Green River

A great album to listen to with fresh ears. Remove every association with classic rock radio, Vietnam movies, state fair cover bands, and just the general collective unconscious in America and this record reveals itself at its own pace. While it's clearly tied to its era there is still a timeless quality, a baked-in warm nostalgia to be played on the next road trip. It was my first time hearing many of these songs but they are all casually killer. Insert an offhand thumbs-up gif here.

Has anyone ever watched an episode of Ex on the Beach? Jesus Christ, is this what people are like now? Psychopaths. Back in my day instead of shouting "CUNT" at eachother every 5 minutes and shagging eachother's girlfriends, we would put on this album and just chill out...and then shag eachother's girlfriends.

CCR is like a good pair of worn in jeans. Reliable, comfortable, enjoyable.

This album that hit the scene the same year that my infant self did! All of this record makes me happy! Fogerty's raw vocals, songwriting, and guitar work, driven home by the rest of the band's rock & roll twang, are always welcome ingredients for anything from a workout to a road trip, frisbee in the park to a hammock in that same park :) Seeing John perform some of these songs live is on my bucket list!

The songs feel like they should rip. But they don't.

For a 29-minute album, this was a slog to get through.

"Green River" is just a classic. It came out in a year known for its music and it still manages to stand out from the crowd. It's one of those iconic albums that is firmly pinned to the time. It's an essential part of any soundtrack from '69 along with "Bayou Country" which came out the same year. With two absolute beast albums in the same year, it's no wonder CCR outsold The Beatles in '69. I was going to give this a 4 but I realized that I can't justify knocking off a star. There's just not a bad track on the album.

Very good, reminds me of my Dad.

I am reading "Our Band Could be Your Life" at the moment and I was really surprised by the amount of bands with hard core punk roots were name checking Creedance as a major influence. I wouldn't have picked it before then but now I have had a chance to listen to them I can see why they were such a beacon to disaffected kids of the late 70s. This is a raucous and powerful album and going on to my want list for a copy on Vinyl

More genericana

Not their best album and a bit formulaic.

They're BACK! I had my first Creedence album served to me here just two days ago (the disappointing Bayou Country), and this one, released just 8 months later, is miles better. It's the second of three albums CCR released in 1969 alone, which is insane. The title track is about as solid of an album opener as you'll ever hear, especially if you're longing for a place where bullfrogs call and kids play on rope swings. "Lodi" might be my favorite CCR song. Creedence Dudes swear by this album, probably because the deeper cuts hold up as well as the hits. The Spotify link took me to the 40th Anniversary edition, and I just assumed the two instrumental tracks after "The Night Time Is The Right Time" were part of the original album. They should have been because those 2 instrumental tracks slap. I like them more than most of the album cuts on Bayou Country. But that's me. Factoring in those 2 songs get this thing closer to 5 territory. Maybe without John Fogerty's vocals taking center stage, the instrumentals allow for the entire band to come in focus. Speaking of which, we need to discuss the album cover. It reminds me of those shirts for the band Stillwater in "Almost Famous" where Russell Hammond is prominently placed in front of the band to standout and overshadow them, causing the members to quarrel (particularly Hammond and lead singer Jeff Beebe) to the point where Hammond wanders off with teenage Rolling Stone reporter William Miller to a party somewhere in the Midwest where he can drop acid and scream Robert Plant quotes from the rooftop before jumping into a swimming pool. I hope the same thing happened with the Creedence fellas, but I'm guessing a pond was involved instead of a pool. Tom Fogerty, Stu Cook and and Doug Clifford likely had no idea they'd be included in this photo. They don't even have their instruments. It's like John was having his own photo taken for a solo album and they're just photo bombing him. No wonder they hated John so much. Maybe it was a Stillwateresque fight that inspired John Fogerty to write "Have You Ever Seen The Rain". John was (and is) such a control freak he doesn't even let anyone besides him provide backup vocals. I've got this album somewhere between 4 and 5, and a good background story about the album cover would put it over the top. I guess what I'm saying is a 5 rating ultimately comes due to the fact that the album cover reminds me of a fictional band from Cameron Crowe's best movie.

Fucking loved it, Green River was great and Bad moon rising. Yeah, they're the biggest hits off the album but they are too fucking good. The whole project was great and, blending my love of folk and rock music. I am definitely biased here as this is my favorite era of rock, but it's my rating so who gives a fuck. I don't think it is perfect, but 5 stars because of the limitations of the rating system on the website. I will return to this in the future, 7.5/8.

CCR is timeless. They will make love to your ears. The soul that comes out of four guys who look like they should be running a very successful auto body shop is unparalleled

Creedence Clearwater Revival can rock, they’ve got soul, they’ll get psychedelic, they play with purpose and a sense of urgency…they’re pretty much the perfect rock and roll band. Fuck me, did I just write a Wesley Willis song?

More great classic (and slightly sinister) bluesy rock. Love it.

Apple Music says “…if you had to pick just one CCR album, this should be it” and I believe them. Lodi is possibly my favorite CCR song, but there’s no denying the genius of Green River and Bad Moon Rising. The whole album is pretty great even if I wasn’t familiar with it beyond those hits. I read “formulaic” as a word to describe this album in a negative review. I guess if you want to call the original formula “formulaic” you can, but that would still seem to deserve better than a 2 rating. 50+ years ago the word formulaic probably would not have come to mind…

Shockingly great album. Not my cup of tea and one I likely won't be returning to any time soon, but I enjoyed the listen. 7/10 closer to an 8 than a 6.

Putting my serious ears on for what I know is meant to be a classic, what caught me was the way J Fogerty’s vocals form little riffs that play off the guitars, rather than lay simply on top of them, and that the space they leave for their sounds is exceptionally rare for a four piece. The songs have a spiky, pugilistic motion to them: this is a song, you got a problem with that pal?

This is some really high-quality country rock. The album wears its California roots on its sleeve, which puts it both close to and a little distance from my heart. I can't quite say I love it after one listen, but it seems to last longer than its runtime in a good way: Every song is solid. It ends particularly well, on a bit of a twist. Which, written down, seems like a bit of a backhanded compliment, but is in fact sincere praise.

Et bah franchement, pour un album qui connait des pics à 400 millions de streams, c'est pas franchement incroyable. Ce qui m'amène à partager l'anecdote suivante : Quand j'étais au lycée et envisageais de devenir le prochain James Arthur, j'avais découvert la chanson "Have you ever seen the rain" du groupe qui nous intéresse. J'ai donc décidé de la reprendre à la guitare alors même que je ne trouve pas cette chanson particulièrement exceptionnelle. Croyez-le ou non, cette reprise n'était pas fameuse. Retour à la case départ, donc.

If there was a law that (1) bars can only play music by one select musical artist, and (2) each year one person gets randomly selected to choose the artist, and it was my year, I'd pick CCR.

My favorite band, smashing it.

Classic!

Forgery and the boys DO NOT MISS. A great album front to back. The late sixties and early seventies were dominated by CCR’s riverboat rock. An incredible band.

Absolutely amazing. These dudes continue to be one of my favorite classic rock bands. I’m not sure why, but something about the swamp rock style is really appealing to me. Maybe it’s nostalgic? You know, the war.

I love this band. It's another album where I wish I could have experienced what it was like to hear all of these hits on one album when it first dropped. I love the vocals, I love the twangy guitar. So different for what passes as "hits" these days.

It is so kind of John Fogerty to let the audience know where the bathrooms are during every concert (on the right).

Warm sound. Lovely hooks and licks!

Creedence released a string of really great singles in their peak years -- my favourite stat is that they are the band with the most singles to hit No.2 on the Billboard charts without ever having a No.1 -- but their albums can be a bit choppy. This album is basically the same formula as Bayou Country, but the execution is all around improved, and the record is blessedly free of extended improvisations. The band was tight from a few years of heavy touring. I love this quote from Doug Clifford (interview with Goldmine, 2013): "We went to see the local bands and they were so stoned they weren’t even in tune and they were really terrible... We made a pact on the floor of the Fillmore, right then, where we would do no drugs or alcohol. We decided to get high on the music, or get out of the business." This makes this album sweet blessed relief from much of the unfocussed psych drivel of many of their contemporary bands, and explains how they released so much music during their peak (6 albums and 17 singles between '68 and '70). It's a fat-free 29 minutes, with most songs clocking at or under 3 minutes. That said, most songs are loose re-writes of standard blues numbers, continuing Fogerty's tendency to write about places he had never been. They have that great mix of a loose, funky feel, while being locked in as a tight unit, knowing what each other are doing. My mate Dave wonders what if Creedence had been a better band (like the E Street Band or Tom Petty's Heartbreakers). I don't think it would make a difference, because it is their chemistry, developed through years on the road, that really makes this work, not the technical skills. It's a great swamp rock sound (even though they hadn't been near a bayou in their lives), it's brief, and the singles are cracking! I have concerns about Creedence's musical appropriation, which makes me uncomfortable. I mean, this is a band that had never been to the south, and they built this swamp boogie sound based on a tradition that they were not part of. Also, Fogerty's "originals" are essentially loose re-writes of existing blues material. How come this bunch of Californian white boys got to sell a bazillion records, based on a sound that they emulated really well? I'm still thinking about that. Look, I like the sound, and a CCR greatest hits would be five stars, but this album is inessential.

Mostly simple, effective songs played well. A couple of standouts. Could have done without the instrumental jams to finish off but gladly they are mercifully short. Fave track: Wrote a Song for Everyone

The people's Champs! CCR are perhaps the best American band of the late 60's. Fogerty has such tasteful chops, that subtle pushing of the 2 and 4 on the acoustic guitar propelling the title track is exhilarating. This is the best CCR album in my opinion because it doesn't have 16 minute blues jams, bare bones no messing around rock and roll. Sorry haterz.

Utterly unfuckwithable. The amount of great music they put out in literally 2.5 years is absolutely insane.

The B.B. King ("singer, guitarist, songwriter, bandleader extraordinaire") of white boy swamp rock. Incredible that CCR released three all-time classic albums in 1969. Keep on chooglin.

I feel this music in my soul. 5/5

Objetivo: ouvir esse álbum dirigindo em direção ao Lake Tahoe.

Enjoyed this a lot more than I thought I would, would listen to it again

I realized we were fed a version with live versions at the back so went back to find the og album, which is only 29 minutes. 29 minutes is a much more reasonable amount of time to listen to ccr.

The CCR sound is great, the songs are very decent and partly classic.

I like CCR and this album is really solid. Also, this is impressive: "It was the second of three albums they released in that year"

This was a good album that really helped open me up to southern and blues rock. For anyone who really enjoys classic rock, this is definitely a good album to check out.

A classic for a reason

I've been a CCR fan since I was a kid, though mostly through their Chronicle comps (Vol 1 = 5 stars, Vol 2 = 4 stars) and not their albums proper. There were only two tracks on Green River I couldn't sing along to (I say this sort of tongue-in-cheek, since depending on which version of GR you listen to, you could have as many as four non-Chronicle tracks, but two of them are instrumentals). CCR was a soundtrack to many excursions with family and friends, so their music always conjures a good time feeling for me. Anyway, seems to me you either like the CCR sound or you don't, and I do.

It's Green River time, a 1969 album from Credence Clearwater Revival (CCR). Much has been written about the band, so I'm not sure what else new I might have to say. This music was easy to connect when I was a kid. The music had great hooks and it sounded like all the country music and rock and roll my parents always listened to. I enjoy a lot of the music from the late 60s, but there is a special place for this music that went against the grain. I don't know. It's just enjoyable on a different level than most other music at the time. There is something deep and spirited about this music; like it organically grew out of the soil in America. And it had all of our experiences baked into the music. I've always enjoyed this music and nothing has changed to this day. It's silly I haven't listened and enjoyed all the music on this album. The curse of the greatest hits collection that often feels arbitrary on what tracks are chosen.

Someone save me from these old albums!!! This is nice and short, and has some big hits on it. But I don't like it. Even though 'Commotion' was in an episode of Parenthood. Fun fact: I used to use "there's a bad moon on the rise" being misheard as "there's a bathroom on the right" in my classes but I had to retire it because my students now have never heard of the song.

Grand enough. Enjoyed it more than I imagined I would. Heading up North into the DMZ tomorrow for a raid on Vinh Moc. I hope they know we’re coming and have cleared out. Day by day, I struggle to maintain not only my strength but my sanity. It's all a blur. I have no energy to write. I don't know what's right and what's wrong anymore. The morale of the men is low. A civil war in the platoon. Half the men with Elias, half with Barnes. There's a lot of suspicion and hate. I can't believe we're fighting each other when we should be fighting them.

Very stereotypical “classic rock” record. But to be honest, doesn’t really grab my attention like other “classic” albums. Pretty middle of the road for 60s/70s rock. Short record and consistent sound throughout with nothing pushing too far out from the rest in creativity—so much so that I might even call the songs repetitive. Not sure if there is anything on this record that find the need to I’ll revisit. The recording sounds nice. Like a lot of classic rock. I give it a 5-5.5/10 Standout(s): Green River Bad Moon Rising

When marrying your own sister, this is the music that's played. Maybe not my bucket of hot leaves.

A set of folky blues-rock tunes with a laid-back charm. The album is anchored by the classic Bad Moon Rising, which is the undeniable - and, to be honest: sole - standout. While nothing else quite reaches that level, the rest of the album has its moments - some tasteful bluesy guitar work and a warm, rootsy vibe throughout. If you grew up in the US during the late ’60s or ’70s, this probably feels like a piece of your cultural fabric. For listeners born elsewhere, it’s an interesting snapshot of its time - maybe not essential, but worth a listen.

Ugh. With the exception of Bad Moon Rising, not a single track here had anything memorable about it. A middling rock voice, sub-standard guitar solos, and not a lyric of note. It's not offensively bad, but I can't ever imagine coming back.

It's not bad. I just don't care for it much.

I get how influential they are but to my ears, this stuff just hasn’t survived the test of time. It sounds tired and cliched. All it inspires me to do is to switch it off. In fact, listening to it now, it strikes me they well be partly to blame for Ocean Colour Scene, which is reason enough to wish this record out of existence.

So John Fogerty played an hour over at this music festival called LOCKN in 2017 and he made Widespread Panic come out much later and shorten their show and I’ll never forget it and how Fogerty ruined the whole vibe and maybe the night although not the whole festival I mean the panic fans were more drunk than usual including a middle aged dad with his eight year old son nearby so I’ve held a grudge against Fogerty ever since. One star.

Great album. Not much more to say that hasn't been said before and will be said by a million others. Classic rock at its best...maybe played too much on classic rock radio? Easy 5 stars.

Similar to Ray Charles (whose “Modern Sounds...” I recently had the opportunity to listen to and review), CCR had a formative influence on styles as diverse as country, blues, and hard rock, inspiring countless bands far beyond these genres. Ultimately, I can't say whether “Green River” was their strongest album, but it is an extremely tasteful piece of rock history. In my opinion, it makes little sense to highlight individual songs, as I would then have to list at least eight of the eleven tracks included. A must for anyone interested in music and a special recommendation for anyone who has even the slightest interest in blues rock!

Great album

Fogerty's voice has traveled the airwaves into our subconscious and is, at this point, a statement in itself, but the uncredited genius behind this album is Fogerty's guitar playing, at once simple, vigorous, and persuasive. I hate to discount the rest of the group, and I know they must be essential in their own ways, but CCR is a remarkable proposal b/c John Fogerty literally does it all: never backed by another member's voice until the very last track, he strums and notates these songs to classic status. W/ lyrics like 'Old Cody Junior took me over / Said, "You're gonna find the world is smolderin',"' one can only admire how much of an influence he must've been on Springsteen and the folk literati who wanted to be more down to earth than impressive.

Yeah!!

Creedence is always a good listen.

Brilliant, top shelf

Green River, Bad Moon Rising, voll die Banger und der Rest des Albums hat auch einen tollen Sound. Für mich klare 5 Sterne, solche Alben gibt es viel zu selten

Rootsy as all hell. I really enjoyed it, even my girlfriend was getting into some of the jammier ones. Impressive the keen eye they already had for the band.

Great album

Absolute classic. Can listen to it start to finish, not skip a track.

Swamp it up!

After last week’s running theme of “bands I successfully swerved in the 90s seeking retribution” I am off to a great start with some classic 70s gold. Have heard this album many times but it still feels fresh. Never before has swamp rock been so polished, so vibrant. You really wrote songs for everyone John Fogerty, never stop rocking.

It was fun to learn about Fogerty and CCR. Crazy to think about the amount and quality of songs that he created in the 1975-1969 span.

Blijft leuk. We hebben John Fogerty en zijn vrienden laatst ook al een keer gehad, en echt iets toevoegen doet dit album niet in mijn beleving. Meer van hetzelfde. En dat is maar goed ook, want ook deze bluesrock knettert weer de speakers uit van plezier.

What can I say, I just love Creedence clearwater revival. Just great rock and roll but with great lyrics and melodies. Just sounds amazing

Really great album. Before starting the challenge I wanted to visit some CCR so this was perfect timing.

This was awesome

I am writing this from the orlando’s mexican bathroom with nobody watching the grill so it’s going to be quick I really enjoy the style of this album I love the vocal melodies and the guitar lines a lot I felt like most the songs were pretty catchy but not in a calculated pop way. I don’t have any problems about this album but I only thought there was two songs that were super amazing tho top songs tombstone shadow wrote a song for everyone

Good listen throughout whole album. Great vocals, instruments, song writing and just fun to listen to!

If we pretend Mardi Gras doesn't exist this is probably the "worst" Creedence album. Still filled with incredible tunes.

great vibes

Once again a perfect roadtrip album.

Yes

Great record! I knew some of the songs, but was almost more impressed by the ones I hadn't heard.

I have an original vinyl of this. One of the most poorly designed album covers of all time. One of the best records of all time

I saved every single track on the record so I guess that makes it a perfect 5. Its just so damn sick. The band is a whole lot more than just fortunate son. Just give it a go. Easy

Je suis un fan ultime de CCR depuis que ma tante Vivianne m'a fait découvrir leur album Pendulum en vinyle vers le début de mon secondaire. Quel groupe. Pas mal de choses des années fin 60 / début 70 ont vieilli pas si bien que ça. Pas CCR. Un couple d'ami(e)s de mon beau-père Bob Wood sont natifs de la Californie et y vivent depuis toujours. Lorsqu'on va les visiter ils nous content des épisodes de leur passé musical. La femme du couple allait au secondaire avec les gars du (futur) groupe et son amie sortait avec le batteur. Ils habitent pas loin de chez Bob Dylan à Malibu, Point Dume. J'ai jamais réussi à le voir passer sa tondeuse...

Excellente musique de char pour faire le tour de l'île d'Orléans. Je pense que je suis fan de Southern Rock. J'aime la voix du chanteur et j'aime les sonorités Americana

Really like CCR these guys are🔥🔥🔥🔥

Eggselent

They had so many hits

Is there a bad CCR Album?

This is an iconic album and an all-time classic. There's no disputing how good this record is top-to-bottom. It is easily one of those legacy record that you just nod and agree is awesome.

Classic album. 5.0/5.0: Iconic

its no cosmos factory but its still a banger

Summer of 1969, the time of Woodstock and the first term of Nixon and Creedence Clearwater Revival are on a roll. Not satisfied with dropping one album this year, they'd gifted their swelling audience with another called Green River and it continues to showcase their penchant for precise, economical compositions that get to the point rather than meander and lose focus halfway through. Whether it riffs off the blessed rock and roll past or it keeps chooglin' along with the efforts of John Fogerty, Green River is as potent a record as Creedence could offer at the time and, fortunately for us, they'd scale bigger heights and become even better over time.

Обожаю кринденс и этот альбом залетел с полным кайфом. Это действительно великая запись, с которой стоит ознакомиться каждому. Это воплощение слова "круто". Надрывный, мощный вокал, блюзовые риффы, грязный звук гитары - это просто прекрасно. Это полнейшая БАЗА и лютейший СТИЛЬ. Я даже не знаю что еще добавить. Такой музыки нам, как человечеству, не хватает.

Super

Classic blues rock, on an album short enough that the end sneaks up on you. Excellent listening.

Great

Loved - the album really captured that time of America

Great album. All very good songs. Great voice. Good energy. Stand out song: Green river

loved. great vibes.

Really love CCR… classic

fav track: sinister purpose

The album that reminds us "there's a bathroom on right." It is also worth noting that the Highway Patrol recovered The Dude's tape. Thank goodness the boss at the crime lab had them boys working in shifts!