses of "the real world" No BAND touched as many far away "Souls" as John, Tom, Stu & Doug collectively known as CCR. I'm a firm believer that these four (4) talents ( as The Beatles ) Were responsible "equally for the music that we so craved & still get NUTS over 30 years later ! Yeah, I know John Fogerty wrote the songs, sang the songs ( with his one-of-a-kind vocals ), played all the "killer" guitar & harmonica parts, but without the support, companionship & downright "ass-kicking" bottom-end playing the music would never have reached this long standing level of appreciation from such a diverse World that we live in. CCR Forever !

whuzdat@yahoo.com
When the legendary Fillmore Ballroom closed in the early 70's, Bill Graham had the local San Fran bands close it out in the last week. I was hoping for the bigger name bands that I had seen in the late 60's, but CCR killed us. They hold their own with some of the other local's, Moby Grape, Airplane, New Riders/Dead, etc.
Glad I went.
Long live the Fogerty Bros.

The evening February 21, 1972 will always hold a special place in my heart. On that night, at the tender age of 16, I attended my first "real" rock concert, and got to see the guys who had already come to mean so much to me and the rest of my family.

Because of this event, the Subiaco Football ground will always mean something special to me, and I get a chill just walking into the place, whether to see other rock acts (Paul McCartney twenty years later almost to the day) or to see the West Coast Eagles kick Victorian butt.

CCR were very popular, and I remember that all the CCR albums (which I owned) had "Certified Gold" stickers on them, common practice in Australia at the time.

Previous to the concert starting, the whole family had headed out to the airport earlier in the afternoon, as we had heard that the guys would be arriving. For some reason we got there about two hours early, which was just as well, because as we headed for the arrival lounge exit, the guys strolled casually through.

As they were early, there were no other fans or press there, and no Limos either which was great, as we took heaps of photos whilst they waited for transport. Being a shy 16 year old, I didn't talk to the guys, but my Father did, and he also shook John's hand, and talked about the forthcoming album (Mardi Gras). They were all very gracious and polite.

The concert itself......

I remember the weather was perfect for Perth in late summer, warm, slightly humid and a faint sweet tinge in the air that my Father explained I better not know what it was....! I found out (not much) later.....

The support act was an Aussie outfit called "Sherbet" (later "Freeway") who had a hit at the time called "Free the People". They didn't go down too well, not because they were bad, but they were seen as a bit of a "teeny-bopper" band, and the crowd were impatient to see the real McCoy.

Then "..and here they are, from Berkley, California...." and they were on stage, blasting into "Born On The Bayou". I can't remember the complete set list, but some highlights were "Proud Mary", "Commotion" and "Lodi". John played his harp during "Chooglin'/Pagan Baby" and afterwards, threw it into the crowd, way over my head, as by this time I was right at the front up against the stage, directly in front of Stu, leaving the rest of my family way back there somewhere!!

At one point, John had some technical trouble, broken string or crook amp maybe, and whilst this was being rectified, Stu and Doug broke into an impromptu jam, providing entertainment to keep the impatient masses happy, talk about pros!!

Before too long, the closing chords of "Chooglin'/Pagan Baby" were dying away and with a quick wave from Doug, the band left the stage, never to return, despite the whole crowd chanting for more. In fact, that would be my only complaint, that they didn't play long enough, about 45 minutes. Mind you, this was common in those days. A year later, the Rolling Stones played for 40 minutes after keeping the crowd waiting for 4 hours in the sun in 40degC heat. Conversely, when I saw the Stones last year (1995) they played for two and a half hours!! Perhaps the guys will make up for that, next time I see them, in whatever combination.

Reader Comments

fish@tower.net.au (Dyanna Taylor)
My first concert at 15 in Perth Western Australia, 1971, Subiaco Oval. Unfortunately as a trio, even more unfortunate, it was their last concert. Can anybody say if CCRevisited will tour Australia?? If so when?? Will JF ever tour again??

earthling_@msn.com (John Noonan)
Hi to Dyanna Taylor I noted with interest your ref. to the concert a subiaco in 1971. I also attended and remember it as high point in my youth(I was 16 at the time I am still a fan having collected most of the albums now on cd .,I always check out record shops in the states when my work takes me there . for that little gem that may not have been released in Australia. Further to your notes do you remember the date of the concert look foward to your reply.

aaap@netl.nw.com.au (Andy Rolfe)
The Dyanna Taylor above is actually me, Andy Rolfe, using Dyanna Taylor's Email address before we had our own. Dyanna is WAYYYYY too young to have been allowed out unsupervised to a concert early in 1972!!!!! (Feb 21, 1972 in Perth, WA). I still think this album should not have been released, as The Concert completely buries it. CCR could kick butt as a trio, but not on this CD. Listen to the boot called Live At The Filmore for a trio recording that really shakes, rattles and rolls!! Fantasy records take note!!

pj@alphalink.com.au (Paul)
Hi Mark. I tried to send an email to Andy, who reviewed the Perth 1972 CCR concert I also saw. He reviewed it 8 years ago and his email address is no longer current. I don't want the message to go to waste, so I'll send it to you - keep up your great site! If you know where he is, please forward it to him:

"Hi Andy. Just read your great review you did back in 1996 of Creedence at Subi, 1972. Hope this gets to you. I was a year younger than you, at the same concert. Your review brought it all back - thanks so much. I remember when John broke his guitar string and the other two jammed, too. I don't remember the show being so short, though - a good thing. Is there a bootleg circulating of any of the Australian shows?

I realise now the show was less than a week after the Led Zeppelin show I saw at Subi - my first rock and roll show. Twleve months later I had moved to Melbourne and seen Status Quo/Slade/Lindisfarne, The Stones and Black Sabbath in another "summer of rock"."

The record:

Fantasy Records 1972
Cat: SYFL 934555 (9407).
All songs written and arranged by Tom Fogerty.
Produced by Tom Fogerty and Brian Gardiner.
Engineering: Brian Gardiner.
Recorded at Fantasy Studio 'A'.

The musicians:

Tom Fogerty: Guitars, Vocals & Harmonica.
Merl Saunders: Keyboards, b/vocals on "Train to Nowhere".
John Kahn: Fender Bass.
Bill Vitt: Drums and Congas.
Russ Gary: Acoustic Guitar.
Billy Mundi: Percussion.
Rodger Collins: b/vocals on "Train to Nowhere".

The above details as printed on the inner sleeve supplied with the Aussie pressing.

The first album release by the then ex-CCR rhythm guitarist and the songs on it were probably the result of a backlog, as his brother, John, was responsible for all the original music of CCR whilst Tom was part of the band. Tom had released the double sided single "Goodbye Media Man" with some degree of success shortly before the recording of this album commenced.

Two years previous, another guitarist whose songwriting skills had also been largely ignored by the other members of his band, released what was also obviously a backlog of songs to huge critical and commercial success (and was in fact the first ex-Beatle to have a number one album in the charts). Whilst Tom's first album release did not reach the same commercial heights of George Harrison's All Things Must Pass, there are some worthwhile musical moments that easily equal or better anything on George's "Magnum Opus" that just may have opened his brother's eyes to what could have been "if only...".

Kicking off with "The Legend of Alcatraz", the songs just keep getting stronger with the virtuosity of the backing band shinning through up until the relative low- light of the fifth track, "My Pretty Baby", which sees Tom trying to emulate the vocal double-tracking and over-dubbing skills of his brother a'la "Workin' on a Buildin'" and not quite pulling it off. Straight after that however the gutsy rhythm and blues of "Road to Nowhere" kicks in, which sees the rest of the set back at a suitable level of performance.

Whilst many of the songs appear introspective ("Wondering", "Here Stands The Clown") they are not morbidly so, and are balanced by such gems as "Beauty Is Under The Skin" and "Lady Of Fatima". All the songs are delivered in an upbeat fashion and were all obviously lovingly created, and unlike future albums, Tom doesn't appear to try to push his voice too hard, which had the unfortunate effect of (vocal) comparisons with his brother ( ie "Heartbeat" on "Zephyr National").

The Tracks:

1. "The Legend Of Alcatraz" - A driving backbeat pushed along by thudding bass lines starts the album off in fine style, giving a hint of things to come. A great story well told.

2. "Lady Of Fatima" - A brilliant two-fingered Bass intro carries the start of this ditty to adolescent fantasy, with the sublime, laid-back rhythm guitar of Tom underlying things, acoustic and electric rhythm guitars mixed in opposite channels in true CCR style. The overdubbed fuzz-guitar gives a nice foil to the melody whilst the chord-based lead guitar bridge and fade-out ain't half bad either.

3. "Beauty Is Under The Skin" - A great country beat pushes this fairly straight country tune along nicely. The '70's style (phased) rhythm guitar bridge may sound a little dated, but we're talking '70s music here, right??

4. "Wandering" - If it was at all possible, this song is even more laid back!! Again, a marvellous Bass intro by John Kahn on Fender Bass and again using acoustic and electric rhythm guitars in a similar style to "Lady Of Fatima". The melodic, chord based guitar riff used here by Tom was something he used fairly consistently throughout the album, but always pulled off to great effect.

5. "My Pretty Baby" - I have already commented on my thoughts of this song. Nothing terrible about it; I just think we could have been better served by some more tracks in the same mould as the others on this album. Perhaps this song is in fact overshadowed by the other, stronger tracks. Also, my wife and kids won't stop singing it and it drives me nuts!!

6. "Train To Nowhere" - This song kicks the rest of the album off where we left it prior to "Pretty Baby" - rocking well! This country rock song features sublime keyboard backing supplementing the sparse but effective rhythm section. Also features a snappy refrain to the verses by rising from EMaj to Fsharp before climbing to AMaj - something different yet simplicity itself.

7. "Everyman" - A great up tempo, country rock song, and well played to boot. Good lyrics, tight rhythm, a neat harmonica bridge. These people enjoyed making this album, and it shows.

8. "The Me Song" - Probably the most introspective song on the album, Tom protests that he doesn't want to be everything that he is, to a solid, hard rock beat and arrangement, with a harmonica backing reminding us that he is still having fun. On one hand he doesn't want to be a rock star, on the other he wants to sing a rock and roll song - the grass is always greener....

9. "Cast The First Stone" - Yet another great Bass intro from John Kahn, fantastic drum and percussion work lending backing to a song sung by Tom to.....his brother???? "...you Mister Halo..." I guess we will never know. Oh, and Tom can whistle too.

10. "Here Stands The Clown" - Another of the more introspective songs closes the album, maybe Tom is explaining how he really feels ....by turns a clown, a fool, and lastly, realising he is but a mortal man. He appears to push his voice fairly hard on this almost bluesy number, lending some authenticity to the lyrics which describe, to me anyway, how we are all but bit parts in the game of life. The melancholic piano work complements, indeed sets, the mood and feel of this song, which uses the trusty old fade-out to good effect.

Conclusion:- If his brother ever sat down and listened to this album, as I feel sure that he did, it must have left him wondering how things may have been different. Who knows, slightly different, tougher arrangements including great Fogerty/Fogerty harmony vocals, with some classic CCR guitar licks thrown in - hey, another CCR album in the offing!!

Reader Comments

diamin@pop.gamma.ru (Svitovy)
Yeah, I will add my thoughts! Tom Fogerty is NOT George Harrison in terms of competing with band leaders! He could never do something as great as "While my guitar gently wheeps"... oops, sorry, "De mortuis aut bene aut nihil"... what do I do? who I am to judge, ah?

In fact, I didn't hear this album, but I heard some others. They are well-done. But, IMHO, nothing more. As well-done as it makes me fall asleep. No craze of his junior. I almost like the instrumentals, but I'm not fond of this absolutely pop style reminding the worst cuts from Willy and the Poorboys or Mardi Gras (I'm a luuuking for a reeeson... meow!). No hard-rocking songs. No wild screamings. Everything is nice and tender. I'm too young to understand? Well, maybe. But Dire Straits (i.e. Mark Knopfler) doesn't scream, too. He's very quiet. And he still makes me go crazy and up, not at all boring! "Sidekicks" look a bit different if you know the facts... very bright but too well-done (arranged, I mean). And too few difference from one song to another. I could only recall "Sometimes" because of its nostalgic refrain (Tom's crying for the past, ah? I thought he "really never liked the way it all goes down...")

To sum up, a very-well-done music for elderly people and young sentimental girls. Adult and tender. Adult and tender. It's hard to understand all the words for a non-native-English speaker. Well-done. But I miss something...

keester12@hotmail.com (Kesa Campagna)
I just want to say that you are right about this group. What people in this new Generation 'Y' or whatever do not appreciate good music. I am 20 and I grew up listening to CCR, Dire Straits, Steve Miller Band and so on and I think that is the definition of music. Besides all the rap crap these days there is not really any GOOD music to listen to because it either all sounds the same or it's not real. I LOVE CCR!

tsmash5@earthlink.net (R. Ashton)
~~ Listen to Suzie Q with your headphones on - the way it was meant to be listened to.

~~ Did you know that Bad Moon Rising is about nature getting mad and striking back at man for his destruction of Nature? The clue is, "one eye is taken for an eye." Listen to the song again with this in mind and you will get it.

~~ Who'll Stop the Rain can be interpreted as who'll stop the rain of problems that people have brought down on themselves in the 20th Century ( and now continuing on into the 21st.) Or the more apocalyptic interpretation is that the rain is nuclear fallout. Read the lyrics and decide for yourself.

~~ Lookin' Out My Back Door is a little-noticed ( by critics) gem that extols the happiness a man feels when returning home after a long journey. Fogerty exalts, "look at all the happy creatures dancing on the lawn," presumably his pets. Its a fantastic song musically and lyrically.

~~ Question of greatest American Rock Band: I love CCR, but the Byrds had even more great songs, and pioneered the country-influenced rock sound that CCR ran with (although CCR's style was its own.) Besides the songs most know, such as Mr. Tambourine Man, Eight Miles High, Ballad Of Easy Rider, Turn Turn Turn, and Jesus Is Just Alright, the Byrds had other classics that never received much airplay. Buy Best Of The Byrds Volume II, every song is a clever story or commentary.

esmithling@hotmail.com
In my humble opinion CCR is second only to the Beatles as the greatest band of all time. Their music is timeless and even today with their "reunion" band called Creedence Clearwater Revisited the music is still great to listen to. Even without John Fogerty the music is fun and very entertaining. Their version of "I Heard it through the Grapevine" is awesome and is just a small sample of their never ending genious and wonderful music. CCR lives forever!

mountainblue@bellsouth.net
ccr rocks!

Other Creedence Clearwater Revival Web Sites

Click here to buy some CCR CDs from an actual store on your computer! And if they seem too expensive, click on the album covers and CHEAPER USED COPIES pop out!

If you're a "Long Cool Woman In A Black Dress," it's unclear as to why you'd want to visit Online Creedence!

There's always a GOOD moon rising at MarkPrindle.com!