Cosmo's Factory

With the release of Cosmo's Factory in July 1970, Creedence Clearwater Revival hit their commercial zenith. It was their fifth album in two years and became an international success, topping the album charts in six countries.{{cite book |title=Australian Chart Book 1970-1992 |last=Kent |first=David |year=1993 |publisher=Australian Chart Book |author-link=David Kent (historian) |isbn=0-646-11917-6}}{{cite journal |date=August 29, 1970 |title=100 Albums |journal=RPM |volume=14 |issue=2 |format=PHP |access-date=April 13, 2011 |url=http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/rpm/028020-119.01-e.php?&file_num=nlc008388.4196&type=2&interval=20&PHPSESSID=m89iq841abagb37ld9c0fdc1f3 |archive-date=October 20, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121020074946/http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/rpm/028020-119.01-e.php?&file_num=nlc008388.4196&type=2&interval=20&PHPSESSID=m89iq841abagb37ld9c0fdc1f3 |url-status=live }}{{cite web |url=http://www.infodisc.fr/Album_C.php |title=Le Détail des Albums de chaque Artiste |work=InfoDisc |language=fr |format=PHP |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150720203219/http://www.infodisc.fr/Album_C.php |archive-date=July 20, 2015 }} Look for "CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL" under the drop-down menu.{{cite web |url=http://lista.vg.no/album_info.php?AlbumOp=show&albumId=3239&albumtype=album |title=Album Info: Cosmo's Factory – Creedence Clearwater Revival |work=VG-lista |language=no |format=PHP |access-date=April 13, 2011}}{{cite web |url={{AllMusic|class=artist|id=creedence-clearwater-revival-p3985/charts-awards/billboard-albums|pure_url=yes}} |title=Creedence Clearwater Revival – Billboard Albums |work=AllMusic |publisher=Rovi Corporation |access-date=November 11, 2010}}{{cite web |url=http://www.theofficialcharts.com/artist/_/creedence%20clearwater%20revival/ |title=Artist Chart History: Creedence Clearwater Revival |work=The Official Charts Company |access-date=April 13, 2011}} The band also toured Europe in 1970, playing London's Royal Albert Hall among other venues, and had emerged as the most popular band in America by largely ignoring the trippy acid rock that was typical of the era.{{fact|date=June 2023}} However, despite the band's blend of rockabilly, folk, and R&B, some peers and rock critics dismissed them as a singles band with no substance.{{fact|date=June 2023}} In a 2012 cover story, Uncut observed: "While San Francisco longhairs across the bridge scoffed at their commercialism, Creedence henceforth made a point of releasing double A-sides. And invariably both songs{{clarify|date=June 2023}} would have an uncanny knack of cutting through to all sections of the population." Singer and lead guitarist John Fogerty, who had seemingly arrived out of nowhere, but had actually struggled with his bandmates throughout most of the 1960s as the Blue Velvets and the Golliwogs, composed the group's songs and generally steered the band artistically, although his grip on the band – including his dubious{{clarify|date=June 2023}} role as manager – irritated the others, especially his older brother Tom Fogerty, who left the band by the end of 1970.

Perhaps more than any other Creedence album, Cosmo's Factory displays the wide range of musical ingredients that provided the foundation for their "swamp rock" sound: R&B ("Before You Accuse Me", "My Baby Left Me"), soul ("I Heard It Through the Grapevine", "Long As I Can See the Light"), country ("Lookin' Out My Back Door"), rockabilly and classic rock and roll ("Ooby Dooby", "Travelin' Band"), and psychedelia ("Ramble Tamble").

"Travelin' Band" was inspired by 1950s rock 'n' roll songs, particularly those by Little Richard. In October 1972, the company that held the publishing rights to Richard's "Good Golly, Miss Molly" felt "Travelin' Band" bore enough similarities to warrant a plagiarism lawsuit that was later settled out of court. The song's flip side, "Who'll Stop the Rain", could not have been more different, with Fogerty telling Uncut in 2012: "'Travelin' Band' was my salute to Little Richard, but 'Who'll Stop The Rain?' was part of the fabric of the times. From '68 to '74, Vietnam was probably the most important thing on the minds of young people." "Run Through the Jungle" mined similar territory, with many listeners believing the lyrics to be about the war (although the song was actually about the prevalence of guns in the United States).{{Cite magazine |last=Grow |first=Kory |date=2016-01-12 |title=John Fogerty: 'Run Through the Jungle' Plea for Gun Control |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/tv-movies/tv-movie-news/john-fogerty-run-through-the-jungle-is-plea-for-gun-control-60581/ |access-date=2025-03-17 |magazine=Rolling Stone |language=en-US}} According to the band's bassist Stu Cook, the song's opening and closing both feature jungle sound effects created by "lots of backwards recorded guitar and piano."{{cite web|url=http://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=2997|title=Run Through the Jungle by Creedence Clearwater Revival Songfacts|website=www.songfacts.com|access-date=December 14, 2015|archive-date=December 22, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151222143736/http://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=2997|url-status=live}} The song was rhythm guitarist Tom Fogerty's favorite CCR song: "My all-time favorite Creedence tune was 'Run Through the Jungle'. It's like a little movie in itself with all the sound effects. It never changes key, but it holds your interest the whole time. It's like a musician's dream. It never changes key, yet you get the illusion it does."The Global Satellite Network, 60's Legends

"Lookin' Out My Back Door" was a direct tribute to the Bakersfield Sound, a style of music that influenced John Fogerty and the Creedence sound – Buck Owens, one of the architects of the Bakersfield Sound, is even mentioned in the lyrics. The song is known for its upbeat tempo, its down-home feel, and a change in key and tempo towards the end. The lyrics, filled with colorful, dream-like imagery, led some to believe the song was about drugs (according to the drug theory, the "flying spoon" in the song was a cocaine spoon, and the crazy animal images were an acid trip). Fogerty, however, has repeatedly stated in interviews that the song was actually written for his son Josh, who was three years old at the time, and said the reference to a parade passing by was inspired by the Dr. Seuss book And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street.{{cite book|last=Bordowitz|first=Hank|title=Bad Moon Rising: The Unauthorized History of Creedence Clearwater Revival|year=1998|publisher=Chicago Review Press|page=98|isbn=9781569769843|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zDDKxvnPy7cC&q=lookin%27+out+my+back+door+mulberry+street&pg=PA98|access-date=December 9, 2020|archive-date=April 25, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210425174909/https://books.google.com/books?id=zDDKxvnPy7cC&q=lookin%27+out+my+back+door+mulberry+street&pg=PA98|url-status=live}}

Although CCR was well-known for its concise, tightly arranged songs, Cosmo's Factory features two longer cuts: the seven-minute opener, "Ramble Tamble", and an 11-minute cover of Marvin Gaye's "I Heard It Through the Grapevine". The band had dabbled with psychedelia on their debut single, "Susie Q", but "Ramble Tamble" is more ambitious, beginning with a rockabilly part before transitioning into a psychedelic wall of sound that lasts nearly four minutes and then transitioning back into the original rockabilly section near the end. The song has been singled out for critical praise,{{cite web|last1=Larson|first1=Jeremy D.|title=Pitchfork – The Spirit of "Ramble Tamble"|url=http://pitchfork.com/thepitch/58-the-spirit-of-ramble-tamble/|website=Pitchfork|date=September 4, 2013 |access-date=August 13, 2015|archive-date=August 8, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150808160628/http://pitchfork.com/thepitch/58-the-spirit-of-ramble-tamble/|url-status=live}} with music journalist Steven Hyden calling it "the most rockin' song of all time".{{cite web|last1=Hyden|first1=Steven|title=The AV Club Blog – The most rockin' song of all time|url=http://www.avclub.com/article/the-most-rockin-song-of-all-time-10761|website=The AV Club|date=September 6, 2007 |access-date=August 13, 2015|archive-date=August 10, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150810141805/http://www.avclub.com/article/the-most-rockin-song-of-all-time-10761|url-status=live}} As Cook explained to Bill Kopp of musoscribe.com: "Each album had a longish track on it, but they were never jams, per se...'Heard It Through the Grapevine' had a little jammy character to it, but they were all pretty structured. There was no space to noodle. Live, there was a little bit of noodling, but in the studio we always tried to nail the arrangement."

Several songs on the album pay tribute to the band's blues and rock and roll roots, including Big Arthur Crudup's "My Baby Left Me" (a notable cover of which had previously been recorded by Elvis Presley), Bo Diddley's "Before You Accuse Me", and the rockabilly classic "Ooby Dooby".

The name of the album comes from the warehouse in Berkeley where the band rehearsed early in their career, which was dubbed "The Factory" by drummer Doug "Cosmo" Clifford, because bandleader John Fogerty made them practice there almost every day.{{cite web|title=Creedence Clearwater Revival-Cosmo's Factory|url=https://www.sputnikmusic.com/review/1319/Creedence-Clearwater-Revival-Cosmos-Factory/|access-date=January 14, 2014|archive-date=April 25, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210425174914/https://www.sputnikmusic.com/review/1319/Creedence-Clearwater-Revival-Cosmos-Factory/|url-status=live}} In 2013, Clifford recalled to Goldmine that "John knew the press would be all over us for the album, so he said that he would name the album after me and that I would have to deal with it. He wanted the pressure off of him. It was our biggest album ever and I tell people that they named it after me, so it had to be a hit [laughter]. That's a joke!"{{Cite web |last=Wright |first=Jeb |date=Sep 14, 2013 |title=Cosmo Clifford, Stu Cook keep the faith with Creedence Clearwater Revisited |url=https://www.goldminemag.com/articles/cosmo-clifford-stu-cook-keep-the-faith-with-creedence-clearwater-revisited |website=Goldmine}}

The cover photo was taken by Bob Fogerty, brother of John and Tom. As David Cavanagh of Uncut wrote in 2012: "The album's front cover showed the four of them caught by a camera in an off-duty moment, a proudly uncool quartet who looked more like lumberjacks than rock stars." The handwritten sign affixed to the support post at the left of the photo that reads "3RD GENERATION" is an ironic reference to something rock music critic Ralph Gleason wrote in the liner notes of the band's debut album: "Creedence Clearwater Revival is an excellent example of the Third Generation of San Francisco bands".{{Cite book|last=Fogerty|first=John|title=Fortunate Son|publisher=Little, Brown, and Company|year=2016|isbn=978-0-316-24458-9|location=US|pages=147}}

{{Music ratings

| rev1 = AllMusic

| rev1Score = {{rating|5|5}}{{cite web |last1=Erlewine |first1=Stephen Thomas |author1-link=Stephen Thomas Erlewine |title=Cosmo's Factory – Creedence Clearwater Revival |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/cosmos-factory-mw0000232241 |publisher=AllMusic |access-date=April 25, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201118165933/https://www.allmusic.com/album/cosmos-factory-mw0000232241 |archive-date=November 18, 2020}}

|rev2 = Christgau's Record Guide

|rev2Score = A{{cite book|last=Christgau|first=Robert|author-link=Robert Christgau|year=1981|title=Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies|publisher=Ticknor & Fields|isbn=089919026X|chapter=Consumer Guide '70s: C|chapter-url=https://www.robertchristgau.com/get_chap.php?k=C&bk=70|access-date=February 23, 2019|via=robertchristgau.com|archive-date=April 13, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190413062714/https://www.robertchristgau.com/get_chap.php?k=C&bk=70|url-status=live}}

| rev3 = Encyclopedia of Popular Music

| rev3score = {{rating|4|5}}{{cite book|last=Larkin|first=Colin|author-link=Colin Larkin|chapter=Creedence Clearwater Revival|title=The Encyclopedia of Popular Music|title-link=Encyclopedia of Popular Music|location=London|publisher=Omnibus Press|edition=5th concise|year=2011|isbn=978-0-85712-595-8}}

| rev4 = Pitchfork

| rev4Score = 8.8/10{{cite web |last=Lingan |first=John |title=Creedence Clearwater Revival: Cosmo's Factory Album Review |url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/creedence-clearwater-revival-cosmos-factory/ |date=July 22, 2018 |website=Pitchfork |access-date=8 September 2020 |archive-date=December 25, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191225025237/https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/creedence-clearwater-revival-cosmos-factory/amp/ |url-status=live }}

| rev5 = Rolling Stone

| rev5Score = {{rating |5|5}}{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/artists/creedence-clearwater-revival/albumguide|title=Creedence Clearwater Revival: Album Guide|magazine=Rolling Stone|access-date=August 26, 2017|archive-date=June 28, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110628203351/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/artists/creedence-clearwater-revival/albumguide|url-status=dead}}

}}

In its original review, Rolling Stone opined: "It should be obvious by now that Creedence Clearwater Revival is one great rock and roll band. Cosmo's Factory, the group's fifth album, is another good reason why."

AllMusic states: "On 'Long as I Can See the Light', the record's final song, he again finds solace in home, anchored by a soulful, laid-back groove. It hits a comforting, elegiac note, the perfect way to draw Cosmo's Factory – an album made during stress and chaos, filled with raging rockers, covers, and intense jams – to a close." An editorial review from Amazon.com calls the album "the peak of a prolific streak."{{cite web|title=Cosmo's Factory|url=https://www.amazon.com/Cosmos-Factory-Creedence-Clearwater-Revival/dp/B001AKTZOQ|website=Amazon|access-date=July 18, 2017|date=September 30, 2008|archive-date=November 18, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161118120008/https://www.amazon.com/Cosmos-Factory-Creedence-Clearwater-Revival/dp/B001AKTZOQ|url-status=live}}

In 2014, Cosmo's Factory was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.

{{Cite web |title=GRAMMY HALL OF FAME AWARD |url=https://www.grammy.com/awards/hall-of-fame-award#c |access-date=2023-07-17 |website=www.grammy.com}}

In 2003, the album was ranked number 265 on Rolling Stone{{'}}s list of the 500 greatest albums of all time; it was re-ranked number 413 on the revised 2020 list.{{cite web

|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/6626062/265_cosmos_factory |title=News |publisher=Rolling Stone |access-date=December 4, 2011 |archive-date=February 28, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100228073829/http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/6626062/265_cosmos_factory |url-status=dead }}{{Cite magazine|date=2020-09-22|title=The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/best-albums-of-all-time-1062063/|access-date=2020-11-11|magazine=Rolling Stone|language=en-US|archive-date=September 23, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200923210922/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/best-albums-of-all-time-1062063/|url-status=live}}

In January 1970, the double A-sided "Travelin' Band"/"Who'll Stop the Rain" single peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.{{cite web |url={{AllMusic|class=artist|id=creedence-clearwater-revival-p3985/charts-awards/billboard-singles|pure_url=yes}} |title=Creedence Clearwater Revival – Billboard Singles |work=AllMusic |publisher=Rovi Corporation |access-date=November 21, 2010}} In April, the band released the double A-sided "Up Around the Bend"/"Run Through the Jungle" single, which reached number four on the Hot 100, and started their first tour of Europe. Cosmo's Factory was released in July 1970, as was the band's ninth single, "Lookin' Out My Back Door"/"Long as I Can See the Light", which reached number two on the Hot 100.

The album was certified gold (500,000 units sold) by the Recording Industry Association of America on December 16, 1970. Almost 20 years later, on December 13, 1990, it received a certification of four times platinum, indicating sales of over four million copies.

{{Track listing

| headline = Side one

| all_writing = John Fogerty, except where noted

| title1 = Ramble Tamble

| length1 = 7:09

| title2 = Before You Accuse Me

| writer2 = Ellas McDaniel

| length2 = 3:24

| title3 = Travelin' Band

| length3 = 2:07

| title4 = Ooby Dooby

| writer4 = Wade Moore, Dick Penner

| length4 = 2:05

| title5 = Lookin' out My Back Door

| length5 = 2:31

| title6 = Run Through the Jungle

| length6 = 3:09

}}

{{Track listing

| headline = Side two

| title1 = Up Around the Bend

| length1 = 2:40

| title2 = My Baby Left Me

| writer2 = Arthur Crudup

| length2 = 2:17

| title3 = Who'll Stop the Rain

| length3 = 2:28

| title4 = I Heard It Through the Grapevine

| writer4 = Norman Whitfield, Barrett Strong

| length4 = 11:05

| title5 = Long as I Can See the Light

| length5 = 3:33

}}

{{Track listing

| headline = 40th Anniversary Edition CD bonus tracks

| title12 = Travelin' Band

| note12 = Remake take

| length12 = 2:15

| title13 = Up Around the Bend

| note13 = Live in Amsterdam, September 10, 1971

| length13 = 2:41

| title14 = Born on the Bayou

| note14 = with Booker T. & the M.G.'s at Fantasy Studios, 1970

| length14 = 5:58

}}

Source:Kitts, T M, 2015. John Fogerty: An American Son. 1st ed. U.S.A: Routledge.

Creedence Clearwater Revival

• John Fogerty – lead guitar, lead vocals, piano, electric piano, keyboards, saxophone, harmonica, producer, arranger
• Tom Fogerty – rhythm guitar, backing vocals
• Stu Cook – bass guitar, backing vocals
• Doug Clifford – drums, cowbell

Production

• Russ Gary – engineer
• Bob Fogerty – cover art, design, photography

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{{Certification Table Top|caption=Certifications for Cosmo's Factory}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Finland|artist=Creedence Clearwater Revival|title=Cosmo's Factory|type=album|award=Gold|number=1|salesamount=20,000|certyear=1971|accessdate=August 28, 2013}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=United Kingdom|type=album|award=Gold|artist=Creedence Clearwater Revival|title=Cosmo's Factory|relyear=1970|certyear=2024|accessdate=March 1, 2024|id=16955-1136-2}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=United States|type=album|artist=Creedence Clearwater|title=Cosmo's Factor|number=4|award=Platinum|accessdate=July 18, 2017|refname=RIAA}}

{{Certification Table Bottom|streaming=true|nosales=true}}

{{Reflist|30em}}

• {{Discogs master|type=album|55281|name=Cosmo's Factory}}
• [http://www.fogerty.de/alben/cosmos-factory/ Cosmo's Factory Infosite]

{{Creedence}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:Creedence Clearwater Revival albums

Category:1970 albums

Category:Albums produced by John Fogerty

Category:Albums recorded at Wally Heider Studios

Category:Bellaphon Records albums

Category:Liberty Records albums

Category:Fantasy Records albums