Willy and the Poor Boys (2008 Remaster)

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Creedence Clearwater Revival

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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.

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?