Creedence Clearwater Revival: The Best Band Ever?

Welcome to the second post in the The Best Music Band Ever series, where I cover the most legendary music bands. It’s about artists who are simply on another level. Groups whose songs stand the test of time, and keep giving people real goosebumps. Today’s spotlight is on the one and only – Creedence Clearwater Revival.

Creedence Clearwater Revival is an strong contender for the title of the greatest music band of all time. They created some of the most memorable and timeless hits ever. When people hear their albums for the first time – it’s usually a love at first note. Songs made by CCR half a century ago continue to captivate music fans up to this day.

We all have our favorite bands. There are as many opinions on the best band as there are music fans. And those opinions surely vary widely. But some bands undeniably stand apart from the rest. I’ll make my case for CCR being THAT band.

What Defines The Greatest Bands

There are specific factors that differentiate a monumental, historically exceptional music group from just a good band. I have covered these factors in detail in Pink Floyd: The Best Music Band Ever? article. To quickly reiterate them, here’s what I believe sets the greatest bands apart:

• Emotional Impact
• Longevity
• Innovation
• Influence

When a group shows that they not only have these qualities, but they excel in all of them, this propels such band to a legendary status. I’m going to use these criteria as we go on.

Creedence Clearwater Revival: Main Facts To know

If you are not that familiar with Creedence Clearwater Revival, here’s a quick recap of the main things you should know about them.

Creedence Clearwater Revival (also called CCR) was a California rock band featuring John Fogerty (lead vocals, guitar, and main songwriter), his brother Tom Fogerty (rhythm guitar), Stu Cook (bass), and Doug Clifford (drums).

Creedence Clearwater Revival was not the first name they played under. They actually had a few prior to CCR, one of which was “The Golliwogs”. Personally, I am very happy they changed it. As for the Creedence Clearwater Revival, it’s a mix of influences. “Creedence” came from Tom Fogerty’s friend named Credence Newball. “Clearwater” was inspired by a beer commercial. And “Revival” symbolized the band’s fresh start and their commitment to their music goals.

They played together since late 1950s, but officially formed Creedence Clearwater Revival in 1967. The band rose to fame quickly, releasing five successful albums and fourteen Top 10 singles between 1969 and 1971. Despite their huge success the band broke up in 1972 due to internal conflicts. John Fogerty pursued a solo career, while Cook and Clifford later performed as Creedence Clearwater Revisited from 1995 to 2020.

Why CCR Deserves To Be The Best Group Ever

What makes Creedence Clearwater Revival possibly the best band ever? Well, let’s see how they fare against the factors I described earlier.

Emotional impact. Even though CCR is an old band, their music still resonates with modern listeners. it is written in such a way that it easily reaches pretty much anyone – no matter the age, nationality, political views, etc. The lyrics are not overly complicated, and when combined with incredible music – it is pure bliss. It’s like higher powers of the universe decided to bestow this band with their magic. The best way to experience this effect is of course to check CCR songs yourself (I have a link to their best hits down below).

Innovation. Creedence Clearwater Revival created their own unique form of rock. They blended rock, blues, country, and swampy Southern sounds to come up with a style known as “swamp rock.” This is music of raw simplicity, punchy arrangements, and super catchy lyrics. And it’s delivered by the great John Fogerty, the voice you can’t confuse with any other.

Longevity. CCR has remained extremely popular throughout the years. Being the band that peaked in the 60s, they show numbers that are unreachable for most of modern artists. Right now when I’m writing this they have 37 million monthly listeners on Spotify. That’s equal to what The Beatles have. That’s more than The Doors, The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin or Pink Floyd have. Two of their hits: Have You Ever Seen The Rain, and Fortunate Son have more than a billion (with “B”) plays each. Same on YouTube – hundreds of millions of views.

Influence factor. Creedence Clearwater Revival is one of the most recognized and respected bands in music, period. It’s hard to find a contemporary artist who hasn’t mentioned CCR (or their songs) among their favorites. I mean if Corey Taylor from Slipknot chooses to sing Have You Ever Seen The Rain during his solo concerts, that shows how influential CCR is. And even if you did not listen to their songs directly, you 100% heard them in the movies. It could have been in Forrest Gump (1994), Apocalypse Now (1979), Suicide Squad (2016) or many others.

It’s obvious that CCR excels in all 4 factors. The numbers don’t lie. And the reactions people have on their work remains just as vivid as 50 years ago.

Creedence Clearwater Revival Best Songs

Probably the strongest argument for Creedence Clearwater Revival being the greatest group ever is their discography. It’s simply amazing.

Their first 6 albums, where John Fogerty was the sole producer and main force, are all iconic. In each of those albums you will find unbelievable hit songs that became known all over the world. Pick any of those releases and just hit play – you won’t be disappointed.

Just to give an example, give this one a try:

I’ve made a playlist of TOP 15 Creedence Clearwater Revival Greatest Hits, check it here:

Conclusion

Creedence Clearwater Revival is one of a kind music event. They blasted into the scene out of nowhere. They were active only around 5 years, but left an impact that rivals the meteor that ended the dinosaurs. It’s one of the rare cases when the phrase “they don’t make such music these days” is so true.

When considering if the band is worthy of the title of THE Best Ever title, I ask this question – If you could only listen to a single band for the rest of my life, which one would it be? A tough question to answer, because there are multiple groups that come to mind.

But if it was Creedence Clearwater Revival, I would definitely be satisfied with the pick. They have created music that has it all. And it never gets old. If anything it ages like fine wine.