New Music: The Smithereens, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Lions & Ghosts

Three unearthed treasures make for fantastic listens, including the latest titles from The Smithereens, Creedence Clearwater Revival and Lions & Ghosts.

Artist: The Smithereens

Title: The Lost Album (Sunset Blvd. Records)

You might like if you enjoy: The Beatles, The Who, Buddy Holly

Tell me more: When Pat DiNizio passed away in December 2017, it appeared that the Smithereens' aptly-titled 2011 would serve as the final statement from the original lineup of the top-tier band. Fast forward to 2022 and the release of the truly miraculous The Lost Album (set for release on Sept. 23 via Sunset Blvd. Records). Recorded in the fall of 1993 when the New Jersey-spawned quartet was between record labels, the full-length set of songs is a bona fide masterwork featuring a dozen melodic rockers courtesy of the aforementioned DiNizio on lead vocals and rhythm guitar, lead guitarist Jim Babjak, bassist Mike Mesaros and drummer Dennis Diken. The parade of great originals includes the tender "Dear Abby," melodic rocker "A World Apart" (bolstered by an especially tuneful guitar solo), heavy "Stop Bringing Me Down," fiery garage rocker "Monkey Man," Beatlesque "Face the World With Pride" and confessional closer "All Through The Night." My favorite track on the album is the wistful and haunting "Don't Look Down," with DiNizio's signature baritone probing self-doubt with the stylish candor that fueled many of the Smithereens' most beloved classics. Information: OfficialSmithereens.com.

Artist: Creedence Clearwater Revival

Title: At The Royal Albert Hall (Craft Recordings)

You might like if you enjoy: John Fogerty, Creedence Clearwater Revival

Tell me more: The long-awaited release of Creedence Clearwater Revival's legendary April 14, 1970 performance at London's Royal Albert Hall is an absolute joy. Grammy-winning producer Giles Martin and engineer Sam Okell mixed and restored the original multitrack tapes; the result is a recording that spectacularly captures the legendary quartet (singer-lead guitarist John Fogerty, rhythm guitarist Tom Fogerty, drummer Doug "Cosmo" Clifford, bassist Stu Cook) at the height of their powers. The fast-moving 12-song set on At The Royal Albert Hall finds the El Cerrito, California-spawned outfit tearing through a mix of timeless hits and lesser known nuggets with bona fide zeal. While casual rock fans will love the powerful takes on "Born on the Bayou," "Green River," Travelin' Band," Bad Moon Rising" and "Proud Mary," aficionados will be equally thrilled by the Lew Herman-penned blues-rock juggernaut "The Night Time Is the Right Time," rollicking take on Little Richard's "Good Golly Miss Molly" and the ferocious Southern-fried closer "Keep on Chooglin'," the latter bolstered by John Fogerty's impressive work on both blues harmonica and lead guitar. In addition to the concert recording being available on audio CD and vinyl, Netflix subscribers can view the full concert that anchors the excellent Jeff Bridges-narrated documentary "Travelin' Band: Creedence Clearwater Revival at the Royal Albert Hall." Information: CraftRecordings.com.

Artist: Lions & Ghosts

Title: Velvet Kiss, Lick of The Lime (Sparkle Plenty/Deko Entertainment)

You might like if you enjoy: Simple Minds, Altered State, The Replacements, The Church

Tell me more: Signed to EMI for two albums that were issued in the late 1980s, Los Angeles-based Lions & Ghosts' wonderful 1987 debut Velvet Kiss, Lick of The Lime has been reissued digitally with bonus tracks and even a new single (the shimmering "Gurl I Luv You"). Thirty five years after it was originally released, Velvet Kiss, Lick of The Lime delights and will leave listeners wondering why the quartet didn't garner more attention. The enthralling opener "Passion," bouncy "Man In A Car," driving '80s-styled rocker "Mary Goes Round," and harpsichord-anchored chamber pop gem "Stay" are early standouts on the reissue. The jazzy detour "Girl On A Swing," propulsive "Love & Kisses From The Gutter," yearning "Wilton House" and funky "Contradiction" keep up the disc's power in its last half. Lions & Ghosts featured the talents of singer-songwriter Rick Parker, guitarist Michael Lockwood, bassist Todd Hoffman and drummer Micheal Murphy. Information: DekoEntertainment.com.

Robert Kinsler

CCR's Doug "Cosmo" Clifford vault release w/Bobby Whitlock - 'California Gold' out on Sept. 9, 2022

Here is cool news about legendary drummer Doug "Cosmo" Clifford and singer Bobby Whitlock...Robert Kinsler

CALIFORNIA GOLD DISCOVERED IN COSMO’S VAULT

 

Two legendary rock musicians, Doug Clifford and Bobby Whitlock join forces with a host of incredible players to create a gem that is finally being released on Sept. 9.

 

 

RENO, Nevada -- Doug “Cosmo” Clifford, the iconic Creedence drummer, has a treasure trove of unreleased recordings he’s produced over the years, all safely stored in Cosmo’s Vault.

 

This past summer he re-discovered what he thought was a long-lost album called California Gold. It features Bobby Whitlock on lead vocals, singing 10 original songs he and Cosmo co-wrote together.   The album was recorded at the infamous "Cosmos Factory" and various other San Francisco Bay Area studios and the result is indeed a newly unearthed treasure.

 

The rock luminaries joined forces to create a perfect good time rock-n-roll record.   Doug Clifford is known for his powerful drum style in one of the most popular American bands from the late 60s and early 70s, Creedence Clearwater Revival.  Co-founder of Derek & The Dominos, Bobby Whitlock is well known to rock fans, critics and music aficionados.  As well as being a singer/songwriter, guitarist and Hammond B-3 player, the musician has enjoyed his own string of hits in collaboration with Eric Clapton including “Layla,” “Bell Bottom Blues,” "Tell The Truth" and more.  

 

Doug and Bobby gathered other top shelf musicians along their journey including producer/writer and bassist extraordinaire, Donald "Duck" Dunn who ushered in the sounds of Stax and played bass on literally thousands of recordings. Other musicians include Tom Miller on bass and David Vega and Mike O’Neill on guitar.

 

The songs are a combination of roots rock and melodic blues, all natural with no filler. Whitlock’s powerful and distinctive vocals are in top form and Cosmo’s drumming is rock solid, stretching beyond his well-known Creedence grooves. 

 

For reasons that shall remain a mystery, California Gold was somehow lost in time. But now that the album has been re-discovered, perhaps its time is here and now. 

 

The California Gold release date for streaming and downloads is Sept. 9 via Cliffsong Records, distributed globally by BFD/The Orchard. CD available for pre-order now at https://orcd.co/DougCliffordCaliforniaGold

Cosmo's Vault - CCR drummer Doug Clifford to release new project on August 27, 2021

A long-ago recorded LP from Doug Clifford will finally see its release next month...

LEGENDARY CCR DRUMMER DOUG "COSMO" CLIFFORD ANNOUNCES LATEST RELEASE FROM COSMO'S VAULT - THE CLIFFORD/WRIGHT PROJECT 

Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame Member Clifford to release For All The Money In The World, an album he recorded in 1986 with the late Steve Wright from the Greg Kihn Band via BFE (Bob Frank Entertainment) on August 27.   Album features tracks with Joe Satriani and outstanding live and session players.  The Aquarian Weekly premiered the first single "For All The Money In The World" here.

 

RENO, NV -- In mid-1968 a band of four dedicated musicians from El Cerrito, California skyrocketed to fame with their debut single “Suzie Q.” It took 10 years of gigging to get there, but by the time “Suzie Q” peaked at #11 on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart Creedence Clearwater Revival (CCR) was an unstoppable force in rock’n’roll. Over the next 2 years they released 11 million-selling hit singles and 5 studio albums, they toured the world as headliners, including an appearance at Woodstock in 1969, and were ultimately inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame in 1993.

 

In the decades that followed CCR’s 2 year reign as the #1 band in the world, Creedence drummer Doug “Cosmo” Clifford focused his creative energy on producing album projects. His concept was to assemble a top shelf mix of players, write an album’s worth of original songs, then record, mix and master each album. When a project was completed, the masters were archived and safely stored in Cosmo’s Vault until the time was right to release them. Fast forward to 2021 and Cosmo has retrieved those masters and will be releasing them one album at a time on his own label, Cliffsong Records. The first release will be For All The Money In The World by Clifford / Wright.

 

As was the case with Creedence, the core members of Clifford / Wright are from El Cerrito, California, each having earned Gold records over the years for playing on million-selling hits. Cosmo’s original idea was to build the band around a solid rhythm section, and his first choice for a bass player was his old pal Steve Wright from the Greg Kihn Band. Cosmo and Steve not only had great chemistry as a rhythm section, they also clicked as a songwriting team, crafting well over a dozen original songs for the album.

 

Completing the Clifford / Wright lineup were featured guitarists Greg Douglass (Steve Miller Band), Jimmy Lyon (Eddie Money) and Joe Satriani, plus keyboard players Tim Gorman (The Who) and Pat Mosca (Greg Kihn Band). After holding auditions for a lead vocalist, Keith England was selected as a perfect fit for the Clifford / Wright songs. With the band in place, recording sessions were booked in various studios in the San Francisco Bay area. The final result is the 11-song album For All The Money In The World by Clifford / Wright, direct from Cosmo’s Vault.

Craft Recordings to release Creedence precursor band The Golliwogs' Fight Fire: The Complete Recordings 1964-1967

Wow, this news is too cool! Fans of CCR will want to get this with its release on audio CD and vinyl on September 29th!

NEW, COMPREHENSIVE COLLECTION OFFERS A LOOK INTO

CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL'S EVOLUTION AS A BAND

THE GOLLIWOGS' FIGHT FIRE: THE COMPLETE RECORDINGS 1964-1967

INCLUDES RARE MUSIC AND PHOTOS OF JOHN & TOM FOGERTY, STU COOK AND DOUG CLIFFORD

LOS ANGELES, CA - Before they became one of the biggest bands in the world, Creedence Clearwater Revival  were a Bay Area, CA rock outfit known as the Golliwogs. 

For several years in the mid-'60s, the young band honed their skills on the road and in the studio. Little did they know, they were destined for unimaginable success by the end of the decade. This fall, Craft Recordings - the Catalog division of Concord Bicycle Music - is pleased to offer a comprehensive collection of music from The Golliwogs, entitled Fight Fire: The Complete Recordings 1964-1967. Due out September 29, the compilation culls all of the band's singles and B-sides, plus several recordings that were never released when the Golliwogs (or CCR) were active, offering fans a unique opportunity to hear the artistic progression of Tom and John Fogerty, Stu Cook and Doug Clifford in the three years leading up to the band's transformation into Creedence Clearwater Revival. Fight Firewill be available as a deluxe vinyl gatefold package, featuring two LPs, new liner notes by compilation producer Alec Palao, plus rare archival photos. The title will also be available on CD and 

across all major digital and streaming platforms.

The Golliwogs

Interestingly, the development of Creedence Clearwater Revival did not begin with the Golliwogs. The band's first incarnation was that of an instrumental trio, featuring high school classmates John, Doug and Stu, who performed around their hometown of El Cerrito, CA as the Blue Velvets. A year later, in 1960, John's older brother Tom joined the band, adding his experience as a vocalist to the mix, and cementing the eventual Creedence lineup. Despite their young age, the Blue Velvets released a handful of singles; one of which was added to Oakland's KEWB-AM's Top 40 list by a local disc jockey and musical director named Casey Kasem.

As the band matured, honing their sound in the college circuit, they changed their name to the Visions, signed with Berkeley's Fantasy Records and went into the studio to record a debut single with British Invasion leanings. In a strange move, label partner Max Weiss changed the band's name to the Golliwogs, without consulting any of the boys. In his liner notes, Alec Palaowrites that, "The Visions were in for a rude surprise when 'Don't Tell Me No Lies' finally showed up in their mailboxes...with a label credit to 'The Golliwogs.' Weiss' offbeat theory was that this outdated colonial reference was somehow appropriate, given the Anglophilic tenor of the moment." Taking things one step farther, the Fogerty brothers even changed their songwriting credits to sound more British. Sadly, "Rann Wilde" and "Toby Green" never would find stardom.

By 1965, the Golliwogs had a regional hit on their hands, with "Brown-Eyed Girl" (not to be confused with the Van Morrison song). The band picked up serious momentum over the next two years; maintaining a busy touring schedule across central California, and expanding their sound in the studio, experimenting with new instrumentation and effects. They were moving away from the sounds of the British Invasion and more towards the psychedelic undercurrents that were emerging from the local Bay Area scene. The Golliwogs finally had more control over their career, and in 1967, changed their name to Creedence Clearwater Revival. They would release an eponymous album a year later, with John on lead vocals, and the rest, as they say, is rock 'n' roll history.

Pre-order Fight Fire: The Complete Recordings 1964-1967 on vinyl or CD: http://found.ee/Golliwogs_FightFireAmz-r

TRACK LIST (LP):

Side A:

1.        Brown-Eyed Girl
2.        Don't Tell Me No Lies
3.        You Can't Be True (first version)
4.        Try Try Try
5.        You Came Walking
6.        You Better Get It Before It Gets You

Side B:

1.        Fight Fire
2.        I Only Met You Just an Hour Ago
3.        Instrumental #1
4.        Fragile Child
5.        Little Girl (Does Your Momma Know)
6.        Call It Pretending

Side C:

1.        Walking on the Water
2.        She Was Mine
3.        Porterville
4.        You Better Be Careful
5.        You Can't Be True (second version)

Side D:

1.        Little Tina
2.        You Got Nothin' on Me
3.        Gonna Hang Around
4.        Tell Me
5.        Where You Been
6.        Action USA spot

TRACK LIST (CD):

1.     Brown-Eyed Girl

2.     Fight Fire

3.     Don't Tell Me No Lies

4.     Walking on the Water

5.     You Can't Be True (version one)

6.     Try Try Try

7.     You Came Walking

8.     Fragile Child

9.     You Better Be Careful

10.  Little Tina

11.  I Only Met You Just an Hour Ago

12.  You Better Get It Before It Gets You        

13. Call It Pretending

14.  Gonna Hang Around

15.  Where You Been

16.  You Got Nothin' on Me

17.  She Was Mine

18.  Tell Me

19.  Porterville

20.  Instrumental #1

21.  You Can't Be True (version two)

22.  Little Girl (Does Your Momma Know)

23. Action USA spot