CREEDENCE ROCK LONDON

There’s a special sound when a packed auditorium of music fans rise to their feet and applaud and cheer and keep on applauding long after the band have not only left the stage but in all likelihood the building as well. That’s the wave of celebration that concludes Creedence Clearwater Revival At The Royal Albert Hall, April 14, 1970.

Long sought after by collectors, this culmination of Creedence’s 1970 European tour was first released in 1980. Except it wasn’t. That live recording was not the London concert but one at the Oakland Coliseum California three months earlier. The error was remedied by subsequently renaming the release The Concert. If you are wondering why such a fuss about a third live CCR album from a period of less than twelve months, let me give you a little context.

The year 1969 had been a watershed one for the American band. By the time they played the legendary Woodstock Festival in August they had already released two successful albums that year. Between the iconic upstate New York festival and New Year’s Eve came another new studio album—Willy And The Poor Boys—and more touring. Then, after a short break, Creedence began their European jaunt, culminating in the show at London’s famed Royal Albert Hall.

By this stage they were a formidable, battle-hardened band who could charge through their repertoire like cavalry at full gallop. At The Royal Albert Hall shares half its set list with the Live At Woodstock album (reviewed at Discrepancy’s blog here) and adds some excellent new songs. From Willy we get the electrifying "Fortunate Son" and the gospel flavoured "Midnight Special" while a storming version of Little Richard’s "Good Golly Miss Molly" precedes their well-established closing epic, "Keep On Chooglin’". A fascinating inclusion is new song, "Travellin’ Band". Clearly inspired by their busy gigging schedule, this up-tempo road song appeared on the next studio album, Cosmo’s Factory (July 1970).

From the opening twin-barrel blast of "Born On The Bayou" followed by "Green River" (the same pair they opened with at Woodstock), the energy does not falter. "Tombstone Shadow" follows, a mid-paced song from Green River that oozes bluesy intensity. New song "Travellin’ Band" has a raw power that suggests John’s already husky voice might need a rest soon, while celebratory concert staple "The Night Time Is The Right Time" retains its’ place despite the band’s own catalogue being replete with hits by this stage in their career. "Bad Moon Rising" bounds along and "Proud Mary" retains a mesmerising power, despite being so familiar.

All in all, this is another exciting addition to the Creedence catalogue. Even if you already have The Concert or Live At Woodstock you will want this one too. Oh, and for those who love bonus bells and whistles, there is a Super Deluxe Fancy Schmancy version with a blu-ray of the film of the same name, two CDs and a sticker that is almost worth the price of admission on its own: Keep Calm and Choogle On. Good advice, that.

© Bruce Jenkins—October 2022