Green River cover (portion); Fantasy Records, 1969

The third of [lastfm link_type="artist_info"]Creedence Clearwater Revival[/lastfm]‘s seven albums released over just four years, Green River was, at the time, their most successful and biggest seller to date.

Once CCR stepped into the studio for the first time and released their self-named debut in July 1968, they were on the recording fast track. Their sophomore set, Bayou Country, was cranked a little more than six months later with Green River coming just eight months after that.

It was their most successful album to date, the first to reach Number 1 on the Hot 100 and, like its predecessors, the nine-song set was stocked with plenty of singles (including two Number 2 hits, “Bad Moon Rising” and the title cut).

Along for the ride were the swampy, blues-based album cuts that were their stock-and-trade. “Sinister Purpose” was a down and dirty stomp, John Fogerty’s testimony drenched in echo, while “Cross-Tie Walker” borrowed its chooglin’ bounce from “Bad Moon Rising.”

Their cover of [lastfm link_type="artist_info"]Nappy Brown[/lastfm]‘s “The Night Time Is the Right Time” was a throwaway but “Wrote a Song for Everyone” was just about the perfect personification of December 1969: a swaying, sing-a-long to close a decade.

What was hot almost half-a-century ago? Find out with more Best Sellers from the ’60s here…