I had a first listen to Creedence’s Mardis Gras album, the coloured vinyl copy I bought the other day. As stated before, I knew the Fogerty songs, but had never heard the six that were written by Doug Clifford and Stu Cook, and was interested in what they would sound like. In short, most are pretty average. Neither are great singers, which is not surprising. This is what comes of deciding the drummer and bass player should have a go at writing songs and singing them. The story of how this album was made is the stuff of legend and much conjecture; but its seeds were sown I believe when Tom Fogerty decided to quit the band before the album was made. Brother John was considered too controlling, so the reins were loosened for this album, giving Cook and Clifford enough rope to hang themselves (forgive the mixed metaphor). Or, so the story goes.
Weirdly, the sound of Cook and Clifford’s songs reminds me of my own Grover’s Mill stuff – that sort of naive amateurism (though they play and sound better!). One interesting thing about them: John’s guitar solos are surprisingly good. He definitely doesn’t phone them in, giving them old Scotty Moore licks a good go-round. I think some of these songs will definitely grow on me, especially Stu Cook’s Sail Away. But there’s a clear standout amongst them: the Cook/Clifford co-write, Need Someone To Hold. This is a damn good tune. Something about it reminds me of The Band (high praise). It might be because of the chorus, which I first heard as Give up the war/Come back home; reminding me of The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down. In truth, the line is actually Give out the warm/It comes back cold. But an interpretation of the song could be that it’s a returned vet having trouble integrating back into society. Also reminds me a bit of that good Sylvester Stallone film, First Blood. Yep, I’m over-thinking it again. The main mystery for me is, who’s singing? Is it Clifford or Cook? Or is it possibly Fogerty? I don’t think so – the vocal’s good and soulful, but it lacks Fogerty’s control (Wikipedia says it’s Clifford). Either way, this is a lost gem in Creedence’s catalogue. Can’t believe it’s taken me all this time to find it.
Of Fogerty’s songs, I’m still amazed by Someday Never Comes. Its theme of generational isolation was echoed later in the Harry Chapin song, Cats In the Cradle, but I think this is better. The concision of the lyrics, that repeated line For there were many things I didn’t know, says it all. That theme of our inability to communicate truth or positivity runs deep in Fogerty’s work. A magnificent song on the previous album, Pendulum, called It’s Just a Thought, is another example. The last song, the rollicking single, Sweet Hitch Hiker, is much more than just a good-time song. That hitch hiker seems to carry with her the promise of a new beginning, a better future (We could make music at the Greasy King), but Fogerty’s rider is All busted up along the highway/I’m the saddest drivin’ fool alive. Being in Creedence took its toll, but beaten and battered, it was time to cautiously move on.