Pendulum

Creedence Clearwater Revival - "Pendulum" (1970) - Fantasy Records

Hello Friends,

Summer's here kids.  BBQs, bikinis & late night keggers at the beach!  Of course, we've gotta have some Creedence Clearwater Revival on the turntable! 

Pendulum would be the band's sixth studio record (within two years!) and their last great record.  (Their last official studio release would be 1972's Mardi Gras, but the train had long left the station!)  From 1968 to 1970 it was quite a run, putting them in the conversation for greatest American band of all time!  (Sorry Hanson!)

Things get kicked off with the 6+ minute ass-kicking jam of "Pagan Baby".  Amazing!

That's followed by two funky, rootsy rockers, "Sailor's Lament" & "Chameleon", both of which feature horn-sections provided by singer-guitarist John Fogerty himself!

The next song is the classic ballad, "Have You Ever Seen The Rain?" which is Fogerty's melancholic take on either The Viet Nam War, the idealism of the 60's quickly fading into the cold cynicism of the 70's, or about mounting tensions within the group itself.  Or maybe its just about the weather.  Sometimes the simplest answers are the best answers, and most eloquent!

And speaking of being sad & eloquent in the rain, the amazing "(Wish I Could) Hideaway" with its blistering organ (again courtesy of Fogerty) closes out an amazing Side One.

Maybe the album is called Pendulum because in the band's eyes things were literally swinging the other way.  They did so much in such a short amount of time that maybe by 1970 their fame and fortunes were catching up with them and wearing them down. Everyone in the band (except John's brother Tom, who was a few years older) was only around 25 by the time this album came out.  I don't know about you kids, but I was a real fuck-up at 25.  I can't imagine how intolerable, intoxicated & jaded I would have been if I was fronting one of the biggest and most successful rock bands in the country at that ripe age!  Give them credit for being able to stand-up, let alone for writing some unforgettable rock & roll tunes.

Side Two kicks off with the blistering (and organ/horn-laden) boogie, "Born to Move".

Next up is one of our favorite rocking Creedence tunes, "Hey Tonight" followed by another heartbreaker, "It's Just A Thought", featuring some more melancholic organ and lyrics courtesy of Fogerty.  For a guy with a dutch boy haircut in a flannel shirt, he sure is pretty deep!

"Molina" and "Rude Awakening #2" close out the record, the latter being a pretty strong instrumental that dissipates into a six minute meandering piece of avant-garde.  Not a great end to the album, but still a great album!

RATING: 4.5 Jody's Gonna Get Religion All Night Long out of 5