For Week Ending:
13 April 2024

Creedence Clearwater Revival - 21st Anniversary, The Ultimate Collection (1990)

[Classic Rock]

Listening to an album by Creedence Clearwater Revival is a somewhat jarring experience, as amongst the classic songs everybody knows and loves is often what can only be described as second rate filler. It isn't always that way of course, but does seem the case more often than most diehards would probably care to admit. For this reason a collection of every one of the band's best songs together on one compilation is something hard to look past. The band's swampy bayou sound it perfectly showcased here, with 24 tracks on display, starting with the irresistible 'Bad Moon Rising' and working through stomping 1950s tinged rock ' n roll like 'Molina' and 'Travelin' Band', and giving the blues a work out on 'The Midnight Special' and 'I Put A Spell On You'. At their core, what makes a good CCR songs irresistible is simple - they just make you feel good when you sing along to them. Try to get through 'Who'll Stop The Rain' or Lookin' Out My Back Door' without smiling, and something about the California sun-soaked croak of John Fogarty's otherworldly vocals make it all the more magical to experience. All in all this a wonderful listen, that like every great album, leaves you wanting more.

Arist Information
Creedence Clearwater Revival was an American rock band formed in El Cerrito, California. These members had played together since 1959, first as The Blue Velvets and later as The Golliwogs, before settling on Creedence Clearwater Revival in 1967. The band's most prolific and successful period between 1969 and 1971 produced fourteen consecutive Top 10 singles (many of which were double A-sides) and five consecutive Top 10 albums in the United States - two of which, 'Green River' (1969) and 'Cosmo's Factory' (1970), reached number one. The band performed at the 1969 Woodstock festival in Upstate New York, and was the first major act signed to appear there. CCR disbanded acrimoniously in late 1972 after four years of chart-topping success.