The Cavern
Rock & Words
GREEN RIVER (Creedence, 1969)
Artist: Creedence Clearwater Revival (B)
Recording Date: 1969
Release Date: August 3rd, 1969. USA
Record Label: Fantasy Records
Producer: John Fogerty, Saul Zaentz
Rating: 9
Era: Country, Country Rock and Southern
Subgenre: Southern Rock
Best Song: Green River o LodiTracklist: 1) Green River; 2) Commotion; 3) Tombstone Shadow; 4) Wrote A Song For Everyone; 5) Bad Moon Rising; 6) Lodi; 7) Cross-Tie Walker; 8) Sinister Purpose; 9) The Night Time Is The Right Time.
This is where John Fogerty transforms into a hit-making machine, finally reaching his maturity as a songwriter. And what a way to do it! Although the album is short (just under 29 minutes) and has 9 tracks, only one is a cover , and it happens to be the weakest track on the album. The original material is impressive, superb, and on par with the covers that had garnered acclaim on previous albums for their masterful treatment . John abandons the practice of adding generic blues lyrics to his original songs and uses all his resources as a guitarist to deliver enormous classics with powerful melodies, full of hooks, energy, and resources.
This album far surpasses Bayou Country. There are no more long, boring jams . There are hardly any covers , and the originals are solid and can't be accused of plagiarism, evolving from the country-blues formula to deliver truly creative melodies. Lyrically, Fogerty also evolves and matures as a lyricist; without becoming a Dylan, he achieves more elaborate and cohesive lyrics.
The band had achieved considerable success with Bayou Country earlier in the year, and they were still touring and placing singles from that LP at the top of the charts when they released this 2 of 3 album in 1969. I maintain that I don't know if Fantasy Records forced them to release three LPs in the same year. What is certain is that it's admirable that they released two such strong albums almost simultaneously. Not only that, but John decided to eliminate the missteps of previous albums , removing jams used to fill space and cutting filler tracks, resulting in a noticeable evolution. He undoubtedly achieves this on this album, and it was a wise move to release it precisely when they were in the spotlight, since the success of Green River allowed them to be considered one of the headlining bands at the Woodstock Festival, a few days after its release. Thus, the creative strain is not at all noticeable on this album; on the contrary, it reveals a more committed band and a more mature songwriter. They would pay the price in November with the third album of the year, Willy And The Poor Boys, which, while not bad, failed to maintain the same level as this one, although they would recover with their masterpiece, Cosmo's Factory.
Thus, the album is agile, fun, with a swampy, bluesy atmosphere; and of its 9 tracks, it manages to place 4 as absolute classics for the band: “Green River,” “ Commotion ,” “Lodi,” and “Bad Moon Rising,” although in my opinion, the latter is slightly inferior, and I prefer “ Sinister Purpose.” The album would cement their success, since, curiously, their performance at Woodstock was rather mediocre, according to John himself, and received little attention from the crowd because of the Grateful Dead's set went on for a very long time, and Creedence didn't play until after 3:00 AM, so the band was already exhausted, as was the audience. Most people went to sleep, but the next day Creedence's performance spread like wildfire, and after the festival ended, many rushed to get their newly released album to see what they had missed. I suppose they weren't disappointed, since the album charted very well, but they continued with the "curse" of poor singles, reaching several number 2 hits (Creedence ironically holds the record for most number 2 singles with 6; they never reached a number 1).
The album kicks off in colossal fashion with “Green River”, an absolutely powerful track with a dark, almost menacing atmosphere. The intro , despite starting with just guitar, is charged with tremendous ferocity, delivering a truly iconic riff, before the rest of the instruments join in. John's voice is heavily echoed, sounding as if he's inside a cavern, and the slow “ Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeell ” he uses at the beginning and adds to each bridge contrasts sharply with the much faster phrasing of the verses. The song is full of wonderful hooks, but the superb guitar work is outstanding, in which Fogerty once again gifts us with an exceptional dialogue with his guitar, creating spectacular and ever-changing arrangements that give the whole song great dynamism. Without a doubt, the music transports you to that rural riverside setting described in the lyrics. One of my all- time favorite Creedence Clearwater Revival songs.
Next up is “Commotion”, another spectacular song with a breakneck rhythm, one of the fastest boogie tracks out there. The intro is brutal, with the guitar slashing through piercing high notes, while Cosmo Clifford's drums fade in until suddenly we're at full throttle. This song actually reminds me of the furious roar of a train, unlike the unsuccessful “ Graveyard Train” from the previous album. Anyway, the formula is very similar: verse, guitar arrangement, verse, instrumental bridge, etc. But even though Creedence uses this formula, when they do it creatively, they never repeat themselves, never use similar patterns, and give the songs an impressive vitality that never gets old. That is to say, we can expect them to come up with these vocal-guitar interplays and dialogues, but we never know what tricks they're going to pull out, so you can't call this band predictable. Plus, the drums here sound spectacular. A great song that flies by, and despite its dark feel, it leaves us tapping our feet to the beat .
“Tombstone Shadow” is the next track, where John Fogerty showcases the best of his technique, with a furious guitar throughout the song, along with an excellent solo (almost a single note) at the one-minute mark and again near the two-minute mark ( this time with the guitars mirroring each other). It could be a generic blues song, or at least the structure is, but the sublime way he handles the guitar makes this track stand out among the generic blues of previous albums. Not only that, but it confirms that John Fogerty is a magnificent guitarist, one who belongs in the big leagues. Perhaps not on the level of Clapton, Hendrix, or Townshend, but close, and with the added value that his style is absolutely unlike theirs or anyone else's. In fact, Fogerty's style is so exceptional that, unlike the aforementioned Guitar Heroes, he didn't leave any influence whatsoever. Not because he isn't good, but because that " feeling " he gives to the guitar is inimitable.
We continue with “Wrote A Song For Everyone”, a simple ballad in which they shift away from the tricks they'd used up to that point. This time, they focus more on strong vocal melody, vocal intensity, and a soft, almost delicate instrumentation by Creedence standards. Even the solo at 2:05 is very calm, lacking the fury that usually accompanies John, but that doesn't make it bad; rather, the melancholic weight it carries in every note works very well. The song still has a rural feel, although the lyrics are more of a tribute to the working class stuck in government bureaucracy, introducing social criticism in a still somewhat timid way that will reach its climax with “Fortunate Son.” But you can feel the irony when he sings, “ Wrote a song for everyone , and I couldn't. ” even " Talk to you ." Maybe a little long, but it's still a great song.
The fourth song is “Bad Moon Rising”, a return to the band's rhythmic side. The vocal melody is lovely and steals the show, as John's guitar riffs are slightly more understated, and the song is more rhythmic than technical. The guitar solo is again simple, but absolutely catchy and vibrant, perhaps one of the most memorable in Creedence's catalog. I love the song, and I completely understand why its positive vibe (it lacks the menacing atmosphere of some of their other tracks) has made it a classic.
Next up is “Lodi”, a rhythmic ballad. Fogerty’s genius is impressive; while he can create songs with a sharp, savage guitar, he’s also capable of gifting us gems like this one—very rhythmic, with an almost acoustic guitar sound and without needing too many tricks. The beauty of the melody and the recurring riff are all the necessary elements for a great song. And besides, this is perhaps the most profound lyric he’s presented with the band. I’m not kidding. Partly autobiographical , partly a portrait of countless folk singers from the mid-period, and with the brilliant wordplay he makes on the name of the town of Lodi, California, pronounced “ loo.” "Dai ," just like "Low Die," makes this one of my favorite lyrics, transcending the themes of swamps and rivers. A very simple song, but with an implicit magic that makes it enchanting.
The seventh song is “Cross-Tie Walker”. It doesn’t have as great a melody as the previous two, nor the impressive hooks of “ Green River,” but it’s a good old-fashioned rocker , with some strummed guitar effects between verses, cymbal crashes twice after each verse, and a descending bass riff that works very, very well. It’s not a masterpiece, nor is it among the classics, but the song works perfectly.
The penultimate track is “Sinister Purpose”, which features another killer intro and a vocal melody that blends with the mesmerizing guitar to create that “evil country” atmosphere. An atmosphere that has nothing to do with the malevolence of Black Sabbath, for example. It's an unintentional, almost naive, almost harmless malevolence. But fascinating nonetheless. The solo at 1:15 is again the simplest thing on the planet, practically just playing at bending a string to the same pitch, but even for that, you have to know how and when to do it. Furthermore , this solo highlights a technique frequently used by Creedence Clearwater Revival: beneath the solo, another guitar vibrates very faintly with feedback , almost like a mosquito, and together they sound tremendous, magnifying the “Sinister” effect of the title.
The final song, “The Night Time Is The Right Time”, is almost universally agreed to be the weakest on the album, detracting somewhat from its overall brilliance. Why? Because it's repetitive to the point of exhaustion, singing (or shouting) the same line ad nauseam. In its defense, I must say two things. First, it's a cover . Second, the song was included to create a connection with the audience at concerts, allowing John to sing a line and have the crowd respond. I don't know if it worked; it's not exactly one of the most memorable songs, but I understand the purpose, since this wasn't a band that went around jumping around the stage like Daltrey . Their charisma was different. There are songs expressly written for this purpose, like “ We Will Rock You,” which don't offer much musically, but become indispensable monsters live. Even so, I agree that they could have recorded an original song to close out an otherwise near-perfect album.
In short, you're unlikely to find so many classics and great songs on a single album. It's simple: almost anyone with a basic guitar playing skills can play these songs, but it's that simplicity that becomes majestic, and which, after all, no one else has ever done. The album is powerful and wild at times, delicate and sensitive at others, the lyrics are improved, there's practically no filler, almost all of it is original material, and the hooks they create are truly addictive and intoxicating. This is Creedence at their best, surpassed only by their debut and Cosmo's Factory.
By Corvan
Oct/14/2009
