Customer Reviews

Creedence Clearwater Revival (20 Bit Mastering)

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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

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.

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.

CCR had been playing together since 1959 and as early as early as 1964 were releasing singles in Southern California as the Golliwogs--including "Walking on Water" (in 1966), which would be re-recorded for their Fantasy debut.

Despite the lengthy jam on the 8-minute cover of Dale Hawkins' "Suzie Q," CCR had turned its back on the psychedelia of the San Francisco sound and present a fresh, back-to-basics sound on their debut. Although all the CCR trademarks were in place--John Fogerty's smooth-as-sandpaper vocals and swamp-rock lead guitar work--only "Suzie Q" dented the Top 40. Another cover, "I put a Spell on You," only reached No. 58. Their debut featured yet another cover, Wilson Pickett's "Ninety-Nine And a Half."

While Fogerty provided strong originals like "The Working Man" and "Porterville," it wouldn't be until their sophomore effort that the band would chart with a John Fogerty-penned song. [It's worth noting that though the band had 7 million-selling singles and four of them reached the No. 2 spot over a span of four years, CCR never had a No. 1 single.]

While their self-titled debut is not the strongest of their career--that honor goes to Green River and Willy & the Poor Boys--this is required listening to fully appreciate the CCR history. Buy this album and enjoy one of the greatest American bands in popular music history. RECOMMENDED

Creedance Clearwater Revival's lst album came out in July of 1968. 8 songs make up this collection. 5 of the 8 where written by John Fogerty. On this new 20-bit remaster (This by far is so much better than the other cd you can get for $12.) The Screaming Jay Hawkins tune "I put a spell on you" opens this collection with some great Fogerty guitar and vocals. "The working man" is a great blues song. "Suzi Q" the other hit on the CD is another Hawkins tune, love Fogerty's guitar solo on this track. The Wilson Pickett song "Ninety-nine and a half" is a remarkable 31/2 minutes of great music. The last 4 songs on the disc are all Fogerty's, "Get down woman", a good rocker. "Porterville" a song that brings a lot of memories, reminds me of small town life around here. "Gloomy" is just what it sounds like, this song was a 25 years ahead of it's time. "Walk on the water" closes the disc with some good ol' rock+roll. Get the new 20-bit remasters they bring C.C.R.'s music to the forefront.

As a fan of all the CCR music, I found this cd quality and sound to be of excellent quality.

with this album, you can't.
this is exactly what yr looking for in a debut album from a mega band.
the sound is big and old. the songs are about as classic as it gets.
need i say more?
no.
just buy it, it's worth it.

Not many people would cite Creedence Clearwater Revival's debut LP from 1968 as their favorite CCR album, but I wonder how many people would join me in ranking it number two or three? My personal favorite is 'Bayou Country', but this raw opening act from John Fogerty and company doesn't rank far behind. There isn't a poor track on the disc, and because each CCR album possesses its own particular flavor, there is really nothing else like it. This CCR disc is distinguished by its raw, youthful energy, and the absence of the 'swamp sound' that permeated much of their later work. It's heavy into a blues-rock sound, supported by three exceptional covers.

Creedence Clearwater has always been one of the finest cover bands on God's green Earth, and it all began with their eight and one-half minute cover of Dale Hawkin's 'Suzie Q', which rose to number eleven on the national charts in September of 1968. It's pretty standard rock and roll, with radiating lead guitar solo's from John Fogarty, and mere hints of the psychedelic, acid-rock sound that was permeating popular music at the time. The original vinyl also included a robust cover of Screamin' J. Hawkins 'I Put a Spell On You', the opener for side one, and Steve Cropper and Wilson Pickett's 1964 composition, 'Ninety-Nine and a Half', which opened side two. 'The Working Man' is the second track, the first John Fogarty composition offered, and perhaps the most undistinguished track on the disc.

Side two was composed entirely of tracks written by John, with some help on 'Gloomy' from brother, and rhythm guitarist, Tom. While side two really couldn't hold a candle to side one, each track has something tangible to offer. The weakest track was the generic blues opener, 'Get Down Woman'. That track, along with the following number, 'Porterville', both possess catchy vocal hooks, while the two remaining tracks, 'Gloomy' and 'Walking On the Water', owe their claim to worthiness to instrumental hooks.

This review wouldn't be complete without mentioning the stunning quality of the 20 Bit K2 Super Coding remastering process being employed on CCR's discs. I owned this disc on vinyl in the 1960's, and I never heard such vibrant tones as this process produces. It's well worth the extra expense involved to acquire this state-of-the-art technology. Aside from that, the only other stand-out aspect of the package is the elegant, Southern bayou feel and charm of the cover photograph of the band and graphic frame. I've always considered it one of the more appealing pieces of art from 1960's album covers. If you've never had the opportunity to hear CCR's debut LP, do yourself a favor and indulge.

Creedence Clearwater Revival's self-titled debut album showed that this Bay area band had a wealth of talent and ability. With the combination of their bluesy, rootsy sound and the album's cover photo of the band standing in a wooded, swampy area, many thought they were from the deep south. John Fogerty has one of the rawest, grittiest and distinctive voices in rock history and along with their chooglin' music, it gave the illusion they grew up on the Mississippi delta and not in Northern California as they did. The album was propelled by two cover songs, "I Put A Spell On You" and "Susie Q". The former gave Mr. Fogerty a chance to show off his vocal talents while the later showcased the band's forceful and driving musicianship. "Susie Q" became a surprise hit, peaking at number 11 in a shortened version. They also do a great version of Wilson Pickett's "Ninety-Nine & A Half" with the rest of the songs being originals. The originals aren't quite classic John Fogerty material, but they showed flashes of brilliance, especially on "Porterville" and "Get Down Woman".

It's often said that a new Creedence fan should start with "Cosmo's Factory" or "Willy and the Poorboys," but after getting acquainted with Fogerty's style, this album would be the best choice for second purchase. There are none of the big hits, but the songs have a raw, non-commercial quality that makes this album stand out.

"I Put a Spell On You" has some of the best vocals in Creedence's history, while "Walk on the Water" features really great playing by Cook and Clifford, something of a rarity in other Creedence albums.

As for the remix: well, I bought this one simply because I found it cheaper than the older version. It does sound clearer, but the person who did the actual remastering had no artistic talent, and that is really important. He obviously thought that simply "cleaning up" the sound, making the guitar solos and Fogerty's voice louder and improving the sound of the drums necessarily equals "improvement" in the album. There is an artificiality about the remix, what one would expect when an engineer gets ahold of an artist's work. Particularly egregious are the sound effects in "Walk on the Water," which are moved so far into the foreground it sounds ridiculous. It wouldn't make me avoid buying another such "remix," but it wouldn't make me pay more for one either.

There are some comments on the sleeve praising the technology used in this remix, as if that was more important than the music. I got the feeling that the engineer was more interested in showing off his technical prowess than remaining faithful to the band's music. The liner notes are lame, too. Buy the album, but do as I did and buy whatever version is cheapest.