I am a big fan of Creedence Clearwater Revival. Travelin’ Band: Creedence Clearwater Revival at the Royal Albert Hall is a pleasant surprise. For many years, I read and listened to the infighting the band had that led to the demise of the group. John Fogerty’s fight with Fantasy Records. I always had the impression that John Fogerty was CCR, as much as that is true my opinion has changed after watching Travelin’ Band: Creedence Clearwater Revival at the Royal Albert Hall as narrated by Jeff Bridges. Here I saw a band in their twenties traveling to Europe and experiencing the different shades of gray in society overseas unlike the black and white tones of America. We finally get to see and hear from the other band members. It has always been about John Fogerty.
The thing that impressed me about this documentary was the candidness of the band about their music. Unlike their contemporaries, it was always about the music and not the drugs. They were a solid band, what they recorded on tape was performed live as close as possible. I am surprised that the band is not recognized more as musicians. Their unique sound still sounds fresh today. Is that a true test of great musicianship? Can you say that about the bands that shared the top 100 in 1969? Where are they now? Not releasing video and audio tracks from their glory days.
It was great to see them perform Fortunate Son live on British soil considering their patriot brothers were fighting in Vietnam at the time. The audience of Albert Hall was not the same teeny-boppers who screamed to grab The Beatles or The Rolling Stones. They absorbed every sound that came out of the speakers. The respectful audience let the band churn out their greatest hits. This is Creedence Clearwater Revival at their best. They got a 15-minute standing ovation on that day in England. If you have Netflix, crank it up and listen to perhaps the greatest band of all time.