#4 Cosmo’s Factory- Creedence Clearwater Revival
I selected this album because it was my introduction to album rock, was one of the most popular rock albums crossing genres of its time and because I have a personal attachment to this record. I have 50 years of history to cover in a few short paragraphs, so forgive me if this post feels a bit disjointed.
I moved from Chicago to Livermore in the 6th grade and did very well at Mendenhall Jr. High that year, primarily because most of the material we covered I had learned in Catholic School the year before. The people in administration decided to put me in advance classes with the smart kids in 7th grade, an experiment that other than math lasted only one year. What I found from interacting with these classmates was that not only were my interests unique, they were narrow and underdeveloped. In Chicago, for example, one of your most important early life decisions was whether you’d be a fan of the White Sox or Cubs. These kids were talking about fashion trends and classic novels at a time where I only read the sports page.
Our 7th grade English teacher was Ms. Sensor, who was as close to a flower child of the ’60s as I encountered in my life. She asked us to bring in records to play for a class assignment. Those of you who have been following my countdown can imagine my surprise when my Tom Jones album lost a class vote to Cosmo’s Factory something like 29-1. As we heard Creedence’s Louisiana Swamp renditions of Bo Diddley, Roy Orbison, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Marvin Gaye covers, my ears were opened. John Fogerty’s own “Have You Ever Seen The Rain” became the first 45RPM record I ever purchased a few weeks later.
Proof of the Classic Rock status of this record is the fact that so many of these songs have been covered by artists of various genres in the decades subsequent to its 1970 release. My proof is more personal. My dad, who generally hated everything that came from the stereo in my room, actually liked many of these songs.
As a side note, there was one other song not on this album from my era that my dad loved to poke fun at, Paul McCartney’s “Let ‘em In”. Years after that song was released, I’d hear my dad say “Hey Carl, Someone’s Ringing the Bell. Open the door and Let ‘em In. HaHaHaHaHa.”
I flew to DC a few weeks ago with my mom to attend the 50th wedding anniversary of one of my aunts. At the dinner, another Aunt commented: “Carl, you laugh just like Joey.” While it’s good to know I carry some of his qualities, I can say with all humility, there was no one like Joey.
