Album Review: CCR's "Willy and The Poor Boys"

The year is 1969, and it was a defining year for one roots rock band in particular. Creedence Clearwater Revival released three albums that year, all well-regarded by critics. So, I figured I had to check some out for my upcoming radio show. I listened to "Green River", and while it had a few songs I liked on there, it wasn't quite good enough to play on my show. But, I knew I might like "Willy and the Poor Boys". With its upbeat rock style and effective political messaging, this album lives on over 50 years later as a staple of the classic rock era. So, what does this album do well, and why am I likely to play it on my upcoming show? Well, let's dive into the album!

CCR pulls off a Sgt. Pepper as they pretend to be "Willy and the Poor Boys".

The opening track is an attention-grabber, with an iconic guitar riff that plays throughout the song. That song is "Down on the Corner", where CCR takes on the persona of "Willy and the Poor Boys". As I mentioned, it is quite reminiscent of The Beatles pretending to be "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band". With CCR, you can believe them to be Willy and the Poor Boys. Despite being from California, they take on the redneck persona quite well. You can just imagine John Fogerty, AKA "Willy", taking nickels on the street for playing his kazoo. Meanwhile, his hick buddy is playing the "gut bass", an instrument I didn't exactly know existed. In any case, "Down on the Corner" is a fantastic opener.

You know your band doesn't have a great budget when the kazoo is an instrument.

The next track, "It Came Out of The Sky", shows CCR's first serious political foray. The satirical song describes some mysterious object landing on a farmer's property. All the contemporary politicians and leaders try to use the incident to their advantage. The best lyric is probably how "Populist Ronnie says it was a communist plot". Populist Ronnie of course refers to the then-governor of California, Ronald Reagan. The song also pokes fun at religion, with the Vatican using the mysterious object as evidence that "the Lord has come". Not only is the song brilliant lyrically, it is also an upbeat rocker that's worthy of following up the excellent opening track. "Cotton Fields" follows it, and is a traditional folk song written by Huddie Ledbetter (most songs on the album were written by Fogerty). "Cotton Fields" features some sweet harmonies, reminiscing about life in Louisiana.

 

"Populist Ronnie" would've found a way to use the "sky" incident to his advantage.

What follows is probably the most filler-centric section of the album. "Poorboy Shuffle" is a simple harmonica instrumental, as the band truly takes on the redneck image in that ditty. It's a fine little tune, but certainly nothing notable. Then the shuffle leads directly into "Feelin' Blue", a forgettable five-minute track wherein Fogerty says he's "Feelin' Blue" about a million times. If you want to skip it, I can't say I blame you. But you certainly can't skip the beginning of Side Two, "Fortunate Son". Some people claim this short political burst of a song is overplayed in Vietnam War movies. Well, I don't watch many movies, and it's not played in the most important Vietnam War movie, anyway. So frankly, I don't care. "Fortunate Son" perfectly sums up the righteous anger at scummy politicians, sending kids younger than me off to fight in Vietnam. But some people were born with "Star Spangled eyes". Some people were born with a silver spoon in their mouth. 

CCR makes it clear that "this ain't them".

After a decent track in "Don't Look Now (It Ain't Your Or Me)", the next song is another one of CCR's most famous. "The Midnight Special" is a traditional folk song that apparently originated with prisoners from the South. As is the case with oral tradition, the lyrics have been changed plenty of times, and this arrangement certainly has the John Fogerty touch. As is the case with plenty of Southern songs, it's about a train (The Midnight Special), and a prisoner who wants to take that train to get out of jail. Yes, Willie and the Poor Boys are really Californians, but they sound like true Southern rockers here, singing of trains and prison. The song is followed up by the better of the album's two instrumental tracks, "Side 'o the Road". With an infectious rhythm and lead guitar, this instrumental manages to actually be worth a listen. Then the album ends with one last interesting political song, "Effigy". It's a six-and a half minute tune, so strap in for it. But the solid guitar keeps it chugging along, and its lyrics truly are interesting. CCR drummer Doug Clifford says the song was about "pointing the finger at the Nixon administration". Fogerty called the president a "schmuck", as Nixon completely dismissed the anti-Vietnam War protests from millions around the world. The message may be more interesting than the song itself, but the six-minute finale is still worth your time.

An overall great performance from CCR on this album.

Creedence Clearwater Revival truly establish themselves as rock legends with this album. Call it roots rock, Southern rock, country rock, whatever you want to call it. To me, CCR's mostly upbeat album could best be described as just good old rock 'n roll. It has clear misses and filler, and the longer tracks might not capture your attention for the full time. But the album's three main hits in "Down on the Corner", "Fortunate Son", and "The Midnight Special" help carry it to its status as one of the great rock albums of the era. As does "It Came Out of The Sky", a rock 'n roll song that builds off of Chuck Berry rhythms. Message-wise, the album talks of a time when the political left in this country was more gutsy and wrote great protest songs. It's still unbelievable to me that a band playing Southern rock could criticize the governor of California for being conservative. Think about that... the times have changed. The left has lost touch with rural America, it's a shame. We wouldn't see an album like "Willy and the Poor Boys" today. Overall, I am very pleased with this album, and I would rate it at 8/10. Expect to hear it sometime during the school year on my radio show!