We'll send this one out to Glenn Reynolds, who digs 'em.
For a brief but very intense period from 1969 through 1971, Creedence was the greatest rock 'n' roll band in America, generating nine Top 10 singles in a row ("Proud Mary," "Bad Moon Rising/Lodi," "Green River," "Down On the Corner/Fortunate Son," "Travelin' Band/Who'll Stop the Rain," "Up Around the Bend," "Lookin' Out My Back Door," "Have You Ever Seen the Rain," "Sweet Hitchhiker"), five multi-platinum albums (Bayou Country, Green River, Willy and the Poorboys, Cosmo's Factory, Pendulum), and some of the most timeless American music of the past 50 years.
And "timeless" is more than a cliche in this case: although recorded in the late '60s and early '70s with a lyrical undercurrent reflecting the social turmoil of the time with the Vietnam War at its core, Creedence's music has a first generation rock 'n' roll feel that derives from the original sound and excitement generated when R&B and country were first rammed together in the '50s.
All of the eight original Creedence albums - sounding utterly fresh and immediate - have been brilliantly remastered and reissued on CD by Fantasy, with new liner notes from some of our most noted rock writers, and they are a stunning reminder of how essential Creedence was.
While Creedence's music, lyrics and image speak of the Deep South of the mighty mythic Mississippi, Louisiana swamps, and voodoo magic, singer/songwriter/guitarist/producer John Fogerty, his brother rhythm guitarist Tom Fogerty (who died of respiratory failure in 1990), bassist Stu Cook, and drummer Doug Clifford, were actually from the blue collar East Bay town of El Cerrito, CA, and began playing together in junior high school in 1959.
They first recorded as the Blue Velvets, then as the Golliwogs without much success. Sometimes the band had to play live without microphones, which helped Fogerty develop his blistering blues shout (Howlin' Wolf) and rock 'n' roll
scream (Little Richard).
Article comments
1 - Mark Morris
One of my all-time favorite bands. I read on a Trivial Pursuit card that although CCR had many top 10 singles they never had a song reach No. 1. I still find that hard to believe.