Everything I hated about Zappa and Beefheart, is the opposite here with John Cameron Fogarty’s Creedance Clearwater Revival (formerly the Golliwogs!!!). It is, for me, the early rising of Americana. Layered, thoughtful, lyrical country, bluesey rock in another name, occasionally referred to as swamp rock!? The album is slightly inconsistent for me, no idea why ‘Good Golly Miss Molly’ is on there?
The album starts with a dark track ‘Born on the Bayou’, a loping track with a screechy journey long narrative, thee ‘hound dog’ lyric is slightly cheesy but it is a really engaging song. The New Orleans, Cajun references continue across the album, referencing Memphis and similar forgotten towns in a narrative of travelling to something more hopeful.
‘Keep on Chooglin’ carries the Cajun swamp groove for almost eight minutes. The album reaches its height with Fogarty’s ‘Proud Mary’, a song made famous by Ike and Tina Turner. It is another song on a journey down the river from the ‘big city’.
Fogarty wrote ‘Bad Moon Rising’ on the following album but the tone and vibe were established in Bayou County. Very enjoyable for me, short, thoughtful, nicely recorded, an actual album.
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Side One
1. Born on the Bayou
2. Bootleg
3. Graveyard Train
Side Two
1. Good Golly, Miss Molly
2. Penthouse Pauper
3. Proud Mary
4. Keep on Chooglin’
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Album – Bayou County
Artist – Creedance Clearwater Revival
Favourite Tracks – Born on the Bayou, Proud Mary, Penthouse Pauper
Released – 1969
Rating – 8.4 ( a bit random)
Time – 34′00″
Tracks – 7
Genre – Country Rock, Americana
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Source – Tidal Masters
Player/Streamers/DAC – Tidal Desktop on DELL XPS via Atlas USB GRUN
Amplifier – Questyle CMA400i headphone amplifier
Output – Oppo PM2 via Atlas Zeno
Next Album – 142 – Crosby, Stills and Nash, Crosby, Stills and Nash