It is difficult for me to put an album on my top 100 list produced, arranged, sang and played by one of
Music’s most hated men (John Fogerty), but such is the power of great music.
The album starts with a kick in the balls as “Ramble Tamble” announced to the world that the “Peace and Love” movement is officially over and we are entering a new era of protest. Next on the Menu is their rendition of Bo Diddley’s 1957 “Before You Accuse Me” descending the group into a swampy, muddy, dirty blues rock which will define an era and just when you have settled into what you think is something you can grasp the album takes a boogie woogie right turn with Stu Cook walking the bass like you would a dog on a Sunday’s beach stroll. Side 1 finishes its magical trip with “Lookin’ Out My Backdoor” confirming that CCR had courage to sell as NOBODY would put such a hit LAST on a Side A.
But the joke is on us listeners as Side B is quite possibly one of Rock’s most iconic B sides of all time with hit after hit of unforgettable tunes.
As hateful a man as Fogerty was and is one hears his voice and immediately perceives his anger, his rebelliousness and of course his musical genius. Hailing from California CCR transformed themselves into a Southern Rock group and forever became the flag for an entire generation and Cosmo’s Factory is and will remain solidly in my top 100 list of albums to hear back to front and an album that has endured 5 decades of endless listening.
On a personal note, this album also contains the last song that I hope is played for me “Long As I Can See The Light”. In Italian we have an adjective “Straziante”, well, under a dictionary they should put the definition of Straziante as “Long As I Can See The Light”.
Hateful but great.