Cosmo's Factory (20 Bit Mastering) [ORIGINAL RECORDING REISSUED] [ORIGINAL RECORDING REMASTERED]

Creedence Clearwater Revival

Product Details

• Audio CD (July 4, 2000)
• Original Release Date: July 1970
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Original recording reissued, Original recording remastered
• Label: Fantasy
• ASIN: B00004TBWT
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #144,827 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Track Listings

1. Ramble Tamble

2. Before You Accuse Me

3. Travelin' Band

4. Ooby Dooby

5. Lookin' Out My Back Door

6. Run Through the Jungle

7. Up Around the Bend

8. My Baby Left Me

9. Who'll Stop the Rain

10. I Heard It Through the Grapevine

11. Long as I Can See the Light

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, 7 of the album's 11 tracks turn up on Chronicle, CCR's best hits collection. That said, Cosmo's Factory 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; for proof, check out the 11-minute cover of "I Heard It Through the Grapevine." 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

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Creedence Clearwater Revival's Fifth album in 2 years!, July 31, 2004

By	Will Culp "Livin' After Midnite, Rocking Till... (Greenville, South Carolina) - See all my reviews

Cosmo's Factory(1970). Creedence Clearwater Revival's Fifth Album.

In 1970, Creedence Clearwater Revival released Cosmo's Factory, which, along with their previous records, easily reached the Top 5 on the charts riding on the success of Cosmo's Factory's singles, which included four Top Ten singles('Travelin' Band', 'Who'll Stop The Rain', 'Up Around The Bend', and 'Lookin' Out My Back Door'), showing 'Cosmo's Factory' was Creedence Clearwater Revival's biggest success. Creedence Clearwater Revival used John Fogerty's guitar mastery and sneering vocals, Stu Cook's catchy basslines, Doug Clifford's on-spot drumming, and Tom Fogerty's minor rhythm guitar playing to make one of the Late 60's-Early 70's greatest bands, blending influences of R&B, 50's Rock, Progressive Rock, Country, Jazz, Pop, and of course, good old Rock 'N Roll! So, is 'Cosmo's Factory' an overblown album by an overrated band, or simply a masterpiece? Read on to find out!

Track Ratings-

Ramble Tamble- "Ramble Tamble" starts off 'Cosmo's Factory' with a rambling(No pun intended) country rocker, using Fogerty's snivelling vocals behind his guitar's western riff, which eventually develops into a Progressive guitar rocker, as CCR jams it out for over 7 minutes to create an excellent Prog/Country Rocker!

Before You Accuse Me- "Before You Accuse Me" echoes back to 50's Rock like Elvis or Buddy Holly, blending a catchy guitar riff with Fogerty's low monotone to make a good 50's rock song.

Travelin' Band- 'Travelin' Band' finds CCR going back to the 50's again, a fast-paced number, much like 'Suzie Q', that blends catchy vocals with Fogerty's spontaneous solos to create an awesome rocker.

Ooby Dooby- "Ooby Dooby" is a cover of the classic 50's rock band Sun's song, and it easily bests the original with Fogerty's addictive vocals and piercing acoustic guitar riffs. Short but sweet!

Lookin' Out My Back Door- "Lookin' Out My Back Door' became a huge hit, and the clever blend of Pop/Country Rock works well. Fogerty's vocals are the main focus here, with his exuberant singing stealing the show, but the pulsing guitar beat backs him up perfectly. A catchy, addictive rocker!

Run Through The Jungle- "Run Through The Jungle" turns out to be a catchy rocker, blending Fogerty's sarcastic vocals and bluesy/country riff along with short solos to create a hit that's worthy of its status!

Up Around The Bend- "Up Around The Bend" reminds me of Queen, as it sounds like Arena Rock, with a piercing electric guitar riff along with a focus on Fogerty's distinct vocals, not to mention the complementary solo! A short but sweet hit that won't fail to please!

My Baby Left Me- "My Baby Left Me" is another Sun cover, and CCR blends a catchy 50's style rocker, yet sadly it's barely over 2 minutes!

Who'll Stop The Rain- "Who'll Stop The Rain" takes influences from Country and Blues, and blends both genres with Fogerty's sugary sweet guitar riff and harmonic vocals to make a catchy hit single that rocks!

I Heard It Through The Grapevine- "I Heard It Through The Grapevine" is a cover of the Marvin Gaye classic, and CCR's subtle blend of R&B and Rock, not to mention the forever unforgettable bassline, plus Fogerty's insane guitar work(Most of this song is his jamming out solos, thus the 11 minute time limit) really makes "I Heard It Through The Grapevine" an excellent cover song, and the Progressive Rock aspect makes it better than the original!

Long As I Can See The Light- "Long As I Can See The Light" ends the album slowly, as Creedence Clearwater Revival blends touches of R&B to create a soulful ballad, not to mention an extended horn section!

Overall, 'Cosmo's Factory' definitely lived up to my expectations for Creedence Clearwater Revival, as I found their sheer originality and depth of music(Country, R&B, Soul, 50's Rock, 60's Rock, Progressive Rock), to place them along with The Beatles as one of the best popular bands of their time! From Classic Covers("I Heard It Through The Grapevine", "Ooby Dooby", "My Baby Left Me"), 50's Rock Experiments(Travelin' Band' and 'Before You Accuse Me'), Prog Rock masterpieces("I Heard It Through The Grapevine" and "Ramble Tamble"), not to mention the Psychadelic/60's Rock hits("Lookin' Out My Back Door", "Run Through The Jungle", "Up Around The Bend",) and more, 'Cosmo's Factory' has a little something for everybody, and all the songs are classics in my eyes.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED TO FANS OF ROCK IN GENERAL, COUNTRY, CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REVIVIVAL, THE BEATLES, AND MARVIN GAYE! 'COSMO'S FACTORY' IS MY INTRO TO CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL, AND I WAS PLEASANTLY SURPRISED!

Killer Kuts- "Heard It Through The Grapevine", "Ramble Tamble", "Up Around The Bend", and "Who'll Stop The Rain".

Also Recommended-

The White Album- The Beatles
Elvis- Elvis
Bayou Country- Creedence Clearwater Revival

Thanks For Reading!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautifully remastered time capsule., August 2, 2001

By	cholliet (Jacksonville, AR United States) - See all my reviews

The sixties were over. The summer of love had passed us like an Italian sports car. Most of the revolutions were left on the road, abandoned. Many of the revolutionaries were dead. But wait... Out in the bayou jungle Creedence Clearwater Revival goes a runnin'. A bunch of skinny, long-haired white boys who had been cuttin' their teeth for the last couple of years, playing and moanin' those southern delta blues with a little country flavor thrown in for grins. OK. So these guys weren't really from any place near Louisiana. And the musicianship level of the band members is probably only adequate by some standards. But the songs... Man, these were some powerful tunes. These guys were definitely tapped into some musical spirit plane at this moment in time. There is not a bad or weak or lame musical moment on this disc. The disc is purely inspirational, non-technical, good-time tunes. These old tunes really benefit from the new 20 bit K2 mastering process. I had to replace the original, thin sounding 16 bit release I've been listening to for the last decade, when I saw the newly remastered version available here on Amazon. I am born again! If you only own one, this is definitely the one CCR disc that you must own. If you have any of the other CCR discs, your collection will not be complete without this disc. Make no mistake, this is classic rock and roll in it's finest hour.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great, But More Of a Body of Singles, May 15, 2003

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

Hatched in drummer Doug 'Cosmo' Clifford's basement (hence the title), Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Cosmo's Factory" was their most successful record during their relatively short (but extremely productive) career as a major American act. It contained a number of classic radio staples, many of which became some of the most recognizable of rock and roll. But "Cosmo's Factory" seems to be more of a medium for singles, rather than an album of related songs; the tracks don't hang together as well as those on "Bayou Country," "Green River," or even "Pendulum," but still this set has its prowess.
CCR stays true to their rock and roll roots of Delta blues and Southern creoles, heard in the opening 'Ramble Tamble' and a few gripping blues standards; 'Before You Accuse Me,' 'My Baby Left Me,' and most notably, an elongated jam of 'I Heard It Through the Grapevine' (while 'Ooby Dooby' is less remarkable). The John Fogerty originals here are excellent as always, but they just don't go together--the heartfelt 'Who'll Stop the Rain?' doesn't seem to agree with 'Up Around the Bend,' 'Travelin' Band,' or 'Lookin' Out My Back Door' (all three of which literally define the term "rock and roll"). And then there's the sincere 'Long As I Can See the Light,' which is completely different when compared to something like the trigger happy 'Run Through the Jungle' (which would actually wind up haunting Fogerty's solo career--he was sued by the Fantasy label who claimed his 1985 hit 'The Old Man Down the Road' was a knock-off of the tune heard here).
Though Creedence has always been widely regarded as a singles act, they did in fact manage to create albums that sounded great when viewed as a whole body of work; "Cosmo's Factory" however is perhaps the only CCR offering that doesn't have that charm--this set's appeal comes from the glimmer of each individual song, even if they don't quite hang together.