Cosmo's Factory (Half-Speed Master)

「プラウド・メアリー」、「ダウン・オン・ザ・コーナー」、「雨を見たかい」など日本でも長く愛されるヒット曲を多く持つサザン・ロックの代表格クリーデンス・クリアウォーター・リヴァイヴァルの「トラヴェリン・バンド」(全米2位)、「アップ・アラウンド・ザ・ベンド」(全米4位)、「ルッキン・アウト・マイ・バック・ドア」(全米2位)等のシングル・ヒットを送り出した、最高傑作の呼び声高い5thアルバムがハーフスピードマスター180g重量盤LPで登場。全米1位。タイトルのコスモとはドラムのダグ・クリフォードのニック・ネーム。(1970年発表)

Throughout 1969 and into 1970, CCR toured incessantly and recorded nearly as much. Appropriately, Cosmo's Factory's first single was the working band's anthem "Travelin' Band," a funny, piledriving rocker with a blaring horn section -- the first indication their sonic palette was broadening. Two more singles appeared prior to the album's release, backed by John Fogerty originals that rivaled the A-side or paled just slightly. When it came time to assemble a full album, Fogerty had only one original left, the claustrophobic, paranoid rocker "Ramble Tamble." Unlike some extended instrumentals, this was dramatic and had a direction -- a distinction made clear by the meandering jam that brings CCR's version of "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" to 11 minutes. Even if it wanders, their take on the Marvin Gaye classic isn't unpleasant, and their faithful, exuberant takes on the Sun classics "Ooby Dooby" and "My Baby Left Me" are joyous tributes. Still, the heart of the album lays in those six fantastic songs released on singles. "Up Around the Bend" is a searing rocker, one of their best, balanced by the menacing murkiness of "Run Through the Jungle." "Who'll Stop the Rain"'s poignant melody and melancholy undertow has a counterpart in Fogerty's dope song, "Lookin' out My Back Door," a charming, bright shuffle, filled with dancing animals and domestic bliss - he had never been as sweet and silly as he is here. On "Long as I Can See the Light," the record's final song, he again finds solace in home, anchored by a soulful, laid-back groove. It hits a comforting, elegiac note, the perfect way to draw Cosmo's Factory -- an album made during stress and chaos, filled with raging rockers, covers, and intense jams -- to a close. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine