line-up 1 (1967-71)

- Doug Clifford - drums

- Stu Cook - bass

- John Fogerty - vocals, lead guitar

- Tom Fogerty (RIP 1990) - rhythm guitar, backing vocals

  line-up 2 (1971-72)

- Doug Clifford - drums

- Stu Cook - bass

- John Fogerty - vocals, lead guitar

- The Blue Ridge Rangers (John Fogerty)

- The Blue Velvets

- Doug Clifford (solo efforts)

- Creedence Clearwater Revisited (Doug Clifford and Stu

  Cook)

- John Fogerty (solo efforts)

- Tom Fogerty (solo efforts)

- Don Harrison Band (Doug Clifford and Stu Cook)

- The Golliwogs

- Ruby (Tom Fogerty)

Genre: rock

Rating: **** (4 stars)

Title:  Pendulum

Company: Fantasy

Catalog: FANT 8410

Year: 1970

Country/State: Oakland, California

Grade (cover/record): VG/VG

Comments: gatefold sleeve, small cut out notch along lower edge; original inner sleeve

Available: 1

GEMM catalog ID: 4383

Price: $10.00

Cost: $66.00

For some reason 1970's "Pendulum" tends to get overlooked by critics and fans alike.  That's unfortunate since song-for-song it matches up well with any of the band's earlier works.  Not only does it stand up to the earlier catalog, but in some ways it's the band's most polished and experimental effort.  Doubt that statement?  Simply check out the keyboards and horns scattered throughout songs such as 'Born To Move', or the Caribbean-flavored 'Sailor's Lament'.  The band's last John Fogerty-dominated release, Fogerty seems to have been out to prove something to the band's critics (who thought them too commercial), turning in a blazing mix of radio ready rockers and more topical FM-oriented material.  Frankly there's so much good stuff on this one that I don't even know where to start.  'Pagan Baby', 'Molina' and 'Chameleon' were three of Fogerty's most impressive rockers, while 'Have You Seen the Rain?' and the somber 'Its Just a Thought' ranked among his prettiest melodies.  To be honest, the only let down was Fogerty's weird slice of experimentation - 'Rude Awakening, No. 2'.  The song started out as a pretty acoustic piece before breaking down amidst screaming guitars, backward tapes and strange studio effects.  Stretched out over six minutes, imagine CCR trying to replicate 'No. 9' off of The Beatles' "White Album" and you'll get a feel for this oddball effort and it's clear that this wasn't the band's strength.  Still, overlooking that one misstep, this is simply a must own for any 1960s rock fan ...  

Fantasy tapped the album for a single:

- 1970's ' Have You Ever Seen the Rain' b/w 'Hey Tonight' (Fantasy catalog number FANT 655)

- 1970's 'Sailor's Lament' b/w 'Molina' (Fantasy catalogg number )

"Pendulum" track listing:
(side 1)

1.) Pagan Baby   (John Fogerty) - 6:25

2.) Sailor's Lament   (John Fogerty) - 3:49

3.) Chameleon   (John Fogerty) - 3:21

4.) Have You Ever Seen the Rain?   (John Fogerty) - 2:40

5.) (Wish I Could) Hideaway   (John Fogerty) - 3:47

(side 2)
1.) Born To Move   (John Fogerty) - 5:40

2.) Hey Tonight   (John Fogerty) - 3:58

3.) Its Just a Thought   (John Fogerty) - 3:58

4.) Molina   (John Fogerty) - 2:54

5.) Rude Awakening, No. 2 (instrumental)   (John Fogerty) - 6:22

SRB 11/2009

Genre: rock

Rating: **** (4 stars)

Title:  Creedence Gold

Company: Fantasy

Catalog: F 9418

Year: 1972

Country/State: Oakland, California

Grade (cover/record): VG+ / VG+

Comments: gimmick sleeve

Available: 1

GEMM catalog ID: 5925

Price: $10.00

Released as Creedence Clearwater Revival was falling apart, the 1972 retrospective "Creedence Gold" served a purpose gathering together eight of their biggest successes.  Hardly the ultimate 'best of', but you also got a clever gimmick sleeve and a priceless group photo on the back cover.  So I dare you to pick a favorite from this glistening collection ...  okay I'll go with the album length "I Heard It Through the Grapevine".

"Pendulum" track listing:
(side 1)

1.) Proud Mary   (John Fogerty) - 3:07

2.) Down On the Corner   (John Fogerty) - 2:43

3.) Bad Moon Rising   (John Fogerty) - 2:17

4.) I Heard It Through the Grapevine   (Norman Whitfield - Barrett Stoong) - 11:05

(side 2)
1.) The Midnight Special   (traditional arranged by John Fogerty) - 

2.) Have You Ever Seen the Rain?   (John Fogerty) - 2:39

3.) Born On the Bayou   (John Fogerty) - 5:10

4.) Suzie Q   (Hawkins - Lewis - Broadwater) - 8:34

SRB 11/2009

Genre: rock

Rating: **** (4 stars)

Title:  The Royal Albert Hall Concert

Company: Fantasy

Catalog: MPF-4501

Year: 1980

Country/State: Oakland, California

Grade (cover/record): VG+ / VG+

Comments: --

Available: 2

GEMM catalog ID: 5747

Price: $15.00

Every music fan has a wish list and I'll readily admit that CCR is at the top of my dream list of bands I wish I'd been able to see (course there's plenty of good company along with The Beatles, Cream, Hendrix, and Zeppelin).

Released in 1980, "The Royal Albert Hall Concert" originally attracted more attention as a marketing blunder rather than as an artistic statement.  As it turned out, shortly after the set was released Fantasy discovered that the tapes were actually from a January 1970 concert at the Oakland Coliseum.  Nobody would have known the difference, but Fantasy came clean, quickly pulling the album, replacing it with "The Concert" - same album, but minor change to the cover.

Compared to the way live sets are now marketed this one seems positively primitive - to start with it was a single album (unimaginable in an age of seemingly endless double live sets), without anything in the way of bonus tracks, previously unreleased materials, extra features, etc. etc.).  Instead what you got was the band effortlessly blasting their way through a dazzling collection of 14 hits and crowd favorites.  Fans could argue endlessly about the track listing and changes that would have made it even better (my personal choice would have been to drop 'Midnight Special' in favor of 'Heard It Through the Grapevine'), but because their studio sets were all pretty straightforward and raw, the live versions all ended up sounding pretty good.  In fact, with the exception of a couple of extended solos ('Born On the Bayou and 'Keep On Chooglin''), the live versions compared favorably to studio originals.  That made it kind of hard to pick a favorite, though I'd give the nod to 'Who'll Stop the Rain' (one Fogerty's best songs) and the extended 'Keep On Chooglin'' (which was the closest thing to a surprise on the album and caught the band really starting to catch on fire).   As you'd expect the focus was clearly on John Fogerty who wrote all 14 tracks, sang all of the songs, and turned in some blazing lead guitar throughout the collection - check out the killer lead on 'Night Time Is the Right Time'.  In fact the only criticism was his somewhat wooden between-songs patter.  He's still pretty stiff in that department some 30 years later.   One of my all time favorite live sets.

"Pendulum" track listing:
(side 1)

1.) Born On the Bayou   (John Fogerty)  - 5:12

2.) Green River    (John Fogerty)- 3:03

3.) Tombstone Shadow    (John Fogerty) - 4:05

4.) Don't Look Now   (John Fogerty) - 2:25

5.) Travelin' Band   (John Fogerty) - 2:07

6.) Who'll Stop the Rain   (John Fogerty) - 2:38

7.) Bad Moon Rising   (John Fogerty) - 2:22

8.) Proud Mary   (John Fogerty) - 3:29

(side 2)
1.) Fortunate Son   (John Fogerty) - 2:25

2.) Commotion   (John Fogerty) - 2:35

3.) The Midnight Special   (traditional arranged by John Fogerty) - 3:47

4.) Night Time Is the Right Time   (Lew Herman) - 3:24

5.) Down On the Corner   (John Fogerty) - 2:49

6.) Keep On Chooglin'   (John Fogerty) - 9:04

SRB 11/2009