From Your Way To Music.com:

Creedence Covers The Classics due 25th May via Concord

Creedence Clearwater Revival built up a vast arsenal of covers during their lengthy apprenticeship in the local Bay Area music scene (as Tommy Fogerty & the Blue Velvets, and then later as The Golliwogs) by the time they emerged on the national stage in 1968.

Harkening back to the 1950s “Golden Age of Rock ‘n’ Roll” during their heyday, CCR hardly missed an opportunity to salute their musical heroes whenever they could.

This collection brings together for the very first time their classic covers.


Track by Track:

1. Good Golly Miss Molly - A top ten hit for Little Richard back in 1958, CCRs version appeared on their second album, Bayou Country, in January of 1969. A worthy heir to the patented Little Richard scream; John Fogerty’s vocals cut right through and leave no prisoners.


2. I Heard It Through the Grapevine (Single Edit) - A massive Motown hit for both Marvin Gaye and Gladys Knight and The Pips, CCR put their own spin on this Motor City classic on 1970’s Cosmo’s Factory. Released as a single in 1976 to commemorate their greatest hits collection Chronicle, this rare edit is making its U.S. CD debut on this collection.


3. Hello Mary Lou - Coupled with Travelin’ Man, Hello Mary Lou’was Ricky Nelson’s lone double A-side single taking it all the way to #1 in 1961. CCR’s countrified take appeared on 1972’s Mardi Gras, and foreshadowed the roots music direction that would dominate much of rock music for the rest of the decade.


4. Susie Q (Single Edit) - CCR’s first charted single (going to #11 in the fall of 1968) and a highlight of their debut long player was a cover of the 1957 Top 20 Dale Hawkins classic. Often mistaken for a CCR original, Susie Q, is the cover most closely associated with the band.


5. The Midnight Special - First appearing on Willy and the Poor Boys in 1969, John Fogerty’s arrangement of this traditional American folk song (made famous a generation earlier by Leadbelly) became an immediate CCR classic and a live staple for John to this day.


6. Ooby Dooby - Rock nRoll Hall of Famer Roy Orbison made his chart debut with this unlikely rockabilly number back in 1956. CCR’s rendition of this jukebox classic appeared on 1970’s Cosmo’s Factory.


7. The Night Time Is the Right Time - A rollickin call-and-response gospel-infused side made famous by The Genius of Soul, Ray Charles, in 1959. CCR brought it on home on the Green River LP ten years later.


8. Cotton Fields - Leadbelly’s (aka Huddie Leadbetter’s) folk perennial gets a country & western make-over on this beloved album track from Willy and the Poor Boys. John Fogerty’s layered harmony vocals give an added poignancy to Leadbelly’s lyrics.


9. Ninety-Nine and a Half - The wicked Mr. Wilson Pickett’s 1966 R&B mover got the CCR makeover on their ‘68 debut platter. Fogerty’s urgent vocals add to the energy, proving the band could hold their own against the best Memphis had to offer.


10. Before You Accuse Me - The band saw fit to pay homage to rock n roll’s original innovator by including this Bo Diddley classic (who first recorded it in 1957) on Cosmo’s Factory in 1970.


11. My Baby Left Me - There isn’t a band working today who doesn’t owe a debt to The King - Elvis Presley. CCR repaid theirs in full on Cosmo’s Factory with the straight ahead cover of the 1957 Presley classic (which originally appeared as the B side of I Want You, I Need You, I Love You).


12. I Put a Spell on You - The lead-off cut from CCR’s debut. Just as guttural as Screamin Jay Hawkins 1957 original and twice as primal. Another cover they would forever make their own, it is rock ‘n’ roll in its purest and best form.

While this makes for a decent compilation for neophytes, it's pointless for CCR fanatics (such as myself). There's nothing here that hasn't already appeared on their albums.

It would be nice if Fantasy/Concord lets loose with rare or previously unreleased live tracks from the four-piece Creedence lineup (you know, the real CCR, which was a quartet for about 99 % of the band's existence - rather than the three-piece shell of its former self, which existed for about one year).

For starters, how about material from some of their Fillmore shows or additional stuff from their collaboration with Booker T & the MGs (which seemed to be only hinted at on their recent 40th anniversary reissues)?

I'm with Jeff on this one.

This is further proof that reissue companies are quickly becoming the Detroit of the music industry.

I often wonder if record companies have any idea who their audience is. A release like this reinforces my confusion.

Ultimately, I think this disc would appeal almost exclusively to the completist. I actually like the concept (ie a collection of covers,) but can't really figure out who the target audience might be. A true neophyte would most lkely buy a "greatest hits" collection. I suppose that someone who enjoyed a hits collection and wanted to see what else is out there might be interested in a disc like this. They've decided that they liked the band's sound enough to try something else, but figure it's "safer" to go with a disc, filled with familiar songs (even if the recordings themselves are unfamiliar.)

Yep, this is lame. Just another way to package the same songs and a few oddball choices. I agree with Jon-who is the target audience for this stupid release?

I could make my own CDR of this right now, so what's the point.

Now, if they included an unreleased cover version...

I hate to say it, but with the exception of "Grapevine" I doubt that casual modern-day listeners would even recognize most of these song titles. This release is a head scratcher indeed.

ADDENDUM: Maybe this is for people who have the greatest hits and have never ventured further but might take a chance on a disc full of covers. I could see someone like that picking this up at a Starbucks maybe.

I can't believe Fogerty made peace with Fantasy (Concord) to allow a piece of crap like this out.

John Fogerty once joked that someday Fantasy Records would release "Creedence in D" & "Creedence in E". I guess that Fogerty will now permit Fantasy to do just that.....as long as Fantasy pays good money.

What happened to the Albert Hall DVD?

Now that would be worth getting !

This is a pointless collection. Either you have Chronicle or you have all their studio albums. There's absolutely no need for this and I can't imagine any casual fan even knowing what most of these songs are. And the record companies wonder why they're going out of business!

Let's hope that this is the beginning of a more thorough and imaginative reissue campaign, rather than the final word on things.