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Creedence Clearwater Revival's self titled debut album is full of raw energy and truly a showcase for both Fogerty Brothers guitar talents. The soloing and rhythm guitar work are heavily emphasized. For the most part are executed well. At this point, John Fogerty's song writing is ordinary. The five originals are very basic with a minimum of chord changes and simple lyrics. Overall, this is a good debut album with better things to come.
I Put A Spell On You - CCR's electrifying version of the Screaming Jay Hawkins tune makes me feel like the Wolfman is knocking at the door! This tune grabs the listener by the throat with passionate vocals by John Fogerty. Brother Tom contributes quite nicely with his rhythm guitar. The middle solo part has just the right texture too it and the band fills in quite nicely behind it. Its too bad John's original songs couldn't match the complex chord progressions on this one.
The Working Man - A good basic blues tune with nice guitar fills by John. This original isn't complex but in this context less is definitely more.
Suzie Q - The band's first hit this time covering Dale Hawkins. The guitar solo has a nice effect and the overall arrangement is very ahead of its time. However eight minutes is a little long for such a simple number. I prefer the single version.
Ninety Nine And A Half - Creedence definitely passed the first test of any major band and that is to put the most mileage into any remake. Powerful vocals throughout by John. The drumming is a little erratic around the verses but strong on the solo. My personal favorite song on the album.
Get Down Woman - This blues song starts off nicely but doesn't go anywhere. A shift in tempo might have helped.
Porterville - Creedence goes psychedelic. The "I Don't Care" lines plus the guitar solo fit in with the protest theme of the 60's. The best written original on the album.
Gloomy - A few basic lyrics separate this piece from recreational jamming. The soloing has some good moments but truly there isn't much of a song here.
Walk On The Water - Another piece where the emphasis is on the guitar solo rather than the song. However, the lyrics are more descriptive here. Overall, this song is executed better than the previous tune as Tom Fogerty's rhythm guitar adds some interesting sounds.
Overall Rating: 8 out of 10
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