Customer Reviews

Willy & the Poor Boys

5 star:		(33)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Incredible that (not counting "Mardi Gras" which is best forgotten) the period during which CCR ruled the rock universe lasted just over two years. But during that period, they released six excellent albums - four of which (from Bayou Country to Cosmo's Factory) stand among the greatest rock albums ever. That's a feat that's difficult to comprehend in an age when most artists take 2-3 years between releases and are lucky to have three or four really good songs on each.

One of the tricks, of course, is that each of these great albums had 10-12 songs that clocked in at a total time of about 30-35 minutes (someone was paying attention to the Beatles). But, most important, was that these guys played ferocious gutbucket R&R in a period when bands, like fellow Bay Area alumni The Grateful Dead and Jefferson Airplane, were taking the youth of America on a totally different trip. And, in that fertile period, "Willy" has to stand out as my favorite.

This was an ALBUM, when that meant something. There is a cohesive feel to this album that works seamlessly. Even "Poorboy Shuffle", a consciously sloppy blues shuffle, works perfectly as a bridge between "Cotton Fields" and "Feelin' Blue". "Down On The Corner" and "Fortunate Son" (which Rolling Stone once deemed the greatest rock song ever) were the (desrvedly) smash hits from this album. Everything else, excepting Effigy, is every bit as good. "It Came Out Of The Sky" may be a bit silly lyrically, but I can't think of a song that gives a better adrenaline rush blasting out of the car stereo. But one of the greatest accomplishments here is that they took a couple of Leadbelly tunes and made them sound as if they were always meant for a group of white boys. This was accomplished while demonstrating the greatest reverence for the music.

CCR kept the flame of roots rock burning brightly, long before the tentacles of corporate rock could prevent music this fresh and exciting from reaching the mainstream.

When asked about their favorite CCR album, most fans predictably respond in favor of "Cosmo's Factory." Although I generally agree with the populace on the quality that album, my favorite is definitely "Willy and the Poorboys." What appeals to me most about this album is that it seems a little quieter then preceding ones. Two songs that have a strong influence on this mood include CCR's covers of the folk songs "Cotton Fields," and "Midnight Special", both of which are executed beautifully. "Don't Look Now", is a also a great, folk sounding tune, carrying a very profound message that takes many listens to even begin to understand. Of course their are also the two widely popular and highly overplayed classics "Fortunate Son," and "Down On the Corner." Although they are both great songs, I prefer the lesser played songs, because they are also wonderful, and I haven't heard them as much. I think what makes this band so great is that they offer a place of solace and escape from the rigors of our daily lives. This group of four musicians from Northern California created a whole musical mythology about the old world of the Bayou, digging deeper and deeper into the roots of the south, meanwhile creating a sound that is both historical and timeless. All of this is pretty phenomenal considering they weren't even from the south. For anyone with more then a passing interest in Creedence Clearwater Revival, "Willy and the Poorboys" is a definite buy.

A great album from a great band! Another amazing display of southern influenced rock from a bunch of California boys. Hard to believe that John Fogerty had never even been to the American South until well after his intial successes with CCR. In similar fashion, Fogerty was able to write very some very convincing anti-war songs like "Fortunate Son" (and "Run Through the Jungle",off of Cosmo's Factory), even though he did not serve in Vietnam, as mistakenly reported in another review. Just goes to show how great and imaginative a songwriter Fogerty was. This is one of their best records, and is highly recommended. Non-hit highlights include "Effigy","It Came Out of The Sky", "Cotton Fields", and "The Midnight Special". This album was logical follow up to their classic "Green River", and the stepping stone to their best album, "Cosmo's Factory". No collection of recordings for this group is complete without it. it.

After re-purchasing every Creedence album in the JVC 20 bit analog remaster format, I was upset when, lo and behold, the albums are released again with bonus tracks. First of all, I am still blown away by the sound of the JVC remaster, which I thought was vastly superior to any other method and actually tried to capture the "bottom layers" of vinyl that CD's simply lack. So is this the same, or did they re-remaster? Then I looked at the majority of the bonus cuts across the catalog and realized they're from Europe '71. Are these different versions than those on the already remasterd live disc, or are they the same? Should I buy the earlier albums again for the live '69 stuff only to find a new release of the entire Fillmore show down the road. What about the Booker T. stuff- why spread it across albums unless it's for profit? Should I feel like I'm being manipulated?

"Down On The Corner" may be my 2nd-favorite CCR song; it always reminds me of my own neighborhood (BEFORE it went bad!) as well as the one seen on the FAT ALBERT cartoons. Talk about painting an image with words! And THAT'S only the beginning here. One great tune after another! "It Came Out Of the Sky", "Feelin' Blue", "Fortunate Son" (a powerful anti-Viet Nam rocker that's become Fogerty's pre-encore finale); and 2 of the best covers CCR ever did, Leadbelly's "Cotton Fields" (this blows BUCK OWENS' version out of the water!) and the folk standard, "The Midnight Special". They really make this one their own; the arrangement paints a musical image of a train starting out of a station and getting up to speed as the song's tempo picks up. WOW! (This is also the song that inspired me to take my Dad to see Fogerty live in '97; a longtime LIMELITERS fan, he surprised me when he said he thought CCR's version was better than theirs!) With 3 albums in 1969 (Jan., Aug. & this one in Nov.) Fogerty was clearly working overtime-- but he wasn't done yet...!

This album was the one before the big one, Cosmo's factory, but there is plenty of good music here too even if, overall, it cannot match its successor. It opens with a track that would certainly not be out of place on that classic album, Down on the corner. It is about a band, Willy and the poor boys, playing their music on a street corner, hence the album title.

Another classic track from this album is Fortunate son, which is a song that finds John showing his bitterness towards those who are born into wealth. Covers of two familiar songs are also included, these being Cotton fields and Midnight special. Creedence Clearwater Revival mostly recorded original songs but the few covers that they did record were always well-chosen. Of the remaining songs, the highlight may be Feeling blue, which has a real bluesy feel to it, but there's a lot of other great music here.

If you're building a collection of original Creedence Clearwater Revival albums, you definitely need this one.

As far as I'm concerned, 'Willy & The Poor Boys' represent the very peak of Creedence Clearwater Revival. Simply because they came from classics such as 'Bayou Country' and 'Green River', and even after this album, they would continue with such immaculate collections of prime & pure rock'n'roll as 'Cosmo's Factory' and 'Pendulum'. 'Willy & The Poor Boys' then, is not just the last classic before a sudden fall in quality, but the third in a row of brilliant recordings, that would continue after it, & therefor, it is as far from failure as one gets.

The opener, 'Down On The Corner', is arguably CCR's best song ever. Definently, it was the one that got me hooked on Creedence in the first place, and, together with 'Proud Mary', it seems to be their best known song (it's usually those two that even hiphop-kids here in Denmark know the lyrics to). Anyway, it is a perfectly catching pop song without any of the weaknesses or disposabilities that usually come with too catchy pop. A song well worth the price of the entire Creedence catalogue on its own!

'It Came Out Of The Sky' is one of the most rocking Creedence songs, a great rockabilly/rock'n'roll classic, & arguably a genuine Creedence classic too. The following track, a cover of Leadbelly's 'Cotton Fields' sounds as much as the original Creedence material, that one comes to think of it as one of their own - which is perhaps the greatest triumph of most of CCR's covers, the way they blend into the original material without wreaking havoc.
The jugband blues of 'Poorboy Shuffle' and the middle of the road, but at the same time very very strange 'Feelin' Blue', are both Fogerty originals, strong songs that carry the album on with pride

But it is with 'Fortunate Son' that the next true Creedence classic arrives. As strong as anything Fogerty has ever written, this light rocker is yet another amazing item in the vein of 'Green River' and the later 'Run Through The Jungle'.
The utterly gorgeous love song, 'Don't Look Now', is a somewhat overlooked gem, absolutely as good as the previous track, & thus the third invaluable jewel on the album. It is followed by Creedence's take on the traditional 'The Midnight Special', which, like 'Cotton Fields', works extremely well, becoming a Creedence stample, without betraying its original form.
The album ends with two more strong Fogerty tracks, 'Side O' The Road' and 'Effigy', not as strong as the three classics on the album, but easily strong enough to bring an end to this most outstanding record, that only becomes more amazing when you discover that Creedence put out five of these undying gemstones over the course of two years...

The first album of theirs you buy, the last you stop listening to... oh, you'll never stop listening to it!

With WILLY AND THE POORBOYS,Creedence Clearwater Revival takes us down to a corner on any old street in a southern town to hear a band of four kids play jugband music for nickles and dimes.If you close your eyes and let the music take you, Wily and his Poorboys could be a real band(epecially on the tracks COTTON FIELDS,POORBOY SHUFFLE,DOWN ON THE CORNER,SIDE O'THE ROAD and THE MIDNIGHT SPECIAL).John Fogerty's lyrics have a sharper edge than usual(witness IT CAME OUT OF THE SKY,DON'T LOOK NOW[IT AIN'T YOU OR ME], EFFIGY and FORTUNATE SON).Of course the CCR blues rock roots still shine through(FEELIN'BLUE).The great thing about Creedence was that they experimented freely with their sound while still retaining the musical elements that made them America's top singles band.Once more the band sounded like a finely tuned musical machine;all seperate parts working together as a whole.Even better was to come with their next release;but that's another review.

This one is simply a classic in the true sense of the word. Even over 30 years after its release, it still sounds absolutely fresh and stands as one of the greatest rock albums ever.

There is not a bad song, or even anything approaching a mediocre song, on the entire album. Really. Every song is just fantastic.

By now, you have heard some of these songs -- at least the hits. To me, though, the non-hits are the best songs on this album. "Cotton Fields," "It Came From The Sky," "Midnight Special," "Don't Look Now." These are all some of my very favorite CCR songs.

It is amazing that CCR put out no less than three flawless, essential albums (Bayou Country, Willy & the PB, and Green River) in the space of a little over a year! How many bands nowadays can even put out a SINGLE full album of great songs once every THREE years? I tell you, there was something about the talent and prolific drive of these '60s groups that just defies belief. I think it will still be a long time before we see the likes of it again.

Creedence Clearwater Revival delivered three straight A records in a row in 1969 and 1970, "Green River", "Cosmo's Factory" and this one.
"Willy & The Poor Boys" is a masterfully executed collection of folk, blues, rock n' roll, country and R&B, opening with the stripped-down shuffle "Down On The Corner" and closing with the eerie minor-key blues-rocker "Effigy". And in between you find the blazing hard rock of "Fortunate Son" and "It Came Out Of The Sky" mixing with jugband blues, folk, a sort of rockabilly spiritual, and wonderful covers of "Cotton Fields" and "The Midnight Special".

"Fortunate Son" still holds up today, unlike most Vietnam era prostest songs, and John Fogerty lays down a vocal track burning with rage and resentment.
"It Came Out Of The Sky" is one of the best, hardest rock n' rollers of the 60s and 70s, and the overlooked two-minute "Don't Look Now" features some of Fogerty's finest lyrics.
There is literally not a single weak moment on this album. "Willy & The Poor Boys" is an amazing record, more varied than anything you'll ever hear today, yet everything gels, everything sounds like genuine Creedence.
And it still ranks as one of the greatest rock n' roll records ever cut.