John Fogarty is one of rock's finest writers (Fortunate Son, Bad Moon Rising, Proud Mary, Green River et al) so it's curious that this single is made up of two cover versions.
It was released by Fantasy to tie in with compilations - Creedence Gold and More Creedence Gold. I actually don't have a problem with all the Creedence Clearwater Revival compilations out there coz they were a terrific singles band. They are a bit like The 'Oo in that regard. Meaty Beaty Big and Bouncy is a superb compilation but it only scratches the surface of Townshend's brilliance. Similarly the Creedence compilations are great but beyond the singles there lurked another version; just have a listen to Green River, my favourite album of theirs.
Their version of the Whitfield-Strong song settles into a great groove and tries for something different to the Motown Records originals. Marvin Gaye had the hit but Smokey Robinson and Gladys Knight had previous versions as well in the sixties. Length for one thing - their version on Cosmo's Factory was around eleven minutes long, this edited single version clocks in at a modest 3:58.
Hidden gem: The A side is sedate in comparison to the rave up version of the Little Richard rocker. It's a perfect fit for John Fogarty's shredded vocal style.
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