Creedence vs Beatles
The day that Creedence defeated The Beatles nothing more and nothing less than in London.
On April 14, 1970, just a few days after Paul McCartney announced the end of The Beatles, marking the end of the biggest rock band of all time at that moment, Creedence would give a concert that, along with the aforementioned, would place them at the top of rock, making them the biggest band in the world.
In the image on the right, the vinyl of the Creedence concert at the Royal Albert Hall is shown.
Written by Carlos David, musician and scientist
September 18, 2022
Personal opinion
Creedence Clearwater Revival was a rock band from California, United States. The band consisted of John Fogerty on lead vocals and guitar, Tom Fogerty on rhythm guitar, Stu Cook on bass, and Doug Clifford on drums. Known as Creedence in Mexico or CCR in the United States, the band managed to create a unique musical sound based on swamp blues, R&B, and psychedelic rock that is difficult to compare. Six successful albums in just two years (1968-1970) placed Creedence at the pinnacle of the music industry, but just as abruptly as they achieved success, their downfall came in a similarly abrupt manner.
The point is that if there was a rock band that, even if only for a short period of time, truly contested or even snatched the title of the BEST IN THE WORLD from the Beatles, that band was Creedence. It was on the night of April 14, 1970, at the Beatles’ house in London, at the Royal Albert Hall, when Creedence would be considered the best band in the world. This was not only because at that moment they really were the best, but also because the event was accompanied by the announcement of the official dissolution of the Beatles.
Strictly speaking, if we say Creedence vs Beatles, first of all, we must accept that it would be like comparing apples and oranges. Nowadays, it would be illusory to say that Creedence is the greatest rock band of all time, just as it would be to continue claiming that the Beatles are, they were simply different projects with a different impact. From my point of view, Creedence was John Fogerty while Beatles were Lennon, Paul, George, and Ringo, that’s a 4 to 1 score that could already be considered a rout. I’m not saying that Stu, Doug, and Tom were not good musicians, but unfortunately, the figure of John Fogerty completely overshadowed them, so much so that Creedence transformed into John Fogerty’s band and his musicians, while the Beatles were 4 friends making music.
Returning to the topic of the day Creedence conquered London, the concert at the Royal Albert Hall was the defining moment that ultimately propelled Creedence to the top. On Friday, September 16th, the documentary of this concert premiered on Netflix, representing one of the few audiovisual and documentary materials available on Creedence. I believe this documentary also does justice to one of the greatest bands in the history of rock, which didn’t achieve the same level of popularity in the social collective of rock as the BEATLES, ROLLING STONES, LED ZEPPELIN, to name just a few.
At the beginning of the concert, the nervousness of everyone on stage is evident, even John Fogerty, who limits himself to only saying “Thank you” after each song. The London audience also seems too quiet; those closest to the stage only watch and sway minimally, even during songs like “Travelin’ Band.” It is during the song “The Midnight Special” that both Creedence and the audience start to loosen up. Someone even shouts “keep on chooglin’!!!” From here on, John will demonstrate his powerful voice and mastery of singing and playing the guitar. That characteristic style of Creedence’s songs is present: he sings, the guitar responds, he sings, the guitar responds, but the guitar and voice are the same person. This is combined with scenes showing the classic display of affection between drummer Doug and John, locking eyes as John executes a solo with the “chicken picking” technique he loves. In the choruses of the following songs, Stu and Tom’s voices become more prominent, breathing more life into the songs and showing that they were also fundamental to the band’s unique sound. As we approach the end, John tests the sound of his guitar and the audience screams in recognition of the melody, knowing which song comes next. It is here that John Fogerty utters more words to the audience to introduce the song, closing with the following: “this is Keep on, keep on, keep on chooglin’!”, and the Londoners go wild. A woman stands up right in front of the stage and begins to dance in a spectacular trance that will not end until the long song is over and Creedence bids the audience farewell.
The narrator mentions that the London audience gave them a standing ovation for 15 minutes. It seemed like they, The Creedence, were the ones who had come to fill the void left by The Beatles, although as we now know, it wouldn’t last long. It was two successful albums, Cosmo’s Factory and Pendulum, and one not-so-good, Mardi Gras, that would seal the end of the incredible but tragic story of Creedence Clearwater Revival.
Carlos David 