Maps of Music

Mardi Gras (1972)

Where the lyrics of Mardi Gras take you, and where it was really made.

The album was recorded after Tom Fogerty left, making it the band's only studio album as a trio, and the group disbanded soon after its tour.

Key places

Recorded at Wally Heider Studios (1972)

Recording site Soapbox West — The album page names Wally Heider Studios in San Francisco as a recording location. The point is placed at city-center level only. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Recorded at Fantasy Records Studio A (1972)

Recording site Zellerbach Auditorium (Berkeley) — The album page names Fantasy Records Studio A in Berkeley as a recording location. The point is placed at city-center level only. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Mardi Gras is the seventh and final studio album by Creedence Clearwater Revival
• Released 11 April 1972 by Fantasy Records
• Recorded after guitarist Tom Fogerty left, so it is the band's only studio album as a trio
• Stu Cook and Doug Clifford shared songwriting and production duties with John Fogerty
• Cook and Clifford provided their own lead vocals for the first time
• The group disbanded after a short U.S. tour to support the album

Background

• Tom Fogerty left the group at the end of 1970 after a dispute
• The dispute 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, arranger and business manager
• John Fogerty contributed three original songs and sang lead on a cover of the Ricky Nelson hit "Hello Mary Lou"
• According to Cook and Clifford, Fogerty proposed that all remaining members contribute an equal number of new songs
• Cook and Clifford believed Fogerty was bitter over his brother's departure and was looking for an excuse to break up the band

Recording

• "Sweet Hitch-Hiker" and "Door to Door" were recorded in May 1971
• The rest of the album was recorded in January 1972
• The recording sessions were marred by personal and creative tensions
• Studios named for the recording: Wally Heider Studios in San Francisco and Fantasy Records Studio A in Berkeley

Cover

• Tony Lane credited for art direction and cover design
• Photography by Bob Fogerty and Baron Wolman

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · en.wikipedia.org · en.wikipedia.org · en.wikipedia.org

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Formation

• Creedence Clearwater Revival (CCR) was an American rock band formed in El Cerrito, California, in 1968.
• The members had played together since 1959, first as the Blue Velvets and later as the Golliwogs.
• Fantasy Records owner Saul Zaentz bought the label in 1967 and offered the band a chance to record an album.

Members

• John Fogerty: lead vocals, lead guitar, primary songwriter.
• Tom Fogerty: rhythm guitar, quit at the end of 1970 and died in 1990.
• Stu Cook: bass.
• Doug Clifford: drums.

Career

• Between 1969 and 1971 the band had 14 consecutive top-10 singles and five consecutive top-10 albums in the United States.
• Green River (1969) and Cosmo's Factory (1970) both topped the Billboard 200.
• The band performed at Woodstock in 1969.
• The band disbanded acrimoniously in 1972 amid lawsuits and disputes over business and artistic control.
• Cook and Clifford performed as Creedence Clearwater Revisited from 1995 to 2020.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• Reviews for the album were mixed to poor
• Jon Landau's Rolling Stone review of 25 May 1972 called it the worst album he had heard from a major rock band, relative to the group's established level of performance
• Gene Sculatti of Phonograph Record praised John Fogerty's performance on the record
• Sculatti noted the absence of Tom Fogerty as a downside
• Sculatti called it a rare positive review and concluded it offers some of Creedence's finest moments

Reappraisal

• Not remastered and reissued on CD until 2000
• A remastered version appeared on the 40th anniversary CCR box set, but not as a stand-alone album
• Analogue Productions remastered it on 180 gram vinyl in 2006
• Re-released in remastered format as a Japan exclusive in January 2011
• In 1976 John Fogerty told Rolling Stone that he would not even count Mardi Gras among the band's albums

Records

• Peaked at number 12 on the Billboard Hot 100
• Went gold
• Contained two Top 40 singles, "Sweet Hitch-Hiker" and "Someday Never Comes", both written and sung by Fogerty

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · en.wikipedia.org · en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• Two songs, "Sweet Hitch-Hiker" and "Door to Door", were recorded in May 1971, while the rest was recorded in January 1972.
• Jon Landau wrote that the album might one day be known as Fogerty's Revenge.
• In 1976 John Fogerty told Rolling Stone that he would not even count Mardi Gras among Creedence's albums.
• The group and Fantasy Records announced the official disbanding of Creedence on 16 October 1972, five months after the Mardi Gras tour ended.
• The album was not remastered and reissued on CD until 2000.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · en.wikipedia.org · en.wikipedia.org

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