There's a place up ahead and I'm pollin' — CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL (ILM artist poll #62) Voting open until Friday June 12, 2015

Holy crap, i'm listening to disc one of the box and the Golliwogs O.G. version of "Walking On The Water" (laid down in August 1966) sounds like it was recorded in 1975! Dig how the fuzz/compressed bass sounds like an Arp! And how that clanking fuzz solo at the end is straight outta the Pere Ubu playbook!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XkhCifAgLY4

I'm off ILX now but am making a one-off return for this.

They're famous now for hitting #2 on Billboard five times but never having a #1 (singles--still a record). I was looking at their discography, and they actually had four consecutive #1 singles in Canada, the first three two-sided: "Up Around the Bend"/"Run Through the Jungle," "Lookin' Out My Back Door"/"Long as I Can See the Light," "Have You Ever Seen the Rain?"/"Hey Tonight," "Sweet Hitch-hiker" (love that clip posted above--almost looks like an actual video).

Proud to say I owned Cosmo's Factory on 8-track.

haha I always forget about the randomly punched in backing vocals on Suzie Q

Another great clip:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kmrwAW5-5rU

I think there's a running joke--maybe it started with Christgau--about avoiding any CCR song about rain. I think "Have You Ever Seen the Rain" is okay; truly love "Who'll Stop the Rain," musically and metaphorically.

Wow you're right, he calls Who'll Stop The Rain "borderline-sappy." That's always been one of my very favorites and will be very high on my ballot.

huh the main riff in "Graveyard Train" bears an uncanny resemblance to Tom Waits' "Gin Soaked Boy"

starting an album with "Ramble Tamble" was pretty amazing, wasn't it? kinda like starting with "Gimme Shelter" maybe?

listened to Green River last night, title track and "Commotion" are both worthy of consideration imo

Green River is incredible, I consider that tune some kind of turning point in their discography tbh

I sang it the one time I ever did karaoke, it's got some kind of dark woods magic to it

i think up to that point there are glimmers of what they were capable of, you can hear them teasing out their ideal synthesis of country, R&B and swamp blues or whatever you want to call it - and there are some really good songs - but Green River is the moment it all comes together

the moment it all comes together

I believe this is known as "chooglin'".

Man, Fogerty has written some incredible stuff. Was just listening to the #1 fans the Minutemen, and their "Have You Ever Seen the Rain?" is, along with Bruce's, such a great underscoring of that song as an amazing part of the protest canon.

Actually, Bruce does "Who'll Stop the Rain," doesn't he. Eh, same dif, both great.

The Minutemen also do Don't Look Now, a song whose lyrics are probably more relevant today than when it first came out.

Weirdly, the Minutemen's vers of "Fortunate Son" isn't as awesome as it should be

tbf IMO none of the main Minutemen covers are as good as the original - Steely, Creedence, Halen etc

What I love about the Minutemen's covers is they really turn them into Minutemen songs, esp Halen and the Dan, the covers that hew too close to originals I don't love as much.

"Don't Look Know" is so much about Boon's vocal that it carries the song for me

Did any Scottish punk bands cover "Keep on Chooglin"

Someday Never Comes is a really good song too. It reminds me of the Yo La Tengo poll.

"Who'll Stop the Rain" has probably gotten the most repeat listens from me. I love the build-up to the refrain. I love the three-note guitar hook like a raindrop splashing off the ground. A classic, tremendous tune centered around harrowing tension & poignant release.

This is probably my favorite cover version of a Creedence song. Richard Hell doing Walking On The Water.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WJxchDzwuOE

was pleasantly surprised when Pavement broke out this one:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rLM3Z6hCZNg

Doin it right:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3AlPVC4lggM

Malkmu is an avowed Fogerty fan. Lots of his solo albums have chooglin'.

Wow, who knew:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Ks2j2M-tl4

I was at this Who show, and this was pretty unexpected:
http://youtu.be/YYYxad4SxKY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZUCpCOx3zBk

(Note: Mark Hart, not Neil Finn singing)

It's been a while since I've played the ones that I knew once upon a time, but the albums *do* get significantly better after the debut and Bayou Country, right?

oh yeah

Shockabilly had a weird cover of "Born on the Bayou" on their Vietnam LP.

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2mumvy

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rUnUD5AtWJw

And of course: http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xfbwh1_an-american-werewolf-in-london-bad-moon-rising-scene_shortfilms

I was at this Who show, and this was pretty unexpected:
http://youtu.be/YYYxad4SxKY

Holy shit, Goat. And of course, Daltrey's got a voice to match Fogerty.

Both bands could make a reputable claim to being the most famous band to never have a U.S. No. 1 song.

True, and the Who only ever had one top 10 single ("I Can See For Miles," which hit #9).

And otm re: Daltrey's voice. He lost range over the years, but gained grit. I actually don't think he could've pulled this off as convincingly in his mid-70s voice.

Pumped for this poll, so many choices for number one. Is CCR the greatest American rock band ever?

After Bruce Hornsby & the Range, yes.

Just added everything back onto my iPod. Excited as hell for this poll!

Tracks ballot submitted. I had 30 to start; chopping away those last 5 was tough.

Is there some reason all the albums besides Green River are on Spotify and it isn't?

Because everyone should own a hard copy of Green River?

I have it on mp3, but I am actually too lazy to open the folder and load it into winamp. I'll have to, though, because Sinister Purpose isn't on either volume of Chronicle.

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-uVVxkiiUrq4/UJhYT_pGk2I/AAAAAAAAFiA/Yy2ylgNNJgw/s320/vote.jpg

Ballot sent.

this thread has reminded me that I've never fucked with "hoodoo," so I'm checking it out…y'all have any thoughts?

Russ Gary talks about engineering CCR sessions:

http://www.mixonline.com/news/profiles/classic-tracks-creedence-clearwater-revival-fortunate-son/366079

voted!

My fave discovery, so far, from my trek through CCR's album catalogue:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VuPtOtGF4TY

Oh yeah, I've def got "Ramble" in my top five somewhere

No worries on the "Ramble Tamble" front.

"Ramble Tamble" is probably very moved by this outpouring of support.

POLLIN' on the river — CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL (ILM artist poll #62) RESULTS THREAD