Cosmo's Factory

Cosmo's Factory is the fifth studio album by the American rock band Creedence Clearwater Revival, released by Fantasy Records on July 8, 1970. Six of the album's eleven tracks were released as singles in 1970, and all of them charted in the top 5 of the Billboard Hot 100. The album spent nine consecutive weeks in the number one position on the Billboard 200 chart and was certified 4× platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) in 1990. Rolling Stone ranked it number 413 on its 2020 list of the "500 Greatest Albums of All Time".

Background

Cosmo's Factory was CCR's fifth album in two years to became an international success, topping the album charts in six countries.^{[3][4][5][6][7][8]}

Songs

Cosmo's Factory displays the wide range of musical ingredients that provided the foundation for their "swamp rock" sound: R&B ("Before You Accuse Me", "My Baby Left Me"), soul ("I Heard It Through the Grapevine", "Long As I Can See the Light"), country ("Lookin' Out My Back Door"), rockabilly and classic rock and roll ("Ooby Dooby", "Travelin' Band"), and psychedelia ("Ramble Tamble").

"Travelin' Band" was inspired by 1950s rock 'n' roll songs, particularly those by Little Richard. In October 1972, the company that held the publishing rights to Richard's "Good Golly, Miss Molly" felt "Travelin' Band" bore enough similarities to warrant a plagiarism lawsuit that was later settled out of court. The song's flip side, "Who'll Stop the Rain", could not have been more different, with Fogerty telling Uncut in 2012: "'Travelin' Band' was my salute to Little Richard, but 'Who'll Stop The Rain?' was part of the fabric of the times. From '68 to '74, Vietnam was probably the most important thing on the minds of young people." "Run Through the Jungle" mined similar territory, with many listeners believing the lyrics to be about the war (although the song was actually about the prevalence of guns in the United States).^[9] According to the band's bassist Stu Cook, the song's opening and closing both feature jungle sound effects created by "lots of backwards recorded guitar and piano."^[10] The song was rhythm guitarist Tom Fogerty's favorite CCR song: "My all-time favorite Creedence tune was 'Run Through the Jungle'. It's like a little movie in itself with all the sound effects. It never changes key, but it holds your interest the whole time. It's like a musician's dream. It never changes key, yet you get the illusion it does."^[11]

"Lookin' Out My Back Door" was a direct tribute to the Bakersfield Sound, a style of music that influenced John Fogerty and the Creedence sound – Buck Owens, one of the architects of the Bakersfield Sound, is even mentioned in the lyrics. The song is known for its upbeat tempo, its down-home feel, and a change in key and tempo towards the end. The lyrics, filled with colorful, dream-like imagery, led some to believe the song was about drugs (according to the drug theory, the "flying spoon" in the song was a cocaine spoon, and the crazy animal images were an acid trip). Fogerty, however, has repeatedly stated in interviews that the song was actually written for his son Josh, who was three years old at the time, and said the reference to a parade passing by was inspired by the Dr. Seuss book And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street.^[12]

Although CCR was well-known for its concise, tightly arranged songs, Cosmo's Factory features two longer cuts: the seven-minute opener, "Ramble Tamble", and an 11-minute cover of Marvin Gaye's "I Heard It Through the Grapevine".

Several songs on the album pay tribute to the band's blues and rock and roll roots, including Big Arthur Crudup's "My Baby Left Me" (a notable cover of which had previously been recorded by Elvis Presley), Bo Diddley's "Before You Accuse Me", and the rockabilly classic "Ooby Dooby".

Album title and artwork

The name of the album comes from the warehouse in Berkeley where the band rehearsed early in their career, which was dubbed "The Factory" by drummer Doug "Cosmo" Clifford, because bandleader John Fogerty made them practice there almost every day.^[13] In 2013, Clifford recalled to Goldmine that "John knew the press would be all over us for the album, so he said that he would name the album after me and that I would have to deal with it. He wanted the pressure off of him. It was our biggest album ever and I tell people that they named it after me, so it had to be a hit [laughter]. That's a joke!"^[14]

The cover photo was taken by Bob Fogerty, brother of John and Tom. As David Cavanagh of Uncut wrote in 2012: "The album's front cover showed the four of them caught by a camera in an off-duty moment, a proudly uncool quartet who looked more like lumberjacks than rock stars." The handwritten sign affixed to the support post at the left of the photo that reads "3RD GENERATION" is an ironic reference to something rock music critic Ralph Gleason wrote in the liner notes of the band's debut album: "Creedence Clearwater Revival is an excellent example of the Third Generation of San Francisco bands".^[15]

Critical reception

In its original review, Rolling Stone wrote: "It should be obvious by now that Creedence Clearwater Revival is one great rock and roll band. Cosmo's Factory, the group's fifth album, is another good reason why."

AllMusic rates the album 5 out of 5 stars: "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."

Accolades

In 2014, Cosmo's Factory was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. ^[16]

In 2003, the album was ranked number 265 on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time; it was re-ranked number 413 on the revised 2020 list.^[17][18]

Commercial performance

In January 1970, the double A-sided "Travelin' Band"/"Who'll Stop the Rain" single^[19] peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.^[20] In April, the band released the double A-sided "Up Around the Bend"/"Run Through the Jungle" single,^[19] which reached number four on the Hot 100,^[20] and started their first tour of Europe. Cosmo's Factory was released in July 1970, as was the band's ninth single, "Lookin' Out My Back Door"/"Long as I Can See the Light", which reached number two on the Hot 100.^[19][20]

The album was certified gold (500,000 units sold) by the Recording Industry Association of America on December 16, 1970. Almost 20 years later, on December 13, 1990, it received a certification of four times platinum, indicating sales of over four million copies.^[21]

Personnel

Source:^[22]

Creedence Clearwater Revival

• John Fogerty – lead guitar, lead vocals, piano, electric piano, keyboards, saxophone, harmonica, producer, arranger (1968 Gibson Les Paul Customs, 1969 Rickenbacker 325)
• Tom Fogerty – rhythm guitar, backing vocals (1969 Guild Starfire VI)
• Stu Cook – bass guitar, backing vocals
• Doug Clifford – drums, cowbell

Production

• Russ Gary – engineer
• Bob Fogerty – cover art, design, photography

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Release history

References

1. ^ Cash Box July 25, 1970, page 42
2. ^ Lingan, John (July 22, 2018). "Creedence Clearwater Revival: Cosmo's Factory Album Review". Pitchfork. Archived December 25, 2019 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 8 September 2020.
3. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970-1992. Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
4. ^ "100 Albums" (PHP). RPM. 14 (2). August 29, 1970. Archived October 20, 2012 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved April 13, 2011.
5. ^ "Le Détail des Albums de chaque Artiste" (PHP) (in French). InfoDisc. Archived from the original on July 20, 2015. Look for "CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL" under the drop-down menu.
6. ^ "Album Info: Cosmo's Factory – Creedence Clearwater Revival" (PHP) (in Norwegian). VG-lista. Retrieved April 13, 2011.
7. ^ "Creedence Clearwater Revival – Billboard Albums". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved November 11, 2010.
8. ^ "Artist Chart History: Creedence Clearwater Revival". The Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 13, 2011.
9. ^ Grow, Kory (2016-01-12). "John Fogerty: 'Run Through the Jungle' Plea for Gun Control". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2025-03-17.
10. ^ "Run Through the Jungle by Creedence Clearwater Revival Songfacts". www.songfacts.com. Archived December 22, 2015 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved December 14, 2015.
11. ^ The Global Satellite Network, 60's Legends
12. ^ Bordowitz, Hank (1998). Bad Moon Rising: The Unauthorized History of Creedence Clearwater Revival. Chicago Review Press. p. 98. ISBN 9781569769843. Archived April 25, 2021 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved December 9, 2020.
13. ^ "Creedence Clearwater Revival-Cosmo's Factory". Archived April 25, 2021 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved January 14, 2014.
14. ^ Wright, Jeb (Sep 14, 2013). "Cosmo Clifford, Stu Cook keep the faith with Creedence Clearwater Revisited". Goldmine
15. ^ Fogerty, John (2016). Fortunate Son. US: Little, Brown, and Company. p. 147. ISBN 978-0-316-24458-9.
16. ^ "GRAMMY HALL OF FAME AWARD". www.grammy.com. Retrieved 2023-07-17.
17. ^ "News". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on February 28, 2010. Retrieved December 4, 2011.
18. ^ "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time". Rolling Stone. 2020-09-22. Archived September 23, 2020 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2020-11-11.
19. ^ Chronicle: The 20 Greatest Hits (CD booklet). Berkeley, California, United States: Fantasy Records. 1991. FCD-CCR2-2.
20. ^ "Creedence Clearwater Revival – Billboard Singles". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved November 21, 2010.
21. ^ RIAA
22. ^ Kitts, T M, 2015. John Fogerty: An American Son. 1st ed. U.S.A: Routledge.
23. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. illustrated ed. St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
24. ^ Pennanen, Timo (2006). Sisältää hitin – levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 (in Finnish). 1st ed. Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. ISBN 978-951-1-21053-5.
25. ^ "Classifiche" (in Italian). Musica e Dischi. Retrieved July 8, 2023. Set "Tipo" on "Album". Then, in the "Artista" field, search "Creedence Clearwater Revival".
26. ^ Oricon Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970–2005 (in Japanese). Roppongi, Tokyo: Oricon Entertainment. 2006. ISBN 4-87131-077-9.
27. ^ "Jaaroverzichten – Album 1971" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved July 30, 2023.
28. ^ "Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. 1971. Retrieved April 2, 2022.

External links

• Cosmo's Factory Infosite