View Larger
Rate it!
Average: 3.5 (19 ratings)
- Date Released: September 30, 2008
- Genre: Rock/Pop
- Style: Rock
- Label: Fantasy Records / Concord
-
We Say...
The birth of "Proud Mary" and "Born on the Bayou."
CCR leader John Fogerty had a genius for titles: with Bayou Country and its signature, iconic hits "Born On the Bayou" and "Proud Mary," Fogerty, a northern California native, reinvented himself as a son of the swamp. There's more original material on this, their second album, but the groove is still firmly rooted in the same magical relationship between drums and guitars captured by New Orleans producer Eddie Bo on the classic "Pass the Hatchet." In this case, though, the student has outdone the master, because "Born on the Bayou" and "Proud Mary" are two of the greatest songs ever written about Louisiana. Bob Dylan once called "Proud Mary" his favorite song; that tune and "Born on the Bayou" became instant classics and favorite cover material for countless R&B singers. (Who can forget Ike and Tina Turner's supercharged version of "Proud Mary"?) The band backs up those timeless hits with the terrific swamp-rock groove of "Bootleg" and "Keep On Chooglin'," the eerie "Graveyard Train" and the strutting "Penthouse Pauper," among the first of many astute, class-conscious social commentaries Fogerty would write over the years. The band, whose masterful covers dominated the first album, adds a supremely grooving version of "Good Golly Miss Molly" here. -
They Say...
Opening slowly with the dark, swampy "Born on the Bayou," Bayou Country reveals an assured Creedence Clearwater Revival, a band that has found its voice between their first and second album. It's not just that "Born on the Bayou" announces that CCR has discovered its sound -- it reveals the extent of John Fogerty's myth-making. With this song, he sketches out his persona; it makes him sound as if he crawled out of the backwoods of Louisiana instead of being a native San Franciscan. He carries this illusion throughout the record, through the ominous meanderings of "Graveyard Train" through the stoked cover of "Good Golly Miss Molly" to "Keep on Chooglin'," which rides out a southern-fried groove for nearly eight minutes. At the heart of Bayou Country, as well as Fogerty's myth and Creedence's entire career, is "Proud Mary." A riverboat tale where the narrator leaves a good job in the city for a life rolling down the river, the song is filled with details that ring so true that it feels autobiographical. The lyric is married to music that is utterly unique yet curiously timeless, blending rockabilly, country, and Stax R&B into something utterly distinctive and addictive. "Proud Mary" is the emotional fulcrum at the center of Fogerty's seductive imaginary Americana, and while it's the best song here, his other songs are no slouch, either. "Born on the Bayou" is a magnificent piece of swamp-rock, "Penthouse Pauper" is a first-rate rocker with the angry undertow apparent on "Porterville" and "Bootleg" is a minor masterpiece, thanks to its tough acoustic foundation, sterling guitar work, and clever story. All the songs add up to a superb statement of purpose, a record that captures Creedence Clearwater Revival's muscular, spare, deceptively simple sound as an evocative portrait of America.
-
You Say...
Write a ReviewI would like to say...
“ The indie iTunes — Hardcore music fans are migrating to eMusic, the iTunes Music Store's cheaper, cooler cousin.”
Rolling Stone
| 01. |  |
Born On The Bayou |
5:17 |  |
| 02. | |
Bootleg |
3:03 | |
| 03. | |
Graveyard Train |
8:38 | |
| 04. | |
Good Golly Miss Molly |
2:43 | |
| 05. | |
Penthouse Pauper |
3:39 | |
| 06. | |
Proud Mary |
3:09 | |
| 07. | |
Keep On Chooglin' |
7:43 | |
| 08. | |
Bootleg [Alternate Take] |
5:48 | |
| 09. | |
Born On The Bayou [Live in London] |
4:48 | |
| 10. | |
Proud Mary [Live in Stockholm] |
2:51 | |
| 11. | |
Crazy Otto [Live at The Fillmore] |
8:48 | |
Find a problem with a track? Please let us know.
11 Total Tracks, 56:27 Total Length
We will send an email to with the tracking ID for this issue.
Before reporting defective tracks, please note that you can re-download all of your tracks without losing credits. Please try to re-download your tracks in case a temporary issue caused your problem. If, after re-downloading your tracks, you are still experiencing issues, report them below.
Note: This form is for reporting defective tracks only.
For all other issues (billing, trouble downloading, etc),
contact Customer Support.
Credits
- Creedence Clearwater Revival - Main Performer // John Fogerty - Guitar // John Fogerty - Harmonica // John Fogerty - Arranger // John Fogerty - Composer // John Fogerty - Harp // John Fogerty - Vocals // John Fogerty - Producer // Doug Clifford - Bass // Doug Clifford - Drums // Tom Fogerty - Guitar // Tom Fogerty - Guitar (Rhythm) // Tom Fogerty - Vocals // Stu Cook - Bass // Stu Cook - Drums // Stu Cook - Guitar (Bass) // Joel Selvin - Liner Notes // Kevin Gray - Mastering // Shigeo Miyamoto - Mastering // Steve Hoffman - Mastering // Tamaki Beck - Mastering Supervisor // Basul Parik - Cover Photo
Choose from over 4 million
music downloadseMusic features legendary and emerging artists in every genre: classic rock to classical,indie to international, soundtracks to spiritual, jazz to country and many more.
MP3 downloads work on any digital media player
With eMusic, you OWN your music without any restrictions. Burn music to a CD, play it on your computer, mobile phone or any digital media player - including iPod®, Zune® and Walkman®.
Songs as low as $0.25
eMusic subscriptions start at just $11.99 a month for 30 downloads - that's less than $0.40 per song! And it gets better from there - our plans go as low as $0.25 per song!
Music Discovery
eMusic is about discovery. We make finding new music fun again with music recommendations from our award-winning team of music experts, member playlists and new music features.
Cancel anytime
With all the great music and site features we're pretty sure you will love eMusic. If not, no problem. You can cancel at any time and keep the music you have downloaded.
© 1992 - 2008 All Media Guide, LLC