Travelin' Band

Background

"Travelin' Band" b/w "Who'll Stop the Rain" was the first 45 rpm Creedence Clearwater Revival released in 1970. Both cuts of this "double-sided" single ended up to the Cosmo's Factory album half a year later. "Travelin' Band" peaked on the charts at #2 in the USA, #8 in the UK, #4 in Germany and #1 in Belgium.

"Travelin' Band" was both a tip of the hat to Little Richard, one of the idols of John Fogerty, and also on desciption of the frantic life of touring. 

Instrumentation

John Fogerty expanded the instrumentation on Cosmo's Factory. "Travelin' Band" was the band's first cut featuring John Fogerty on the sax. 

Alternate version

A raw version of "Travelin' Band" was added to the bonus tracks of the 40th Anniversary CD Edition of Cosmo's Factory in 2008. 

Collector's notes

The "Travelin' Band" b/w "Who'll Stop the Rain" single was released with a similar cover sleeve in Arentina, France, Germany, Italy, and the USA. It was different from the one launched in Belgium, Denmark, India, Israel, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal and Sweden (Peter Koers, Green River, 1999).  

Live versions

The first documented Creedence Clearwater gig with "Travelin' Band" in the set list is the homecoming concert at Oakland Coliseum on  January 31, 1970 - one day before the release of the single. It also appears on The Concert album recorded that night and In Concert TV show broadcast in summer 1971. 

The CCR trio delivered "Travelin' Band" in the closing concert of Fillmore West on July 3rd 1971. The show was broadcast live by KSAN-FM in San Francisco. The band played another version in Forest Hills, New York, a couple of weeks later, and it was aired by WNEW-FM.  

During his solo career, John Fogerty played "Travelin' Band" live for the first time on the opening leg of his Blue Moon Swamp Tour at The Fillmore in San Francisco on May 18th, 1997. The rock and roller was delivered as the concert final on this and the subsequent Premonition Tour next year.     

On the Deja Vu All Over Again Tour 2004-2005, Fogerty lifted "Travelin' Band" to the first line of the written set list. Since then, the song has been the most common concert kick off number together with "Hey Tonight". 

John has used a blue Ernie Ball Music Man guitar in the live versions in the 2000's. 

A horn trio Nathan Collins (saxophone),  Steve Robinson (trombone) and Ethan Chilton (trumpet) contributed the song in live concerts on the Blues And Bayous Tour in summer 2108. 

As expected, "Travelin' Band" appears on each of his three live DVDs: Premonition (1998), The Long Road Home (2006) and Comin' Down the Road (2009). 

Extraordinary live versions of "Travelin' Band" include the one John Fogerty, Miranda Lambert, Carrie Underwood, Brad Paisley and Charlie Daniels performed as the opening to the 2010 Academy of Country Music Awards on April 18, 2010. It was broadcast live by CBS-TV in the USA. 

In the movies

"Travelin' Band" appears on the documentary film Religulous (2008) and a Brazilian comedy O Homem que copiava (The Man Who Copied, 2003).

Critical reception

""Travelin' Band" qualifies for historical authenticity, even though Fogerty grafts new lyrics onto a modified "Reddy Teddy" melody. He lays down a very credible Little Richard vocal and arrangement, substituting a good tenor shriek for a trademark upper register vibrato. In the absence of machinegun triads on keyboard, he dubs in saxophone—which he now plays." -John Grissim, The Rolling Stone, September 3rd, 1970

"The lyrics of Travelin' Band chronicle the perils of rock & roll stardom --- But Fogerty's energy & power undercut all the hassles. He obviously DIGS being a rock star." -Bruce Miroff, The Rolling Stone. 

"--- their great road anthem 'Travelin' Band' --- has a great whiff of originality and genuine CCR spirit around it. The brass section benefits the song greatly, too, and check out Cosmo's drumming, especially at the end of the song - so homely and close sounding, and yet, so wild and frantic." -George Starostin.

Fans' views

"I once had a bunch of girls dancing in my dorm room after hearing me play various songs by CCR and they requested the song that started out with "737 COMING OUT OF THE SKY...", I knew it was Travelin' Band and they just went wild."

"The hardest rock'n'roll song ever made! ... listening to this is like sitting in an airplane that is steaming down the runway and is just about to take off."

"This is the best when you are drunk and you play it loud."

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