Creedence Clearwater Revival - Creedence Clearwater Revival

180-gram vinyl

Half-speed mastered at Abbey Road Studios

Tip-on jacket replicating the original packaging

With the release of this extraordinary debut album in July 1968, Creedence Clearwater Revival was launched upon a career that little more than a year later would lead to enormous worldwide popularity. The four-man group from San Francisco's East Bay had worked ten years as a bar band and recorded several singles on the Scorpio label (under the forgettable name Golliwogs), but it was with this Fantasy release that CCR caught fire.

Using high-res transfers from the original analog tapes, the half-speed mastering process involves playing back audio at half its recorded speed while the cutting lathe is turned at half the desired playback speed. The technique allows more time to cut a micro-precise groove, allowing more accuracy with frequency extremes and dynamic contrasts. Abbey Road Studios' award-winning engineer Miles Showell explains, "I've tried to be as authentic as I could, and just make it sound like music. Not over-hyped, not over-processed. Up until now a lot of processing has been done on these recordings, so my approach was to strip them right back and just expose them for what they are — because what they are is great music."

On this album debut, lead singer/ guitarist/ writer John Fogerty emerges as a fine lyric shouter with "Ninety-Nine and a Half," "I Put A Spell On You" and "Suzie Q," a brilliant extended redition of the Dale Hawkins classic that quickly became a Top Ten Hit.

Side 1

I Put A Spell On You

The Working Man

Suzie Q.

Side 2

Ninety-Nine And A Half (Won’t Do)

Get Down Woman

Porterville

Gloomy

Walk On The Water

Customer Reviews (5.00 Stars) 1 person(s) rated this product.

Wow is the word! posted on 09/19/2021 5 Stars Reviewer: Robert Hildebrandt The half speed remaster is the best sounding version of this early masterpiece. The pressing was whisper quiet and the reproduction very full but detailed. The treble top was crisp and not excessive but the bass was tight and realistic. This version sounds better than any of the CD versions including my amazing Japan CD SHM issue.

Write a review and let people know what you think of this product OR just rate it.