Mardi Gras - CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL**

Lookin' For A Reason/Take It Like A Friend/Need Someone To Hold/Tearin' Up The Country/Someday Never Comes/What Are You Gonna Do/Sail Away/Hello Mary Lou/Door To Door/Sweet Hitch-Hiker

Mardi Gras was the final Creedence release and also their most reviled. John Fogerty made the huge mistake of subcontracting much of the songwriting to other band members with dire results. Includes the US No.6 Sweet Hitch Hiker. (US:12)

“John Fogerty's contributions to the album are great CCR songs. They are worth buying the LP for. But man, the rest of it sucks.”

“It is every bit as sub-par as its reputation would suggest. Creedence Clearwater Revival turned in far and away the worst record of their short, spectacular run. It barely sounds like them. That's largely because John Fogerty only sings four of the songs (one of which, Someday Never Comes, is amazing). Drummer Doug and bassist Stu write and sing the rest. The compositions and performances are brittle and lame, lacking much of the down-home flavour and texture that made Creedence's work straight, but never stiff or weak. Mardi Gras is an embarrassment.”

“It took John Fogerty mere months to churn out several classics. After four years the best the other band members could come up with after touching the depths of their talent are the passionless, by-the-numbers generic country rock songs on Mardi Gras. Hilarious and sad.”

“The last and biggest upset in Creedence's catalogue. The album is in complete tatters as Fogerty's lack of influence weighs heavy on the album's ability to succeed as Doug Clifford and Stu Cook can't live up to his songwriting ability. Their contributions are unforgettably bad and the only redeeming quality is the work of Fogerty such as Someday Never Comes which is in stunning contrast to the quality of the rest of the album.”

“The Fogerty tracks are the album's best, while the others are very substandard by CCR standards. In fact, one wouldn't know they were even Creedence tracks without prior knowledge. It was a shame that such a great band went out with such a poor album, it doesn't seem fitting.”

“Only Sweet Hitch Hiker and Someday Never Comes save this from the ignominy of lower ratings. Both are great, otherwise, wow, so far below par, it's amazing. At times unlistenably bad.”