Photo: Fantasy Records, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Our Creedence Clearwater Revival albums list takes a look at one of the all time great American Rock and roll bands that just about everyone loved. The band’s origins go back to 1959 and the member’s junior high school days in a band called the Blue Velvets. At the time, John Fogerty, Doug Clifford and Stu Cook were playing together in a junior high school band playing mostly instrumentals. Eventually, John Fogerty’s older brother Tom Fogerty would join the group. While they were still teens the group signed a record deal with Fantasy Records in 1964. The group’s name was changed to The Golliwogs. As the Vietnam War began, John Fogerty and Stu Cook found themselves drafted into the U.S. Armed Forces.
In 1967, Fantasy Records was sold to an man named Saul Zaentz. The new owner brought the band into the studio to record their first full length studio album. At the time, the group decided to change their name from the Golliwogs to Creedence Clearwater Revival. The idea for the name stemmed from three different sources. A friend named Creedence Newball, a television commercial for a brewing company in which Clearwater came from, and the fact that the band was being revived from signing a deal with Fantasy.
In 1968, Creedence Clearwater Revivalreleased their first album simply titled Creedence Clearwater Revival. The album contained songs that the band had released and recorded as the Golliwogs. The two biggest hits on the album were cover songs including “I Put A Spell On You,” by Screamin Jay Hawkins and “Suzie Q,” by Dale Hawkins, Eleanor Broadwater and Stanley Lewis. The legend of Creedence Clearwater Revivalhad begun.
Creedence Clearwater Revival followed up their debut album a year later with the album Bayou County in 1969. That same year, the band released two more albums entitled Green River and Willy and The Poor Boys. In one year, the band had released three albums that all broke in to the top 10 of the Billboard Top 200. All three albums were monster hits and huge sellers with each title going two to three times platinum in sales over time. There are not many bands in history that have released three top 10 albums in the same year.
After celebrating a year in which the group released three spectacular albums, Creedence Clearwater Revivalcame roaring back the following year in 1970 and released what many fans believe was their best album in the record Cosmo’s Factory. Six months later Creedence Clearwater Revivalreleased their sixth album entuited Pendulum. Creedence Clearwater Revivalhad released six amazing rock records in a span of only two years.
While the band was celebrating so much success, there were also tensions in the band that were getting worse. Band members believed that John Fogerty had become too dominant of a force. John Fogerty argued that it was his talents alone that had made Creedence Clearwater Revival a hit making machine. The conflicts would result in John’s older brother Tom Fogerty leaving the band. In 1972, Creedence Clearwater Revivalreleased their final album as a trio minus Tom Fogerty entitled Mardi Gras. The album was slammed by critics and many fans. It was the band’s weakest album of their career. In 1972, Creedence Clearwater Revivalbroke up forever.
For a two year to three year period, Creedence Clearwater Revivalwas one of the biggest bands in the world on a level of The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and The Beach Boys. They were indeed far bigger in the United States than they were anywhere else. Their music has continued to sell and their songs define an era of protests and war alongside Bob Dylan. They were foir a time as big of a part of mass culture as they were pop culture.
# 7 – Mardi Gras
We open up our Creedence Clearwater Revival albums list with the band’s final album entitled Mardi Gras. The album hit the stores on April 11, 1972. Like we wrote in the introduction, Mardi Gras was the band’s weakest album on many fronts. Even John Fogerty has been quoted as saying it was a weak album. Looking back, it’s still a fun rock and roll record, it just did not compare to the first six. The album did spawn one hit single in the track “Sweet Hitch Hiker.”
# 6 – Creedence Clearwater Revival
At number six on our Creedence Clearwater Revival albums list is the band’s debut album Creedence Clearwater Revival. The album was issued on May 28, 1968. It was a short album only containing seven tracks. Additionally, three out of the seven songs were cover songs including “Suzie Q,” written by Dale Hawkins, Eleanor Broadwater and Stanley Lewis, “I Put A Spell On You,” composed by Screamin Jay Hawkins and “Ninety-Nine and a Half (Won’t Do)” written by the Stax r&b rock legends Steve Cropper, Eddie Floyd andWilson Pickett. Our favorite song on the album was actually released as the LP’s first single and first ever Creedence Clearwater Revival single entitled “Porterville.” Even though it did not chart, it stands as one of the band’s best singles and is simply one of their most underrated songs.
# 5 – Pendulum
Pendulum stands as the last great Creedence Clearwater Revival album. The record was released on December 9, 1970. The album contains some of our all time favorite Creedence Clearwater Revival songs in the tracks “Have You Seen The Rain,” and “Hey Tonight,” which were both top 10 hits on the Billboard Hot 100. The album itself broke into the Billboard top 200 albums charts peaking at number five. It did really well in Norway and Austria where it hit number one on those countries’ album charts.
# 4 – Bayou Country
Continuing with our Creedence Clearwater Revival albums list we present the great Creedence Clearwater Revival album entitled Bayou Country. The album was released on January 5th 1969. The Bayou Country album was a major breakthrough record for Creedence Clearwater Revival. It would become the band’s first top 10 album. It would also begin a year in which the group released three special albums. Sales of Bayou County were fueled by what would become one the biggest hits of their career in the single “Proud Mary.” written by John Fogerty. The song would hit number two on the Billboard Hot 100. The song would also celebrate massive commercial success when Ike and Tina Turner had a huge hit with the song in 1972.
Creedence Clearwater Revival would go on to have multiple number two records on the Billboard Hot 100 but were never able to celebrate a number one on the U.S. Billboard top 100.
Bayou Countrywas a great rock album and a much stronger effort than their debut album. The album’s opening track “Born On The Bayou,” would become a Creedence Clearwater Revival classic. The album contained some great deep track such as “Graveyard Train” and “Penthouse Pauper. Other favorites included the great recording “Keep On Chooglin’” which closed out the album and the record’s only cover song entitled “Good Golly Miss Molly,” written by Little Richard.
# 3 – Willy And The Poor Boys
Every one of these Creedence Clearwater Revival albums on this list just keeps getting better. Up next is the legendary Creedence Clearwater Revival album Willy And The Poor Boys which was released on November 2, 1969. The album followed up their huge album Green River. Willy And The Poor Boys contained some really big time Creedence Clearwater Revival songs including the best Vietnam War protest song of all time in the track “Fortunate Son.” The album opened with what become another classic in “Down Around The Corner,” as well as containing the song “Midnight Special.” Willy And The Poor Boyshit number three on the Billboard Top 200 and has since sold two million copies.
# 2 – Green River
In the number two spot on our Creedence Clearwater Revival albums is the band’s third album entitled Green River. The Green River album stood in the middle of the big three Creedence Clearwater Revival albums that were released in 1969. The album was released on August 3rd 1969. It would become Creedence Clearwater Revival’s first number one album on the U.S. Billboard Top 200 albums charts. The album has since sold three million copies making it their second biggest selling album of their career. The album spawned two top 10 hits in the songs “Bad Moon Rising” and “Green River.” A third single entitled “Lodi,” peaked at number 52 on the Billboard Hot 100.
# 1 – Cosmo’s Factory
We close out our Creedence Clearwater Revival albums with the band’s most successful and extremely legendary album. The Creedence Clearwater Revival album Cosmo’s Factory was released on July 16th 1970. Cosmo’s Factory would become Creedence Clearwater Revival’s second album to hit number one on the U.S. Billboard Top 200. The album also hit number one in multiple countries around the world including the United Kingdom making it their most successful album also on the international stage.
Cosmo’s Factory included the largest assortment of Creedence Clearwater Revival songs that would define their legendary status. Multiple top 10 singles were released from the album including the songs “Travelin’ Band,” “Who’ll Stop the Rain,” “Up Around the Bend,” “Run Through the Jungle,” “Lookin’ Out My Back Door,” and “Long as I Can See the Light.” This was easily the band’s masterpiece as it also stands as one of the greatest albums ever released in classic rock history.
Creedence Clearwater Revival Albums Ranked article published on Classic RockHistory.com© 2021
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FAQs
What was CCR best selling album? ›
1976's Chronicle remains CCR's best-selling album, representing the incredible creative output of John Fogerty, Tom Fogerty, Doug Clifford and Stu Cook over a very short period of time. The collection continues to resonate with fans, four decades later.
Did CCR outsell The Beatles? ›At its peak, in 1969 and '70, Creedence outsold The Beatles at a time when the world seemed to revolve around The Beatles. In 1969 alone, CCR released three hit albums and had four hugely successful singles, an accomplishment that would double as a career for many bands.
Did CCR ever have a #1 song? ›But for all their success with those John Fogerty–penned classics, CCR never held the No. 1 spot on the Hot 100. All of those hits were No. 2s: a Billboard chart record they hold to this day, for most No.
Where does CCR rank? ›Creedence Clearwater Revival is ranked number 115 in the overall artist rankings with a total rank score of 20,775. Members: If a member has never released a solo album, or their solo albums do not appear on BEA, they will not be able to be listed as a member.
What is the #1 album of all time? ›Michael Jackson's Thriller, estimated to have sold 70 million copies worldwide, is the best-selling album ever. Jackson also currently has the highest number of albums on the list with five, Celine Dion has four, while the Beatles, Pink Floyd, Madonna and Whitney Houston each have three.
What is considered the greatest album ever? ›The Beatles' 1967 album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band topped the list, with Rolling Stone's editors describing it as "the most important rock 'n' roll album ever made". The Beach Boys' Pet Sounds (1966) was ranked second in recognition of its influence on Sgt. Pepper.
Who has more #1 hits than the Beatles? ›The King of Pop, Michael Jackson, topped the charts 13 times. This is just as a solo artist — Jackson had even more as part of his childhood band, The Jackson 5. But as a solo artist, he had 13 No.
Who outsold the Beatles? ›In a decade that produced countless hits for The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Elvis Presley, Tom Jones, Frank Sinatra, Cliff Richard and many more, Ken Dodd's track outsold them all – except for two songs by The Beatles: She Loves You and I Want to Hold Your Hand, both released in 1963.
Who sold more than the Beatles? ›Perhaps unsurprisingly, British rock band The Beatles are top of the list for best-selling artists worldwide, with 183 million units certified sales. Second is Garth Brooks with over 157 million units sales, followed by Elvis Presley with 139 million units.
Who has the most #2 hits without a #1? ›Creedence Clearwater Revival
The group has the most No. 2-peaking hits without a No. 1: five. They reached the runner-up slot with “Proud Mary,” “Bad Moon Rising,” “Green River,” “Travelin' Band/Who'll Stop the Rain” and “Lookin' Out My Back Door/Long As I Can See the Light.”
What is the easiest CCR song to play on guitar? ›
“bad moon rising” by creedence clearwater revival. This is a fun, bluesy type song that has a very simple chord progression. This uses the chords D, A, G in the progression that goes D | A | G | D and then adds a G major chord in the beginning when you get to the part in the chorus of “Don't go around tonight…”
Is CCR the greatest band of all time? ›Creedence Clearwater Revival are unquestionably one of the greatest American rock bands ever, for many they are the quintessential rock band with a roots edge to them. They will best be remembered for their unique bayou sound popularized in songs like 'Proud Mary' and 'Green River.
Is CCR underrated? ›Stephen King is probably correct in naming Creedence Clearwater Revival the most underrated rock band (May/June). Characterizing all but three Beatles songs as “ballads, music-hall spoofs, or jumped-up skiffle tunes,” however, is one of the author's most frightening efforts.
Is CCR Republican or Democrat? ›The California College Republicans (CCR) is a California state organization for college and university students who support the Republican Party of the United States.
Did John Fogerty ever have a number one hit? ›He has also released 26 singles, including the Billboard Hot 100 Top 10 single, "The Old Man Down the Road". The song was also a Number One single on the Billboard Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks chart, his only Number One on a Billboard singles chart.
What is the fastest selling album of all time? ›This is a list of the fastest-selling albums (pure sales) in the United States since Nielsen SoundScan tracking began on March 1, 1991. 25 by Adele is the fastest-selling album of all time in the US with 3,378,000 copies sold in its first seven days.
What are the top 3 best-selling albums of all time? ›- Michael Jackson – Thriller.
- The Eagles – The Greatest Hits 1971 – 1975 (1976) ...
- AC/DC – Back in Black (1980) ...
- Pink Floyd – The Dark Side of The Moon (1973) ...
- Meat Loaf – Bat Out of Hell (1977) ...
- Whitney Houston & Various Artists – The Bodyguard (1992) ...
- Eagles – Hotel California. ...
1 studio albums (as of 5 November 2022): Taylor Swift – 11, in 2008-22; Fearless, Speak Now, Red, 1989, reputation, Lover, folklore, evermore, Fearless (Taylor's Version), Red (Taylor's Version) and Midnights; Jay-Z – 10, in 2002–17; Kanye West – 10, in 2005–21; The Beatles – 9, in 1964–68; Eminem – 9, in 2000–20; ...
What is the best-selling vinyl of all time? ›1/ Thriller - Michael Jackson - 27 million vinyl records sold. Who else but the King of Pop for the top step of the podium? Only one year after its release in 1982, Thriller was already the best-selling album of all time, with no less than 32 million units sold in all formats, and 66 million to date.
What is considered the greatest song of all time? ›- Smells Like Teen Spirit - Nirvana.
- Imagine - John Lennon.
- One - U2.
- Billie Jean - Michael Jackson.
- Bohemian Rhapsody - Queen.
- Hey Jude - The Beatles.
- Like A Rolling Stone - Bob Dylan.
- I Can't Get No Satisfaction - Rolling Stones.
Who has beaten The Beatles? ›
The hit track marked Drizzy's 30th top five hits, beating The Beatles' record of 29. The legendary four-piece made their 29th top five in 1996 with 'Real Love'.
What albums have gone diamond? ›| Year of release | Artist(s) | Title |
|---|---|---|
| 1982 | Michael Jackson | Thriller |
| 1976 | Eagles | Hotel California |
| 1980 | AC/DC | Back in Black |
| 1971 | Led Zeppelin | Led Zeppelin IV |
"Old Town Road" holds the record for the longest stretch at No. 1 with 19 weeks.
Who declined the Beatles? ›For 50 years, Dick Rowe has been blamed for the biggest blunder in rock music history: he turned down the Beatles.
Who is bigger Beatles or Rolling Stones? ›While the Beatles maintained the shorter career span, the Rolling Stones were certainly the more prolific of the two bands. Some of the Rolling Stones best-known albums, including Sticky Fingers, Exile on Main Street, Goat's Head Soup, Some Girls, and Tattoo You all came out after the Beatles broke up.
Who sold more Beatles or Stones? ›| ARTIST | COMBINED SALES TOTAL | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | BEATLES | 22.1 MILLION |
| 2 | QUEEN | 12.8 MILLION |
| 3 | ABBA | 11.3 MILLION |
| 4 | ROLLING STONES | 10.1 MILLION |
Elvis Presley, recognised as the best-selling solo music artist of all time by Guinness World Records, sold over 400.
Who is the #1 artist in the world? ›As of February 2023, Canadian music artist Drake is the most-streamed artist of all time on Spotify, while American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift is the most-streamed female artist.
Who is the best-selling female singer of all time? ›Madonna is recognized by Guinness World Records as the "Best-selling female recording artist of all time".
Who had 7 hits in one game? ›In a 22-0 shellacking of the Chicago Cubs that day, Pittsburgh Pirates second baseman Rennie Stennett would record a hit in all seven of his at-bats – becoming the first and to date the only modern-era player to accomplish this in a nine-inning game.
Who has the most #1 hits of all time? ›
Indeed, with 290 million records sold worldwide, the Beatles are at the top of many lists. Not surprisingly, the artist with the most No. 1 hits is the Beatles.
Who had 7 consecutive #1 hits? ›Music historians cite Whitney's record-setting achievements: the only artist to have seven consecutive number one Billboard Hot 100 hits ("Saving All My Love for You," "How Will I Know," "Greatest Love of All," "I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)," "Didn't We Almost Have It All," "So Emotional" and "Where Do ...
What is the hardest song to play on guitar ever? ›- Joe Satriani – The Mystical Potato Head Groove Thing.
- John Petrucci – Damage Control.
- Steve Vai – Juice.
- Eddie Van Halen – Eruption.
- Animals as Leaders – CAFO.
Recuerdos de la Alhambra by Francisco Tárrega
Many consider Recuerdos to be the hardest piece ever written for the guitar. It contains an almost continuous tremolo, a technique that requires a guitarist to repeatedly and rapidly pluck the same note.
The six-string F chord is one of the hardest standard chord shape to play on the guitar. When many people try to play the F chord on guitar (and often succeed), it's with far too much struggle and effort than is actually necessary. Even extremely influential guitarists can have a hard time with barre chords.
Who is considered the best rock band of all time? ›- The Beatles. The Beatles are unquestionably the best and most important band in rock history, as well as the most compelling story. ...
- Beatlemania redux. ...
- The Rolling Stones. ...
- U2. ...
- The Grateful Dead. ...
- Velvet Underground. ...
- Led Zeppelin. ...
- Ramones.
According to a Business Insider piece that was originally published in 2016 and updated for November 2022, the rock band with the most albums sold in America is The Eagles (or, Eagles, if you're a stickler). They've racked up sales topping 120 million records.
What did the Beatles think of CCR? ›“I like Creedence Clearwater [Revival]. They make beautiful Clearwater music – they make good rock 'n' roll music. You see it's difficult when you ask me what I like, there's lots of stuff I've heard that I think is fantastic on the radio here, but I haven't caught who they are half the time.
Why did John and Tom Fogerty not get along? ›Though the two were close during their time in CCR, the brothers' relationship soured ahead of Tom's death in 1990 amid disputes with their management and record company.
Why was CCR not in the Woodstock movie? ›They played all their hits and turned in a solid performance that those who witnessed it remember to this day. Unfortunately, John Fogerty's disappointment led to his refusal to allow any of Creedence's set in the Woodstock movie or the soundtrack, leading many to think the band did not perform at the festival.
Is CCR anti-war? ›
Creedence Clearwater Revival's “Fortunate Son” is a classic Vietnam War-era protest song. Appearing on the band's 1969 album Willy and the Poor Boys, it was released as a single along with “Down on the Corner” in September of 1969 and quickly became an anthem of the anti-war movement dominating the counterculter.
Why is CCR considered Southern rock? ›Belying their origins in the East Bay subregion of the San Francisco Bay Area, the band often played in a Southern rock style, with lyrics about bayous, catfish, the Mississippi River and other elements of Southern United States iconography.
Why did CCR break up? ›Once at the forefront of popular music, Creedence were now splintered beyond repair. Guitarist Tom Fogerty had quit the year before, the band's rhythm section, bassist Stu Cook and drummer Doug Clifford, were sick of lead singer John Fogerty's dictator-like hold on the group and issues were spiralling out of control.
Who is the oldest number one hit singer? ›The oldest artist to hit number one on the Hot 100 is Louis Armstrong in 1964 with ” Hello, Dolly!” at the age of 62. The oldest woman to top the Hot 100 is Cher with “Believe” in 1999 at the age of 53. The youngest artist to hit number one on the Hot 100 is Stevie Wonder in 1963 with ” Fingertips Pt.
How many #2 hits did CCR have? ›CCR holds the record for the most singles (five) to reach number 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 without ever scoring a number 1 single; as well as the most singles to reach the top 10 (nine) without ever reaching number 1.