Take it like a friend!
Surfing Guitarist | United States | 08/26/2005
(3 out of 5 stars)
"As many people obviously know by now, this album marked the low point for Creedence. It starts off ok with a slow country song, thankfully penned by J Fogerty. Adequate, but certainly not up to his usual standards.
Nothing could prepare me for the next track- "Take it like a friend" written by bassist Stu Cook. It has to be one of the worst songs to make it on an album by a band of this stature. When I first heard it on vinyl many years ago, I thought the record was jumping. It wasn't. The 'vocalist' sounds like a tone deaf drunken man vocalizing to a random backing track, which skips sporadically. After hearing it the first time, I felt bewildered, disoriented, and finally angry. I have almost gotten over this now, but I am just cautioning you so that you can mentally prepare yourself. I wish there had been someone there to warn me. If you can survive this track, you should be ok. Don't give up---there is a glimmer of hope on the distant horizon......
Cook's other 2 tracks -"Sail away" and "Door to door" are instantly forgettable, but a vast improvement over "Take it like a friend" (which I wish I could forget, but I just can't)
Drummer Doug Clifford tries his writing and singing skills on two tracks "Tearin' up the country" & ""What are you gonna do?"-both instantly forgettable.
Ditto for the Clifford-Cook song "Need someone to hold"
"Some day never comes" is another J Fogerty track. Better than the opening track, but still not one of my favorite Fogerty songs.
A cover version of "Hello Mary Lou" does not help matters.
Last track on the album- "Sweet Hitch-hiker is the final song by J Fogerty. I gave the 3-stars for this song alone. After you have suffered through the rest of the album, this track stands alone like a beacon of hope. There is hope! It was the only thing that prevented me from throwing my vinyl record version on the floor, stomping on it in a fit of bleary anger, many many moons ago.
Do yourself a favor, and just skip to the last track.
Remastering cannot help most of the songs on this album, but it is well worth the price of admission for "Sweet hitch-hiker". I just wish there was a warning sticker on the case..."Beware-some of these track can have serious side effects. Not advisable to drive or operate heavy machinery whilst listening to track two "......"
Only for CCR completists!
G. Eggens | 09/05/2005
(1 out of 5 stars)
"I bought this one when I had bought everything else and I had read so much about this album and its' dubious status.
I have to disagree with the former reviewer about Someday Never Comes, however. I think it's just as good as Sweet Hitch Hiker.
The rest of the tracks on Mardy Gras vary in quality from substandard to criminally bad. I can understand why the album was called "Fogerty's Revenge". A sad ending for a great band."
Sad way to end
L. Jones | Va | 12/22/2005
(2 out of 5 stars)
"As most people know, this was the last album of original material ever issued by this outstanding American rock and roll outfit. Thanks to the fact that bassist Stu Cook and drummer Doug Clifford had decided to demand equal time for their own songwriting and vocal contributions, this stands as far and away the weakest album in the band's catalog. With Mardi Gras best tracks ("Someday Never Comes" and "Sweet Hitch-hiker", both John Fogerty songs) available on any number of CCR hits packages, there really isn't any reason to own this dud unless you're just trying to collect all the band's original releases."
