Search - Creedence Clearwater Revival :: The Singles Collection (2CD + DVD)

CCR as first heard on Top-40 radio

hyperbolium | Earth, USA | 11/03/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"As a band that had tremendous top-40 success during the hey-day of freeform radio, Creedence Clearwater Revival stood with one foot planted firmly in each world. Their LPs were recorded in well-produced stereo, offered extended jams, thoughtful cover songs and deep album cuts that found room on underground FM stations such as Bay Area legends KMPX and KSAN. But above ground, the band's music was remixed into powerful mono, edited for length and unleashed via AM powerhouses. AM's narrow frequency range added emphasis to the music's midrange, focusing listeners on Fogerty's vocals and stinging guitar leads, and further revealing the band's rhythm section to be among the most rock-solid and potent of its era. Their driving rhythms are just that much more driving in mono, and the band's pop tunes sprang easily from a single speaker in the middle of a car's dashboard.



Fogerty wrote with the goal of placing his songs alongside the R&B hits the group had grown up loving on Oakland's KWBR and Sacramento's KRAK. His originals stood toe-to-toe on album, airwave and top-40 chart with covers of "Suzie Q," "I Put a Spell on You" and "I Heard it Through the Grapevine." Included here are the A- and B-sides of thirteen original singles, ranging from 1968's "Porterville" (b/w "Call it Pretending") through 1972's "Someday Never Comes" (b/w "Tearin' Up the Country"). Also included is the single-edit of "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" (b/w "Good Golly Miss Molly") that was released in 1976, four years after the group disbanded, and both sides of the stereo promotion-only experiment "45 Revolutions Per Minute." The latter, a montage of production ideas, sound effects, musical bridges and comedy bits previously appeared as bonus tracks on the 2008 reissue of Pendulum.



Most of these songs are well-known to even casual listeners, as Creedence often broke both sides of their singles. The few less familiar cuts are the group's first B-side "Call It Pretending," Stu Cook's "Door to Door" (an album cut from Mardi Gras and the B-side of "Sweet Hitch-Hiker"), and Doug Clifford's "Tearin' Up the Country" (also from Mardi Gras, and the B-side of "Someday Never Comes"). Strung end-to-end, these singles provide the AM listener's view of Creedence Clearwater Revival's success. While FM listeners grooved to 8:37 of "Suzie Q," AM listeners enjoyed a concise 4:33 edit, and while album buyers sat back to enjoy album jams like "Graveyard Train," "Keep on Chooglin'" and "Ramble Tamble," singles buyers got another gumdrop every three or four months. The singles form an intertwined, yet separate, artistic arc that the band carved out in parallel to their albums.



Concord delivers thirty tracks on two CDs, each screened with a vintage Fantasy record label. The CDs are housed in a standard jewel case, together with a 20-page booklet that includes new liner notes by Ben Fong-Torres. Torres' essay provides a genial trip through Creedence's success on the radio, with quotes from 1960's boss jocks, but it's light on the particulars of these mono mixes and edits. A separate cardboard sleeve houses a DVD of four Creedence promotional videos: "I Heard It Through the Grapevine," "Bootleg," "I Put a Spell on You," and "Lookin' Out My Back Door." Staged in studios and aboard a riverboat these are real treats, with the band looking youthful and happy. There are groovy dancers on "Bootleg" and psychedelic effects of "I Put a Spell On You," and the black-and-white footage of "Lookin' Out My Back Door" looks like it was filmed in the band's rehearsal space. A folded poster insert reproduces many original 7" picture sleeves and completes a cardboard slip-cased package that is, in its own way, as important as the band's original albums. [©2009 hyperbolium dot com]"

The finest CCR collection ever issued.

Paul Tognetti | Cranston, RI USA | 11/09/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This past Saturday night PBS presented another edition of its Emmy Award-winning series "Live By Request". On this night the special guest star was was lead singer, guitarist and songwriter of Creedence Clearwater Revival John Fogerty. John is 64 years old now but the man proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that he can still rock and roll with the best of 'em. Perhaps by coincidence (probably not) Fantasy records has just issued a marvelous new collection of all of the singles ever released by Creedence Clearwater Revival during their brief four year chart run. "Creedence Clearwater Revival: The Singles Collection" offers up a total of 30 memorable tunes a few of which you may never had heard and a few bonus goodies to boot. The folks at Fantasy have certainly put together one terrific package here.



The group that would one day come to be known as Creedence Clearwater Revival was formed by four high school students in El Cerrito, California back in 1959. When they signed with Fantasy in 1964 they billed themselves as The Golliwogs. What sets "The Singles Collection" apart from other CCR anthologies released in the past is that you will find three of these early Golliwogs songs included here. Check out "Porterville" "Walking On the Water" and "Call It Pretending" for a hint of the greatness that was yet to come. The boys re-branded themselves as Creedence Clearwater Revival in 1968 and reissued an old Golliwogs 45 "Porterville" b/w Call It Pretending" but still the record went nowhere. Finally in the fall of '68 CCR hit the charts for the very first time with a re-make of the old Dale Hawkins tune "Suzie-Q". The song peaked at #11 nationwide and CCR was off and running. Over the next three years there was hardly a time when Creedence Clearwater Revival did not boast a Top Ten tune. And you will find each and every one of these great hits included in "The Singles Collection".



This comprehensive collection includes all of the big hits you would remember from the radio most of which are presented for the first time on CD in their original "mono" mix. Who will ever forget monster hits like "Proud Mary", "Bad Moon Rising" and "Green River". Personally I am partial to a few of the groups lesser known but equally compelling tunes like "Have You Ever Seen The Rain" and most especially the groups amazing double-sided hit "Up Around The Bend" b/w "Run Through the Jungle" from 1970. Other than The Beatles and Elvis, CCR was one of the few acts that managed to have multiple double-sided hit records which was a remarkable achievement in those days. This is rock and roll at its very best and these tunes sound just as fresh and vital today as they did when they were first released some four decades ago.



"Creedence Clearwater Revival: The Singles Collection" also offers a number of "extras' that collectors like myself will really appreciate. There is a "bonus" DVD video featuring four fabulous CCR videos and a neat poster spolighting all of the groups 45 rpm picture sleeves. Very nice! In addition there is a great 16 page booklet with lots of information on the band and the tracks in this collection. The record company has outdone itself with this one. Meanwhile, John Fogerty is back out on the road playing the old Creedence tunes once again. If you have never owned a collection of CCR or a looking to upgrade an old one this is definitely this one you want. It is one of those "essential" collections! Very highly recommended!"

Creedence Clearwater Revival-The Singles Collection

Mitchell S. Friedman | Walnut Creek, CA | 11/14/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This CD set is a collection of the single mixes of every CCR hit from their peak 1968-1971 period. Warning-they are mixed in mono, so be prepared. Nevertheless, the sound quality is great and it is nice to hear these classic songs sound the way I remember them hearing when I was 12-13. This is a must for any collector."