Bayou Country is the second album by the band American Creedence Clearwater Revival, released in 1969. This disk will be a before and an after in the career of the group, this being the first of the large array of Creedence Clearwater Revival. The sound becomes more defined and will be much more personal; quite away already shown his first sound work. On the other hand, most of the songs from the group will own compositions and not simple versions of other artists as spent mostly on their first album. The album will define the sound of Creedence, finding here one of the great classics of the Group: “Proud Mary”.
Disco (Bayou Country)
John Fogerty and his band were aware that should draw a good album that critique accept them and sales accompany them. If not this was happening each Member would be forced to lead a normal life, working as they had formerly, and should probably be forgotten music, at least, as a professional. John Fogerty should return to work of cleaner cars in El Cerrito, California, and that he not seemed too attractive idea.
Although the first disc enjoyed a good acceptance, “Susie Q” grazed the Top Ten, members were aware that their second album was the opportunity to earn a reputation for rock. Since then, John Fogerty played relentlessly and began composing what would later be classic, not only of Creedence Clearwater Revival, but rock music.
The merger of all influences that John Fogerty was born this disk. A merger to be covered in this two disc style: rock and Blues, although subsequent disks will show new influences that here still remain hidden. This disc will inspire in the Bo Diddley, passing by the “voice muddy” Mississippi Boogie of Howlin’ Wolf and forgetting to Elvis Presley and Sun Records. This powerful blend born this work, perhaps much less technical and melodic than subsequent disks but with the essence of already fully defined Creedence. What they will do following work shall not be more than give laps on what had already shown on their second album.
Aware of the importance of the disc, the group moved to the famous RCA Studios in Hollywood, where already the Rolling Stones had recorded “Satisfaction”. The album was recorded as if it were a live, i.e. with all members of the band playing at once. John Fogerty finished the album, adding and refined instrumental parts and regards the voice. As anecdote, it must be said that when asked the other members of the Group on “Proud Mary”, they said that John Fogerty was always aware that he had just write the best song of Creedence Clerwater Revival. This assertion was risky for still remained to arrive but with the passage of the years has been great reason already wearing John Fogerty with his prediction.
Finally, these are the words Joel Selvin devoted to new work of Creedence Clearwater Revival in the “San Francisco Chronicle Senier Pop Critic Music”:
“Bayou Country” not only is the album that will define the sound of Creedence, this would become his first masterpiece. With a dry blow, announcing to Creedence Clearwater as a brilliant vital force in rock, beginning to show signs of what was to come.
Below you can read a brief critique of each of the songs of the medical, adding some new pieces that appeared in the Special Edition of the 40th anniversary.
The song which opens the disc is one of the most important group, as well as one of the most famous in the discography of Creedence Clearwater Revival. The song can be grouped in a so-called rock sub-estilo Swamp rock and Creedence dominate masterly, leaving classics style.
“Born on the Bayou” opens with a gentle arpeggio in my seventh repeats until it enters John Fogerty with a powerful cry in the purest style Robert Plant. With a simple chord progression, John Fogerty achieved build this song. The structure is not for anything complex. Of the song are a single parent after the first chorus. The last part of this only will be repeated in others alone less scale of the song, after each of the choruses, mixing with the introduction you will always come to the Sung part. While Tom Fogerty guitar accompanied by giving the song depth and personality. The strength and power that enjoys the song sung at lost in solos, due in large part to the absence of the fury by the voice of Fogerty.
It is worth saying that this will be one of the songs performed by the group, in solo by each Member after dissolved the group, especially by John Fogerty and his band solo. I think that this song is a good example of what is Creedence itself, not only by John Fogerty prints the song, but also by the importance of the rhythmic base, with Stu Cook and Doug Cliffort and which will be a key characteristic of Creedence Clearweater Revival, in the same way that occurs with other bands such as Led Zeppelin or AC/DC sound power.
This song would not so successful as “Born on the Bayou”. Much more leisurely as above, with fewer fury perhaps the introduction is given by an acoustic guitar, which will take the pace during the song while John Fogerty guitar repeats singles trying to imitate the voice by moments guitar solos. Similarly in the previous song, the structure is very simple, being repetitive, especially the chorus with a single short at the end and in the middle of the song.
As in a large number of songs, pace leading the battery is also quite simple, but prints a special character to the music of Creedence, in the same way as bass.
This song belongs to one of these experiments carried out by the Group California, sometimes with more failure than success. This song belongs to typical songs such at the time, where mixed large doses of improvisation and experimentation. For this particular case, the voice of John Fogerty still sounding as personal and powerful but with a much less pronounced rhythm that were always, in “Born on the Bayou”, for example. With a simple rhythmic structure which is repeated throughout the song and that sometimes it becomes something repetitive and tired, bass and drums, song hook rests with solos that becoming Fogerty and the voice of this, as always, a new record, less rock and more bluesy staff.
More or less around the middle of the song appears a new instrument is, not only in this song will sound much more rural and deep music of Creedence and harmonica. Notably John Fogerty running with the harmonica. Without being a great virtuoso is desencuelve with unusual ease, always according to the music and the rhythm of the song. The rest of song will be very similar to what already Fogerty hábía shown at the beginning of the piece. Pace of bass and drums, with the same structure of solo guitar and voice.
Is this song a version of one of the classic 1950s; most high-profile Rock & Roll more specifically one of the great rock artists such as Little Richard. Version that makes Creedence song shows us in part the origins of the band, some not only sources linked to the country, but also rock & Roll logins. John Fogerty copes easily fraseando fast lyrics of the song, in the purest style Little Richard, showing Creedence singer easy to interpret songs of that style.
The song starts with a penetrating that in a few seconds will step to the entrance of the voice of John Fogerty guitar riff. This repeated brief solos during the song, having one that displays much more power and summarise aspects of guitar rock; something, this last, showing John Fogerty throughout his career: his easy to synthesize aspects of different styles and display it in its purest essence. Here collate parts where the instrumentation will make a few brief stops to give even more prominence to the voice of John Fogerty, protagonist in this song.
A Blues-Rock fledged. With this song Creedence displays its ease and his mastery of this style. John Fogerty vocals on this song becomes exciting, printing large doses of power, something to which we have already come. Some worthy to be analyzed by the feelings which reflect both its gripper lead vocal shouts are seen in this song.
In turn, rhythm that carries out the battery of its own drummer stage Creedence, simplicity will be much more powerful, approaching baterístas much more rock and leaving aside the simplistic, but by no means less exciting than the of other more technical, which sometimes become monotonous and boring style.
For its part, John Fogerty, which was not given nor to alone stratospheric and much less technically gifted than other guitarists of his time as Jimmy Page or Duane Allman, displays your domain in this song by phrasing Blues, with some stunning and penetrating phrases, adding to this the creative use of blues scales. Even so, only happens constantly be a cluster of repeated notes and occasionally may seem repetitive. Nevertheless we must stop we deceive since John Fogerty prints large doses of nature, not only with the voice, but with the sound of your guitar on the song. Possibly, is that an opinion is this one of the most creative, powerful and angry in the discography of the band songs and, if not the best one of the best songs on the album.
Regarding the structure of the song, it is clearly exposed and it is quite simple and repetitive, without too many flourishes, something very own of Creedence discography.
Possibly reach the great classic of the discography of Creedence. John Fogerty, in particular, was a creator of hits and songs which have become history and not just American popular music. This is probably the clearest example, a song which summarizes much Creedence spirit and its way of understanding music and composition.
As the vast majority of the Group’s songs, this song is one of many with a simple structure without too many flourishes. With a rhythm section quite simple and built in no more than 5 chords, the refrain is extremely catchy and the voice of John Fogerty runs some mythical places of americana, counting comics belonging to known American culture than geography. John Fogerty guitar role is secondary, highlighting only the single and some licks carried out in certain parts of the song.
It is not difficult to understand why the success of the song. Apart from having been covered by many other musicians, if we add a pleasant melody to its simple structure will give the key for a song with skills for power success ahead of a mainstream thing happened. It may be this success also due to that the song was much more melodic than other songs from this album as, for example, “Born on the Bayou”.
This is the song which closes the album. Belongs to the same group as “Graveyard Train”, i.e. to that group of experimental songs and long-term liked Creedence members.
Just as happened with “Graveyard Train”, the structure is very simple and repetitive, especially as regards the drums and bass. Also here a harmonica, as I said in “Graveyard Train” prints depth and gives traditional aspects to music. The pace is more or less equally paused that in “Graveyard Train”, although there is much more space for improvisation, both guitar (seen with some solos performed by John Fogerty during the song) and harmonica. Clearly is a song made for the direct, very played by Creedence in concert, as it gives flexibility to the group to show some instrumentísticos skills and gives rise to long improvisations, which already had become fashionable groups like The Allman Brothers Band or Cream, being these latter groups much more technically gifted that Creedence.
Preserves this song the same structure as the original disc released in 1968. Even so, join here some innovative elements and other arrangements which give the piece a new personality. Acoustic guitar continues to open the song while John Fogerty guitar set with Bluesy alone. The voice of John Fogerty still ringing as penetrating and personal with a chorus that sometimes becomes somewhat repetitive. It is said that in this alternative “take” more arrays, vowels as instrumentísticos. In the voice of John, this becomes much more poignant in improvisation carried out more or less around the middle of the song, where passes more than to sing, to sing along to the lyrics. Soon there will be time for a single not found in the original song. As regards the duration, Creedence lengthens in just over two minutes this version.
This fine example of what is a live Creedence Clearwater Revival. Though the sound is much more in the grtabaciones what logic on the other hand, the song will not lose the claw, personality, and the power of the original. Fogerty voice sounds much less clean and much less treated this as a direct instruments, gives the feeling of a sound old and countryside.
The structure that follows this live in the city of London is the same that the structure of the original song without flourishes or improvisations. As previously had said, “Born on the Bayou” is a song very performed by Creedence, and this is the song that opened many of his concerts, both by its fury character, becoming a song aperitif to lift and encourage the public.
John Fogerty guitar sounds much more wild than in the original recording, as well as the drummer Stu. If we add to this that the song is a direct and time recording techniques that were much less specialized than the current, leaves us with this song. Atmosféricamente is displayed as it is a classic one of the great American late 1960s and early 1970s rock bands.
Another classic Creedence touched up satiety in almost all the waves that would do in its short history as a group. The pace of this song is more accelerated, and in the same way that happens in the direct of “Born on the Bayou”, the sound is much more rugged and dirty that in the original, noticing is here more than in the previous song. During the song electric guitar John is something heavy with that so repetitive overdrive. Also get the feeling this live song becomes much less melodic addition to Fogerty voice sounds tired and going to tow trailer music, something rare in the songs of Creedence.
Regards the structure of the song, this is exactly like the original, without any form of improvisation. This is a live fast, concise and accurate, no place for the long improvisations and flourishes, sometimes useless.
This “take” belongs to a live at The Fillmore. It is simply a blues & rock improvised, where the bass and drums are a pace during the song, with some modifications, while John Fogerty guitar improvised blues over the rhythmic base phrases. Acoustic Tom, as it will in almost all the songs from the group, simply accompany you while his brother improvises.
Stu Clifford drums in the song execution is much more rude and less melodic, most featuring dishes, thing that prints a character very dragged to the song. Note running John Fogerty megistral harmonica, this instrument which will provide a special status to all that southern traditional American music. Without being a Big Walter Horton or a Larry Adler, Fogerty copes with rare freshness with this instrument, following the rhythm of the song at all times. The rest of the song will be more of the same, alone Bluesy Bajo-batería, rhythm based on which shows that the Group also is thrived in parts no vowels, just improvising. We can not get trick, John Fogerty becomes here a great executor blues, at the altitude of Allen Collins, Eric Clapton and Peter Green in Blues improvisation.