Genre - Rock
Producer - John Fogerty
Selected Personnel - John Fogerty (Vocals/Guitar/Harmonica); Tom Fogerty (Guitar); Stu Cook (Bass); Doug Clifford (Drums)
Standout Track - Born On The Bayou
With psychedelia still the most popular craze and prog just around the corner, there was an increasing sense that music needed to be in some way complicated or innovative in order to be good or popular. From the arty posing of the Velvet Underground to the acid-trip jams of the San Francisco music scene, it seemed like traditional, straightforward rock & roll was a thing of the past. Creedence Clearwater Revival were the ultimate band to make the point, very forcefully, that unabashed old-fashioned music could still be great, and could still top the charts. The only big surprise with the music of Creedence is the fact that, despite the overt obsession with Southern Americana, both in the swampy sound of the music itself and in chief songwriter John Fogerty's preoccupation with the south as a lyrical theme, the band actually emerged from San Francisco just like their more progressive contemporaries like Jefferson Airplane or the Grateful Dead. Not feeling that the music that surrounded them gelled with their ambitions, however, they effectively "decamped" mentally and creatively to the bayous of Mississippi for their inspiration and their sound, and it makes a refreshing change to some of the other more self-involved music of the time.
This is just great traditional rock music, recorded before "roots rock" became a true genre in its own right, but defining everything about the movement, taking its inspirations from 50s rock and roll, blues and soul music and feeling no need to ornament their output with anything other than the core lineup of Fogerty's jangling lead guitar lines and harmonica playing, brother Tom Fogerty's rhythm guitar and the steady anchor of bassist Stu Cook and drummer Doug Clifford. That's all there is to it, and that's all this music needs. "Born On The Bayou" is a brilliant brooding, swampy opener, and the band's cover of Little Richard's classic "Good Golly Miss Molly" updates the raw essence of rock & roll with an added ferocity and fiery passion. The song everybody knows here is "Proud Mary," which has been covered to the point of tedium by countless artists. The original is still the best, and it's a great song, but over-familiarity means that it no longer stands out on this album as it once must have. "Keep On Chooglin'" is a cool jam that serves as a great showcase for the talents of the individual band-members, though beyond these standouts things do get a little stale - "Graveyard Train" is a fairly plodding affair only briefly enlivened by Forgerty's energetic harmonica workout.
What really keeps things feeling fresh and exciting and downright cool throughout, even in the album's slower and less compelling moments, is Fogerty's voice. Initially, it was brother Tom Fogerty who was slated to be the band's lead singer, which in hindsight seems like a crazy move. Fogerty's bluesy growling vocals are what gives Creedence its distinctive edge, its constant howl of southern cool, and the idea that the lead singer position was almost given to someone else is one of the biggest near-misses in music history. Luckily, under John's leadership, they became one of the coolest and most popular bands of the late 60s and early 70s, going on to define everything about traditional American music and setting the stage for other hugely successful roots rock artists such as Lynyrd Skynyrd. Their career was short-lived but hugely prolific, releasing no less than three hugely successful albums in 1969 alone, and left a more significant legacy than a number of bands who lasted four times as long.
Track Listing:
All songs written by John Fogerty except where noted
1. Born On The Bayou
2. Bootleg
3. Graveyard Train
4. Good Golly Miss Molly (Robert Blackwell & John Marascalco)
5. Penthouse Pauper
6. Proud Mary
7. Keep On Chooglin'
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