Throughout 1969 and into 1970,
CCR toured incessantly and recorded nearly as much. Appropriately,
Cosmo's Factory's first single was the working band's anthem "Travelin' Band," a funny, piledriving rocker with a blaring horn section -- the first indication their sonic palette was broadening. Two more singles appeared prior to the album's release, backed by
John Fogerty originals that rivaled the A-side or paled just slightly. When it came time to assemble a full album,
Fogerty had only one original left, the claustrophobic, paranoid rocker "Ramble Tamble." Unlike some extended instrumentals, this was dramatic and had a direction -- a distinction made clear by the meandering jam that brings
CCR's version of "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" to 11 minutes. Even if it wanders, their take on the
Marvin Gaye classic isn't unpleasant, and their faithful, exuberant takes on the Sun classics "Ooby Dooby" and "My Baby Left Me" are joyous tributes. Still, the heart of the album lays in those six fantastic songs released on singles. "Up Around the Bend" is a searing rocker, one of their best, balanced by the menacing murkiness of "Run Through the Jungle." "Who'll Stop the Rain"'s poignant melody and melancholy undertow has a counterpart in
Fogerty's dope song, "Lookin' out My Back Door," a charming, bright shuffle, filled with dancing animals and domestic bliss - he had never been as sweet and silly as he is here. 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. [
Cosmo's Factory was reissued on LP in 2013.] ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine