On The Road Again: Creedence Crealwater Revival "Cosmo's Factory"

lunes, 16 de agosto de 2021

Creedence Crealwater Revival "Cosmo's Factory"

Cosmo's Factory is the fifth studio album by American rock band Creedence Clearwater Revival, released by Fantasy Records in July 1970, and released as Fantasy 8402 – the same month as the single release of "Lookin' Out My Back Door" with "Long As I Can See the Light" on the B-side. The album spent nine consecutive weeks in the number one position on the Billboard 200 chart.

With the release of Cosmo's Factory in July 1970, Creedence Clearwater Revival hit their commercial zenith. It was their fifth album in two years and became an international smash, topping the album charts in six countries. The band also toured Europe in 1970, playing the Royal Albert Hall to enthusiastic audiences, and had emerged as the most popular band in America by largely ignoring the trippy acid rock indulgences that were typical of the era. However, despite the band's infectious blend of rockabilly, folk, and R&B, some peers and rock critics dismissed them as a singles band with no substance. In a 2012 cover story, Uncut observed, "While San Francisco longhairs across the bridge scoffed at their commercialism, Creedence henceforth made a point of releasing double A-sides. And invariably both songs would have an uncanny knack of cutting through to all sections of the population." Singer and lead guitarist John Fogerty, who had seemingly arrived out of nowhere, but had actually struggled with his bandmates throughout most of the 1960s as the Blue Velvets and the Golliwogs, composed the group's songs and generally steered the band artistically, although his grip on the band – including his dubious role as manager – irritated the others, especially his older brother Tom Fogerty, who left the band by the end of 1970.

The name of the album comes from the warehouse in Berkeley where the band rehearsed early in their career. It was dubbed "The Factory" by drummer Doug "Cosmo" Clifford, because bandleader John Fogerty made them practice there almost every day.

The cover photo is by Bob Fogerty, brother of John and Tom. As David Cavanagh of Uncut wrote in 2012, "The album's front cover showed the four of them caught by a camera in an off-duty moment, a proudly uncool quartet who looked more like lumberjacks than rock stars." In 2013, Doug Clifford recalled to Goldmine, "John knew the press would be all over us for the album, so he said that he would name the album after me and that I would have to deal with it. He wanted the pressure off of him. It was our biggest album ever and I tell people that they named it after me, so it had to be a hit [laughter]. That's a joke!"

The handwritten “3RD GENERATION” sign affixed to the support post at the left of the photo is a reference to a liner note on the band's debut album by rock music critic Ralph Gleason. “Creedence Clearwater Revival is an excellent example of the Third Generation of San Francisco bands,” wrote Gleason, with the meaning being they weren't quite as good as the Grateful Dead or Quicksilver Messenger Service.

Track listing

All tracks are written by John Fogerty, except where noted.

Side one