Mardi Gras (album)

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Mardi Gras
Creedence Clearwater Revival - Mardi Gras.jpg
Studio album by
Creedence Clearwater Revival
ReleasedApril 11, 1972 (1972-04-11)
RecordedSpring 1971, January 1972
StudioWally Heider in San Francisco, California
Fantasy Records Studio A in Berkeley, California[1]
Genre
Length28:20
LabelFantasy
Producer
Creedence Clearwater Revival chronology
Pendulum
(1970) 		Mardi Gras
(1972) 		Creedence Gold
(1972)
Singles from Mardi Gras
  1. "Sweet Hitch-Hiker"/"Door to Door"
    Released: July 1971 (U.S.)
  2. "Someday Never Comes"/"Tearin' up the Country"
    Released: May 1972 (U.S.)

Mardi Gras is the seventh and final studio album by American band Creedence Clearwater Revival, released on April 11, 1972. Recorded after the departure of guitarist Tom Fogerty, it was their only album as a trio, with the group also sharing lead vocals on select tracks. The recording sessions were marred by personal and creative tensions, and the group disbanded after a short U.S. tour to support the album.

Overview[]

Unlike previous albums, Mardi Gras had Stu Cook and Doug Clifford sharing songwriting and production with John Fogerty, as well as their own lead vocal contributions for the first time. Reviews were mixed to poor, with Jon Landau stating in his original Rolling Stone review that the record was "the worst album I have ever heard from a major rock band", and may be known in the future as "Fogerty's Revenge".[2] Following the album's release, the group was officially dissolved on October 16, 1972 in a statement released by the group and its record label Fantasy Records. Mardi Gras is the only album by the band that was not remastered and reissued until the 40th anniversary of their formation, in 2008.

Production[]

Previously, bandleader John Fogerty sang all lead vocals, created the song arrangements and composed all the band's original material. Older brother Tom Fogerty had departed after a dispute which was in large part caused by his desire to play a larger creative role, and John's insistence on being the band's only singer/songwriter/business manager.

For Mardi Gras, remaining members Stu Cook and Doug Clifford shared the writing, singing, and production duties. Fogerty contributed only three original songs, and sang a fourth lead on a cover of the 1961 Ricky Nelson hit "Hello Mary Lou". Clifford and Cook each wrote and sang the lead vocals on three songs. The album was a commercial success peaking at #12 and going gold. The album contained two Top 40 singles, both of which were contributed by Fogerty: the raucous "Sweet Hitch-Hiker" and the wistful swan song "Someday Never Comes".

All songs were recorded in January 1972, except "Door to Door" and "Sweet Hitch-Hiker" which were recorded in the Spring of 1971.

Recording sessions for Mardi Gras were fraught with conflict. According to Cook and Clifford, it was Fogerty's idea for all members to contribute songs equally, despite their reservations.[3] They believed Fogerty was bitter over Tom Fogerty's departure and their own requests to have additional say in the group's musical decisions. Both also believed Fogerty was looking for an excuse to break up CCR to pursue a solo career. When Clifford and Cook at first demurred at the idea of having to supply two-thirds of the album's material themselves, Fogerty threatened to quit the band outright. Fogerty also refused to contribute any vocals or instrumentation to Cook and Clifford's songs, except for guitar. Mounting financial and legal woes compounded the fragile situation, leading CCR to disband shortly after the Mardi Gras tour ended.[3]

Mardi Gras was remastered on 180 Gram Vinyl by Analogue Productions in 2006. The album was re-released in remastered format as a Japan exclusive in January 2011. A remastered version of the album had previously been featured internationally on the 40th anniversary CCR box set, but not as a stand-alone album.

Reception[]

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic1.5/5 stars[4]
Christgau's Record GuideB[5]
CreemA–[6]

Reviews were mixed to poor, and Jon Landau said in his May 26, 1976 review for Rolling Stone that "In the future, Mardi Gras may be known as Fogerty's Revenge".[2][7] In a rare positive review, Gene Sculatti of Phonograph Record praised Fogerty's performance on the record, but noted the absence of Tom Fogerty as a downside. He concluded: "It may not be Green River or Cosmo's Factory, but Mardi Gras offers some of Creedence's finest moments, and it's a damn good answer to any and all of those 'Rock is Dying' clowns."[8]

In 1976, John Fogerty told Rolling Stone magazine "I figured that Creedence made six albums. Let me count... the first one, Bayou Country, Green River, Willy and the Poor Boys, Cosmo's Factory, Pendulum... yeah, six. I wouldn’t even count Mardi Gras and neither would anybody else. I had no control over anything after that. The rest is horse manure. Baloney."[9]

Track listing[]

Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Lead singerLength
1."Lookin' for a Reason"John FogertyJohn Fogerty3:28
2."Take It Like a Friend"Stu CookStu Cook3:00
3."Need Someone to Hold"Stu Cook, Doug CliffordDoug Clifford3:01
4."Tearin' Up the Country"Doug CliffordDoug Clifford2:15
5."Someday Never Comes"John FogertyJohn Fogerty4:01
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Lead singerLength
1."What Are You Gonna Do"Doug CliffordDoug Clifford2:42
2."Sail Away"Stu CookStu Cook2:28
3."Hello Mary Lou"Gene Pitney, Cayet MangiaracinaJohn Fogerty2:14
4."Door to Door"Stu CookStu Cook2:09
5."Sweet Hitch-Hiker"John FogertyJohn Fogerty2:59

Personnel[]

Production[]

  • Producers: Doug Clifford, Stu Cook, John Fogerty
  • Engineer: Russ Gary
  • Mastering supervisor: Tamaki Beck
  • Mastering: Shigeo Miyamoto
  • Remastering: George Horn
  • Arrangers: Doug Clifford, Stu Cook, John Fogerty
  • Art direction: Tony Lane
  • Design: Tony Lane
  • Cover design: Tony Lane
  • Photography: Bob Fogerty, Baron Wolman
  • Liner notes (CD): Craig Werner

Charts[]

Chart (1972) Peak
Position
German Albums (GfK)[10] 10
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[11] 5
Dutch Albums (MegaCharts)[12] 2
US Billboard 200[13] 12

References[]

  1. ^ Gary, Russ (May 15, 2006). "Who plays what instruments on Creedence Mardi Gras". forums.stevehoffman.tv. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved January 31, 2015.
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b Landau, Jon (May 26, 1976). "Mardi Gras". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on April 20, 2021. Retrieved April 25, 2021.
  3. ^ Jump up to: a b The Classics with Steve Downs
  4. ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Mardi Gras – Creedence Clearwater Revival". AllMusic. Archived from the original on November 17, 2020. Retrieved April 25, 2021.
  5. ^ Christgau, Robert (1981). "Creedence Clearwater Revival: Mardi Gras". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the '70s. Da Capo Press. ISBN 0306804093. Archived from the original on September 13, 2017. Retrieved January 19, 2018.
  6. ^ Christgau, Robert (August 1972). "The Christgau Consumer Guide". Creem. Archived from the original on March 16, 2018. Retrieved January 19, 2018.
  7. ^ Bad Moon Rising: The Unauthorized History of Creedence Clearwater Revival Archived April 3, 2016, at the Wayback Machine. Hank Bordowitz, Chicago Review Press, July 1, 2007. p. 143. Accessed via Google Books January 31, 2015.
  8. ^ Sculatti, Gene (May 1972). "Creedence Clearwater Revival: Mardi Gras (Fantasy)". Phonograph Record. Archived from the original on January 21, 2021. Retrieved April 25, 2021 – via Rock's Backpages (subscription required).
  9. ^ Fogerty, John (May 6, 1976). "John's Clearwater Credo: Proud Fogerty Post-Creedence". Rolling Stone (Interview). Interviewed by Cameron Crowe.
  10. ^ "Germany Chart Position". Archived from the original on December 30, 2016. Retrieved March 28, 2019.
  11. ^ "Norway Chart Position". Archived from the original on December 30, 2016. Retrieved March 28, 2019.
  12. ^ "Netherlands Chart Position". Archived from the original on December 30, 2016. Retrieved March 28, 2019.
  13. ^ "Creedence Clearwater Revival Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved April 25, 2021.

External links[]

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