Creedence Clearwater Revival
Cosmo's Factory

THE REVIEW

The fifth album by Creedence Clearwater Revival, the most successful band of the late '60s in America, was released in 1970, and it was immediately hailed as a “milestone.”

In the album's 11 tracks, John Fogerty and company reach the peak of their career, not only for the beauty of all the songs but for the mastery with which they reinterpret, update, and enhance the legacy of the fathers of rock 'n' roll.

“Cosmo's factory” (named after the drummer’s nickname, Doug “Cosmo” Clifford) is a true factory of hits: from their renditions—not just mere covers—of “Before you accuse me” by Bo Diddley and “Ooby Dooby” by Roy Orbison, where they show their admiration for the early rock, to the originals by guitarist-singer-factotum John Fogerty, “Who’ll stop the rain,” “Run through the jungle,” “Long as I can see the light,” all songs that tell stories of the Vietnam War.

However, two songs stand out above the rest, bearing witness to the vein of a band that made rock 'n' roll their sole manifesto in a time when everything was being politicized: “Travelin’ band” is a brisk and rhythmic romp, while the torrential cover of “I heard it through the grapevine,” already a hit by Marvin Gaye, deserves its own place in rock history: 11 minutes of exceptional musical virtuosity, where bassist Stu Cook's riff competes in skill with Cosmo's drumming, while John Fogerty scratches in the background with his unmistakable voice, 11 minutes that alone secure Creedence's place among the rock eternals.

42 fundamental minutes in rock history, an indispensable album for a group that didn’t love labels, divistic attitudes, or rock star poses, but solely focused on the substance of their music, a group considered essential to their musical development by figures of the caliber of Keith Richards, Bruce Springsteen, John Mellencamp... judge for yourselves...