So why is Creedence Clearwater Revival’s Cosmo’s Factory on this best 1,000 albums ever thing?
During high school, I made an attempt to educate myself on what I roughly considered to be “classic rock.” I wasn’t into the ascendant hair metal and pop music of the day, and had simultaneously just started to discover college radio and the early strands of what would become known as alternative rock by way of bands like U2 and R.E.M.
This was pre-Internet and way streaming music services, so beyond Long Island’s pervasive classic rock radio stations (some of which were quite good), the main funding for this effort over several years came from working at a health food restaurant called ProPortion in Commack, New York.
ProPortion was located in a strip mall, and down on the other side of the strip mall was a music store called Mr. Cheapo’s.
Mr. Cheapo’s is a legendary spot for those who know of it. I can still smell the patchouli oil (or other substances) that were lit in its depths. The shop was filled with a mix of music heads, ex-hippies, and burnouts, and I absolutely loved it. I’d spend as much of my ProPortion paycheck as I could some weeks, and the purchases helped to fuel my love for music and the lifelong hunt for my next favorite album.
I mention all of this because I purchased a “best of” Creedence Clearwater Revival album during this era. I think it was either a double CD or one fairly long single compact disc, but what I know is that I listened to the entire thing constantly, and it remained on heavy rotation into my college years.
Therefore, when I listen to CCR studio albums, I’m immediately drawn to and biased by the number of tracks that were on that best of album that I wore out back in the day. And Cosmo’s Factory features a bunch of them, including “Travelin’ Band,” “Lookin’ Out My Back Door,” “Run Through the Jungle,” “Up Around the Bend,” “Who’ll Stop the Rain,” “I Heard It Through the Grapevine,” and (I think!), “Long As I Can See the Light.”
Those seven tracks alone represent astonishing range and quality, and all feel both “classic” and “classic rock” to me to this day. “Travelin’ Band,” for example, still sounds so exciting and fresh. There’s a purity to John Fogerty and the band’s sound and performance that I can’t imagine will ever feel dated.
And then songs like “Who’ll Stop the Rain” are so pretty and well crafted, catchy and wonderful.
“Ramble Tamble” wasn’t included on that best of album, so therefore it was a fantastic revelation for me when I finally got my ears on it. It’s a ferocious tear up of early 1970s rock ‘n roll that runs over seven minutes in length.
It occurs to me that “Before You Accuse Me (Take A Look at Yourself)” is the kind of downhome blues rock that a Morrison Hotel and LA Woman era Jim Morrison and The Doors would surely get with (and down with as well).
Sidenote that this is (for now!) by far the closest that the best 1,000 albums ever has ranked a single album versus Rolling Stone’s greatest 400 albums rankings: #514 versus #413. Stay tuned to see what happens as the train keeps on rolling into the best 1,000 album project’s best-est 500 albums ever!
See also:
- Creedence Clearwater Revival – Bayou Country: #524 of best 1,000 albums ever
- Creedence Clearwater Revival – Creedence Clearwater Revival: #532 of best 1,000 albums ever
Some stats & info about Creedence Clearwater Revival – Cosmo’s Factory
- What kind of musical stylings does this album represent? Rock Music, Blues Rock, Country Rock, SF Bay Area Bands
- Rolling Stone’s greatest 500 albums ranking – #413
- All Music’s rating – 5 out of 5 stars
- When was Cosmo’s Factory released? 1970
- My ranking, the one you’re reading right now – #514 out of 1,000
Creedence Clearwater Revival’s Cosmo’s Factory on Spotify
A lyrical snippet from Creedence Clearwater Revival’s Cosmo’s Factory that’s evocative of the album in some way, maybe
Seven thirty seven coming out of the sky – won’t you take me down to Memphis on a midnight ride. I want to move, playing in a traveling band.
What does the “best 1,000 albums ever” mean and why are you doing this?
Yeah, I know it’s audacious, a little crazy (okay, maybe a lot cray cray), bordering on criminal nerdery.
But here’s what it’s NOT: a definitive list of the Greatest Albums of All-Time. This is 100% my own personal super biased, incredibly subjective review of what my top 1,000 albums are, ranked in painstaking order over the course of doing research for nearly a year, Rob from High Fidelity style. Find out more about why I embarked on a best 1,000 albums ever project.