The Cavern
Rock & Words
MARDI GRASS (Creedence, 1972)
Artist: Creedence Clearwater Revival (B)
Recording Dates: Apr-Jun ‘71
Release Date: April 11th, 1972. USA
Record Label: Fantasy
Producer: What was left from Creedence
Rating: 3
Era: Country, Country Rock And Southern
Subgenre: Southern Rock
Best Song: Someday Never Comes
Tracklist: 1) Lookin' For A Reason; 2) Take It Like A Friend; 3) Need Someone To Hold; 4) Tearin' Up The Country; 5) Someday Never Comes; 6) What Are You Gonna Do; 7) Sail Away; 8) Hello Mary Lou; 9) Door To Door; 10) Sweet Hitch-Hiker.
WHAT HAPPENED TO CREEDENCE???
Honestly, I think this album was ahead of its time. Yes, it was six months ahead of Creedence's breakup. The band should have disbanded after the more or less decent Pendulum and forgotten about this aberrant mess. Heck, the album is so bad that even in the deepest parts of Kentucky they still use it to torture those who dare to steal pigs or vote for the Democrats!
I have two theories to explain what happened to one of the most fascinating bands of the late 60s, the one that managed to release 3 good albums in a year, that unified praise from hippies and rednecks alike, and managed to get them into concerts without them killing each other.
One theory is that John Fogerty suffered a horrific accident in early 1971 while driving to the studio with the portfolio of songs he had written and were about to begin recording. John crashed after running a red light and lost his life. Tom, Stu, and Cosmo were devastated and were about to announce the death of an idol of a generation and the band's breakup, something that would shake the world, which was unprepared for such news. Therefore, in a conspiracy orchestrated by Fantasy Records and the FBI, they decided to find a replacement. Initially, they considered William Campbell Shears, but he was already busy replacing another deceased member in a different band. So, with no other option, Tom decided to get plastic surgery to resemble his brother, deceiving the world and announcing that he was the one leaving the band, which then became a trio. Of the songs John had written, they were only able to salvage two on a charred sheet of paper left behind after the accident, as the rest had burned. So they had no choice but to start writing, something they weren't particularly experienced at, since John usually dictated how to play each note. Creedence would leave a lot of references to Fogerty's death throughout the album, like in "Sweet Hitch Hiker," where they narrate the reason for John's distraction while driving, or reversed recordings that gave hidden clues. The album cover itself shows a girl carrying the urn of his ashes after his cremation —I mean, after collecting them from under the car. The songs supposedly sung by John don't sound like John… Had you thought about that? He would never again sound with that raspy, powerful tone that characterized him, simply because it wasn't him anymore, but Tom. His typical mushroom-shaped haircut would disappear, replaced by another style, which is irrefutable proof of this theory. The thing is, the album is so bad that nobody noticed these clues. By then the hippies no longer paid attention to them, more concerned with joining suicide cults, while the Country nation had found in the Eagles another Californian wanna -be-country band, so nobody cared about the clues to Fogerty's death, or the new Creedence album, or that they broke up a few months later.
My other theory is even more far-fetched: John sabotaged himself. Tom had quit the band shortly after the recording of Pendulum , where a drop in quality is already noticeable, but it still retains the CCR sound. Tom quit because John wouldn't let him have any creative say in the band. It's well known that he was a kind of tyrant, defining the arrangements, the rhythms each member should play , and any slight would get him to ask, "Do you want to go back to the car wash where I took you from? " This isn't a joke; before "Susie Q" took off, they were barely scraping by washing cars. After Tom's departure, John must have already been thinking about his solo career, and perhaps it would have been the wisest thing to do to disband CCR at that point, with Pendulum serving as a decent finale, at least. What was going through John Fogerty's mind? Money? Revenge against his brother? Revenge for his classmates' reproaches by forcing them to write songs, and not only that, but to sing them? The Horror! (Sheldon Cooper said) The truth is that Mardi Gras would be the perfect excuse to break up the band and start his solo career. No one could criticize him for that decision. Self-sabotage, then.
Mardi Gras is not only Creedence's worst album, but a strong contender for one of the worst ever, at least among bands rated C and above. It features only three tracks sung by John, of which only " Someday Never Comes" is any good. "Sweet Hitch- Hiker " is the last vestige of Creedence's rock sound and John's powerful roar, but it doesn't even come close to the level of " Travelin ' Band" or "Green River." And " Looking For a Reason" sounds like the soundtrack to a terrible western, just like the rest of the album, and sung with the same apathy.
The rest are songs by Stu Cock and Cosmo Clifford. When John forced them to write, I suppose they did their best, but I can imagine their faces when Fogerty refused to sing them and informed them that they would do it themselves. Stu tries to sing like the old John, but sounds more like a crocodile in heat. Cosmo sounds like a drunken bartender trying to scare off the last customers with his heartfelt performance. But not content with that, John also made them produce. Did they want democracy? Have your democracy!!!
On albums like this, I wonder if it's really necessary to mention every single track… “Lookin' For A Reason” is John's first, and it must have blown everyone away. Sure, CCR had country influences, but mixed with rock and psychedelia. This is pure country, with slide guitar and soft little guitar riffs , sung in that tone of someone chewing and spitting out tobacco. John sings with utter listlessness, “ I'm looking for a reason "Not to go ," and one wonders, why the hell didn't he leave sooner?
"Take It Like A Friend" begins with a good, menacing , bluesy guitar riff from John, but the effect fades after five seconds, as soon as Stu opens his mouth and starts singing as if he's dying of pneumonia. Perhaps the interesting part is the lyrics, in which I like to think he takes the opportunity to deliver a subtle slap in the face to John: "Thought you had the honor, Took special pride in all your well laid " Plans ." That and Fogerty's listless guitar playing.
Then there's Cosmo's "Need Someone To Hold". Perhaps the most decent track not written by John. In fact , it's pleasant... until the chorus, which breaks the spell. The lyrics are a string of complaints, and after a while, without changing the formula, it starts to become repetitive and tiresome.
“Tearin' Up The Country” has all the clichés of the genre. You can imagine this song as the soundtrack to a cheap western, with the saloon brawl, broken bottles, and cowboys flying out the window. Yes, it might work for a scene like that, but I can't really imagine any country music fan enjoying this song on its own.
The closest thing to Creedence's best is "Someday Never Comes", a beautiful and truly moving ballad by John. The music is very simple, with the rhythm section keeping time while John plays simple arpeggios until the chorus explodes in a country-rock style. They basically use this formula to gradually increase and decrease the song's intensity, but that's enough for it to shine. What makes the song stand out is the powerful lyrics and the emotion with which he sings. He speaks of his father (and all fathers) who, when we ask them something, answer "Someday you'll understand," and John simply says that time passes and he still doesn't understand, alluding to the title. The song can bring a lump to your throat, especially if you had a father or mother like that, and especially if "tears have been shed and dust has been collected" and you still don't understand many things, and your child asks you, and you, no matter how much you want to avoid it, answer with "Someday you'll understand..." Worthy of the Chronicle .
The illusion shatters with “What Are You Gonna Do”, which brings us back to the reality of the album. Cosmo is like Ringo; he tries hard, he's likeable, he tries to sound fun and melodic, but he's still just the drummer. His songs don't start badly, but they end up being very repetitive, and this one is no exception. Perhaps if John had sung it, it would have had more potential…
Then comes “Sail Away". Cosmo at least has some melodic sense, he's more or less in tune, and his voice is acceptable. Stu doesn't. He's a good bassist, but here he doesn't even manage that. The track ends up dragging on for two and a half minutes, and you can't wait for the guy to get going.
“Hello Mary Lou” is a cover. I suppose John didn't want to break that 3/3 “balance,” but he had two minutes to spare, so he went for the most generic country he could find and sings like he's competing with his bandmates for the worst vocal performance of the century. I think it's the worst cover song the band has ever done.
Things don't improve with Stu's "Door To Door". It's about a door-to-door salesman. And the music is almost as awful as the song itself.
The album has a decent closer with “Sweet Hitch- Hiker”. It’s a John track, the closest thing to the powerful rockers of CCR, with that raspy, screamed vocals that were sorely missed, and a crisp, incisive, bluesy guitar. However, it lacks that menacing edge, and it also ends up becoming repetitive. Although it sounds like an oasis here and is the second-best track on the album, it would be quite average on any other record, and I even think it's superfluous on Chronicle .
In short, democracies only work on paper. In politics and in academics, this is proof that they leave the masses suffering. Creedence Clearwater Revival would leave through the back door. Although the album would sell somewhat because of the band's name, it was clear that John Fogerty had exhausted the formula that had made them one of the biggest bands of the '60s, and it was clear that for him, it was a burden he wanted to get rid of. That's the only explanation I can offer. That, or my first theory . To conclude, the rating is 2 for "Someday Never Comes" +1 for "Sweet Hitch Hiker," which is the only redeeming track on the album. Like George Starostin, I imagine Tom Fogerty in heaven (he died in 1990), still laughing about Mardi Gras.
By Corvan
Jun/17/2015
