Willy and the Poor Boys [40th Anniversary Edition]

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.

Product Details

Release Date:	09/30/2008
Label:	Fantasy
UPC:	0888072308794
catalogNumber:	30879
Rank:	4892

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
John Fogerty   Guitar,Vocals
Doug Clifford   Drums,Background Vocals
Tom Fogerty   Rhythm Guitar,Background Vocals
Stu Cook   Bass,Bass Guitar,Background Vocals

Technical Credits

John Fogerty   Arranger,Composer,Lyricist,Producer,Audio Production
Joel Selvin   Liner Notes,Track Notes
Ed Ward   Liner Notes
Chris Clough   Reissue Producer,Audio Production
Traditional   Composer
Basul Parik   Cover Photo,Original Cover Photography
Larissa Collins   Art Direction