Cosmo's Factory

The Dude: Do you find them much, these, stolen cars? Younger Cop: Sometimes. Wouldn't hold out much hope for the tape deck though. Older Cop: Or the Creedence.

Travelin' Band, Lookin' Out My Back Door, Run Through the Jungle, Who'll Stop the Rain, I Heard It Through the Grapevine, Long As I Can See the Light. Those are not songs from their greatest hits collection. Well, i'm sure they ARE, but more specifically they are from this album. That's simply a crazy collection of good songs. This really made me want to sit on a patio out in the Bayou and drink beers. If you dont feel the same - call for help.

This is a really legendary album. Probably 75% of it's songs are on every CCR Greatest Hits collection. I really can't say enough good things about. The real star of the show is John Fogerty's vocals, but the musicianship is great too. Long as I can See the Light and Heard it Through the Grapevine are my 2 favorites, but I love most of the songs on here.

To argue that this was anything less than a 5-star album would be a fight against democracy itself. The people have voted. CCR is an institution. Any band that can get right-wing voters to belt out anti-war anthems have some sort of Creole VOODOO going on behind the scenes. John Fogerty is from Berkley, California. The Fortress of Solitude for all things liberal. Yet if you see the confederate flag on a pick-up 50/50 chance they are bumping Fortunate Son. Insanity. True Bipartisanship rocking, I dig.

A wonderful album with great songs. Can’t believe they were only together for three years, and they managed to create so many tunes that are still played today.

I grew up on this band, mostly through Chronicles Vol 1, but most of the tracks on here are also on that. Discovered Ramble Tamble, which I love and Ooby Dooby, which I hate. Had to listen to Up Around the Bend twice because it’s so good. I’m amazed at the different style influences across this album. So good!

11 minutes is a fucking joke

ok it seems like a four-worthy album to be honest but i really don't have the urge to listen to any of these songs again and its not my type of music so three it is.

I liked this one a lot better than the other CCR album I got from this album generator. This one seems somehow 'swampier', but it also has more variety and more experimentation in the songs. This sets it apart from just being more highly polished radio-friendly standard rock-fare. Just a really good album, loved listening to it.

I am devastated—DEVASTATED I TELL YOU—that I got all three CCR albums within a week of each other. I love CCR and would have rather spread them out to be a little tasty treat for my ears. This is my favorite of the three CCR albums on the list—some certified classics and also features CCR really experimenting with their sound on a few tracks. I do find “I Heard It Through The Grapevine” unnecessarily long and CCR has always excelled at creating great singles rather than cohesive albums, so this one still earns 4/5 stars. Nonetheless, they really were a one of a kind group that wrote some of the greatest songs in the rock and roll canon. Also, let’s pour one out for “Willy and the Poor Boys,” which easily could have been on this list and features my favorite CCR song (“Fortunate Son”).

4.5 stars. Loved the Rockabilly tones. The country was strong with such lovely bluesy undertones. Vocals are on point on this and an 11 minute cover of a Soul Classic in heard through the grapevine is the perfect ending. Which sadly eclipses the actual last song on the album.

Fogerty can really put an album together. So many classics, so much grit.

The opening track alone (Ramble Tamble) is inexplicably not on any greatest hits, but is their best song.

Pretty dreadful stuff. I really dislike Fogerty's voice. Travelin' Band is a straight rip off of Good Golly Miss Molly. The version of Grapevine adds nothing to the Marvin Gaye version. Sorry Dude, I'd be relieved if my Credence tape was stolen (though I agree about the f'n Eagles, man)

There are people who say that Creedence Clearwater Revival is the West Coast Velvet Underground. …and if you listen to “Ramble Tamble” from about 3:05 to 5:32, it’s kind of hard to argue with that assessment. The drone is real on that one. I’m not sure that I totally agree with the comparison, but Creedence and The Velvet Underground are probably the two best American bands of their era. I’m not sure what else to say…very few bands have a run as consistent as CCR did from 1968-1970 (during which they put out *six* albums). Cosmo’s Factory might be their best, but they were so consistent that “best” could easily apply to 3 or 4 of those records.

I already knew over half the songs, but hearing it all come together as one unit makes it all the better. Some classic stuff here.

Love it' A Classic. Reminds me of drinking in a barn in NB.

Credit where credit is due. I know all music has it's influences but sometimes it's so just so blatant. Early Stones, early Beatles and half of the songs here owe such a great debt to Chuck Berry, Little Richard and all the old Blues masters. CCR don't try to hide this influence but I find it hard to give those songs any real credit. Tracks 5, 6, 7, 9 & 11 are however what I expect CCR to sound like. Of those, 'Up Around the Bend' & 'Who'll Stop the Rain' are decent songs. Tracks 1, 2, 3, 4, 8 & 10 just sound like a blues tribute band so I struggle to see the importance of this album, other than it's popularity. 3 stars.

A few notable songs on the album, like "Up Around The Bend". Never really was a big fan of CCR but can certainly appreciate their music. Some songs are dopey though, like "Ooby Dooby" is a waste of time. There's a cover or two on the album as well, which I almost never appreciate on studio albums because it's just filler, IMHO. Like we don't need an 11+ minute rendition of "Heard it through the grapevine". 7/10.

I'm sure my older brother bought this album when it came first out and I listened to it then but I don't remember it as an album. Many of the songs are iconic and I knew them as singles. So when the album popped up, I knew that I'd like it - I just didn't expect it to be as great as it is. I would normally list the standout songs - for this one it's easy to list the less-than-A-side songs and that would be "Ooby Dooby" - all the rest were fantastic. Unlike some other reviewers - I loved the 11 minute "Heard it Through the Grapevine"!

Everything I've heard from CCR was enjoyable so far, but I never imagined this album would be so solid! About as good as white man's blues/rock gets.

Truly amazing the amount of hits this band kicked out in such a short space of time. Could be a greatest hits album 5*

This is the John Fogerty show through and through which is both fantastic, because he's an amazing musician, and rough, because so are his band mates. It's a damn shame the man couldn't muster three dimes worth of humility because what this band could do when they worked together was incredible. Regardless of the internal drama and their breakup just over a year after dropping this gold, Cosmo's Factory is a great album. Every CCR album (except maybe Mardi Gras) has one or two stone cold classics but this one is packed. Travlin' Band, Lookin' Out My Backdoor, Run Through the Jungle, Up Around the Bend, and Who'll Stop the Rain are all instantly recognizable to anyone who's listened to music in the last twenty years. On top of that you've got some solid blues tracks and CCR's recording of Heard It Through the Grapevine which competes with Marvin Gaye's classic version. Just a phenomenal album.

Acid flashback to ‘Nam ‘71

A masterpiece.

Amazing how many timeless classic songs CCR was able to produce in such a short period of time. I went into this album thinking it would end up being a 4 star rating, but after listening to it I'm giving it a 5.

Ooby Dolby is a little silly, but the rest of this album is fantastic.

I forgot how much I absolutely love this album!

Loved it. The right vibe for my later day relaxation.

10/10

Very fun album to listen to.

Hell yea

Amazing

Put me in, coach

Love this album

Awesome album. Can listen to it wherever

👍

Switching from Dead Kennedys to CCR makes for quite a contrast on every level; sort of a smooth bourbon after several jolts of Jaegermeister. Sadly, I've never been much of a Creedence Clearwater Revival aficionado, and this is the first album for me of their three in this collection, so I'm not sure how it compares to their other albums. But it definitely sounds like them and has a shocking number of their classic radio hits, so it certainly *seems* like a good-if-not-great selection. I also enjoyed a surprising number of their non-singles tracks (possibly in part because many of their songs have a pretty consistent sound), especially the opening track "Ramble tamble". It's amazing to see how many albums, and extremely popular hits, they cranked out in the space of about 3 years. Too bad that John Fogerty's imperiousness eventually burned out the CCR candle long before their time had come.

For some reason, my distaste for southern style classic rock, which this band epitomizes, is completely erased by CCR. I actually really like this band. It has to be something underneath that I just can't quite grasp that sets this band, in particular, apart from all the stereotypical "classic rock" bands out there. They technically ARE a classic rock band (even with that southern tinge) But yeah, they remain an anomaly in my musical taste library. I don't think I will BUY the tee-shirt but if someone gave me one I would wear it.

I don’t know what I expected before listening to this album. I think my preconceptions about Creedence Clearwater Revival were that they were a country band like the Allman Brothers, and while I think there is a time in a place for that kind of music, it’s not my favorite. But after just a couple minutes of listening to this album, I am a convert. only giving four stars because white people gaining fame from music that is clearly inspired by traditions of black musicians deserves to be knocked down a peg on principle.

Creedence Cosmo’s Factory 1970 I was 13 when these songs were on the radio and they were ubiquitous. I prefer rock over blues and I don’t like it when the latter is too heavily involved. Songs like Before You Accuse Me are an auditorial assault while Travelin’ Band is a favorite, a punchy rocker minus the heavy blues. Hard to rate an album with five songs I’ve known for 45 years, so I’ll give it a 3/5.

I hate when this generator gives me a universally-loved Dad Rock band who I have little previous experience with, because 99% of the time, they’re just not my vibe. Especially if the top reviews start referencing The Big Lebowski [a movie I don’t have much nostalgic love for, either]. I have never heard Cosmo’s Factory. If I’ve heard any of the tracks off of it, I have no memory of it, and it certainly wasn’t on purpose. In fact, before today, the only CCR songs I could even hum the hooks of were “Fortunate Son” and “Have You Ever Seen The Rain.” I don’t even think I’ve ever listened to their Greatest Hits compilation, even during my Classic Rock phase as a pre-teen. I think that has a lot to do with what CCR represents. They may be from California, but they are quintessentially a Heartland band, if not a fully Southern band. I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve ever traveled further than Philadelphia in my entire 32 years of existence, and could count the times I’ve been further than New York State on two hands. I’m a Northeastern girl through and through, and while any Swamp Yankee New Englander will tell you that that doesn’t absolve me from coming into contact with a tinge of Southern culture, especially Southern music, I think I’m much too young for CCR to have made a lasting impact up here, even in the farm towns of Rhode Island. Right away, I knew that CCR’s style was not for me. Let’s start with the weakest parts: the covers. I’m not opposed to covering old rock ’n’ roll songs, but my problem seems to be that no one ever changes them up, and CCR certainly aren’t the band to do that. Of the 4 covers– already a third of this record– 3 of them just sound like their original versions done by a very talented, very tight County Fair Band™️. The fourth is an 11 minute cover (!!!) of “I Heard It Through the Grapevine,” and while this one does have some stylistic flair, I only needed the first 4 minutes to get the gist. Those covers clog up this record a lot, and even if that was my only issue, I’d still have a hard time seeing why this album is hailed as some great masterpiece. Maybe within their internal discography, but already, Cosmo’s Factory is far from flawless. The thing is, even original material still isn’t for me. I think starting off with the drunken tempo-shifter “Ramble Tamble” already put me in a bad mood. Meanwhile, the pastiche distracts me on “Travelin’ Band,” which just sounds like a Little Richard knockoff, and “Lookin’ Out My Back Door,” which is like a mid-tier country song from 10 years prior. If that’s your style, that’s all well and good, but it just isn’t clicking for me. Thankfully, Cosmo’s Factory is a backloaded record. I think it’s hard to deny the hook of “Up Around the Bend,” and the emotion of “Who’ll Stop the Rain.” I even like the change-up in style for “Long As I Can See the Light,” and again, while it’s way too long, I get why their “Grapevine” cover is noteworthy. But even at its best, even when I can recognize why this is hailed as a great record, even when I enjoy a song here and there, I’m not head-over-heels for it. I know I’m not going to revisit these songs. To me, even the best material on Cosmo’s Factory just sounds like Drinking Budweiser In Your Garage™️ music. And look– I normally enjoy ✨cock rock✨, but there’s a twang to this whole record that just doesn’t taste good on my tongue. The good songs are well-made, but I am not going out of my way to hear about ‘Nam and the swamps, personally. And even though the mid-tier songs are still done well, they lack a hook that sounds unique to make me want to revisit them. Hell, even the strongest material here has a samey-ness quality to it that makes this overall feel empty to me. I think a large part of my apathy toward this album is simply that CCR is not a band for me. They’re for my blue collar brother who moved to the South, not me, a trans woman in Brooklyn. But I also do think this record is way overhyped. I think if 33.3% of your 33 1/3 is bland covers, you don’t have a classic on your hands. I also think this is a much spottier record than people want to admit. I understand if there’s nostalgia tied to CCR, I understand that they’re a gateway band for a lot of music nerds, I understand their chart impact, I understand it all, but I just don’t think the songs are always as ✨there✨ as people say they are. Strong Side B, yes, but a middling record overall. Maybe CCR are just a singles band. Sorry.

Instantly makes you 290% more horny for your sister

Repetitive, Frantic, Plagiaristic.

When I was a kid, my mom wanted to get my dad a copy of John Fogerty's Centerfield on vinyl. We went around to every record shop in town trying to find a copy. One shop we tried to go to had a sign on the door that said "no minors," which my mom thought was an incredibly confusing and stupid policy, and she held a grudge about that incident for several years. That story really doesn't have a lot to do with this album, but I always think about it when I listen to CCR. I've listened to quite a bit of CCR over the years. They were never one of my favorite classic rock acts, but they got a ton of radio play on the local classic rock station. It's not that I think they're bad, there's just other stuff I'd rather listen to when it comes to classic rock. Needless to say, this was my first time listening to one of their albums in its entirety. I'm familiar with a few of the songs on this album, and "Up Around the Bend" is easily my favorite CCR song. Outside of the songs I knew, this was about what I'd expect for a CCR album: a southern rock album with touches of psychedelica, blues, and rockabilly. Most of the songs were good, with "Ramble Tamble" being my favorite of the songs that I didn't know. John Fogerty has one of the most recognizable voices in classic rock, and his vocals on this album were really good. His voice really helps create the band's unique swamp rock sound. "Up Around the Bend" is easily the best track on the album in my opinion. That high pitched guitar riff is just incredible, and the song does a fantastic job of making me feel like I'm driving down an old country road, headed to a backyard cookout. This song always puts a smile on my face, and listening to it today was no exception. CCR's version of "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" is really good too, and they really succeed at making the song their own. Outside of those tracks though, the album was just kind of boring to me, and that makes this album pretty middle of the road overall in my book. Again, I don't think it's bad, but it's just not my cup of tea.

Surprising how one album can have songs that are absolutely shit and amazing.

Very nice listen. who'll stop the rain was the highlight for me. I don't know what it was with this one but it just flowed from track to track so well, I wish there were bands with this sound producing music now. S tier masterpiece. Great song writing, vocals and grove.

Big dad rock vibes/road trip through the desert/old record shop vibes. With a sprinkle of back in 'Nam.

I'd forgotten what a great album this is! Just the extended jam/bridge in Ramble Tamble alone makes the album, but add in one classic after another - not to mention the 11" version of Heard it Through the Grapevine! Such an incredibly tight band that disappeared way to soon (and no, John Fogerty's solo work just doesn't compare).

Some crazy bangers on here. It’s kind of funny that some of the songs sound like little Richard covers and then you’ve got a 10 minute Heard It Through the Grapevine which couldn’t be more different. Lookin Out My Back Door has been stuck in my head all day. This is a 5.

During their very brief life as a band, CCR produced great albums including this one. Growling, swampy rock and roll. This album has classic originals and one of the best cover versions of a song ever (Heard it Through the Grapevine). An easy 5!

On this album, CCR fuses 50's rock and roll with late 60's psychadelia so well that if I did not already know which songs were covers I might guess incorrectly. Opening track "Ramble Tamble" is a microcasm of this blend and as such it works perfectly as an album opener. It's transition from tight blues to repetivie groove really worked for me. Most of the other songs I'd heard before and the originals all held up. "Travelin' Band" is as exciting as any of the Little Richard Songs they were payign homage to. "Run through the Jungle" is beautifally horrific. "Long As I Can See the Light" is a soulful ending and comedown after one of the most scortchung covers of all time. Let's talk about "Heard it Through the Grapevine" for a second. This is one of my favorite covers of all time, and I think one of the best (along with Hendrix's "All Along the Watchtower" and Aretha's "Respect"). They completely remade this song ans kept it interesting for 11 minutes. That is not an easy thing to do. I think this cover really influenced my guitar soloing so I may be biased but I jsut tihnk it is fantastic. A couple of the 50s covers were only "ok" (CCR did not add much to them) and they felt like filler to me.

A few filler songs up front, but this is almost their greatest hits

Great album

I like the clutter free arrangements (and production) that allow the sparkling performances to shine through. You know it's a Keeper when the album features, count em, 5 singles. Top notch vocals, superb guitar playing and a tight, muscular rhythm section. If there's one criticism, it tends to be a bit samey (as does the whole CCR catalogue), but they did produce consistently good, maybe the best, swamp rock.

How have I not heard this album before? You need to be in the right mood to listen to this, and luckily I was... an optimistic 5 from me!

Oh yesssss! Such a killer album.

If there is one thing I’ve learned from this list, as much as I dislike a lot of classic rock… CCR puts out some banger albums. 2nd album from them on this list and another one I absolutely loved. I also think it’s at least the 3rd time I’ve heard a rendition of “I Heard It Through The Grapevine” from this challenge, and this one was really good.

I love the way he sings as if yelling from the other room. Or how he "hoyd it" through the grapevine. If things went a little differently in my life I could see CCR being my favourite band.

If this is Cosmo’s factory, I’d love to hear what Wanda has to offer

Beautiful narrative songwriting from CCR. Their songs flow seamlessly even when they're nonsense, like Backdoor. I have covered many of the songs on this album with my band so I'm biased.

Amazing album with the perfect elements of jam with songs like Ramble Tamble and I Heard Through the Grapevine with blues element with songs like Travellin' Band, Before You Accuse Me, Ooby Dooby, Lookin' Out My Back Door. And not to forget the beautiful Who'll Stop the Rain and Long As I Can See The Light, a wonderful way of closing the album.

Great album!

Great album! Terrible album cover!

11 minute version of I Heard It Through The Grapevine? Let's fucking gooooooooo!!!!

Ciao sono Lina e questa recensione l’ho scritta io

Brilliant

Standard. This album rocks

The best of Creedence

Næstum því klukkutími af Creedence Clearwater Revival. Er það besta hljómsveit í heimi? Í mínum heimi kemst hún mjög nálægt því, trónir á toppnum í augnablikinu. Ég var í svo miklu stuði við að hlusta og eftir að hafa hlustað. Vrúff!

It's CCR, nothing else needs said.

Makes me feel nostalgic for a time I didn’t get to know. beautiful, incredible mix of rock and funk to bring it all home in the final song of Long As I Can See The Light. Don’t skip a single song!

Great album with a lot of classics

'Ramble Tamble' gets five stars alone.

Best CCR album ever. Great performance by all band members, but John Fogerty is the star here. Ramble Ramble is an absolutely stellar track.

Hot damn, expected to enjoy this one a bit but ended up enjoying it much more than I expected. Knew at least 8 of the 11 songs and really enjoyed most of the ones I didn’t know.

Creedence project with it being full of great songs and brilliant instrumental work.

Loved the live cuts- man what an album!

Incredible album, banger after banger with great variety too 4.5

Chefs kiss

I loved this album without reservation. So much so that I wonder if a family member played this a lot when I was very young or something. Every song hit right this morning. Every song was great, but I found Ramble Tamble was such a great opener for an album full of known hits. I kept imagining how great it must have been to see a live show where they band all hit that tempo change at the same time and downshifted the song, I bet it was electric. I imagine it as the 1970 rock equivalent to a bass drop. Side note, how are these guys from California? I would have laid money on being from the south.

Another CCR album and I really enjoyed this one too. Certainly different, but I like the jam section in Ramble Tamble and the extended Heard It Though the Grapevine. It's an excellent album and it's packed with great CCR songs.

A great title to start, this album had variety and solid tunes top to bottom. I have never listened to a CCR album before, however this one rocked it.

Solid from top to bottom. It was certainly better than other 70s music and the songs are good enough to be played also as a side note

I already knew I really liked CCR's sound but had never listened to a full album by them. This was fantastic. They sound like an older, little more stripped back version of The Black Keys (another great band). Crazy that none of them are from the South and yet they sound like they came straight from the bayou. Love Fogerty's voice, love the slide guitar, love it all.

Plays like a greatest hits record but flows like an album. Hands down best American bands of the 60s

Bit of a guilty pleasure this one. Never a fashionable band, Creedence are nonetheless enjoyable pop. 5/5.

Proper rocknroll. Love the production sound and sound of the room - lots of self-indulgent guitar playing but with these gross gritty tones which make such a style okay. Lots of deliberate quiet in between and dryness, and unbelievable rhythm section grooves. Lots of soul blended in throughout and total energy without needing fuzzes or distortion. Kind of swampy in places. Feels very live yet unbelievably tight - caught off guard by the smooth timing transitions - lots of chemistry.

One of the most fun album I think I've ever listened to. Each song has its own standout moments, and keeps a fun through-line no matter the overall tone of the song. My only complaint is that the songs aren't longer, because I think I could listen to this album for hours. Feels like an essential roadtrip album that can be looped endlessly without ever getting stale. Top tracks: Ramble Tamble, Run Through The Jungle, Who'll Stop The Rain, I Heard It Through The Grapevine

Great album, with unexpected depth if you always knew them as a singles band.

Classic

Eines der besten Alben aller Zeiten!

Fantastic classic album with many hits. My personal favorite song from CCR is on this album (Who'll Stop The Rain), but I also love the cover of IHITTG and Looking Ou My Back Door.

Fuck ja. Heerlijk. Ramble Tamble, Travelin Band, Lookin' out my back door... te veel om op te nemen. En dan heb je die heerlijke versie van I Heard it through the Grapevine. Ik ging zeggen: 60s op z'n best, maar 't is net nog de 70s. 5.0

friggin awesome

Banger after banger. The majority of this album is in the classic rock canon, so I don't have much to say that hasn't already been said. The inconsistent audio mastering of this on Spotify is insane, though.

Amazing! A true classic.

Banger.

Excellent - classic CCR. Adding it to my album search list

Expected this to be the typical cringy hippie blues, but thankfully this was actual quality. Real music, properly played by well-trained musicians. This is truly thoughtfully crafted, equally reverential and influential. Run Through the Jungle is a landmark in American culture. Ramble Tamble alone deserves a revival right about now. And how many punk bands were just imitating Traveling Band? Creedance is the missing link between Little Richard and X-Ray Spex. You can hear so much of this record echoed in several hundred other records on this list. It’s wild. Respect.