Creedence Clearwater Revival (20 Bit Mastering) [Original recording reissued, Original recording remastered]

Creedence Clearwater Revival | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (July 4, 2000)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Original recording reissued, Original recording remastered
• Label: Fantasy
• ASIN: B00004TBWN
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #157,891 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. I Put a Spell on You

2. The Working Man

3. Suzie Q

4. Ninety-Nine and a Half (Won't Do)

5. Get Down Woman

6. Porterville

7. Gloomy

8. Walking on the Water

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Classic Debut, July 23, 2000

By 

Keith Hannaleck (Adams, MA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Creedence Clearwater Revival (20 Bit Mastering) (Audio CD)

It seems hard to believe that this album was released thirty-two years ago. 1968 was a year of upheaval for the country. As cultural and political change shook the world around us, there was still the music to soothe us, or inspire us. Whatever emotion that was needed for the moment, the music was always there to provide the magic tonic.

A group by the name of Creedence Clearwater Revival came into prominence with their first release in 1968. CCR (as the group became known) started off an introduction to their sound with the Screamin' Jay Hawkins (God rest his soul) tune "I Put A Spell On You." If this fantastic interpretation of a song was any indication of were CCR was headed; it certainly was the right direction. The big hit, "Susie Q" (which never sounded better) was to be known as the group's trademark until subsequent releases.

Blues artists like Hawkins heavily influenced the group's sound. John Fogerty was a musical genius with the heart and soul of a lion. It came shining through in his music. Because of his abilities to handle the writing, singing and guitar playing, John was the intrinsic core from which the group blossomed. A born leader and awesome talent, Fogerty and his band mates were bound to be famous with their talented leader and unique rock and roll sound.

This remaster brings out the music beautifully. You will hear little nuances in the music that would normally get overlooked or lost in the mix with standard recording processes. The 20 Bit K2 Supercoding recording is equal to Mobile Fidelity's. MF popularized the meticulous coding process that helped so many classic titles become instantly reborn over the years. It has become a technical and engineering wonder that can only be considered an art form in and of itself.

I was absolutely floored with the sound of this disc. Considering my first listen was in my car with my portable CD player through mediocre speakers, makes it all that much more impressive. The clarity and sonics are astonishing. I can't imagine sound being any better than this. This is but one good example of just how superlative this CCR reissue series is.

I have heard all of these songs on best of collections, but I have never delved into the CCR catalog like I am now. What a way to get introduced to a group's lifetime of achievements. The last song "Walking On Water", has some amazing guitar work in it by Fogerty. He stretches out and ventures into some superb fretwork with youthful abandon; yet he does it with precision like detail.

This was the first album, and a solid and respectable release by anyone's standards. This music stands up today as some of the best rock and roll ever made. It would also be hard to match a debut this good, back then, and in the present day. With all of the available technology and enhancements in the studio in this day and age, (all of which was unavailable at the time of this recording) it's a wonder why there aren't several groups that wouldn't be able come up with a recording this good. Alas... this is no easy task regardless of what you have to help the process along. CCR was a great group, and groups like this are far and few between. This CD serves as an example of the quality and timelessness of CCR's catalog. This was just the beginning for CCR. There was so much more to come.

Keith Hannaleck July 23, 2000 MuzikMan's Sound Script

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Nice remaster, but it's no vinyl, August 16, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Creedence Clearwater Revival (20 Bit Mastering) (Audio CD)

As others have mentioned here, the musical content of this record is of the highest quality, but the sound quality of the remaster leaves a little to be desired. It may be the best CD version of this album yet, but as seems to be the case with many 70s remasters (like Zeppelin) modern day engineers insist on clipping the digital signal on the disc, which is especially evident here on the cymbals. I understand the need to make these classic rock albums sound more "loud", "rock" and "hard hitting", but not all of us listen to these albums on our car stereo or home theatre system. Not to sound like an old record, but the original vinyl is still leagues better than this remaster. I look forward to hearing the SACD.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Late Sixties Rock Meets Bayou-Boys...From California, November 28, 2003

By 

Bud (Seminole, Texas, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Creedence Clearwater Revival (20 Bit Mastering) (Audio CD)

Along with The Band's "Music From Big Pink," CCR's debut album was one of the two records that took the late sixties music world by surprise by using a down-home flare of rural Americana; the year the two albums were released, psychedelic acid rock had been born, and the hippie love-and-peace movement was in swing. The Band and Creedence however were exceptional in the fact that they kept themselves firmly clenched to rock and roll's bare-knuckled roots.
This album, and anything subsequently released by CCR, will always sound different from anything else that's popular; the fact that a group could make such an impact and become worldly known by going against the grain of the times is nothing short of amazing. Two rock and roll classics, 'Suzie Q' and Screamin' Jay Hawkins' 'I Put A Spell On You' are given surprisingly dark and grim treatments, turning a pair of pop songs into two haunting jams. John Fogerty's new-born originals were tough and true; these four Berkely, California bred musicians conjured an image of rural bayou life better than most country singers at the time. 'Porterville' is a gritty tale of a man given an ill reputation because of his father's crime, its angst punctuated by Fogerty's repeated screams of "I don't care!" 'Walk On the Water' is just as eerie, and features an extended riff working from Tom Fogerty. 'The Working Man' strongly reflects the group's blues influence, echoed in the line "I was born on a Sunday, on Thursday I had me a job," a remark that sounds as if it could have come from Muddy Waters. 'Get Down Woman' meanwhile manifests the feeling of a flow of Southern creole that flows like the Mississippi river.
Creedence Clearwater Revival had been performing together under various banners since the 50s, but their run as CCR would unfortunately only last from 1967-72, before splintering under the obligatory inner tension that often surfaces within rock bands. Notwithstanding, the group were still prolific, releasing seven albums in such a short time, and this brilliant set was the starting line.