Chronicle: The 20 Greatest Hits

Last updated
Chronicle: The 20 Greatest Hits
Creedence Clearwater Revival Chronicle.jpg
Greatest hits album by
Creedence Clearwater Revival
ReleasedJanuary 1976 (1976-01) [1]
Recorded1968–1972
Genre
Length67:55
Label Fantasy
Producer John Fogerty [4]
Creedence Clearwater Revival chronology
More Creedence Gold
(1973)		Chronicle: The 20 Greatest Hits
(1976)		 20 Golden Greats
(1979)

Chronicle, or fully Chronicle: The 20 Greatest Hits, is a greatest hits album by the American rock band Creedence Clearwater Revival. It was released in January 1976 by Fantasy Records. [1] The edited version of "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" featured on the album was simultaneously released as a single (see 1976 in music). [4]

Contents

Chronicle is a singles collection with 13 A-sides and seven B-sides. Unlike the two previously released Creedence Gold compilations, Chronicle includes all of the group's charted hits. Chronicle: Volume Two was released in 1986, and features non-charting "classics" collected from the same albums as the songs on Chronicle.

Certified 12x Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America, [5] it is the best-selling album in the band's catalog. The compilation was ranked number 59 in Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Albums of all time in 2012, [6] but disappeared from the list altogether when it was published again in 2020. The album has sold at least 6 million copies in the US since 1991 (data from 2013), when Nielsen SoundScan began tracking sales for Billboard . [7] It has remained on the Billboard 200 LP chart for 12 years, during which it reached the 600 week-mark (non-consecutive) in August of 2022. It was re-released on vinyl in 2014 as a Limited Edition.

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svg [8]
Blender Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svg [9]
Robert Christgau A [10]
Rolling Stone Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svg [11]

For his review of Chronicle for AllMusic, Stephen Thomas Erlewine said that the album was suitably compiled, but he did not like how the Compact Disc reissue had the full-length version of "I Heard It Through the Grapevine," saying it does not fit with the other songs on the collection. [8] Blender magazine's review called Chronicle the group's best compilation. [9] Robert Christgau called the album a good starting-point for Creedence fans. [10] [11]

Track listing

All tracks are written by J. C. Fogerty, except where noted

Chronicle: The 20 Greatest Hits track listing
No.TitleAlbumLength
1."Susie Q" (Dale Hawkins) Creedence Clearwater Revival (1968)4:36
2."I Put a Spell on You" (Screamin' Jay Hawkins, Herb Slotkin)Creedence Clearwater Revival4:32
3."Proud Mary" Bayou Country (1969)3:08
4."Bad Moon Rising" Green River (1969)2:19
5."Lodi"Green River3:10
6."Green River"Green River2:33
7."Commotion"Green River2:42
8."Down on the Corner" Willy and the Poor Boys (1969)2:45
9."Fortunate Son"Willy and the Poor Boys2:20
10."Travelin' Band" Cosmo's Factory (1970)2:08
11."Who'll Stop the Rain"Cosmo's Factory2:28
12."Up Around the Bend"Cosmo's Factory2:42
13."Run Through the Jungle"Cosmo's Factory3:07
14."Lookin' out My Back Door"Cosmo's Factory2:33
15."Long as I Can See the Light"Cosmo's Factory3:31
16."I Heard It Through the Grapevine" (Norman Whitfield, Barrett Strong)Cosmo's Factory11:04
17."Have You Ever Seen the Rain?" Pendulum (1970)2:38
18."Hey Tonight"Pendulum2:43
19."Sweet Hitch-Hiker" Mardi Gras (1972)2:56
20."Someday Never Comes"Mardi Gras4:00
Total length:67:55

Personnel

Per liner notes. [4]

Charts

Certifications

Certifications for Chronicle: The 20 Greatest Hits
RegionCertification Certified units/sales
Argentina (CAPIF) [55] Gold30,000^
Australia (ARIA) [56] 6× Platinum420,000‡
Belgium (BEA) [57] Gold25,000*
Canada (Music Canada) [58] Gold50,000^
Germany (BVMI) [59] Gold250,000^
Italy (FIMI) [60] Gold25,000*
New Zealand (RMNZ) [61] Gold7,500^
United Kingdom (BPI) [62] Gold100,000^
United States (RIAA) [5] 12× Platinum12,000,000‡

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Creedence Clearwater Revival</span> American rock band

Creedence Clearwater Revival, commonly abbreviated as CCR or simply Creedence, was an American rock band formed in El Cerrito, California. The band consisted of lead vocalist, lead guitarist, and primary songwriter John Fogerty, his brother, rhythm guitarist Tom Fogerty, bassist Stu Cook, and drummer Doug Clifford. These members had played together since 1959, first as the Blue Velvets and later as the Golliwogs, before settling on Creedence Clearwater Revival in 1967. The band's most prolific and successful period between 1969 and 1971 produced fourteen consecutive Top 10 singles and five consecutive Top 10 albums in the United States – two of which, Green River (1969) and Cosmo's Factory (1970), reached number one. The band performed at the 1969 Woodstock festival in Upstate New York, and was the first major act signed to appear there.

<i>Cosmos Factory</i> 1970 studio album by Creedence Clearwater Revival

Cosmo's Factory is the fifth studio album by American rock band Creedence Clearwater Revival, released by Fantasy Records on July 8, 1970. Six of the album's eleven tracks were released as singles in 1970, and all of them charted in the top 5 of the Billboard Hot 100. The album spent nine consecutive weeks in the number one position on the Billboard 200 chart and was certified 4x platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) in 1990. Rolling Stone ranked it number 413 on its 2020 list of the "500 Greatest Albums of All Time".

<i>Creedence Clearwater Revival</i> (album) 1968 studio album by Creedence Clearwater Revival

Creedence Clearwater Revival is the debut studio album by American rock band Creedence Clearwater Revival, released in July 1968, by Fantasy Records in the US. Featuring the band's first hit single, "Susie Q", which reached number 11 in the US charts, it was recorded shortly after the band changed its name from the Golliwogs and began developing a signature swamp rock sound.

<i>Green River</i> (album) 1969 studio album by Creedence Clearwater Revival

Green River is the third studio album by American rock band Creedence Clearwater Revival, released on August 7, 1969 by Fantasy Records. It was the second of three albums they released in that year, preceded by Bayou Country in January and followed by Willy and the Poor Boys in November.

<i>Willy and the Poor Boys</i> 1969 studio album by Creedence Clearwater Revival

Willy and the Poor Boys is the fourth studio album by American rock band Creedence Clearwater Revival, released by Fantasy Records on October 29, 1969. It was the last of three studio albums the band released that year, arriving just three months after Green River. It was placed at number 193 in Rolling Stone's 2020 list of the "500 Greatest Albums of All Time".

<i>Pendulum</i> (Creedence Clearwater Revival album) 1970 studio album by Creedence Clearwater Revival

Pendulum is the sixth studio album by American rock band Creedence Clearwater Revival, released by Fantasy Records on December 9, 1970. It was the second studio album the band released that year, arriving five months after Cosmo's Factory.

<i>Mardi Gras</i> (album) 1972 studio album by Creedence Clearwater Revival

Mardi Gras is the seventh and final studio album by American rock band Creedence Clearwater Revival, released on April 11, 1972 by Fantasy Records. Recorded after the departure of guitarist Tom Fogerty, it was the band's only studio album as a trio, and featured songs written, sung, and produced by each of the remaining members, rather than just John Fogerty. The recording sessions were marred by personal and creative tensions, and the group disbanded after a short U.S. tour to support the album.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bad Moon Rising</span> Creedence Clearwater Revival song

"Bad Moon Rising" is a song written by John Fogerty and performed by Creedence Clearwater Revival. It was the lead single from their album Green River and was released in April 16, 1969 four months before the album. The song peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart on 28 June 1969 and reached No. 1 on the UK Singles Chart for three weeks in September of that year. It was CCR's second gold single.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Proud Mary</span> 1969 single by Creedence Clearwater Revival

"Proud Mary" is a song by American rock band Creedence Clearwater Revival written by John Fogerty. It was released as a single in January 1969 by Fantasy Records and on the band's second studio album, Bayou Country. The song became a major hit in the United States, peaking at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 in March 1969, the first of five singles to peak at No. 2 for the group.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fortunate Son</span> 1969 single by Creedence Clearwater Revival

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Have You Ever Seen the Rain?</span> 1971 single by Creedence Clearwater Revival

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"Who'll Stop the Rain" is a song written by John Fogerty and originally recorded by Creedence Clearwater Revival for their 1970 album Cosmo's Factory. Backed with "Travelin' Band", it was one of three double-sided singles from that album to reach the top five on the Billboard Pop Singles chart and the first of two to reach the No. 2 spot on the American charts, alongside "Lookin' Out My Back Door"/"Long As I Can See the Light". In 2004, Rolling Stone ranked it No. 188 on its "500 Greatest Songs of All Time" list.

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Wrote a Song for Everyone is the ninth solo studio album by John Fogerty, released on May 28, 2013 in the United States. The album is a collection of Creedence Clearwater Revival classics and deep tracks from his canon of hits as well as some brand new songs, performed alongside an array of notable musicians, including Foo Fighters, Bob Seger, Dawes, Brad Paisley, Miranda Lambert, Kid Rock, Keith Urban, My Morning Jacket, Alan Jackson, Jennifer Hudson, and more. The album also features two new songs, "Mystic Highway" and "Train of Fools".

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