Willy and the Poor Boys

by Creedence Clearwater Revival

Overview

Make no mistake, Willy & the Poor Boys is a fun record, perhaps the breeziest album CCR ever made. Apart from the eerie minor-key closer "Effigy" (one of John Fogerty's most haunting numbers), there is little of the doom that colored Green River. Fogerty's rage remains, blazing to the forefront on "Fortunate Son," a working-class protest song that cuts harder than any of the explicit Vietnam protest songs of the era, which is one of the reasons that it hasn't aged where its peers have. Also, there's that unbridled vocal from Fogerty and the ferocious playing on CCR, which both sound fresh as they did upon release. "Fortunate Son" is one of the greatest, hardest rock & rollers ever cut, so it might seem to be out of step with an album that is pretty laid-back and friendly, but there's that elemental joy that by late '69 was one of CCR's main trademarks. That joy runs throughout the album, from the gleeful single "Down on the Corner" and the lazy jugband blues of "Poorboy Shuffle" through the great slow blues jam "Feelin' Blue" to the great rockabilly spiritual "Don't Look Now," one of Fogerty's overlooked gems. The covers don't feel like throwaways, either, since both "Cotton Fields" and "The Midnight Special" have been overhauled to feel like genuine CCR songs. It all adds up to one of the greatest pure rock & roll records ever cut. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Product Details

Release Date:	09/30/2008
Label:	Fantasy / Concord / Universal
UPC:	0888072308794
Rank:	5239

Tracks

1. Down on the Corner
2. It Came out of the Sky
3. Cotton Fields
4. Poorboy Shuffle
5. Feelin' Blue
6. Fortunate Son
7. Don't Look Now
8. The Midnight Special
9. Side O' the Road
10. Effigy
11. Fortunate Son
12. It Came out of the Sky
13. Down on the Corner

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Creedence Clearwater Revival   Primary Artist
Booker T. & the MG's   Primary Artist
Stu Cook   Bass,Drums,Guitar (Bass),Vocals (Background)
Tom Fogerty   Guitar,Vocals,Guitar (Rhythm),Vocals (Background)
Doug Clifford   Bass,Drums,Vocals (Background)
John Fogerty   Lead Vocals,Guitar,Vocals

Technical Credits

Basul Parik   Cover Art,Tray Photo,Cover Photo,Photography
Tamaki Beck   Mastering Supervisor
Huddie Ledbetter   Composer
Saul Zaentz   Producer,Recording Producer
Ed Ward   Liner Notes
Shane MacGowan   Composer
Marcia McGovern   Pre-Production
Shigeo Miyamoto   Mastering
Roberta Ballard   Production Manager
John Fogerty   Recording Producer,Arranger,Composer,Producer
Kevin Gray   Mastering,CD Preparation
Traditional   Composer
Steve Hoffman   Mastering
Lead Belly   Composer
Russ Gary   Mixing,Engineer
Johnny Rivers   Composer