At a time when rock was evolving away from the forces that had made the music possible in the first place, Creedence Clearwater Revival brought things back to their roots with their concise synthesis of rockabilly, swamp pop, R&B, and country. Though the music of CCR was very much a group effort in their tight, punchy arrangements, their vision was very much singer, songwriter, guitarist, and leader John Fogerty's. Fogerty's classic compositions for Creedence both evoked enduring images of Americana and reflected burning social issues of the day. The band's genius was their ability to accomplish this with the economic, primal power of a classic rockabilly ensemble.
The key elements of Creedence had been woodshedding in bar bands for about a decade before their breakthrough to national success in the late '60s. John's older brother Tom formed the Blue Velvets in the late '50s in El Cerrito, California, a tiny suburb across the bay from San Francisco. By the mid-'60s, with a few hopelessly obscure recordings under their belt, the band -- including Tom and John with two high-school friends, drummer Doug Clifford and bassist Stu Cook -- signed to Fantasy, releasing several singles as the Golliwogs that went nowhere. In fact, there's little promise to be found on those early efforts; they were extremely derivative of the British Invasion and other R&B and rock trends of the day, with few hints of the swampy roots rock that would characterize CCR. The group only found themselves when John took firm reins over the band's direction, singing and writing virtually all of their material.
Creedence Clearwater Revival On their first album, 1968's Creedence Clearwater Revival, the group played it both ways, offering extended, quasi-psychedelic workouts of the '50s classics "I Put a Spell on You" and "Suzie-Q." The latter song became their first big hit, but the band didn't really bloom until "Proud Mary," a number two single in early 1969 that demonstrated John's talent at tapping into Southern roots music and imagery with a natural ease. It was the start of a torrent of classic hits from the gritty, Little Richard-inspired singer over the next two years, including "Bad Moon Rising," "Green River," "Down on the Corner," "Travelin' Band," "Who'll Stop the Rain," "Up Around the Bend," and "Lookin' Out My Back Door."
Green RiverCreedence also made good albums -- Green River, Willy and the Poor Boys, and Cosmo's Factory all rank among the best of the rock era -- but their true forte was as a singles band. When the Beatles broke up in early 1970, CCR was the only other act that provided any competition in the fine art of crafting bold, super-catchy artistic statements that soared to the upper reaches of the charts every three or four months. Although they hailed from the San Francisco area, they rarely succumbed to the psychedelic indulgences of the era. John Fogerty also proved adept at voicing the concerns of the working class in songs like "Fortunate Son," as well as partying with as much funk as any white rock band would muster on "Travelin' Band" and "Down on the Corner."
Mardi Gras With John Fogerty holding such a strong upper hand, Creedence couldn't be said to have been a democratic unit, and Fogerty's dominance was to sow the seeds of the group's quick dissolution. Tom Fogerty left in 1971 (recording a few unremarkable solo albums of his own), reducing the band to a trio. John allowed drummer Doug Clifford and bassist Stu Cook equal shares of songwriting and vocal time on the group's final album, Mardi Gras (1972), which proved conclusively that Fogerty's songs and singing were necessary to raise CCR above journeyman status.
by Richie Unterberger
CCR - Creedence Clearwater Revival [1968]
Released in the summer of 1968 -- a year after the summer of love, but still in the thick of the Age of Aquarius - Creedence Clearwater Revival's self-titled debut album was gloriously out-of-step with the times, teeming with John Fogerty's Americana fascinations. While many of Fogerty's obsessions and CCR's signatures are in place -- weird blues ("I Put a Spell on You"), Stax R&B (Wilson Pickett's "Ninety-Nine and a Half"), rockabilly ("Susie Q"), winding instrumental interplay, the swamp sound, and songs for "The Working Man" -- the band was still finding their way. Out of all their records (discounting Mardi Gras), this is the one that sounds the most like its era, thanks to the wordless vocal harmonies toward the end of "Susie Q," the backward guitars on "Gloomy," and the directionless, awkward jamming that concludes "Walking on the Water." Still, the band's sound is vibrant, with gutsy arrangements that borrow equally from Sun, Stax, and the swamp. Fogerty's songwriting is a little tentative. Not for nothing were two of the three singles pulled from the album covers (Dale Hawkins' "Susie Q," Screamin' Jay Hawkins' "I Put a Spell on You") -- he wasn't an accomplished tunesmith yet. Though "The Working Man" isn't bad, the true exception is that third single, "Porterville," an exceptional song with great hooks, an underlying sense of menace, and the first inkling of the working-class rage that fueled such landmarks as "Fortunate Son." It's the song that points the way to the breakthrough of Bayou Country, but the rest of the album shouldn't be dismissed, because judged simply against the rock & roll of its time, it rises above its peers.
by Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Tracklist
1
I Put A Spell On You 4:31
Written-By – J. Hawkins
2
The Working Man
3:02
3
Suzie Q 8:36
Written-By – Dale Hawkins, Eleanor Broadwater, Stanley J. Lewis
4
Ninety-Nine And A Half (Won't Do) 3:36
Written-By – Eddie Lee Floyd, Steve Cropper, Uirusonpiketsuto
5
Get Down Woman
3:07
6
Porterville
2:21
7
Gloomy
3:48
8
Walk On The Water 4:39
Written-By – Thomas Richard Fogerty
Fantasy FCD-4512-2 USA
Credits
Bass – Stu Cook
Drums – Doug Clifford
Lead Guitar, Vocals, Producer, Arranged By – John Fogerty
Rhythm Guitar – Tom Fogerty
Written-By – John Fogerty
(tracks: 2, 4 to 9)
CCR - Bayou Country [1969]
Opening slowly with the dark, swampy "Born on the Bayou," Bayou Country reveals an assured Creedence Clearwater Revival, a band that has found its voice between their first and second album. It's not just that "Born on the Bayou" announces that CCR has discovered its sound -- it reveals the extent of John Fogerty's myth-making. With this song, he sketches out his persona; it makes him sound as if he crawled out of the backwoods of Louisiana instead of being a native San Franciscan. He carries this illusion throughout the record, through the ominous meanderings of "Graveyard Train" through the stoked cover of "Good Golly Miss Molly" to "Keep on Chooglin'," which rides out a southern-fried groove for nearly eight minutes. At the heart of Bayou Country, as well as Fogerty's myth and Creedence's entire career, is "Proud Mary." A riverboat tale where the narrator leaves a good job in the city for a life rolling down the river, the song is filled with details that ring so true that it feels autobiographical. The lyric is married to music that is utterly unique yet curiously timeless, blending rockabilly, country, and Stax R&B into something utterly distinctive and addictive. "Proud Mary" is the emotional fulcrum at the center of Fogerty's seductive imaginary Americana, and while it's the best song here, his other songs are no slouch, either. "Born on the Bayou" is a magnificent piece of swamp-rock, "Penthouse Pauper" is a first-rate rocker with the angry undertow apparent on "Porterville" and "Bootleg" is a minor masterpiece, thanks to its tough acoustic foundation, sterling guitar work, and clever story. All the songs add up to a superb statement of purpose, a record that captures Creedence Clearwater Revival's muscular, spare, deceptively simple sound as an evocative portrait of America. by Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Tracklist
1 Born On The Bayou 5:16
2 Bootleg 3:02
3 Graveyard Train 8:39
4 Good Golly Miss Molly 2:43
Composed By – Marascalco, Blackwell
5 Penthouse Pauper 3:41
6 Proud Mary 3:09
7 Keep On Chooglin' 7:40
Credits
Arranged By, Producer [Produced By] – John Fogerty
Bass – Stu Cook
Composed By [Compositions By] – J.C. Fogerty (tracks: 1 to 3, 5 to 7)
Drums – Doug Clifford
Lead Guitar, Harmonica [Harp], Vocals – John Fogerty
Rhythm Guitar – Tom Fogerty
Fantasy FCD-4513-2 USA
CCR - Green River [1969]
If anything, CCR's third album Green River represents the full flower of their classic sound initially essayed on its predecessor, Bayou Country. One of the differences between the two albums is that Green River is tighter, with none of the five-minute-plus jams that filled out both their debut and Bayou Country, but the true key to its success is a peak in John Fogerty's creativity. Although CCR had at least one cover on each album, they relied on Fogerty to crank out new material every month. He was writing so frequently that the craft became second-nature and he laid his emotions and fears bare, perhaps unintentionally. Perhaps that's why Green River has fear, anger, dread, and weariness creeping on the edges of gleeful music. This was a band that played rock & roll so joyously that they masked the, well, "sinister" undercurrents in Fogerty's songs. "Bad Moon Rising" has the famous line "Hope you've got your things together/Hope you're quite prepared to die," but that was only the most obvious indication of Fogerty's gloom. Consider all the other dark touches: the "Sinister purpose knocking at your door"; the chaos of "Commotion"; the threat of death in "Tombstone Shadow"; you only return to the idyllic "Green River" once you get lost and realize the "world is smolderin'." Even the ballads have a strong melancholy undercurrent, highlighted by "Lodi," where Fogerty imagines himself stuck playing in dead-end towns for the rest of his life. Not the typical thoughts of a newly famous rock & roller, but certainly an indication of Fogerty's inner tumult. For all its darkness, Green River is ultimately welcoming music, since the band rocks hard and bright and the melancholy feels comforting, not alienating. by Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Tracklist
1 Green River 2:36
2 Commotion 2:44
3 Tombstone Shadow 3:39
4 Wrote A Song For Everyone 4:59
5 Bad Moon Rising 2:21
6 Lodi 3:12
7 Cross-Tie Walker 3:20
8 Sinister Purpose 3:23
9 The Night Time Is The Right Time 3:09
Composed By – Herman, Brown, Cadena
Credits
Bass – Stu Cook
Composed By – J. C. Fogerty (tracks: 1 to 8)
Drums – Doug Clifford
Lead Guitar, Vocals, Arranged By, Producer – John Fogerty
Rhythm Guitar – Tom Fogerty
Fantasy FCD-4514-2 USA
CCR - Willy and the Poor Boys [1969]
Make no mistake, Willy & the Poor Boys is a fun record, perhaps the breeziest album CCR ever made. Apart from the eerie minor-key closer "Effigy" (one of John Fogerty's most haunting numbers), there is little of the doom that colored Green River. Fogerty's rage remains, blazing to the forefront on "Fortunate Son," a working-class protest song that cuts harder than any of the explicit Vietnam protest songs of the era, which is one of the reasons that it hasn't aged where its peers have. Also, there's that unbridled vocal from Fogerty and the ferocious playing on CCR, which both sound fresh as they did upon release. "Fortunate Son" is one of the greatest, hardest rock & rollers ever cut, so it might seem to be out of step with an album that is pretty laid-back and friendly, but there's that elemental joy that by late '69 was one of CCR's main trademarks. That joy runs throughout the album, from the gleeful single "Down on the Corner" and the lazy jugband blues of "Poorboy Shuffle" through the great slow blues jam "Feelin' Blue" to the great rockabilly spiritual "Don't Look Now," one of Fogerty's overlooked gems. The covers don't feel like throwaways, either, since both "Cotton Fields" and "The Midnight Special" have been overhauled to feel like genuine CCR songs. It all adds up to one of the greatest pure rock & roll records ever cut. by Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Tracklist
1
Down On The Corner
2:43
2
It Came Out Of The Sky
2:58
3
Cotton Fields 2:53
Written-By – Huddie Ledbetter
4
Poorboy Shuffle
2:25
5
Feelin' Blue
5:05
6
Fortunate Son
2:20
7
Don't Look Now
2:08
8
The Midnight Special 4:10
Arranged By – J.C. Fogerty
Written-By – Traditional
9
Side O' The Road
3:21
10
Effigy
6:28
Credits
Bass – Stu Cook
Drums – Doug Clifford
Rhythm Guitar – Tom Fogerty
Vocals, Producer, Lead Guitar – John Fogerty
Written-By – J.C. Fogerty
(tracks: 1, 2, 4 to 7, 9, 10)
Fantasy FCD-4515-2 USA
CCR - Cosmo's Factory [1970]
Throughout 1969 and into 1970, CCR toured incessantly and recorded nearly as much. Appropriately, Cosmo's Factory's first single was the working band's anthem "Travelin' Band," a funny, piledriving rocker with a blaring horn section -- the first indication their sonic palette was broadening. Two more singles appeared prior to the album's release, backed by John Fogerty originals that rivaled the A-side or paled just slightly. When it came time to assemble a full album, Fogerty had only one original left, the claustrophobic, paranoid rocker "Ramble Tamble." Unlike some extended instrumentals, this was dramatic and had a direction -- a distinction made clear by the meandering jam that brings CCR's version of "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" to 11 minutes. Even if it wanders, their take on the Marvin Gaye classic isn't unpleasant, and their faithful, exuberant takes on the Sun classics "Ooby Dooby" and "My Baby Left Me" are joyous tributes. Still, the heart of the album lays in those six fantastic songs released on singles. "Up Around the Bend" is a searing rocker, one of their best, balanced by the menacing murkiness of "Run Through the Jungle." "Who'll Stop the Rain"'s poignant melody and melancholy undertow has a counterpart in Fogerty's dope song, "Lookin' out My Back Door," a charming, bright shuffle, filled with dancing animals and domestic bliss - he had never been as sweet and silly as he is here. On "Long as I Can See the Light," the record's final song, he again finds solace in home, anchored by a soulful, laid-back groove. It hits a comforting, elegiac note, the perfect way to draw Cosmo's Factory -- an album made during stress and chaos, filled with raging rockers, covers, and intense jams -- to a close. by Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Tracklist
1
Ramble Tamble
7:09
2
Before You Accuse Me 3:24
Written-By – Eugene McDaniels
3
Travelin' Band
2:07
4
Ooby Dooby 2:05
Written-By – Penner, Moore
5
Lookin' Out My Back Door
2:31
6
Run Through The Jungle
3:09
7
Up Around The Bend
2:40
8
My Baby Left Me 2:17
Written-By – Arthur Crudup
9
Who'll Stop The Rain
2:28
10
I Heard It Through The Grapevine 11:05
Written-By – Strong, Whitfield
11
Long As I Can See The Light
3:33
Credits
Arranged By – John Fogerty
Bass – Stu Cook
Drums – Doug Clifford
Guitar – Tom Fogerty
Lead Guitar – John Fogerty
Written-By – J. C. Fogerty
(tracks: 1, 3, 5 to 7, 9, 11)
Fantasy FCD-4516-2 USA
CCR - Pendulum [1970]
During 1969 and 1970, CCR was dismissed by hipsters as a bubblegum pop band and the sniping had grown intolerable, at least to John Fogerty, who designed Pendulum as a rebuke to critics. He spent time polishing the production, bringing in keyboards, horns, even a vocal choir. His songs became self-consciously serious and tighter, working with the aesthetic of the rock underground -- Pendulum was constructed as a proper album, contrasting dramatically with CCR's previous records, all throwbacks to joyous early rock records where covers sat nicely next to hits and overlooked gems tucked away at the end of the second side. To some fans of classic CCR, this approach may feel a little odd since only "Have You Ever Seen the Rain" and maybe its B-side "Hey Tonight" sound undeniably like prime Creedence. But, given time, the album is a real grower, revealing many overlooked Fogerty gems. Yes, it isn't transcendent like the albums they made from Bayou Country through Cosmo's Factory, but most bands never even come close to that kind of hot streak. Instead, Pendulum finds a first-class songwriter and craftsman pushing himself and his band to try new sounds, styles, and textures. His ambition results in a stumble -- "Rude Awakening 2" portentously teeters on the verge of prog-rock, something CCR just can't pull off -- but the rest of the record is excellent, with such great numbers as the bluesy groove "Pagan Baby," the soulful vamp "Chameleon," the moody "It's Just a Thought," and the raver "Molina." Most bands would kill for this to be their best stuff, and the fact that it's tucked away on an album that even some fans forget illustrates what a tremendous band Creedence Clearwater Revival was.
by Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Tracklist
1
Pagan Baby
6:20
2
Sailor's Lament
3:47
3
Chameleon
3:16
4
Have You Ever Seen The Rain?
2:39
5
(Wish I Could) Hideaway
3:46
6
Born To Move
5:39
7
Hey Tonight
2:43
8
It's Just A Thought
3:50
9
Molina
2:41
10
Rude Awakening #2
6:19
Credits
Bass – Stu Cook
Drums – Doug Clifford
Lead Guitar, Vocals, Arranged By, Producer, Composed By – John Fogerty
Rhythm Guitar – Tom Fogerty
Fantasy FCD-8410-2 USA
CCR - Mardi Gras [1972]
Pared down to a trio, Creedence Clearwater Revival had to find a new way of doing business, since already their sound had changed, so they split creative duties evenly. It wasn't just that each member wrote songs -- they produced them, too. Doug Clifford and Stu Cook claim John Fogerty needed time to creatively recharge, while Fogerty says he simply bowed to the duo's relentless pressure for equal time. Both arguments make sense, but either way, the end result was the same: Mardi Gras was a mess. Not a disaster, which it was dismissed as upon its release, since there are a couple of bright moments. Typically, Fogerty is reliable, with the solid rocker "Sweet Hitch-Hiker," the country ramble "Lookin' for a Reason," a good cover of Ricky Nelson's "Hello Mary Lou," and the pretty good ballad "Someday Never Comes." These don't match the brilliance of previous CCR records, but they sparkle next to Clifford and Cook's efforts. That implies that their contributions are terrible, which they're usually not -- they're just pedestrian. Only "Sail Away" is difficult to listen to, due to Cook's flat, overemphasized vocals, but he makes up for it with the solid rocker "Door to Door" and the Fogerty soundalike "Take It Like a Friend." Clifford fares a little better since his voice is warmer and he wisely channels it into amiable country-rock, yet these are pretty average songs by two guys beginning to find their own songwriting voice. If Clifford and Cook had started their own band (which they did after this album) it would be easier to be charitable, but when held up against Creedence's other work, Mardi Gras withers. It's an unpretty end to a great band. by Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Tracklist
1 Lookin' For A Reason 3:29
Written-By – John Fogerty
2
Take It Like A Friend 3:02
Written-By – S. Cook
3
Need Someone To Hold 3:02
Written-By – D. Clifford, S. Cook
4
Tearin' Up The Country 2:16
Written-By – D. Clifford
5
Someday Never Comes 4:05
Written-By – John Fogerty
6
What Are You Gonna Do 2:56
Written-By – D. Clifford
7
Sail Away 2:33
Written-By – S. Cook
8
Hello Mary Lou 2:18
Written-By – G. Pitney
9
Door To Door 2:11
Written-By – S. Cook
10
Sweet Hitch-Hiker 2:59
Written-By – John Fogerty
Credits
Arranged By, Producer – Creedence
Performer – Doug Clifford, John Fogerty, Stu Cook
Fantasy FCD-4518-2 USA
CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL
Discography: 7 Albums 1968-1972 [Remastered] FLAC /scans
O Púbis da Rosa
