Customer Reviews

Green River (20 Bit Mastering)

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

"Green River" is a great album, not doubt, but I bought this version (and the new remasters of "Bayou," "Willy," and "Cosmos'") because it was reputed to blow away the sound quality of all others. On a scale of 10, the original LP is a 10, the DCC "Gold" version is a 9.5, this one is 8.5, and the basic CD that's been out for years is a 2 or 3. This one gets the high-frequencies just right, but is nowhere near as warm as the original LP or the DCC version. What DCC gets right and this one doesn't is the mid-range sounds that keep the vocals from sounding unnaturally shrill. The DCC version, on the other hand, doesn't have quite the resolution of this one. But comparing them both to the original LP, the DCC version is much closer to the original tonality. I do have a choice, and I'm going to keep the DCC versions of all four of these LPs and recycle the latest ones. If you don't have a choice, of course, there's no doubt that thse latest remasters are a great, great improvement over what Fantasy has released in the past. Happy listening!

Creeedence Clearwater Revival produced 4 outstanding albums. Their best, from my personal perspective, was 'Bayou Country', released early in 1969. 'Green River' is their third best, released in the midst of the Woodstock Festival in August of 1969. Amazingly, before the curtain set on 1969, the band produced 'Willy and the Poor Boys', their fourth best effort. In 1970 'Cosmo's Factory', the album many would claim to be their greatest, but which I would place number two, hit the shelves.

There are two classics offered on 'Green River', the nostalgic title track which hit number two on the national charts, and the ominous yet vibrant 'Bad Moon Rising', which also ascended to number two several months before the 'Green River' disc was released. Two other songs from 'Green River' were promoted as singles, the frentic 'Commotion' (with lyrics even more applicable to today than the late 1960's) which hit number 30, and 'Lodi', a curious laid-back favorite among many of CCR's loyalists, which rose to number 52. 'Green River' and 'Commotion' open the disc in what might be one of the best "one-two punches" ever to open a side of an album, and on the original vinyl, side two opened with 'Bad Moon Rising' and 'Lodi', a sterling complement to side one's intro.

The remaining 5 songs, while not Top-40 material, round out what had become a typical mix for Creedence albums. Creedence is a great cover band, and their rendition of Ray Charles' 'The Night Time Is the Right Time', while not their best cover, is intense and inspired as the album's closer. 'Tombstone Shadow' and 'Sinister Purpose' are the purest blues-rock numbers offered, while 'Wrote a Song For Everyone', lamenting the failure of the wordsmith to communicate with the woman he loves, sounds more like a traditonal country ballad. 'Cross-Tie Walker' effectively plays up the swamp-rock sound parlayed on Creedence hits such as 'Green River' and 'Bad Moon Rising', but with a less catchy melody, yet interesting lyrics.

John Fogerty and his bandmates had the capacity to sing songs that dealt with difficult and desperate themes, yet still maintain a postive, inviting, "down-home" atmosphere. As with 'Bayou Country', 'Green River' is brief in length, but lacking Fogarty's extended guitar solo's that appeal to many CCR fans, and alienate others. While 'Bayou Country' felt underground and radical, 'Greeen River' feels commercial.

My version of this disc is "mastered in analog utilizing the 20-bit K2 Super Coding System" developed by JVC. I don't know what all that means, but I can tell you this: the sound is exceptional, and I personally will make every effort to obtain recordings using this technology in the future. The jewel case is enveloped in a decorative cardboard sleeve, and the superfluous liner notes make the consumer's desire for a lyrics sheet even more compelling.

So you say you want to travel back in time and sit next to the engineers as they mix this music from fresh tapes? You want to hear the nuance of the (now vintage) equipment more clearly than you imagined possible?

Buy this series.

My local radio station still plays the older CDs. No offence to those who produced them (many years ago) but there is no comparison. If you own and enjoy those older CDs, buy the new ones.

Thank you Shigeo Miyamoto and Tamaki Beck for taking such care with these beautiful recordings (the entire series).

First, know that I am not a CCR fan. However, I needed something from CCR for a compilation of 1969 material. I first turned to "Chronicle" but the recording sounded like it was played through a few inches of cotton, even after tweaking. Then I thought I would cheat and use material from Fogerty's "Premonition" album. Nah, couldn't cheat. So I sprung for this album. The sound is so great I am seriously considering buying one or two more albums. I'm not talking about the difference between a "5" and a "6" in sound quality, more like a "2" and a "10".

Maybe some day "Chronicle" will get the remastering treatment that these individual albums received, in which case it will be easier to find/recommend where to start. If you look at the reviews for the non-remastered series, you will get better content reviews of the various albums. "Cosmo's Factory" seems like the place to start, but do remember to order the remastered version if you have even the slightest interest in sound quality.

Creedence Clearwater Revival has long been hailed as one of the defining bands of rock and roll. With their combination of Southern creoles, bluesy folk texture, and straightforward pure-bred rock, CCR contributed greatly to the defining era of rock and roll. With their leader John Fogerty at the controls, the group soared to worldwide musical fame.
Yet still, many critics were skeptic, claiming CCR was yet another tricky pop band--ready to impress with a mask of broad musical style, but would fizzle out and leave no impression on the face of music.
Creedence's first two albums, their self-titled debut in 1968, and "Bayou Country" the next year, were gems in the band's legacy, establishing their own sound: a bare knuckled approach, yet flexible, spanning as far as rhythm and blues. But it was soon that critics dubbed them as just a blend in the pop music scene. However, CCR answered any doubts with their second of three albums in 1969, "Green River."
With "Green River," Creedence not only consolidated their own sound and purpose, but also contributed to what would become the defining sound in what we now know as classic rock. The sound, the music, the lyrics, are all flawless; as CCR aficiando Greil Marcus once described, "as naturally conceived as the weather." The entire atmosphere of "Green River" is so natural, that in fact it would be more appropriate to call this album an experience.
Perhaps one of the key elements in the album's capability to literally define a genre is its choice subject matter; all of the necessities--not cliches--of good, classic rock and roll music.
For instance, the title cut is the perfect homage to home, to great memories. Yet it still does not seem cliched, but rather innovative with its fast R&B-styled pace and Fogerty's trademark, unduplicable vocals and lyrics. The entire soul of the track is on fire.
'Commotion' makes a comment on the hustle and bustle of our society and our politics. The fast-paced music stands alone as the speaker itself, and the vocals and lyrics seem to conduct it all into one perfect experience.
There are also the more relaxed moments of "Green River," such as 'Wrote A Song For Everyone,' a ballad expressing the lack of mutual undertanding between people today ("Wrote a song for everyone, and I couldn't even talk to you..."). One can sense the sheer poetry in the lyrics.
One of the best tunes on the album, "Lodi" is the classic rock and roll scenario--the narrative of a man struggling to make it in the music business. Many other artists have attempted to express this shopworn story, yet they only came up with cliches. John Fogerty perfects it here, with his simple yet poignant lyrics and fitting music. Among the song's best lines are the straightforward "Just about a year ago, I set out on the road. Seekin' my fame and fortune, lookin' for a pot of gold. Things got bad and things got worse, I guess you know the tune. Oh Lord! Stuck in Lodi again."
These are only a few of the defining elements in "Green River." Creedence Clearwater Revival unknowingly defined a genre when they recorded this work of rock and roll art. It's hard to find a band or an album with which the term 'rock and roll art' can be associated. But "Green River" is definitely a perfect match.

Creedence's third album and follow up to Bayou Country was a successful combination of country and rock in shorter, mostly 2-4 minute tracks. Although most fans are familar with their four released songs: Green River, Commotion, Bad Moon Rising and Lodi, other Fogerty jems can be found in Tombstone Shadow (excellent display of guitar skills), Cross-Tie Walker (a under-rated country song about the railroads), and Sinister Purpose (a more evil, hardcore side of Creedence). Wrote A Song For Everyone, despite its slow beat that drags on for 5 minutes, does includes some strong lyrics. Still one can't forget CCR's only #1 song ever in America -- Bad Moon Rising, and the classic Green River where there are at times 4 guitars going in full swing. The album that got myself hooked on CCR, this is a great place to start your collection past their top 20 album, Chronicle.

I'm still buzzing after having seen Mr. Fogerty's performance at the Beacon Theater in NYC just a day or so ago. He still has the chops, still has the fire. He performed a number or three from this album and all was well with the world.

If you want a genuine rock 'n' roll album then look not further. Guitars, bass, drums. That's it. That's all you need. The roots. Think you can handle it?

I've owned Green River in one form or another since it came out back in '69 and I'll carry it around till that tombstone casts its shadow on me.

Ya'll ought to check it out.

It remains on my mind that rainy evening when I listenes for first time that album. Those days on the vinyl sound and the experience was worthy. I had that feeling that I was in presence of one of the honest and expressive album in that momet and believe me. 1969 was a huge year. Cream, The doors, Steppenwolf, Traffic, Jimmy Hendrix, The who were bands beyond the standard. Something inside me told me that Green river, Conmotion, Bad moon , Lodi Write a song for everyone were songs made with the inspired touch of the genius. It's not a mere casuality that Win Weneders used this album in one of his trilogy road movie "Wrong movement". Because the whole work sounds so fresh like a summer breeze and a meeting among great friends. May be you find Born on the payou the most genial song of CCR ,or the amazing version of Suzie Q or even his eternal Proud Mary . All of them even establish one step ahead in the long trip of this quartet. I have them all (in LP and CD) , but there is something you'll never find in the other two. And I think it's the deep unity, the cohesion expresiveness that seems exist in all the songs as a set. In fact , you listen the music and constitutes a delightful trip. This album contains like no one else the essential nervous that always surrounded that band in the last sixties.
Forever Credence.

I love it. I came in good condition and it came on time and well wrapped. Thank you.

Watch out: John Fogerty and Co. really made an addictive record, and although it clocks in short, it is so sweet. The title track is indicitave of the whole album -- not overly complicated, over before you know it and extremely catchy.

Songs like "Bad Moon Rising," "Lodi," "Cross-Tie Walker," "Sinister Purpose," "Commotion," etc. will leave you humming along uncontrollably. If you are a fan at all of classical rock or just plain good music, then this belongs in your collection.

Now for my John Fogerty anecdote (sorry, Johnny Dale!). John met Sir Andrew Lloyd Weber ("Phantom of the Opera" et. al.) at a party. Weber praised Fogerty with a back-handed compliment, saying "You guys were the greatest three-chord band of all time." John slaps Weber on the back and says "Andy, we were a two-chord band." But whether it's three chords they know or just two, the guys are incredible...