193. Creedence Clearwater Revival, "Willy and the Poor Boys"

 


In a two-year burst from 1969 to 1970 that has rarely or never been equalled in modern-day music, Creedence Clearwater Revival put out five albums, all of which yielded multiple hit songs, some of which became so elemental to the canon that they are now part of the American fabric.  This album fell about in the middle of that stretch.  Released in November 1969, three months after Green River and eight months before Cosmo's Factory, it has iconic songs like "Down on the Corner" (from whence the title comes), "Midnight Special" (by that old favorite, "Trad.," arranged by John Fogerty here) and "Fortunate Son."  

"Son" is, of course, an antiwar anthem that went to #3 in December 1969, at the height of the Vietnam War, and is IMO one of the greatest songs in rock history.  Fogerty's lyrics still resonate today:

Yeah, some folks inherit star-spangled eyes
They send you down to war
And when you ask 'em, "How much should we give?"
They only answer, "More, more, more"
It ain't me, it ain't me
I ain't no military son, son
It ain't me, it ain't me
I ain't no fortunate one, one

Sadly, "Fortunate Son" later appeared in a commercial for Wrangler jeans.


This unfortunate turn of events came about because Fogerty signed away his rights to the songs to Fantasy Records, which then licensed them all over the place.  (In a somewhat amazing turn of events, when Wrangler learned that Fogerty was displeased, they pulled the ad.)

The lesser-known songs on this record are just as good.  "It Came Out of the Sky" has that classic CCR sound and tells the story of a farmer who finds a UFO in his backyard.  "Side O' The Road" is a blues instrumental, while "Effigy," the album closer, is a slow, lengthy dirge about popular opposition to Nixon rising across the country.

I can't leave without talking about the cover, which was shot at the Duck Kee Market at the corner of Hollis and Peralta in Oakland.  The market was still open and operational until 1998.  Soon after it closed, someone stole the iconic sign from in front of the building; as far as I can tell, it's never been found.  The space is now completely nondescript; it was apparently a photgraphy studio/event space for a while, but now I have no idea.


Just like Creedence, nothing lasts forever.

Does this album deserve to be in the Top 500? No question.

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