Bad Moon Rising: The Collection

Spectrum's 2013 compilation Bad Moon Rising: The Collection takes some odd turns in its 18 tracks. In particular, it concludes with a whole bunch of jamming, wrapping up with "Effigy" and "Keep on Chooglin'," two titans of CCR album tracks. There are other deep cuts here but they're not among the most celebrated of the group's songs: they're "Ninety-Nine and a Half," "Chameleon," "Born to Move." There are a few beloved non-singles ("Tombstone Shadow," "Bootleg") and several hits ("Born on the Bayou," "Bad Moon Rising," "Green River," "Proud Mary"), just enough to make you realize all the other songs that are missing ("Who'll Stop the Rain," "Traveling Band," "Have You Ever Seen the Rain," "Lodi," for starters). As Creedence were more or less a consistently strong band (only their final album, Mardi Gras, had a notable dip in quality), this is enjoyable but there are so many terrific CCR comps out there, it's hard to see why you'd select this over the other titles. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine