Cosmo's Factory

Creedence Clearwater Revival

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 25, 1990)
• Original Release Date: July 1970
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Fantasy
• ASIN: B000000XCH
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (52 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #83,523 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com essential recording
If, as many contend, Creedence Clearwater Revival was the foremost singles rock band of its time, Cosmo's Factory is the ultimate end-of-the-'60s singles album. Indeed, seven of the album's 11 tracks turn up on Chronicle, CCR's best hits collection. That said, Cosmo's is really a must-own in its entirety. No other album so adeptly laces together the various strands of the CCR sound. John Fogerty's ready-for-AM-radio knack surfaces in "Lookin' Out My Back Door" and "Up Around the Bend." His sober side is in evidence on "Who'll Stop the Rain" and "Long As I Can See the Light." And no white group of its time could cover black music with as much natural flair; check out the 11-minute cover of "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" for proof. The band broke up two albums after the release of this, their apex LP, but Cosmo's Factory cemented CCR's standing as a great American band. --Steven Stolder

Product Description
Special 20bit K2 Japanese limited edition issue of the album classic in a deluxe, miniaturized LP sleeve replica of the original vinyl album artwork. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Creedence Clearwater Revival Photos --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars WHEN THE MUSIC STILL MATTERED, April 29, 2004

By	Crabby Apple Mick Lee (INDIANAPOLIS, IN USA) - See all my reviews

Given their legendary status today it is difficult to believe that Creedence Clearwater Revival was widely regarded as a rather "light weight" band in its time. Some of rock's more celebrated tastemakers even turned up their noses and pronounced Creedence Clearwater Revival a bubblegum act. "After all, what are their little pop songs compared with Jimi Hendrix? The Beatles? Jefferson Airplane?" As time has gone by, Creedence Clearwater Revival has stood with the best of them. Unfortunately, like most of the great 1960's rock bands, Creedence Clearwater Revival would not survive long into the next decade. The Beatles were no more by the spring of 1970. Hendrix would die in the Fall of the same year. Jim Morrison died in the early Summer of 1971. And Creedence Clearwater Revival disintegrated by 1972. In spite of the fact that for years all of the band members lurked in obscurity (John Fogerty deliberately so), with the release of their very first greatest hits compilation, Creedence Gold, their stature has only grown and their song catalogue has traveled well over the years.

Unlike most, Creedence Clearwater Revival has been served very well by the various "best of" packages that have been issued over the years. So why bother with the original albums? Individual cases can be made for the others; but Cosmo Factory is one of the greatest rock albums made. With its kind of cheesy cover it is easy to misjudge Cosmos Factory as a piece of junk. But appearances are deceiving. Inside are eleven cuts which have burned their way into the modern American songbook.

"Run Through The Jungle" and "Up Around The Bend" were put out over the radio as a pair and were the first songs the public heard off the album. The radio DJ at the time explained that the record company was trying to find out which song the public liked so that they could issue a single. As it turned out both were popular which aided the sales of the album itself. This started a cascade "hits" from Cosmos Factory-five from one album in all. The remaining six cuts began to have lives of their own on the fledgling FM album rock stations all over the country.

"Travelin' Band" was wildly popular. "Lookin' Out My Back Door" was so universally appealing that country music quickly adopted the song as one of its own. "Who'll Stop The Rain" became almost transcendental as 1970 saw one of the most terrible and traumatic periods of the Vietnam War. "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" struck us as particularly cool running at over eleven minutes-revamped as it was into the swamp rock idiom. Even kids who weren't drawn to Motown loved the song.

"Ramble Tamble" was basically built around a single riff; but what a hell of a riff it is. We tend to regard "Before You Accuse Me". "Ooby Dooby" and "My Baby Left Me" as mere covers and album fillers. Long time listening, however, shows this assessment underestimates their appeal and warmth. Their use anticipated by a few years the revival of 1950's era rock in the 1970's. Finally, "Long As I Can See The Light" has grown to be a sentimental favorite although it has never been a "hit" on the popular charts or the FM play list.

Cosmos Factory caught sense of the time. It looked back to the uneasy recent past, picking up what it could, and moved forward to a bright but uncharted and uncertain future. Looking back, no one could have told you what was to happen. The Vietnam War ended with nothing anyone on any side of the controversy could be proud of. Race relations went on to become more angry and bitter. The much-touted "Age Of Aquarius" was found to be an empty promise. Musically, the "Next Beatles" never came. Indeed, the music of the 1970's was a subject of deep disappointment at the time. (Although assessments for the music of that era have grown more positive.) It turns out that some of the surest footing into the "future to be" is found on this album. God bless ya, boys.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of their greatest, January 6, 2006

By	(KKC) M. S. Artaxerxes Dionysus (Denmark) - See all my reviews

Apart from their flawed first & last albums, Creedence actually never made anything short of perfect, short of classic, or short of 'greatest', so I can't say if this record is better than 'Willy And The Poor Boys', for example... actually my main point must be, that any serious fan of music in general should have all their classic albums, while anybody who really LIKES creedence should ALSO acquire their inconsistent but mostly marvellous debut, & their chaotic last album (which nonetheless includes such classics as 'Sweet Hitch-Hiker' and 'Someday Never Comes')

'Cosmo's Factory' opens with 'Ramble Tamble', a joyous & exhilerating rocker, a true anthem for a world that never was (or was it? !). It changes midway into a slower, almost Abbey Road-era Beatlesque song. The next song is a cover of the classic 'Before You Accuse Me', &, not to offend anybody else who has covered it, but this definently THE version of that song.
The following song, 'Travelin' Band' is one of their greatest ever, a simply wonderful slice of a rockabilly-like stomper, recalling figures such as Gene Vincent & the King himself.
The next song, the cover 'Ooby Dooby', is sort of a comedown from the skies, but it still works, though it is eclipsed by the next classic, 'Lookin' Out My Back Door', a lazy, gleamin' jewel of a rock song with a divine intro, followed by another classic, the paranoid, screeching rock of Creedence's great anti-Vietnam song, 'Run Through The Jungle'.
The third, & arguably greatest, classic in a row follows; 'Up Around The Bend' is driven by a marvellous riff & is the purest Creedence, simply breathtaking, lifegiving...
In this way, the cover of 'My Baby Left Me' could be seen as a disappointment, but few songs could have held the atmosphere of 'Up Around The Bend', and succesfully followed it ('Bad Moon Arising' actually works wonders on the 'Platinum' best-of, where it sounds so perfect just after 'Up Around The Bend' that I was surprised they didn't come off the same album...). Anyway 'My Baby Left Me' is a great song, but it's not 'Bad Moon Rising'... not that that matters, for the last three tracks are almost-classics all the way, from the brilliant 'Who'll Stop The Rain' through 'I Heard It Through The Grapevine', again the best version of that classic song, to the pure Creedence 'Long As I Can See The Light', that shimmers till the end of the album.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars ****1/2, November 19, 2003

By	Docendo Discimus (Vita scholae) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

"Cosmo's Factory" is often considered Creedence's best record.
Some (including me) would say that "Green River" and "Willy And The Poor Boys" are more consistent records, but there is no doubt that this album features some of the group's best songs.

The opening track, the long, meandering instrumental "Ramble Tamble", is not one of them, though, and CCR's takes on "Ooby Dooby" and "My Baby Left Me" are pretty good, but nothing special, and they pale by comparison to John Fogerty's originals.

Fogerty wrote some of his best songs for "Cosmo's Factory", which produced no fewer than six hit singles, every one of them peaking in the top five. "Up Around The Bend" and "Travelin' Band" are glorious, piledriving rockers; "Who'll Stop The Rain" is one of Fogerty's true classics, a wonderful folk-rock song with thoughful lyrics and a great melody, and the #2 hit "Long As I Can See The Light" is a glorious slow soul tune and one of the most underrated songs in Creedence's catalogue.

The group's rendition of the Marvin Gaye classic "I Heard It Through The Grapevine" is excellent as well, sporting a great riff, and Fogerty does a great Bo Diddley on "Before You Accuse Me".
All in all, there are a couple of lesser songs here, but most of "Cosmo's" is simply magnificent, capturing the spirit and versatility of Creedence Clearwater Revival in general, and John Fogerty in particular. One or two forgettable songs have snuck onto the disc, sure, but almost all of what is here is excellent, and "Cosmo's Factory" is a must-have for any self-respecting Creedence fan.