Previous Review
Bayou Country - A superb album that firmly established CCR as a top flight band. Probably my personal favorite album. I give it a slight edge over Green River because it opens and closes with the same two songs that opened and closed CCR concerts, Born on the Bayou and Keep on Chooglin'. The only other groups that can compare to CCR for opener/closer are the Eagles with Hotel California/Take it Easy and Lynyrd Skynyrd with Workin' for MCA/Free Bird. Just as they do in concerts, the two songs introduce and sum up the experience in between. Bayou Country contains the group's first big hit in Proud Mary and their finest remake in Good Golly Miss Molly. The only bad spot is Graveyard Train - without it, the album might merit a 10.
Born on the Bayou - This swamp rock epic plunges the listener into the bayou feeling for the rest of the album with raw energy. John Fogerty's vocals are perfectly suited to the song, despite the limited lyrics. The demanding guitar riff makes this song special, as does the first solo, which became even better for me after watching Fogerty perform the song at the 1995 Rock n Roll Hall of Fame Concert. The visual image of Fogerty flipping the switch on his guitar for the solo left a lasting image that I see every time I listen to the song.
Bootleg - Perhaps Tom Fogerty's finest acoustic guitar part on any CCR song - he even gets a short solo in the middle! The overlaying electric guitar from John which answers his vocals makes a great bluesy song. The best song other than Chooglin' not to be included on either Chronicle - in fact, most of Chronicle 2 pales to this song and Porterville.
Graveyard Train - Not a bad song, but just kind of irritating and repetitive. Stu Cook does a good job of laying down the rhythm, but he must get tired of playing the same thing the whole song. I don't care for the vocals, although the story is somewhat interesting. Could probably pass for a traditional blues song, and the guitar work is decent.
Good Golly Miss Molly - After the somber "Train," time to pick things up! Superb guitar work by John and good drumming from Cosmo make this far better than the original and one of my top 20 CCR songs.
Penthouse Pauper - An all-around excellent performance from John Fogerty - I think it would sound almost as good without the rest of the band. Just a great blues song.
Proud Mary - CCR's first hit single was written by John in a fit of joy after being discharged from the Army. The lyrics evoke a definite bayou feeling, the guitar licks are catchy and timely, and Tom plays his best electric rhythm guitar part. The only complaint is that the song is almost too perfectly made, causing it to sound a little uninspired. The version from The Concert, packed with energy, is much better.
Keep on Chooglin' - Another song that is superior in concert, but still an excellent cut. If the critics still don't think John can play guitar after the rest of the album, all they have to do is listen to this. In addition to the guitar there is a great harmonica interlude and a rip-snortin' harp solo immediately following, which includes some good "primal screaming" from John - far superior to anything Robert Plant ever does! If you can't get excited about this song, you're missing out!
Overall Rating 9.5 out of 10
Next Review
Back to Reviews Page