Between 1968 and 1970, John Fogerty and Creedence Clearwater Revival released an astonishing six studio records (I am mercifully not considering ‘72’s dismal Mardi Gras). Three of those six rank among rock’s greatest albums. CCR didn’t quite fit in with the late 60’s Summer of Love ethos. John Fogerty unashamedly always aimed for the commercial jugular, and while they did jam here and there, his strength was the three and a half minute single. In many ways he was a throwback to the 1950’s rock and roll era that he so loved, yet ironically his songs still feel fresh and timeless while much of the other late 60’s rock is hopelessly of its time (take his protest songs, for instance. “Fortunate Son” and “Who’ll Stop the Rain” work for any era and still crackle with energy and rage, while other protest songs from the 60’s are almost as museum pieces for the 1960's). They were the ultimate swamp rock band, yet they hailed from California. And while John Fogerty is justly revered as one of America’s great rock and roll songwriters, CCR was most definitely a band. Fogerty’s songs absolutely depend on that deep, swampy groove of Doug Clifford, Stu Cook and brother Tom Fogerty. As much as he is loathe to admit it these days, CCR was all four of them, not just John Fogerty and some session guys.
Creedence Clearwater Revival (1968) ***
While there are some sparks here and there, they had not quite figured out what they wanted to do in the studio just yet. The extended jam on “Suzie Q” is groovy, but at eight and a half minutes, it is also clearly filling space. The furious cover of “I Put a Spell On You” works, but the only great Fogerty-penned tune here is “Porterville.”
Bayou Country (1969) ****
A huge step forward, “Proud Mary” is an American standard at this point, and “Born on the Bayou” is the pinnacle of their swamp rock sound. The Clifford/Cook rhythm section on “Born on the Bayou” is something you can’t fake, as simple as the song is. “Bootleg” may be one of Fogerty’s best non-hit album tracks, and is a song he has revived in his recent live shows. The playing time is dominated by two jams/songs, “Keep on Chooglin’” delivers with its one chord vamp and a dark hypnotic energy, while “Graveyard Train” just goes on way too long, therefore docking an otherwise perfect record one star.
Green River (1969) *****
The ultimate A.M. album. Concise, with all but one tune under the four minute mark, it harkens back a decade to when the single was king. Each one of these songs could have become a radio staple (and five of the nine did). I’ve argued that John Fogerty is one of the great American songwriters, masterfully evoking American themes, hopes and fears, and even the landscape (“Green River” is absolutely wonderful in its imagery), and GR is a textbook on how to write within those themes and in this format. The commercial charms of CCR are probably best represented here. It has been pointed out by others how dark Fogerty’s lyrics often are, filled with a sense of doom, yet the music balances that out to sound like jaunty radio rock. For instance, “Bad Moon Rising” is infectious, but it has lines like “I hope you have your things together / I hope you’re quite prepared to die.” It is an interesting dichotomy.
Willy and the Poor Boys (1969) *****
I go between this one and Cosmo’s Factory as peak CCR. WATPB is their most country-influenced record, dialing back the swamp rock of the previous three. “Cotton Fields” is simply joyous, while “It Came Out of the Sky” displays some humor and plays on America’s UFO/sci fi fixation of the 50’s and 60’s. “Effigy” is the spookiest song in their entire repertoire, but “Fortunate Son” is the real stunner here. Beyond any other Vietnam protest song of the era, it transcends the times and stands just as powerful today. This is because Fogerty dials into the class issues of the war with anger and defiance, and those things don’t change. It is a remarkable two minutes, and remarkably direct. Protest music doesn’t get any better (or more concise) than “Fortunate Son.”
The Concert (live) (1970/1980) ***
While their live recordings are spirited, they do not stray far at all from their studio arrangements, and this suffers from muddied recording quality and a lack of precision that is Fogerty’s forte in the studio.
Cosmo’s Factory (1970) *****
Even with a couple cover songs too many, CF is CCR’s tour de force. Fogerty had long conquered the 3 minute A.M. single, but he also revisits the longer jam format of their early days, and here he masters both. Opener “Ramble Tamble” burns for seven minutes, jamming on a simple progression but inexorably ratcheting up the energy. The other jam, 11 minutes on Marvin Gaye’s “I Heard It Through the Grapevine,” brings Motown to the swamp and lets Fogerty stretch out on the guitar solos. Other than those, tight A.M. magic is the name of the game, with “Travelin’ Band,” “Lookin’ Out My Back Door,” the menacing “Run Through the Jungle,” “Up Around the Bend”…killer track after killer track. “Who’ll Stop the Rain” is a gorgeous and powerful anti-war song, and “Long As I Can See the Light” offers a prayerful close. And by throwing in spirited covers from America’s early rock and roll songbook (“Before You Accuse Me,” “Ooby Dooby” and “My Baby Left Me”), Fogerty boldly proves that his originals stand toe to toe with them.
Pendulum (1970) ***1/2
You’ve got to hand it to Fogerty here for trying to broaden the sound. For the first time, CCR features organ and some horns. It mostly works, with “Chameleon” and “It’s Just a Thought” using these new textures especially well. “Have You Ever Seen the Rain?” is one of my all time favorite songs. “Rude Awakening #2” is the only place where they really overreach, and a sign that they might be finally losing some steam.
Mardi Gras (1972) *
AKA ‘Fogerty’s Revenge.’ Relations within the band had become truly toxic by this point. Tom had already left, leaving them a trio. Cook and Clifford had been asking John to allow them more input in the songs, and so John decided, fine, it would be a true democracy. As in, they would each be responsible for a third of the record. Each band member would write and sing his own songs, and Fogerty refused to play lead guitar on any of Cook’s or Clifford’s songs, only rhythm. I don’t think this is what they had in mind. Predictably, Cook and Clifford fail in spectacular fashion, much to Fogerty’s delight, I am sure. I think Fogerty was already looking towards a solo career.
Live in Europe (live) (1971-72/1973) ***
An interesting live document of CCR as a trio, but not essential.
Compilations:
I counted 38 CCR compilations on Wikipedia. Most were budget packages, and there are really only two that you need if you want to go the compilation route. Chronicle (compilation) (1976) ***** stands as one of the most potent compilations by any artist in rock and roll, featuring 19 absolutely essential radio hits. Companion Chronicle vol. 2 (compilation) (1986) **** delves deeper into the album cuts, and is essential as well. Together, with a handful of essentials still missing, they paint a pretty complete picture.
The Blue Ridge Rangers (1973) NR
John Fogerty (1975) ***
Centerfield (1985) ****
Eye of the Zombie (1986) NR
Blue Moon Swamp (1997) ***
Premonition (live) (1998) ***1/2
Déjà vu (All Over Again) (2004) NR
The Long Road Home (live/compilation) (2006) NR
Revival (2007) NR
The Blue Ridge Rangers Rides Again (2009) NR
Wrote a Song For Everyone (duets) (2013) NR
Fogerty’s solo career has been a stop and start affair, but he still displays some of his prodigious talents here and there. His best solo outing was the hit record Centerfield, containing a couple of tunes that can stand next to CCR’s best (“Old Man Down the Road,” baseball park perennial “Centerfield”). The whole record is very good, and fueled by Fogerty’s rage both at his former bandmates and especially his former management after a brutal court battle over copyrights (“Mr. Greed,” “Zanz Kant Danz”). For the great song "Old Man Down the Road," for instance, Fogerty was sued by his former management for plagiarizing himself. They owned the CCR catalogue, and "Old Man Down the Road," apparently, sounded too much like some CCR tunes, all of which Fogerty had written. You can probably understand the frustration. The rest of these records have their moments, but are uneven.
Bottom Line: CCR put together some essential albums that flow together wonderfully and should be owned in their entirety (Green River, Willy and the Poorboys, Cosmo's Factory), but they were also the ultimate singles band from the late 60's. So with them more than most others, a great compilation does them justice. It is hard to go wrong with the double whammy of Chronicle and Chronicle, vol. 2.
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