Cosmo's Factory (40th Anniversary Edition) [Remastered]

iTunes Review

By their fifth album, 1970’s Cosmos Factory, Creedence Clearwater Revival were a hit-making juggernaut with tight, concise, roots-oriented rock n’ roll. “Travelin’ Band” reflected the band’s incredible workman grind — five albums and countless tours in just three years — while “Run Through the Jungle” and “Who’ll Stop the Rain” simmered with ominous underpinnings of a world gone wrong. The extra-instrumental workout of “Ramble Tamble” catches the band in an inspired groove, while the eleven-minute jam on Marvin Gaye’s “I Heard It Through the Grapevine” tips the band towards a rare moment of self-indulgence. Covers of “Before You Accuse Me,” “Ooby Dooby,” and “My Baby Left Me” reflect the band’s early rock roots. However, Fogerty gets the most from his vocal mojo working with his own “Up Around the Bend” and the slow, soulful closer “Long As I Can See the Light.” The 40th Anniversary Edition adds three bonus cuts, including a horns-free version of “Travelin’ Band” and a blistering live take of “Up Around the Bend.”