Creedence Clearwater Revival
Bayou Country
[40th Anniversary Edition]
(Fantasy)
First Appeared in The Music Box, November 2008, Volume 15, #11
Written by John Metzger
Wed November 5, 2008, 06:30 AM CST
There is no doubt that Bayou Country, the sophomore set from San Francisco’s Creedence Clearwater Revival, was an uneven affair. At the same time, though, it also was a marked improvement over the group’s self-titled debut. It all began with a guitar riff, too — a sinewy, ominous, winding pattern of notes that immediately conjured black, swampy waters filled with alligators and cypress trees. Born on the Bayou, the outing’s leading track, essentially was an extension of the jam-tastic, Southern soul and blues assault that Creedence Clearwater Revival had applied to Suzie Q, with one notable exception: Where the latter tune had been penned by Louisiana songwriter Dale Hawkins, Born on the Bayou was written by Creedence Clearwater Revival’s front man John Fogerty. This made all of the difference in the world.
Three other cuts from Bayou Country also immediately earned their status as certifiable classics: Proud Mary layered the first of many infectious melodies that sprang from Fogerty’s pen on top of a chugging rhythm, and the result effectively captured the aura of a paddlewheel steamboat sailing on the mighty Mississippi. It also singlehandedly cemented Creedence Clearwater Revival’s standing as a major commercial force. Elsewhere, Bootleg subtly intertwined Allen Toussaint’s Working in a Coal Mine with the acoustic undercurrents of the Everly Brothers, while simultaneously adding a healthy dose of biting blues flavor for good measure. Similarly, with its buzzing harmonica and stinging guitar accompaniments, the explosive intensity of Keep on Chooglin’ brought the outing to a rousing conclusion.
Bayou Country lost its direction, however, with the three songs that Creedence Clearwater Revival had tucked into the center of the endeavor. The lumbering groove of Graveyard Train, for example, never managed to rise above its hybridized influences of the Grateful Dead and The Doors. Penthouse Pauper was a solid soul and blues workout, but it, too, felt slight in comparison with Bayou Country’s better moments. Although the band’s rendition of Good Golly Miss Molly was an uproariously good time, it paled in comparison to Little Richard’s well-known version.
The 40th anniversary edition of Bayou Country has been
augmented with four additional cuts. The weakest of these is an alternate
rendition of Bootleg that meanders aimlessly. Both Born on the Bayou
and Proud Mary were recorded on Creedence Clearwater Revival’s tour of
Europe in September 1971, but the band sounded a little tired of performing both
tunes. Crazy Otto is an extended, hard-edged blues jam that was culled
from a hometown show held two-and-a-half years earlier. Although it provides an
interesting side note, it neither alters nor reinforces the perspective that
Creedence Clearwater Revival presented with the endeavor. The band had grown up,
but it wasn’t quite ready to stand on its own. Nevertheless, the boost in
confidence that it received after Proud Mary became a smash success was
enough to push Creedence Clearwater Revival onto a much higher plane of
existence, which it fully embraced on its subsequent album Green River. 
½
Of Further Interest...
Ray Charles - Ray: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
Creedence Clearwater Revival - Willy and the Poor Boys
Creedence Clearwater Revival - Cosmo's Factory
Grateful Dead - Dick's Picks, Volume 26: April 26-27, 1969
Bayou Country is available
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Ratings
1 Star: Pitiful
2 Stars: Listenable
3 Stars: Respectable
4 Stars: Excellent
5 Stars: Can't Live Without It!!
Copyright © 2008 The Music Box