The debut album by Creedence, dated 1968, is an album marked by the fusion of various genres and openness to certain elements that would fully develop in the following years; it doesn't lack the usual splendid and captivating covers of classic rhythm & blues and soul.

"I put a spell on you" adapts a Hawkins piece, marking a clear transition from r&b to rock and precedes the stunning electric and working-class progression of "The Working Man", which in my opinion is one of the group's most beautiful songs. "Susie Q" is a classic that reinterprets a 1956 track in a decidedly psychedelic way and approaches certain atmospheres of the Grateful Dead, while the other cover by Cropper and Wilson Pickett "Ninety-Nine and a Half" showcases the leader's sonic and interpretive abilities.

"Get Down Woman" and "Porterville" draw heavily from the blues tradition and the latter, in particular, can be classified as a frontier roots-rock track. "Gloomy" and its acid-rock drive represent, alongside "The Working Man", the compositional heights of an album surprisingly cohesive, as demonstrated by the closing track "Walk On The Water" which stands out for its phenomenal final electric crescendos.

A truly unmissable album for lovers of rock'n'roll and its crossovers from the origins (or almost).

Tracklist Lyrics and Videos

01   I Put a Spell on You (04:33)

I put a spell on you
Because you're mine.
You better stop
The things that you're doin'.
I said "Watch out!"
I ain't lyin', yeah!
I ain't gonna take none of your
Foolin' around;
I ain't gonna take none of your
Puttin' me down;
I put a spell on you
Because you're mine.
All right!
(repeat 1x)

02   The Working Man (03:05)

Well, I was born on a Sunday; On Thursday I had me a job.
I was born on a Sunday; By Thursday I was workin' out on the job.
I ain't never had no day off since I learned right from wrong.

Mama said I was bad, I did something to her head.
Mama said I was bad, I did something to her head.
And poppa threw me out, ooh, said, I gotta earn my own way.

CHORUS:
I ain't never been in trouble;
I ain't got the time.
I don't mess around with magic, child.
What I got is mine.

Whatever you say, Lord, well, that's what I'm gonna do.
Whatever you say, well, that's what I'm gonna do.
'Cause I'm the Working Man, Lord, and I do the job for you.

CHORUS

Every Friday, well, that's when I get paid.
Don't take me on Friday, Lord, 'cause that's when I get paid.
Let me die on Saturday night, ooh, before Sunday gets my head.

03   Suzie Q (08:39)

Oh, Susie Q, Oh, Susie Q,
Oh, Susie Q, Baby I love you, Susie Q.

I like the way you walk, I like the way you talk;
I like the way you walk, I like the way you talk, Susie Q.

Well, say that you'll be true, well, say that you'll be true,
Well, say that you'll be true, and never leave me blue, Susie Q.

Well, say that you'll be mine, well, say that you'll be mine,
Well, say that you'll be mine, baby all the time, Susie Q.

Who Do True Two You Blue Who (*)

Oh Susie Q, Oh Susie Q,
Oh Susie Q, Baby I love you, Susie Q.

I like the way you walk, I like the way you talk,
I like the way you walk, I like the way you talk, Susie Q.

Oh Susie Q, Oh susie Q,
Oh Susie Q, Baby I love you, Susie Q.

04   Ninety‐Nine and a Half (Won’t Do) (03:40)

05   Get Down Woman (03:10)

06   Porterville (02:23)

It's been an awful long time since I been home,
But you won't catch me goin' back down there alone.
Things they said when I was young are quite enough to get me hung.
I don't care! I don't care!

They came and took my Dad away to serve some time,
But it was me that paid the debt he left behind.
Folks said I was full of sin, because I was the next of kin.
I don't care! I don't care!

Oo-oo-oo-oo-oo-oo-oo-oo!
I don't care! I don't care!

Folks were out one night to put me up a fence,
And you can guess that I've been runnin' ever since.
Ain't no one that's 'bout to help, and I'll keep on, I tell myself.
I don't care! I don't care!

I don't care! I don't care!
I don't care! I don't care!

Ain't no one that's 'bout to help,
And I'll keep on, I tell myself.
I don't care! I don't care!
I don't care! I don't care!
I don't care! I don't care!
I don't care! I don't care!
I don't care! I don't care!

07   Gloomy (03:50)

Some people laugh in the dark,
Some people cry alone.
Some people talk without sayin' a thing,
And ev'rything turns out Gloomy.

Some people count your money,
Someone is countin' your days.
And Somebody got to keep track of your mind.
When ev'rything turns out Gloomy.

Brothers'll make you look sideways,
Fathers'll make you look back.
And when you're done talking, you still got to shoot,
Cause ev'rything turns out Gloomy.

Ooooooh! Ooooooh!

08   Walk on the Water (04:39)

Late last night, I went for a walk,
Down by the river near my home.
Couldn't believe, with my own eyes,
And I swear Ill never leave my home again.

I saw a man walking on the water.
Coming right at me from the other side.
Calling out my name; do not be afraid.
Feet begin to run, pounding in my brain;
I dont want to go; I dont want to go.

No, no, no, no, no...
I dont want to go.
Mmmmmmm...

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