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Doug 'Cosmo' Clifford - Magic Window
by Kevin Wierzbicki
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Doug "Cosmo" Clifford was a founding member of Creedence Clearwater Revival and the drummer has kept active for the past 25-years keeping the beat for CCR legacy group Creedence Clearwater Revisited. Having recently completed their farewell tour, Revisited is now consigned to the rock 'n' roll history books along with CCR. The newfound down time may be why Magic Window is now available; Clifford discovered the tapes, recorded in 1985 and updated this year, while poking around some of the stuff stored in his garage. So where was Cosmo's musical mind at 35-years ago? "Magic Window," featuring stinging guitar riffs from Russell DaShiell, is a great classic rock cut, a "coulda-been-a-hit" in its day and still a contender today. "Born on the South Side" pays homage to CCR's "Born on the Bayou," at least in the swamp-rock tone set by DaShiell's guitar, "Just Another Girl" is lite rock, that again could've held its own on the charts back in the day and "Love Mode" flirts with a prog rock sound that is not unlike much of what Alan Parsons put on the charts in the era. "Don't Let Go" indicates that Clifford has listened to plenty of Greg Kihn while closing cut "You Mean so Much to Me" smolders with the anguish of lost love. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the album that honors Clifford in its title, Cosmo's Factory, and fans will be wise to include Magic Window in their celebration. This release is available digitally only.
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