Creedence Clearwater Revival Bayou Country
Green River Willy and the Poor Boys Cosmo's Factory Pendulum (Fantasy) For a while there, 1969-70 to be precise, Creedence Clearwater Revival was the most popular band in America, and they reached that lofty height by flaunting just about every rule of the time that there was to to flaunt. When most rock bands were extending beyond the roots of rock psychedelicizing, if you will--singer/songwriter/guitarist John Fogerty (who, let's be frank here, was Creedence), his rhythm guitarist brother Tom, bassist Stu Cook and drummer Doug Clifford celebrated the simple, the tight and the succinct. They cranked out a string of hit singles, starting with "Proud Mary" and continuing with "Bad Moon Rising", "Green River," "Travelin' Band" and several other classic rock staples (four of which reached No. 2--they never topped the charts), while simultaneously appealing to the FM radio/Woodstock crowd. cont.
That's not to imply that Creedence couldn't jam. They did, extending oldies like Screamin' Jay Hawkins' "I Put a Spell on You," Dale Hawkin's "Susie Q" and Marvin Gaye's "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" (OK, that was only two years old at the time), but did so in such a way that they never seemed indulgent. John Fogerty's genius was to find a place where primal rock and roll and the Fillmore ethic, vintage R&B and country, and an obsession with a mythical Louisiana bayou swamp country he had yet to visit came together--along with The Band, Creedence invented Americana. Fantasy Records has reissued Creedence's first six studio albums before, so folks who already own them may ask themselves why bother with these new "40th Anniversary Edition" CDs. Two answers: Bonus tracks and a marked improvement in sonics. Each album now contains three to five add-ons: mostly live takes, some studio alternates, etc. Some throwaways, others head-spinningly amazing. But overall, the albums all sound punchier and more in-your-face than ever--as it should be. The basic Creedence catalog has always been essential to any serious rock collection. Now it's even more so. Only registered users can write comments.
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