This 7CD box set on Fantasy/Concord Music Group. Inc. 0888072315716 breaks down as follows:
"Creedence Clearwater Revival" (54:56 minutes)
Tracks 1 to 8 are their debut album issued July 1968 in the USA on Fantasy F-8382 and April 1969 in the UK on Liberty LBS 83259
Track 9 is "Call It Pretending", the non-album B-side of their 1st US single "Porterville" - it was first issued on Scorpio Records 412 in 1968 - credited as THE GOLLIWOGS - "Porterville" is on the 1st album]
Track 10 is "Before You Accuse Me" (a 1968 Outtake)
Track 11 is "Ninety-Nine And A Half" (Recorded for KSAN Radio Station live at the Fillmore, San Francisco, 14 March 1969) [Previously Unreleased]
Track 12 is "Susie Q" (a Dale Hawkins cover, as per track 11) [Previously Unreleased]
"Bayou Country" (56:33 minutes)
Tracks 1 to 7 are their 2nd studio album issued February 1969 in the USA on Fantasy F-8387 and June 1969 in the UK on Liberty LBS 83261
Track 8 is "Bootleg" (an Alternate Take)
Track 9 is "Born On The Bayou" (Live In London, 28 September 1971) [Previously Unreleased]
Track 10 is "Proud Mary" (Live In Stockholm, Sweden, 21 September 1971) [Previously Unreleased]
Track 11 is "Crazy Otto" (Recorded for KSAN Radio Station live at the Fillmore, San Francisco, 14 March 1969)
"Green River" (44:43 minutes)
Tracks 1 to 9 are their 3rd studio album issued September 1969 on Fantasy F-8393 in the USA and December 1969 in the UK on Liberty LBS 83273
Track 10 is "Broken Spoke Shuffle" (Instrumental Outtake)
Track 11 is "Glory Be" (Instrumental Outtake)
Track 12 is "Bad Moon Rising" (Live In Berlin, 16 September 1971) [Previously Unreleased]
Track 13 is "Green River/Susie Q" (Live in Stockholm, Sweden, 21 September 1971) *
Track 14 is "Lodi" (Live in Hamburg, 17 September 1971) [Previously Unreleased]
"Willy And The Poor Boys" (43:21 minutes)
Tracks 1 to 10 are their 4th studio album issued December 1969 in the USA on Fantasy F-8397 and March 1970 in the UK on Liberty LBS 83338
Track 11 is "Fortunate Son" (Live in Manchester, UK, 1 September 1971) [Previously Unreleased]
Track 12 is "It Came Out Of The Sky" (Live In Berlin, 16 September 1971) [Previously Unreleased]
Track 13 is "Down On The Corner" (a jam in the Fantasy Studios with BOOKER T & THE MG'S in 1970)
"Cosmo's Factory" (53:28 minutes)
Tracks 1 to 11 are their 5th studio album issued July 1970 in the USA on Fantasy F-8402 and September 1970 in the UK on Liberty LBS 83388
Track 12 is "Travelin' Band" (Remake Take) [Previously Unreleased]
Track 13 is "Up Around The Bend" (Live in Amsterdam, Holland, 10 September 1971) [Previously Unreleased]
Track 14 is "Born On The Bayou" (a jam in the Fantasy Studios with BOOKER T & THE MG'S in 1970)
"Pendulum" (54:20 minutes)
Tracks 1 to 10 are their 6th studio album issued December 1970 in the USA on Fantasy F-8410 and January 1971 in the UK on Liberty LBG 83400
Tracks 11 and 12 are "45 Revolutions Per Minute Part 1 and Part 2" [A & B-sides of a US promo-only 7" single on Fantasy 2832/3 released in 1970 - nearly all dialogue]
Track 13 is "Hey Tonight" (Live in Hamburg, 17 September 1971) [Previously Unreleased]
"Mardi Gras" (28:48 minutes)
Tracks 1 to 10 are their 7th and final studio album issued April 1972 in the USA on Fantasy F-9404 and in the UK on Fantasy FAN 9404
(No bonus material)
All 7 Mini LP Card Repro Sleeves follow their US releases - 1 to 6 has blue Fantasy labels on each CD (with Full Radial Stereo wording) while 7 has the tan coloured Fantasy label. "Pendulum" is a gatefold as per the original issue - and each card repro also has an inner sleeve too. Unfortunately the inner merely pictures the album front, which is hardly imaginative and a bit disappointing. The booklet gathers up ALL SIX INLAYS of the 2008 remasters and runs them into one beautiful and chunky read. It's a genuine treat to look at (apart from the occasional typo error). But a lazy downer, however, is that there are no extra notes for the "Mardi Gras" addition.
Another official CCR release, the 2LP "Live In Europe" set issued in November 1973 has 1 of its 14 tracks represented here as a bonus track (* on "Green River"). But the big draw for fans will be "Mardi Gras", which wasn't reissued in 2008 as a remaster. Originally released in April 1972 - and with only 3 decent John Fogerty tracks to get excited about - it's always been seen as a last bum note in an otherwise near-perfect run. Still, it's nice to finally have a decent version of it. And "Sweet Hitch-Hiker" (lyrics above) still blows me away.
The sound quality across all the discs is fantastic - remastered by GEORGE HORN MASTERING at Fantasy Studios - top job done - each album feels like new life has been breathed into them.
What a great American band - what a voice - and what an amazing legacy they left us... I'll adore Creedence to my dying day.
Despite the niggles - this dapper little box set is a sweetheart of a release really - and it's going to make someone's Daddy a very happy bunny this Christmas.
This is an excellent boxed set. The new remasters sound awesome, clear, and just perfect. Considering it was very hard to find decent recordings for CCR albums before now, this compiles the best versions of these albums into one boxed set. The set is a little pricey, but it's a must have for any CCR fan. I'd recommend it over the old CCR box set simply because these remasters sound nicer, and they're organized by album, not with the content of one album split onto multiple CDs.
On the downside, as some other reviewers have already mentioned, the booklet that came with the set is pretty sloppy. Typos galore, even with the names of the band members. No big deal for me though. I bought this set for the music, not the booklet. More importantly, the reason I did not give this set a five-star rating is because one of the albums - Mardi Gras - sounds inconsistent from the other albums. I could tell right away that they did not do as good a job mastering this album as they did the others, as it sounds muddier and has less depth. Furthermore, Mardi Gras is the only album without bonus content. I know that Mardi Gras is usually regarded by fans as being the worst album CCR made, but that's still no reason to slack off. I mean, I for one still like the album, and Someday Never Comes is one of my favorite CCR songs.
Still, this is a great package, and I'd recommend it to anyone. Even if you don't count Mardi Gras, it still ended up being a pretty good value, at about $10 a CD. Highly recommended!
If you don't own every album already, this is the box set for you.
Most of my CCR cd's have worn out and this is how I replaced them.
I have not previously owned Mardi Gras before this but it sounds ok to me.
I could care less about the typos in the booklet, I didn't even look.
Its about the music, and the extra tracks make it even sweeter.
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