Creedence Clearwater Revival were at the peak of their popularity when they visited London to play two shows at the prestigious Royal Albert Hall in April 1970.
The irresistible Bad Moon Rising, released eight months earlier in August 1969, had become the Californian band's first (and only) UK number one single, and ahead of their visit to the UK, the quartet racked up three further Top 40 hits - Green River, Down On The Corner and Travellin' Band. With anticipation for the band's fifth studio album, Cosmo's Factory, at fever pitch, tickets for their RAH date were snapped up in a heartbeat.
By all accounts, the CCR gigs were a storming success: we say 'by all accounts' here, because for many years the audio and film recordings of the gigs were believed to be lost. When Fantasy Records released what was advertised as a document of the historic shows in 1980, scrutiny of the recordings revealed that they were taped not in London, but at California's Oakland Coliseum.
But next month, finally, a true representation of the shows is set to emerge.
On September 16, Craft Recordings will be releasing Creedence Clearwater Revival at the Royal Albert Hall in its entirety on 180gm vinyl, CD, and cassette, and on digital formats, with a companion feature-length concert documentary, Travelin’ Band, accompanying the release.
And you can watch a teaser for the release, featuring CCR blasting through John Fogerty's scathing Fortunate Son, right here:
The audio was restored and mixed by producer Giles Martin and engineer Sam Okell, who have previously worked on the Beatles 50th anniversary editions of Abbey Road and Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, and with Peter Jackson on his The Beatles: Get Back.
Telling the CCR story from their earliest days in El Cerrito, Travelin’ Band, meanwhile, was directed by Bob Smeaton, whose credits include The Beatles Anthology.
Creedence Clearwater Revival at the Royal Albert Hall is available to pre-order now.
