All of these reissues were so critically acclaimed upon their release some 10 years back. And most have been sold out for a long, long time. Now they're back and better than ever!

 

Unquestionably one of the greatest American rock bands ever, Creedence Clearwater Revival will best be remembered for their unique bayou sound popularized in songs like "Proud Mary" and "Green River." Although their music evoked the raw, gospel-tinged sound of the rural South, Doug Clifford, Stu Cook, and Tom and John Fogerty actually hailed from El Cerrito, California, a small town near Berkeley. 

 

The 1968 release of the band's debut album Creedence Clearwater Revival paralleled the flowering of the San Francisco music scene, but the Creedence phenomenon had little in common with the "San Francisco Sound." That first LP contained rock standards such as Dale Hawkins's "Susie Q" and Screamin' Jay Hawkins' "I Put a Spell on You," as well as original material by John Fogerty, who was to emerge as one of rock's most influential songwriters.

 

With the release of their second album, Bayou Country, which was home to such classics as “Proud Mary” and “Born on the Bayou,” it became evident that Creedence had an uncanny knack for writing hits. Third album Green River and songs like "Bad Moon Rising" and the title track and fourth album Willy and the Poor Boys and cuts like "Down On The Corner" and "Fortunate Son" propelled the band even further towards greatness.

  

Fifth album Cosmo's Factory, the name drummer Doug "Cosmo" Clifford gave CCR's rehearsal studio because so many hits were created there, lived up to its namesake in spades. Cosmo’s Factory was the fourth and biggest of the string of five Top 10 albums CCR released in 1969 and 1970. Featured here are staples like “Travelin’ Band,” “Lookin’ Out My Back Door,” “Who’ll Stop the Rain,” and “Run Through the Jungle.” 

 

After four years of nearly nonstop performing CCR had become the number one American rock and roll attraction and they sound as polished and tight as ever on their criminally underrated sixth album Pendulum (1970). Of the two hit singles from the release, "Hey Tonight" and "Have You Ever Seen The Rain," the latter's slower ballad format clearly suggests that the band was exploring new styles, including a developing emphasis on instrumentals. With this swing of the Pendulum the creative tasks would in the future also be shared by all members of the group for the first time.