Green River
Creedence Clearwater Revival
1969
Album Summary
Green River is the third studio album by American rock and roll band Creedence Clearwater Revival, released in August 1969. It was the second of three albums they released in that year, preceded by Bayou Country in January and followed by Willy and the Poor Boys in November.
WikipediaThis 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!
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.
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.
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.
"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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
It is so kind of John Fogerty to let the audience know where the bathrooms are during every concert (on the right).
Everyone loves creedence, including me. Haven't listened to this album explicitly but I know a heap of the songs already. Maybe a full 5/5? After listen: yep.
I love the sound of John fogerty so it’s kind of unfair. This album rules
Listened to CCR greatest hits right after. Gotta love "swamp rock" by a band from San Francisco.
CCR is like a good pair of worn in jeans. Reliable, comfortable, enjoyable.
One of the most underrated band of the 60s. This album and Cosmos Factory are two of the most influential albums in American music.
Phenomenal. These songs still ring true and clear all these years later.
Great album. I've always loved Creedence but don't think I've listened to this album start to finish.
I’ve always loved Creedence. Especially their focus on the guitar as much as vocals. Great balance
Man what a fantastic album. Bad Moon Rising, Lodi, and so much more. I love Fogerty and Creedence and always will.
los de beste ontdekking hier. nog nooit van gehoord maar echt goed damn!
Every album CCR recorded between 1968-1970 is solid fucking gold. In those 3 years they put out 6 albums! An average of 2 stone cold classics per year. This album is the apex of their most productive year, 1969. They were absolutely on fire here. I often shy away from rootsy music but John Fogerty oozes such authenticity and passion in every phrase that I can't help but fall under the spell. The playing is so tight and focused, but isn't overly technical or showy, so it comes across feeling very natural and relatable. These songs sound nearly timeless. Every one an anthem. It's almost as if they could be traditional folk and blues songs with bad-ass rock and roll arrangements. Hard to believe that, besides the final track, they came from the mind of a then 24 year old who was somehow able to channel and express what sounds like at least a century of experience and perspective. He didn't just catch lightning in a bottle here, he was a veritable musical lightning rod at this point.
CCR are incredible. This started like a Greatest Hits album, but dropped marks for 2 awful instrumentals at the end. Then realised they aren't on the original album which climaxes with 'Night Time is the Right Time' (only on the Spotify album I linked to). They are pop/swamp/rock geniuses
The first track has an insane intro wow 2nd track has insane guitar part
Added with pleasure. Solid from end to end. Exactly the sort of album I'd expect on this list. Want to know why CCR is considered "classic rock"? Listen to this album.
Swampy bayou rockabilly in the hands of a few men from the Bay Area translates incredibly well. John Fogerty’s voice has the perfect amount of grit and expressiveness and seems made for this type of music.
an excellent album, and, astonishingly, one of three marvellous albums they released in 1969. great songs, fantastic vocals, well-played, tough, resonant and rooted in real life.
The legend of Fogerty! What vocals, riffs, legendary songs, and pretty timeless production. This is a definitive road album.
"Creedence" is a referent, I like this band. In this album, the best songs are "Green River", "Commotion", "Tombstone shadow", "Bad moon rising", "Lodi",...Oh, my God, all is very good!
Another solid CCR album. Do these guys no how to make anything other than GREAT music. Just a notch below my favourite; Willy and the Poor Boys. 5 🌟
I keep going back and forth on this one! I LOVE CCR, and the singles on this are amazing: “Bad Moon Rising” is “Bad Moon Rising”, and “Lodi” might be my favorite CCR song. With that said though, the non-singles are somewhat filler and don’t have the same energy as the hits. But hey, even a filler CCR track is great. 5 stars
Love me some CCR, never disappointed when one of their tunes come up. This was a fun album, Fogerty and crew doing what they do best. There's something so accessible about their music, it fits in sitting quiet and relaxing but also on a road trip, or at a party or the bar. For the small time this band was together they really put out some great music and Green River is a solid sampling of what they can do.
A solid, concise album! I love CCR's bluesy-rock combo and John Fogerty's growly voice. Every song was enjoyable!
Proper. You always forget how may hits CCR had. This was just what I needed. Joyous unapologetic rock and roll. Ramble ramble!
A classic album of my childhood. Legendary band. Liked: Green River Wrote A Song For Everyone Bad Moon Rising Lodi
Weeeeelllllllllll... CCR is a constant 5 star band in my books. I'll always love listening to John Fogerty's deep-fried country twang. This album showcases it perfectly in so many diverse ways, with bluesy rockers and soulful ballads throughout. You get something special on every track, that down home charm of some humble music loving folks. Y'all come back now!
The argument could be made (I would make it if I wasn't so jacked up on cold medicine right now) that CCR was the greatest band of their era. I know, there were a lot, A LOT, of great bands in this era but I said what I said. They have at least four albums that don't have a bad song on them and "Green River" might be the best of them.
Straight to the point album that is representative of a truly American sound. Oh, and the lyrics are as poignant as ever.
I didn't realize I knew so many songs by CCR - I like them! This is a nice album to have on while working, driving, doing house work. Like their style, brings me back to the 80s.
A+ 5/5 album. Amazing classic rock album that is so important to the history of American rock music. Melodies are timeless, instrumentation, arrangements, and performances are timeless. This is an album for a time capsule. I love CCR and this album is absolutely killer.
Awesome. Half of these songs are on their greatest hits and the other half are good enough that they could be. Perfect classic rock with a lot of blues rock.
As I expected, I really enjoyed this one. I would definitely put this on a playlist.
CCR’s crazy hot streak continues with this nearly-perfect grab bag of rockabilly-flavored barn burners. Evocative lyrics and jangling melodies make a compelling case for John Fogerty being one of the best American songwriters of the past century.
I've only ever listened to CCR's greatest hits, so I'm glad to see this album holds up. This is near perfect as far as I can see, so many gems on this album. I enjoyed every song!
Good stuff, enjoyed this. I would pick this up if I saw it at a record store.
I’ve got a soft spot for good folksy Country tunes. Standout Tracks: Tombstone Shadow, Bad Moon Rising, Lodi, Sinister Purpose
Classic Creedence, great guitars throughout, love the instrumental tracks, who doesn't love bad moon rising?
Can never say no to a CCR record. The fact that they were able to record so many classics in such a short amount of time is staggering, especially when you consider Fogerty was doing all of the writing. Favorite tracks: "Lodi", "Commotion"
I've liked some of the other music that I've heard from Jesus and Mary Chain, but this left me a little flat. I'm not sure what it was, but it didn't really grab me this time 3/5
Sans surprise, très bon album. Pas le meilleur de CCR mais contient plusieurs morceaux classiques. Après les albums précédents c'est assez rafraîchissant
A classic album. You have to wonder what more they might have done had they not disbanded so early on.
Not the best CCR album (that would be Cosmo's Factory) but it's not far from it. Great record.
Again, revealing my general proclivities in music (not punk) I am all over this. I had this on a cheap department store cassette tape as a teen and played it until it fell apart.
Quite good, I can see why its on this list but it didn't blow my mind. still very good though, I really enjoyed "Can't stand the rain."
Short album that gets to the point. Great road trip jam. Easy to groove to.
Impecable àlbum de rock ple de temazos. Coneixia un parell de temes només i el conjunt m'ha semblat d'allò més potent. Unes cançons molt inspirades, una veu brutal, i unes guitarres que t'agafen i no et solten. Un disc de rock gairebé perfecte. Tanques els ulls i et porta a les carreteres dels EEUU.
So good. On the surface the music is fairly meat 'n' potatoes, but there's a real groove and intensity to much of what CCR does that it's infectious. John Fogerty has an amazing voice, of course. And the song 'Green River' is the quintessential swamp rock track. Takes this particular Limey back to the bayou, mentally, at least!
Another solid album from these guys. John Fogerty was quite prolific. Love the rootsy bayou sound and it's funny that they're from San Fran.
4.0 - CCR all day, everyday! (Except their cover of “Heard it Through the Grapevine”)
Fuck I kinda forgot about this website for a couple days but this album is sexy
My sort of roots based county, blues rock n roll music. Can listen to this sort of thing forever. Probably the first album we've had that i didn't already know (other than Bad moon rising) which i love. Highlights: Wrote a song for everyone, Lodi 4/5
Sounds like a greatest hits album, but it was just a great album from 1969!
A lot of hits on this one. The band knows how to play and are very tight.
Pure distilled Southern Swamp Rock. Best Tracks: Green River, Wrote a Song for Everyone, Bad Moon Rising,
the dude abides. good album, teeter totters near the full whack for me, if it had a couple more of the big uns on it'd be up there.
It's good music, I enjoy listening to CCR. But most of the songs drag out a bit too long without much to keep them interesting. Therefore, not quite good enough for a 5.
This record feel likes the definitive representation of CCR's Louisiana-inspired bayou rock and roll. The performances and production are outstanding and the feel is unassailable. At the same time, I can't help but feel that, for all of its stone-cold classics, this album has a few weak tracks as well that make me reluctant to give it a five. I find myself more drawn to Cosmos' Factory and Willie and the Poor Boys for that reason. Favourite tracks: "Green River", "Commotion", "Lodi", "Bad Moon Rising", "The Night Time is the Right Time"
CCR produced a lot of masculine/bayou rock in their day, pumping out a lot of albums in a short period of time, but they always felt more like a singles band to me. Their performances are always muscular and filled with emotional intensity, but there are always a few tracks that tend to stand above the rest. For me, Lodi, Sinister Purpose and Bad Moon Rising have always been the trio of songs that have stuck with me. Great record overall. Fav Tracks: Lodi, Sinister Purpose and Bad Moon Rising
Bayou Country, Green River, Willie and the Poor Boys - 1969, Cosmo's Factory, Pendulum - 1970 - Fogerty was a prolific songwriter and recording artist. Next to the Beatles CCR was my favorite band for those two years, with their swampy groove they were completely different from anything I had heard. Suzie Q, Proud Mary, Born on the Bayou and then this album hit. The first time I heard the opening guitar riff of Green River I was hooked! Commotion ( B sIde to Green River), Bad Moon Rising and Lodi (the B side to Commotion)it was crazy. It seemed like a new single hit the radio every few months that year (Proud Mary, Born on the Bayou was release in January with the two singles from this album hit in April and July). Every Album released by CCR was Fogerty upping his game! Down on the Corner w/b side Fortunate Son came out in October 69. Beginning with the release of this album we spent a good chunk of our spare time sitting in my friend Charlie's basement - black light posters all lit up - listening to the 3 albums released that year by CCR. Green River lead right into the prime of CCR's output with Willie and the Poor Boys and Cosmo's Factory. Favorite Songs: Green River, Commotion, Lodi, Bad Moon Rising - 4 out of 5.
Just a really solid slice of Creedence. Some of the tracks are a little samey but there are some stone cold classics on here.
Some fantastic swamp rock. 8.5/10 Best Tracks: "Green River" "Bad Moon Rising"
The only thing that keeps this from a 5 is “Wrote A Song For Everyone” which I found absolutely unlistenable especially after how good the first few tracks are. Love the rest of the album though!
Songs I liked: "Green River," "Commotion," "Wrote A Song For Everyone," "Bad Moon Rising" "Lodi," "Cross-Tie Walker," and "Sinister Purpose" -"Commotion" is solid. Great intro riff anmd good groove throughout. -"Cross-Tie Walker" and "Sinister Purpose" have solid basslines. The bass is slowly growing on me as I listen more -I added "Broken Spoke Shuffle" and "Glory Be" to my instrumental study playlist -"Bad Moon Rising" and "Commotion" stand out as strong tracks -Overall very nice, just a little slow and lower energy than I prefer. Comparing to "Fortunate Son," which I had heard previously, these don't quite get to the same level
Great classic rock with a country flavour. The non-famous tracks held up really well to the classics.
Solid effort from CCR. Lodi is the best song here but the whole album sounds clean and solid.
Lots of the iconic songs and some nice ones I wasn't too familiar with. Brilliant
Another amazing CCR album part of their short but incredible stretch over just a little more than two years. Absolutely love the roots rock blend of rockabilly, blues, and country that really did give CCR a distinctive swampy sound. Hifi production with cohesive track listing consisting of easily identifiable vocals and murky imaginative descriptions that sharply contrast with the busy energetic instruments. Perfect opener sums up the Bayou Country / Green Album albums. Not a single bad song. Whereas other artists like Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin were taking a hard rock approach to blues, CCR went for a form that was more true to its original form. That and the atmospheric swamp imagery make CCR stand out. You can let this album play on repeat without tiring of it.
CCR. Such a specific tentpole band in the classic rock pantheon. Nobody else sounds quite like this, and I think it's the voice. This is a solid album, only one big hit but the rest of it is pretty strong too. Even a blues cover to close things out. Nothing really groundbreaking, but I can imagine hearing "Bad Moon Rising" in 1969 would've been a game-changing moment. Very solid album. Favorite tracks: Bad Moon Rising, Tombstone Shadow, Sinister Purpose, Commotion. Album art: Band photo, but the nature and natural look gives this a nice touch. Pretty much impossible to read the red text on top of the picture though. 4/5
I always appreciate it when an album is short and isnt full of filler for expanding its runtime. This one is a great example of this. Great songs, a lot more `straight to the point` than Bayou Country. Good album, but its my least favorite of the 3 CCR albums on this list (they all got 4s though)
muy buen álbum, algunas canciones me parecieron mejores que otras pero nada que me dedagradara exactamente. 3.5/5⭐
More fine swamp rock from these talented musicians. Sign me up. Fantastic sounds, exciting vocals, bluesy, folky, gritty, catchy. Thoroughly enjoyable.
I think they have a great sound, still sounds good 50+ years later. I appreciate their political content. Catchy and poignant tunes.
Excellent classic rock album. CCR churned out great music and this album was a prime example. This may be the most complete of their albums having some of their best hits. 8.3/10
CCR rule, dude. As long as it's not called "Mardi Gras," you can be assured an album of theirs will be at least "Really Good." Like this one!
60's Country Blues/Rock at it's best. CCR were frontrunners in this style of Southern Blues music later championed by so many others, real pioneers. Love "Bad Moon Rising" of course as it is a classic but also the Lennonesque vocals on "The Night Time Is the Right Time" and the Lowell George Influencing slide guitar on "Broken Spoke Shuffle" all round a very very positive addition to anyone's vinyl collection.
Hi: Green River, Wrote a Song for Everyone, Lo: None, really The twangy dive-bar staple swamp rockers CCR were at the peak of their heyday in 1969, and Green River is wall-to-wall greatness, with a well-rounded variety of honky-tonk, blues, ballad, and not a single song about rain. The record opens with the raucous eponymous track, takes a breather around Wrote A Song for Everyone, then picks back up for Bad Moon Rising and finishes the album on a call-and-response high note with The Night Time is the Right Time. It's a well-crafted album that's a might bit too short, which can be forgiven in that CCR dropped 6 albums of better-than-average quality in the span of 2 years.
I don't listen to CCR these days like I did when I was young, but hearing this album again reminds me why I liked them in the first place. Super-catchy riffs and melodies, good steady rhythms, and evokes long stretches of highway in that road-tripping American imagery (might be just me, but that's how I've always heard their music). Other than listening to their music and knowing John Fogerty's name from his later work, I knew very little about the band, so I'm glad I clicked on the Wikipedia entry. This tidbit it particularly interesting to me: ***The band's single-mindedness and work ethic drew the ire of some other San Francisco-based bands, with drummer Doug Clifford recalling to Jeb Wright of Goldmine in 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." Going against the grain at the times, Creedence eschewed the acid-inspired free-form jams favored by many rock bands, for tightly-structured roots music with an unmistakable rockabilly edge. "I didn't like the idea of those acid-rock, 45-minute guitar solos," Fogerty explained to Uncut's David Cavanagh in 2012. "I thought music should get to the point a little more quickly than that." *** Much as I personally make no judgment on bands who decided to go deep into the very route these guys veered away from, I like the band's contrarian ethos. I imagine it was particularly bold for a Bay Area band in the late 60s/early 70s to make that choice -- even amongst peace-loving hippies, there is still peer pressure (speaking from experience here). Really solid album here. Very tight, well-written, well-performed, catchy, and enjoyable.