CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REVISITED / COSMO'S
FACTORY
A Short Story
At a time when most of the classic bands were making unimagined comebacks amidst, competing and in most cases, overshadowing completely a flourish of interesting although repetitious "alternative" contemporary rock formations, Creedence Clearwater Revival was the only big rock group from the late sixties that had all but vanished from the face of the earth. Former frontman John Fogerty has published just four scattered albums [and killed a fifth] in the 24 years or so that have lapsed since Creedence disbanded in October 1972; his older brother Tom -who left the group in 1971 because he felt restrained creatively by John- died in 1990; and bass player Stu Cook and drummer Doug 'Cosmo' Clifford have been in retirement on and off from joint collaborations in Doug Sahm band and The Don Harrison Band and, in Stu Cook's case, the Southern Pacific Band.
But the audience's interest in Creedence has not gone away. Witness to that are the
countless "Greatest Hits" CDs repackaged by Fantasy Records; the increased
featuring of Creedence songs in blockbuster films and the induction of the band at the Rock
'n Roll Hall of Fame in 1993. Regardless, the songs of Creedence were not available to
concert audiences. John Fogerty rarely performed in public and then he had always shunned
away the chance to do his old time classics on stage, going instead for his most recent
and less known productions or for covers of pop and country tunes. Only after 1987 did he
consent to play the CCR songs in his all too rare appearences. Seldom has a top-class Rock
Band dropped so sharply from the public eye.
Realizing this and very much aware that all time CCR supporters deserved a break, long time friends and Incline Village neighbors Stu Cook and Doug Clifford got together again in 1995 - almost 23 years to the day after their classic band folded - and decided to bring the legend back to life.
After askimg John Fogerty to join them in a reunion tour -to which the writer of
immortal songs as Proud Mary 
and
Green River showed no interest in whatsoever- they opted for going ahead on their own.
People close to John Fogerty explain his refusal on the grounds that Fogerty accuses Cook
and especially, Clifford, of supporting Fantasy's Saul Zaentz on the "Old Man Down
the Road" 1985 plagiarism lawsuit against him, something Cook and Clifford vehemently
deny.
When the band folded in 1972, the Creedence Clearwater Revival name went on to be the
property of a partnership made of equal parts by the four former band members. Since Tom's
passing his widow keeps holding his share. By the legal majority rule of three [Cook,
Clifford and Tom's widow] the ex-members partnership granted the use of the Creedence
Clearwater Revival denomination to Stu and Doug. Be it as it were, John Fogerty had
declined to be on board and the Cook/Clifford team felt it was unfair to their audiences
to tour under the full old name in such conditions. The partnership's majority
authorization notwithstanding, Stu and Clifford chose to create a new band name, something
that while taking its roots from the common inheritance, would not fail to reflect the new
musical and personal approach, barring by the same token any possibility for confusion.
Perhaps one of them remembered some Aldous Huxley reading long ago,
who knows? The fact is that they hit the mark with Creedence Clearwater Revisited.
With Elliot Easton - formerly of The Cars- on lead guitar, John Tristao on vocals and rhythm guitar, and Steve Gunner on keyboards and rhythm guitar, the Creedence Clearwater Revisited took the road. 1972 was just around the corner...
The first press report on the new band was published in the Bonanza-Incline News
on the 8th of August, 1995. After getting their act together they started touring Europe,
last seen at the 1972 CCR-as-a-trio gig. Before sailing the band issued a Disclaimer to their public insisting on the fact that this was
not Creedence Clearwater Revival although Stu-Cosmo were two of the four original band
members and classic songs would be performed at the shows. ??On learning his, John Fogerty
sued his former band mates and his brother's widow on charges of copyright infringment,
fraud and artistic appropriation. The trial date is scheduled for sometime in 1997. In the
meantine, Fogerty filed a petition for a Temporary Injunction against the new band seeking
to prevent Cook and Clifford from touring under their choosen name or any other similar to
the original band's. In October 1996 a Los Angeles Court granted Fogerty the Temporary
Injunction Order so that until the trial itself is resolved Cook and Clifford shan't use
the Creedence Clearwater Revisited name.
Since being served with the Injunction order, Cook and Clifford and their band resumed touring and were introduced as "STU COOK AND DOUG CLIFFORD PRESENT THE MUSIC OF CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL." Upon learning that John Fogerty opposed that too, they decided to call their act STU COOK AND DOUG CLIFFORD PRESENT "COSMO'S FACTORY", COSMO being drummer Clifford's nickname as well as the title of the old band's fifth album.