2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fortunate One, July 8 2004
This, ladies and gentlemen, is what a greatest hits album should be. Not one weak track, all the hits accounted for (well, except maybe 1 or 2), and as a whole - it perfectly represents the band's short career. Unless you are a die hard CCR fan, this is all you need, folks. 20 classics from one of the greatest American bands of the late sixties. From the moment Fogerty howls "Oh Suzie Q...", you won't want to skip around or turn this one off. Great stuff.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
How Deep Is Your Love?, Jun 22 2004
Creedence Clearwater Revival logged 15 Top 40 songs, so it's a bit of a stretch to label a compilation such as this as their "20 Greatest Hits". In addition to the 15 charting songs, what we have are several b-sides that received considerable airplay. I suppose those songs survived the gauntlet and were chosen as the most salable product to complement the a-side, but they aren't necessarily Creedence's best efforts, and this collection could be better had Fantasy Records taken the risk of putting together a 'very best' compilation instead, using their hearts rather than their heads.
That being said, it is hard to criticize most of the selections. Creedence may have logged more number two songs than any other band (they never hit number one), registering five: 'Bad Moon Rising', 'Green River', 'Proud Mary', 'Lookin' Out My Back Door', and 'Travelin' Band'. Other Top 10 hits for the band included 'Down On the Corner' (#3), 'Have You Ever Seen the Rain' (#8), 'Sweet Hitchhiker (#6), 'Up Around the Bend' (#4), and 'Who'll Stop the Rain' (#9). All are obviously deserving of inclusion on the disc.
Two of Creedence's best songs, 'Suzie Q' (#11) and 'I Heard It Through the Grapevine' (#43) undoubtedly would have fared better on the charts except fans acquired the extended album versions. Purchasers of this disc should be aware that while the entire 11 minute version of 'Grapevine' is included, only the single version of 'Suzie Q' appears. You can certainly question the marketing logic of that one.
Other Top 40 songs of unquestioned merit include 'Fortunate Son' (#14) and 'Commotion' (#30). After this, the choices get a little hairy. Since 'Someday Never Comes' reached number 25 on the charts, I suppose it's inclusion was a given, and it does add a second selection from the weak 'Mardi Gras' LP. But is this song comparable to 'Born On the Bayou' or 'Good Golly Miss Molly' from the 'Bayou Country' LP, which claims only one song on 'Chronicles' ('Proud Mary')?
Other questionable selections include the flip side of 'Lookin' Out My Back Door', the album closer for 'Cosmo's Factory', 'Long As I Can See the Light', and the flip side of 'Up Around the Bend', 'Run Through the Jungle'. While 'Run Through the Jungle' received considerable airplay, does 'Long As I Can See the Light' compare with 'It Came Out of the Sky' or 'The Midnight Special'? I've always enjoyed 'Hey Tonight', but that song also did not chart for Creedence, and may have been selected as a second nod to the weak 'Pendulum' LP.
Two selections I won't argue with are 'Lodi', which rose to only number 52 as a single, and 'I Put a Spell On You', which was a number 80 hit for the Alan Price Set in 1966, but never a hit for Creedence. Both songs are excellent, and 'I Put a Spell On You' adds a second selection from the band's debut LP.
Creedence is one of those bands that did so much good work that it's hard to arrive at their 20 best songs. Fantasy didn't do a bad job despite the above criticisms. I've settled for compilations that I had similar complaints with, such as the Beach Boy's 'Made In USA' disc simply because I wasn't a big enough fan to make the effort to collect all their essential work. So I can understand people opting for this compilation, but if you're a more serious CCR buff, you'll want to skip this collection and start compiling the 4 classic CD's Creedence produced: 'Creedence Clearwater Revival', 'Bayou Country', 'Green River', and 'Willy and the Poor Boys'. 'Mardi Gras' and 'Pendulum' are only necessary for completists.
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