Part of what makes Yagami Toll!!
YOU CAN'T LIVE WITHOUT LISTENING TO THIS!!
Translation: Lola
Creedence Clearwater Revival
-First album [Suzie Q] released in October 1968, released in Japan in July 1969.
-Fifth album [COSMO'S FACTORY] released in May 1970, released in Japan in August of the same year.
-Sixth album [Pendulum] released in October 1970, released in Japan in January 1971.
-Seventh album [Mardi Gras] released in February 1972, released in Japan in April of the same year.
When did you start listening?
My older brother and older sister listened to them when I was in grade school. They were popular then. When I first listened to them, I found them quite comfortable to listen to you know, because they had that American...country sound. And the songs were great. They had such power vocals compared to anyone in Japan at the time. The vocals were a little husky but had such amazing power to them kinda like Matsuzaki Shigeru-san's singing style when he was young. Because it seemed like no one in Japan could sing like that I was really surprised by the vocals when I was a kid. I used to think they were such old geezers even though really they were in their early twenties *laughs*. So I've been listening to them for a good 37~38 years. Since their second album came out in Japan. I think that happens a lot after a band releases their first album.
Why did you choose these records?
They're keepsakes from my older brother. I think my top recommendation would be...their sixth album. I think it's the last album with the four members. Didn't one member leave right after that? The two guys on the right here are brothers. Anyway, the younger brother was the lead vocalist and he did all the song and lyric writing and that's why his older brother (the guy on the far right) left. The younger brother did too much. He must be something of a genius though. The younger brother sang and played guitar and I guess the older brother just wanted to stand out in his own right too. Sibling rivalry...is something I understand somehow. I got it even when I was a kid. After that they released their seventh album with only three members. And then they disbanded.
What's memorable about it?
Of course the feeling I got from the vocals and the mood of the songs made me imagine what it was like living in the country in America. CCR's music has been used in quite a few movies too. Always during scenes of the Vietnam War. You know that famous song of theirs, 'Have you ever seen war?'. Because they actually fought in the Vietnam War it's like 'the rain' they're talking about is actually about the rain of bombs. So saying 'Have you ever seen the rain?' is like saying 'Have you ever seen the battlefield?'. I think that's the message. CCR's music is still being used in movies and commercials both in America and Japan. Like in 'Good Morning Vietnam' and......'Forest Gump', the songs were used for war scenes right? In the part where you see the battlefield from the helicopter. So because of that even the younger generations of today know CCR's music. Back in the day, 'Have you ever seen the rain?' was number one on the Japanese music charts for five weeks straight. I remember because my older brother used to listen to the Monday afternoon radio show that announced it. They were an amazing band that had that rock feeling that is unique yet typical of America. The kind of band that plays in stadiums you know. That people rush to see. They were on that scale. So I think their music still strikes a lot of Americans. John Fogerty's (the younger brother) solo song 'Center Field' is still used as a theme during major league baseball games today.