Ramble tamble (Creedence Clearwater Revival) (LP 805 - 809)

Creedence Clearwater Revival  Creedence Clearwater Revival (CD, Fantasy, 1968) ****  

Creedence Clearwater Revival  Green River (CD, Fantasy, 1969) ****  

Creedence Clearwater Revival  Cosmo's Factory (CD, Fantasy, 1970) ****  

Creedence Clearwater Revival  The Concert (CD, Fantasy, 1980) ****  

Creedence Clearwater Revival  Live at Woodstock (CD, Fantasy, 2019) ****  

Genre: San Franciscan music

Places I remember: Various Warehouses + JB Hi Fi for the Woodstock CD.

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Ramble Tamble (Cosmo's Factory)

Gear costume: Call It Pretending (Creedence Clearwater Revival)

Active compensatory factors: There are hot streaks and then there is John Fogerty's output between 1968 and 1972. Phew. Everything he touched was golden during that five year period. 

Going back to that debut album is a revelation - every track sparkles. Add to that - there is absolutely no filler on any of these albums listed above.

The thing with these albums is that they contain great songs like the ones I've featured above - they are relatively obscure but are as brilliant as the hits.

The Concert is from a 1970 ripper show in Oakland - 14 ace tracks delivered by a band locked in good and tight. It took a while to see the light of day - 10 years later, but it is great to hear the band in their prime.

Live At Woodstock has also taken a while to emerge but, again, it's well worth the wait. They were remarkably consistent as a live band. This set is intense and it's a mystery why John Fogerty asked not to be included in the first few Woodstock compilations.

Where do they all belong? All done for Creedence Clearwater Revival. I still have a few gaps in my collection: Bayou Country; Pendulum and their weakest one Mardi Gras.

It came out of the sky (Creedence Clearwater Revival) (LP 737)

Creedence Clearwater Revival  Willy And The Poor Boys (Vinyl, Fantasy, 1969) ****

Genre: pop/rock from San Francisco

Places I remember: The Warehouse (Hastings)

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Fortunate Son 

Gear costume: Feelin' Blue

Active compensatory factors: I have neglected Creedence Clearwater Revival unfairly over the years. Like every music fan on the planet I love the singles the band cranked out so for many years I contented myself with their Greatest Hits album - wall to wall amazing songs!!

Aside from Green River which I got early on, it has been a gradual catching up. This one is hailed by many as a classic but for me it's a near miss.

And the problem is that the big hits stand out on their albums, and so that means there is a tendency to view the other songs as lesser quality. 

That's the potential case here as familiar hits like Down On The Corner, Fortunate Son, and The Midnight Special rule the roost. Other songs are in the shade but listening to them fifty years later reveals some true gems: It Came Out Of The Sky; Feelin' Blue (great swampy rocker); Cottonfields.

The inclusion of Poorboy Shuffle and Side Of The Road feel a little too much like filler - hence the four star rating.

Where do they all belong? Alongside the Greatest Hits in the vinyl collection (rest are on CD).