From 1968 to 1971, while other Bay Area musicians were getting lost in the ozone amid hour-long psychedelic jams, Creedence Clearwater Revival released a series of brilliantly concise hit singles that owed more to Sun Records than Sun Ra. The evocative lyrics of CCR songs like '"Proud Mary," "Green River" and "Down On the Corner" drew heavily on both leader John Fogerty's working-class background and his love of American folk mythology. Combined with the band's unpretentious fusion of country, R&B and early rock & roll roots, the songs offered down-home comfort to draft-age Americans yearning for a return to the simplicity (real or imagined) of rural life. Though 'Fortunate Son 'was CCR's only overtly political hit, 'Bad Moon Rising, ''Who'll Stop the Rain 'and 'Run Through the Jungle 'all reflected the tensions of the times, and were embraced by many listeners as anthems of protest. But despite its myriad Vietnam-era associations, CCR's music still sounds as timeless and magical as it did upon its original release. Chronicle Volume One, which collects all of the band's big singles, demonstrates why such diverse artists as John Lennon, Bruce Springsteen, Nirvana and Kings of Leon have been inspired by CCR's swamp-rock sound.