Creedence Clearwater Revival – At the Royal Albert Hall – Vinyl Review

6th October 2022 0 By Jon Deaux

After a false start in 1980 when a CCR album was released as The Royal Albert Hall Concert, which subsequently turned out it wasn’t it’s finally here. The holy grail of Creedence Clearwater Revival gigs has finally made it to vinyl.

The documentary is currently streaming on Netflix and is well worth a watch.

The sound mix is outstanding and the stereo split is incredible. It really sounds like you’re front and center of this iconic show.

The subtle interplays between the 2 guitarists (John Fogerty and Tom Fogerty) is great and not something that is truly appreciated until you hear them live. Stu Cooks bass lines are deep blues and groove laden whilst sitting perfectly with Doug Cliffords funk riddled drumming.

The set list (although shirt and sweet) is perfect. But the main highlights for me are Midnight Special and Fortunate Son (my favorite song of all time). Mind blowing performances.

At The Royal Albert Hall showcases Creedence Clearwater Revival at the very top of their game. Johns voice has a rasp that’s akin to a file you’d find in a prisoners escape cake.

This pressing is divine. Massive respect to Miles Showell at Abbey Road Studios for his due diligence in getting the best possible cut at half speed on the lacquers. Of course it would be rude not to mention Giles Martin and Sam Okell for restoring the sound mix. The audience noise is at a minimum to let the band shine through and only becomes noticeable at the end of a track (as long as the band aren’t going straight into the next tune).

What comes through most on this recording is the fun the band were having at this time playing live for the 1st time in front of a UK crowd and what a venue to debut in.

I highly recommend grabbing this record. Southern Rock doesn’t get any better than Creedence Clearwater Revival.
Score 9/10