Creedence Clearwater Revival – Cosmo’s Factory Review

They had already established a swamp rock sound, but Cosmo’s Factory is where it gets that much clearer for Creedence Clearwater Revival. Their fifth album since 1968 and preceded by their best work, Willy and the Poor Boys, the expectations for Cosmo’s Factory carried truly staggering. John Fogerty and the band had fashioned themselves as cultural commentators and stood opposed to the war in Vietnam. That much would be a defining topic for the band, much as it was for The Rolling Stones and The Beach Boys. But neither group, whether that was because of their origins or other sound, had quite as strong a claim to the protest music of the times as Creedence Clearwater Revival. You can hear as much across Cosmo’s Factory, an album that’s as much a case for the protest song in rock and roll as it is a defining moment for the band that puts together all their influences. A blistering, seven-minute opener sets the scene but painting this picture for the full album proves a tad difficult for Creedence Clearwater Revival.  

Forget whatever comes after it, though. Ramble Tamble is a staggering piece of work. A wordless portrait of the state of the times, released right at the turn of the decade. Fogerty and the band had a lyrical presence that keeps their best works intact and relevant, but this rising and falling tempo, the standout guitar work and beating heart-like percussion of Ramble Tamble is the group’s greatest achievement. It doesn’t make what follows any better but the likes of Before You Accuse Me and Travelin’ Band are nice enough experiences. That swamp rock stylishness, that blur of country tones which were prevalent at the time and the early workings of what the 1970s rock scene would be, can be heard on Lookin’ Out My Back Door. It’s a song relying on rhythm more than anything and the back door heard within the song is, at face value, just a place to sit and stare. No doubt it goes deeper than that but there’s a nice story continuation when paired with Run Through the Jungle.  

Out into the back yard lay tranquillity and that’s ruptured just moments later with the choppers and fears of the Vietnam War heard on Run Through the Jungle. The title may make it obvious but those cutting guitar riffs and the repetition of “run through the jungle” is utterly staggering. A devil in the jungle, too, is what comes to life here. Those who sunk hours into Rising Storm 2: Vietnam, will be well-versed with this song. An iconic song by the band, and it’s followed up with another. A storming bit of instrumental work is what makes Up Around the Bend a memorable moment, though Fogerty’s lyrics of going around that road is what pulls it all together. It’s all too easy to take that titular repetition that Creedence Clearwater Revival engages at face value. Scratch just a little and you have some of their most lyrically deep and damning songs.  

Cosmo’s Factory takes a bit of a dive at times. Not because there’s any weak material on the album, but a high bar has been set and the band cannot maintain it. It’s the case for all their albums. Even Willy and the Poor Boys had a couple clangers by the band’s standard. To an everyday group, it’d be their standout hit. But a song like My Baby Left Me feels a touch too simple considering the raw emotion and raging protest found in the songs either side of it. Who’ll Stop the Rain and a cover of I Heard it Through the Grapevine is a fantastic introduction to the album. One of their biggest songs and a credible take on the Marvin Gaye classic. It’s an instrumental blowout that can be heard on Ramble Tamble, and it serves Cosmo’s Factory well. The understated gem Long as I Can See the Light, while saxophone-heavy and a tad too soppy, is a fitting end to what serves as one of the band’s last great album.