Howling At The Moon - The Punk Panther's Album Reviews

This was a distinctly underwhelming end to the previously impressive career of Creedence Clearwater Revival.  Now just a trio, it was basically a country rock album, tapping into the contemporary trend for such sounds. It is pleasant enough, as a country rock album, but it had none of CCR’s previous blues and rock ‘n’ roll fire and vitality. Like with Bob Dylan’s country stuff, it had many saying “what the....”, perhaps quite rightly. This was the great CCR they were talking about.  There are a couple of highlights in the John Fogerty songs  Someday Never Comes  and  Sweet Hitch-Hiker  (the only one from the album to regularly appear on "best of" compilations) and  Tearin’ Up The Country  is ok, but otherwise it is just a harmless country rock album, typified by a barn-dance style cover of  Hello Mary Lou .  What a sad postscript to the story of such a great band.

It was 1973 and Three Dog Night's formula was becoming a bit tired and well-used but that doesn't stop this from being a fine album.  Happy Song  is a wild, furious piece of organ-driven early seventies rock/soul.  The group urge the listener to  "keep in time with us, sing along"  which was an exhortation very much of its time, wasn't it? I love to funky, chunky organ-powered rock of  Play Children Play . Check out that jazzy bit in the middle too. Great stuff.  The gentle  Storybook Feeling  has a sumptuous, melodic bassline that I love.  Ridin' Thumb  is sort of Traffic meets Blood, Sweat & Tears in a glorious funky rock romp.  Shambala  is just irresistibly great, with a lot of Warren Zevon 's subsequent sound about it, and not the "aaah-ooohs" either.  Singer Man  will be familiar with fans of UB40 as they covered Derrick Harriott's original reggae version of it on Labour Love II.  Let Me Serenade You  is class Three Dog Night soul.