Crazy Otto

Background

"Crazy Otto" is an instrumental blues jam released in 2008 as a bonus track on the 40th Anniversary CD Edition of Bayou Country, the second LP of Creedence Clearwater Revival.

The psychedelic jam was performed at Fillmore West in San Francisco on March 14th, 1969, and recorded by the local free-form underground radio KSAN-FM.

Bootleg collectors knew the song as "Blues Jam" for decades before the official release. The title "Crazy Otto"  came from an introduction Fogerty gave to the tune, making fun of late night TV commercials by a local car dealer. (Joel Selvin, Liner notes of the 40th Anniversary CD.)

"Crazy Otto" wasn't the one and only song in Creedence Clearwater's repertoire that didn't carry a real name. The band played a song titled "Blues in E-G" at Deno & Carlo's already in early 1968.

Chronologically, "Crazy Otto" would have fit better to the bonus tracks of Green River because it was recorded almost one month later than the "Lodi" b/w "Bad Moon Rising" single,.