How will you spend your Thanksgiving break?
Creedence Clearwater Revival, Chronicle
Do you have an old shirt you wear day in and day out, no matter how ragged, threadbare or stained it gets? You'll wear it until the final stitch falls from your shoulders, and the garment disintegrates into the ether. It's never been in fashion, but it fits just right. Creedence Clearwater Revival's Chronicle is that shirt - you can always put it on and feel great.
Everyone can recite a CCR song, whether it's the Lebowski-toting frat boys drunkenly harmonizing "Lookin' Out My Back Door" or the downtown art punks taking a cue from "Susie Q." All 20 cuts on Chronicle can be deemed "classic," and it's one of the few discs that retains playability time and again. Their take on Screamin' Jay Hawkins' "I Put A Spell On You" brought the blues back home, and at the time it served as a one-up to the blue-eyed British soulsters from across the pond. It's four minutes and 33 seconds of fire and brimstone - as John Fogerty sermonizes with his trademark yelps and hollers, the guitars and drums culminate in a searing thunderstorm of pain and fervor. No one is safe.
What draws people to Creedence is that they're so quintessentially American. While Brian Wilson was worried about what the Beatles were up to, these four troubadours were producing the soundtrack to the turbulent America of the late '60s/early '70s. They were steeped in the musical traditions of America, from country to blues, rock to bluegrass - they were hearing everything that makes this country great. And no matter what side of the political fence you picket for, I think we can all meet in the middle and share a hot dog and a beer over Chronicle. Don't forget your favorite shirt.
