The Cavern
Rock & Words
CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL (Album, 1968)
Artist: Creedence Clearwater Revival (B)
Recording Dates: Oct 1967 – Feb 1968
Release Date: July 5th, 1968. USA
Record Label: Fantasy
Producer: Saul Saentz
Rating: 9 (MUST HAVE)
Era: Country, Country Rock and Southern
Subgenre: Southern Rock
Best Song: Suzie Q or I Put A Spell On You, or Walk on the Water
Tracklist: 1) I Put A Spell On You; 2) The Working Man; 3) Suzie Q; 4) Ninety-Nine And A Half (Just Won't Do); 5) Get Down Woman; 6) Porterville; 7) Gloomy; 8) Walk On The Water.
Creedence Clearwater Revival had already been honing their musical skills for eight years when they recorded this album. Therefore, while it's not their best, they already possessed a remarkably mature sound, with their characteristic style: raw, bluesy, seemingly basic and rustic, yet highly melodic and intelligent. While many bands quickly signed a record deal and took two or three albums to reach their maturity, Creedence gave the impression of having emerged with greatness seemingly out of nowhere, but it certainly took them a great deal of effort and time to achieve this debut. Fortunately, the peak of the psychedelic era was already passing, and although they weren't immune to a certain hippie influence, their sound was entirely innovative, showcasing a delicate balance between blues, country, and monstrous riffs very close to hard rock.
John Fogerty will take a while to showcase his songwriting abilities. It's not that he does a bad job here, but most of the best songs are covers , and his truly high-quality original material will come on later albums. Even so, the way these guys handle covers is superb; they completely own them and give them a unique personality, to the point that few people today realize they aren't their own songs.
While John Fogerty hasn't yet fully unleashed his songwriting prowess, he's already dazzling with his tremendous voice—raspy, furious, expressive, reaching soaring notes, perfectly in tune, and unmistakable anywhere in the world. His vocal performance on " Ninety -Nine and a Half," in particular, gives me goosebumps. There's something menacing about his flawless singing. And despite the harshness of his voice, it never becomes heavy-handed or exaggerated like, for example, Alex Lora's shrieks.
His guitar work is also magnificent. John has never been considered a virtuoso guitarist, and I'm not trying to put him on the same level as Clapton or Beck, but you have to admit he's quite astute and studies every detail of the solos and arrangements he adds to the songs, disguising them as faux improvisations. This guy is as cold and calculating as Gilmour in the '70s, crafting the exact sounds on his guitar to maintain that balance between genres we were talking about. It's also worth noting that doing what he does while simultaneously carrying the lead vocals the way he did is no small feat. And in this vocal aspect, he far surpasses the great David.
Anyway. The vinyl record has an absolutely spectacular A-side, which is basically what catapulted them to overnight stardom. "I Put a Spell On You" opens the record masterfully. This is a cover of the Jay Hawkins soul song, which they completely revamped to make it darker, lengthening it and filling it with mind-blowing arrangements. Despite its slow, rhythmic tempo, it still sounds powerful, whether it's the force of the vocals during the verses or the killer solos. I love that part between verses where he shouts Yeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah !!!!!!!!! Like he's gaining momentum to reach the next line. Fogerty also showcases his best guitar work on the entire album, giving strength and texture to a song that doesn't have many tones and that in anyone else's hands would sound flat and repetitive. None of that is here; the song captivates you from the start, and the four and a half minutes fly by, leaving you with the impression that something slow but incredibly powerful has swept over you. No, it's not metal. It's not even hard rock. Nor is it country or blues.
Without a moment's respite, we move on to "The Working Man", the only original song on Side A of the album. The intro is excellent, the tempo slightly faster, and the vocals less shouted. The lyrics address the hardships of working-class life, attempting to engage somewhat politically. While perhaps not entirely successful, this first lyrical effort to raise awareness is commendable. The real highlight here is the guitar, which, from the initial riff, scales octaves to create impressive arrangements. This is further proof that you don't need lightning-fast fingers to be a good guitarist, but rather a sharp mind. If the arrangements throughout the verses are good, wait until the solo at the one-minute mark. This is an almost intoxicating delight, and while not as powerful as the opening track, it still leaves us breathless.
Then Doug Clifford's drums fade in, gradually building to the main riff, followed by the rhythm guitar and bass. There we have the basic structure of "Suzie Q", a song performed countless times by artists before them, including the Rolling Stones, who until that day held the record for the best cover . Creedence Clearwater Revival took that honor from them and even completely made the song their own. John Fogerty's clean vocals enter. The song sounds basic, but with a darker, denser sound than previous versions. Then comes the first solo, and that's where these guys really start to own the track. Fogerty cleverly creates increasingly different arrangements and riffs, subtly building the song's momentum. By the second verse, the vocals sound muffled and distant, with John using effects to avoid sounding repetitive. Incredibly, he succeeds; the song never sounds heavy, and they come up with various tricks and hooks to keep it fresh. After the second solo, they do some very curious backing vocals: “ Huuuuuuuu , huuuuuh , huuuuuuuu …” They sound chilling. By 3:30, the vocals are a bit more shouted and raspy, leading into a third solo full of somewhat psychedelic effects that only enhance the dense and dark sound, which makes me feel like I'm in the middle of a swampy, haunted forest in the American Midwest at night.
Side B of the album is a slight dip. Why did they put all the hits on side A? It's not that the songs are bad, but they don't reach the heights of the monsters that open the LP. The standout tracks are the ones that open and close this side. "Ninety -Nine and a Half" is an exquisitely crafted cover that almost displays the same power. The vocals are particularly noteworthy, sounding more furious than ever, at least on this album, demonstrating that this singer was quite serious. Fogerty definitely didn't perfect that technique overnight; he'd been working on it for years, and this is perhaps the clearest example of that. It took James Hetfield at least 10 years and four albums throughout the 80s to achieve a somewhat similar sound. Stu Cock's bass playing also shines, driving the rhythm through those relentless tonal shifts, giving the song greater depth and musical cohesion.
Next up is "Get Down Woman", an original track that sounds like a fairly average blues song. This song loses some of its punch and there's not much to highlight. It has a decent guitar solo, but by losing the swampy sound, it loses some of the Creedence essence and seems to fall a little short. Even John doesn't seem to be putting much effort into his vocals.
"Porterville" is also an original song, although written when the band was still called The Golliwogs . They pick up the pace a bit, but there's noticeably less effort than on the previous track. It sounds somewhat repetitive and shows a lack of creativity in both the main riff and the constantly repeated "I Don't Care, I Don't Care." It's not that this song is a complete disaster, but it's perhaps the weakest track on the album. I do like the production sound, which makes them sound like they're playing inside a cave.
Next up is "Gloomy", where Clifford's drumming shines, shifting rhythms and even adding some jazzy nuances interspersed with small fills. The song itself is dark but lacks catchy hooks, though it includes some unusual effects like galloping horses and what might be a reversed guitar around the 1-minute mark and again from 1:50 onwards. The final solo is a slight improvement, but nothing compared to the mathematical brilliance of the first side .
"Walk On The Water" is another great song, almost vying with "The Working Man" for the title of best original song. The atmosphere they create here is remarkable, as it's not a riff that dictates the song's rhythm, but rather a steady beat from all the instruments, with only slight changes in pitch. The truth is, despite not having a riff, it clearly has the Creedence Clearwater Revival style. The vocal harmonies are a gem, and account for 80% of what makes this song work. I love the part where John sings "I Don't Wanna Go" in that sort of chorus. Even the guitar solo is a bit rough at first and lacks those high , Fogertino- esque tones , but again, he shows his skill in handling low sounds and some tricks with scales and strumming that make for a pretty good pre-solo , even better than the solo itself, where he showcases an arrangement with three-finger picking technique. In this finale, the drums once again take center stage as everyone frenetically increases the tempo until the guitar riffs that mark the end. A great ending, well above average for this side.
This album already has the Creedence Clearwater Revival sound we know and love, though it still needs some polishing and refinement. Even so, this debut is highly recommended. There aren't any songs that will hurt your ears, and unlike much country music, it won't damage your brain either. In fact, the mix of sounds and genres is quite stimulating. We can also find some classics from Creedence's discography, but above all, its value lies in the tremendous intelligence that Fogerty and company demonstrate in their musicmaking. They take simple elements, arrange them with extreme care, and create something totally innovative and full of hooks, quite accessible to everyone without treating the listener like an idiot. What are you waiting for? Run and download it and buy it once you've tried it!!!
By Corvan
Sep/26/2008
