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- Date Released: November 1, 1969
- Genre: Rock/Pop
- Style: Rock
- Label: Fantasy Records / Concord
Creedence's masterpiece is as relevant now as during the Vietnam War.
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We Say...
John Fogerty once named Creedence Clearwater Revival's second album, Green River, his favorite, and why not? It was home to "Bad Moon Rising" and "Lodi" as well as the hit title track. But for many, it's the third album, Willy and the Poor Boys, that's worn best. It was preceded to the record stores by a hit single, "Down on the Corner," with "Fortunate Son" on the flip side. (Remember those?) While "Corner" was a joyous celebration of being a band, "Fortunate Son" was truly a "flip," a searing reminder that the heaviest human costs of the Vietnam War were being borne mostly by lower and middle-class men, guys who didn't get into college, where they could avoid the military draft. These songs were pure reflections of Creedence, who came from modest means, and who didn't shy from military service themselves. Fogerty, a genius songwriter, also mined his love of roots music with "Feelin' Blue" and covers of Leadbelly's "The Midnight Special" and "Cotton Fields." Fun stuff. A case can be made for any of Creedence's first four albums as their best. Willy is right in there, and a lasting testament to the talents of Fogerty, rhythm guitarist Tom Fogerty, bassist Stu Cook and drummer Doug Clifford.
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They Say...
Make no mistake, Willy & the Poor Boys is a fun record, perhaps the breeziest album CCR ever made. Apart from the eerie minor-key closer "Effigy" (one of John Fogerty's most haunting numbers), there is little of the doom that colored Green River. Fogerty's rage remains, blazing to the forefront on "Fortunate Son," a working-class protest song that cuts harder than any of the explicit Vietnam protest songs of the era, which is one of the reasons that it hasn't aged where its peers have. Also, there's that unbridled vocal from Fogerty and the ferocious playing on CCR, which both sound fresh as they did upon release. "Fortunate Son" is one of the greatest, hardest rock & rollers ever cut, so it might seem to be out of step with an album that is pretty laid-back and friendly, but there's that elemental joy that by late '69 was one of CCR's main trademarks. That joy runs throughout the album, from the gleeful single "Down on the Corner" and the lazy jugband blues of "Poorboy Shuffle" through the great slow blues jam "Feelin' Blue" to the great rockabilly spiritual "Don't Look Now," one of Fogerty's overlooked gems. The covers don't feel like throwaways, either, since both "Cotton Fields" and "The Midnight Special" have been overhauled to feel like genuine CCR songs. It all adds up to one of the greatest pure rock & roll records ever cut.
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| 01. |  |
Down On The Corner |
2:46 |
|
| 02. | |
It Came Out Of The Sky |
2:55 |
|
| 03. | |
Cotton Fields |
2:57 |
|
| 04. | |
Poorboy Shuffle |
2:24 |
|
| 05. | |
Feelin' Blue |
5:06 |
|
| 06. | |
Fortunate Son |
2:20 |
|
| 07. | |
Don't Look Now |
2:11 |
|
| 08. | |
Midnight Special |
4:13 |
|
| 09. | |
Side O' The Road |
3:24 |
|
| 10. | |
Effigy |
6:27 |
|
| 11. | |
Fortunate Son [Live in Manchester] |
2:15 |
|
| 12. | |
It Came Out Of The Sky [Live in Berlin] |
3:27 |
|
| 13. | |
Down On The Corner [Jam with Booker T.] |
2:48 |
|
13 Total Tracks, 43:13 Total Length
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Credits
- Creedence Clearwater Revival - Main Performer // John Fogerty - Guitar // John Fogerty - Arranger // John Fogerty - Vocals // John Fogerty - Producer // Doug Clifford - Bass // Doug Clifford - Drums // Tom Fogerty - Guitar // Tom Fogerty - Guitar (Rhythm) // Tom Fogerty - Vocals // Stu Cook - Bass // Stu Cook - Drums // Russ Gary - Engineer // Russ Gary - Mixing // Ed Ward - Liner Notes // Kevin Gray - Mastering // Kevin Gray - CD Preparation // Marcia McGovern - Pre-Production // Roberta Ballard - Production Manager // Shigeo Miyamoto - Mastering // Steve Hoffman - Mastering // Tamaki Beck - Mastering Supervisor // Basul Parik - Photography // Basul Parik - Cover Art // Basul Parik - Cover Photo // Basul Parik - Tray Photo
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