143. Creedence Clearwater Revival - Green River (August 1969)

1. Green River

2. Commotion

3. Tombstone Shadow

4. Wrote a Song for Everyone*

5. Bad Moon Rising*

6. Lodi*

7. Cross-Tie Walker

8. Sinister Purpose

9. The Night Time Is the Right Time

***1/2

A lot of great bands sell an attitude as much as the music. I think CCR fit that mould. They have a lean, stripped-back sound, there songs are short and direct, and things are as much about the vibe as anything. A good example is "Green River", which is sort of a spiritual successor to "Born on the Bayou" - another song about the good old days in the Louisiana backwoods that sells an idea of earthiness and the "real" America. Never mind that apparently it was actually about growing up in California. 

This is a better album overall than Bayou Country, although it lacks the stripped-down, fast-paced rockers that I really enjoyed from that album. The song writing is more complex both lyrically and musically. "Wrote a Song for Everyone" may be a straight rip-off of the Band's "The Weight", but its lyrics about a crumbling relationship are quite poignant. "Wrote a song for everyone, and I couldn't even talk to you" is just a great line. "Bad Moon Rising" contrasts apocalyptic lyrics with upbeat music that just makes things even creepier - should the end of the world really sound jaunty? And "Lodi" is a great song about being ground down by life on the road.

The extent to which you like the rest of this album depends on how much you like bluesy rockers. I can go either way, really. There isn't a bad song on this album, but there isn't really anything about, say, "Tombstone Shadow" to get especially excited about. Partly this is the fault of history. When Green River came out, no-one else was really doing this. But unfortunately I can't subject myself to some kind of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind-style memory erasure that allows me to experience this music with fresh eyes. Plus I guess I've just never been a huge fan of blues rock, and also half the time I can't understand a word John Fogerty says. Which all makes me sound like I don't like this album, but I'm actually quite fond of it. The good songs are really damned good. It's just kind of patchy at times. There's even a quote included in the book about CCR being one of the all time great singles bands, and I think that may be true. They released a great number of amazing songs during their brief existence. So far their albums have been good, but I think you'd be better served with a greatest hits collection. Which I'll admit is kind of a backhanded compliment. Green River is a very good album, it's just not really my cup of tea.