Customer Reviews

40th Anniversary Editions Box Set (7 CD's)

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Apart from the numerous mistakes & typos in the booklet (For instance,in the bonus tracks notes for Green River : Lo-?,"di" is at the end of the line; musicians credits for Pendulum : John Fogert? ;"Willy & the Poor Boys" printed on the Bayou Country disc, and so on...), the major problem is that Concord/Universal UK used the old Fantasy master for Mardi Gras instead of the recent available 20-bit remaster.They also didn't bother to duplicate the original gatefold sleeve for that album (just as they did for Pendulum),or include the songwriters credits & liner notes by Craig Werner found in the 20-bit remastered edition.This is definitely not an "expanded" edition as Amazon mentions!...My advice to the record company : try harder,and take the time for proof-reading, you could have done a much better job; and to the customers : get the individual 40th anniversary CDs plus the Mardi Gras 20-bit edition instead. If you really need the replica sleeves, get the Japanese editions : they're perfect.

This 7CD box set on Fantasy/Concord Music Group. Inc. 0888072315716 breaks down as follows:

"Creedence Clearwater Revival" (54:56 minutes)
Tracks 1 to 8 are their debut album issued July 1968 in the USA on Fantasy F-8382 and April 1969 in the UK on Liberty LBS 83259
Track 9 is "Call It Pretending", the non-album B-side of their 1st US single "Porterville" - it was first issued on Scorpio Records 412 in 1968 - credited as THE GOLLIWOGS - "Porterville" is on the 1st album]
Track 10 is "Before You Accuse Me" (a 1968 Outtake)
Track 11 is "Ninety-Nine And A Half" (Recorded for KSAN Radio Station live at the Fillmore, San Francisco, 14 March 1969) [Previously Unreleased]
Track 12 is "Susie Q" (a Dale Hawkins cover, as per track 11) [Previously Unreleased]

"Bayou Country" (56:33 minutes)
Tracks 1 to 7 are their 2nd studio album issued February 1969 in the USA on Fantasy F-8387 and June 1969 in the UK on Liberty LBS 83261
Track 8 is "Bootleg" (an Alternate Take)
Track 9 is "Born On The Bayou" (Live In London, 28 September 1971) [Previously Unreleased]
Track 10 is "Proud Mary" (Live In Stockholm, Sweden, 21 September 1971) [Previously Unreleased]
Track 11 is "Crazy Otto" (Recorded for KSAN Radio Station live at the Fillmore, San Francisco, 14 March 1969)

"Green River" (44:43 minutes)
Tracks 1 to 9 are their 3rd studio album issued September 1969 on Fantasy F-8393 in the USA and December 1969 in the UK on Liberty LBS 83273
Track 10 is "Broken Spoke Shuffle" (Instrumental Outtake)
Track 11 is "Glory Be" (Instrumental Outtake)
Track 12 is "Bad Moon Rising" (Live In Berlin, 16 September 1971) [Previously Unreleased]
Track 13 is "Green River/Susie Q" (Live in Stockholm, Sweden, 21 September 1971) *
Track 14 is "Lodi" (Live in Hamburg, 17 September 1971) [Previously Unreleased]

"Willy And The Poor Boys" (43:21 minutes)
Tracks 1 to 10 are their 4th studio album issued December 1969 in the USA on Fantasy F-8397 and March 1970 in the UK on Liberty LBS 83338
Track 11 is "Fortunate Son" (Live in Manchester, UK, 1 September 1971) [Previously Unreleased]
Track 12 is "It Came Out Of The Sky" (Live In Berlin, 16 September 1971) [Previously Unreleased]
Track 13 is "Down On The Corner" (a jam in the Fantasy Studios with BOOKER T & THE MG'S in 1970)

"Cosmo's Factory" (53:28 minutes)
Tracks 1 to 11 are their 5th studio album issued July 1970 in the USA on Fantasy F-8402 and September 1970 in the UK on Liberty LBS 83388
Track 12 is "Travelin' Band" (Remake Take) [Previously Unreleased]
Track 13 is "Up Around The Bend" (Live in Amsterdam, Holland, 10 September 1971) [Previously Unreleased]
Track 14 is "Born On The Bayou" (a jam in the Fantasy Studios with BOOKER T & THE MG'S in 1970)

"Pendulum" (54:20 minutes)
Tracks 1 to 10 are their 6th studio album issued December 1970 in the USA on Fantasy F-8410 and January 1971 in the UK on Liberty LBG 83400
Tracks 11 and 12 are "45 Revolutions Per Minute Part 1 and Part 2" [A & B-sides of a US promo-only 7" single on Fantasy 2832/3 released in 1970 - nearly all dialogue]
Track 13 is "Hey Tonight" (Live in Hamburg, 17 September 1971) [Previously Unreleased]

"Mardi Gras" (28:48 minutes)
Tracks 1 to 10 are their 7th and final studio album issued April 1972 in the USA on Fantasy F-9404 and in the UK on Fantasy FAN 9404
(No bonus material)

All 7 Mini LP Card Repro Sleeves follow their US releases - 1 to 6 has blue Fantasy labels on each CD (with Full Radial Stereo wording) while 7 has the tan coloured Fantasy label. "Pendulum" is a gatefold as per the original issue - and each card repro also has an inner sleeve too. Unfortunately the inner merely pictures the album front, which is hardly imaginative and a bit disappointing. The booklet gathers up ALL SIX INLAYS of the 2008 remasters and runs them into one beautiful and chunky read. It's a genuine treat to look at (apart from the occasional typo error). But a lazy downer, however, is that there are no extra notes for the "Mardi Gras" addition.

Another official CCR release, the 2LP "Live In Europe" set issued in November 1973 has 1 of its 14 tracks represented here as a bonus track (* on "Green River"). But the big draw for fans will be "Mardi Gras", which wasn't reissued in 2008 as a remaster. Originally released in April 1972 - and with only 3 decent John Fogerty tracks to get excited about - it's always been seen as a last bum note in an otherwise near-perfect run. Still, it's nice to finally have a decent version of it. And "Sweet Hitch-Hiker" (lyrics above) still blows me away.

The sound quality across all the discs is fantastic - remastered by GEORGE HORN MASTERING at Fantasy Studios - top job done - each album feels like new life has been breathed into them.

What a great American band - what a voice - and what an amazing legacy they left us... I'll adore Creedence to my dying day.

Despite the niggles - this dapper little box set is a sweetheart of a release really - and it's going to make someone's Daddy a very happy bunny this Christmas.

This import box set is great...the 1-2 star reviewers dislike of the set is meaningless...the sound is so much better than the old CDs...these sound like the original recordings did on vinyl without the pops...I have a top notch Carver/Rotel/JBL system, so I know when remastered old recordings sound good, and these do! the 80s CDs were so bad, it was hard to listen to them...I have never seen/heard the Japanese version, which I'm sure are amazing, this set is probably less exspensive and again, sounds great. Sleeve reproduction is nice, no gate folds (Pendulem I think does), but who cares...they are packaged in paper sleeves like old LPs, which I much prefer to jewel boxes...and the front cover art is a decent print job. I highly recommend this box over the American one where the sleeve art is generic, and I've read the cds sound like the old 80s issues.

Right off the bat, this box for sheer sound quality, BLOWS AWAY the american 2002 box set. Plus the outtakes, to me, make a much more relevant listen than the older Goliwogs or Tom's band tracks. This one pretty much sticks to Classic CCR. But the other box is more historically relevant, so you have your choice. But again, the remastering on this particular set is better than all the older attempts, and that includes so called Audiophile releases, Gold Disc editions. Plus, 7 cd's at under $60 is a damned good deal!!
Gerard Masters

If you don't own every album already, this is the box set for you.
Most of my CCR cd's have worn out and this is how I replaced them.
I have not previously owned Mardi Gras before this but it sounds ok to me.

I could care less about the typos in the booklet, I didn't even look.
Its about the music, and the extra tracks make it even sweeter.

It is a VERY POOR BOX SET!! If you really want the replica sleeves, get the Japanese editions : they're perfect.