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The Beatles were so busy in their early days that they could have been called the Workhorses. Between playing live, doing interviews, and making TV and radio performances, it’s a wonder they ever recorded any albums or singles. Still, Creedence Clearwater Revival came along and outperformed The Beatles with their early albums. CCR might not have changed the English language like the Fab Four or scored as many hit songs, but they still left their mark.

Creedence Clearwater Revival did what The Beatles couldn’t do — release five albums in just over 2 years

Few (if any) music fans would confuse The Beatles and Creedence Clearwater Revival. CCR is hardly a classic rock footnote, but no band from that era outshined The Beatles for popularity and groundbreaking music.

The Fab Four worked relentlessly for several years, first to build their popularity and then to satiate their fans. Still, Creedence Clearwater Revival outperformed The Beatles regarding the pace of releasing their early albums.

The four lads from Liverpool released their first five proper studio albums in roughly two and a half years. CCR birthed their first five records in just over 25 months. That included an incredible three albums in 1969 alone.

The Beatles’ first five albums

  • Please Please Me (March 22, 1963)
  • With The Beatles (Nov. 22, 1963)
  • A Hard Day’s Night (July 10, 1964)
  • Beatles for Sale (Dec. 4, 1964)
  • Help! (Aug. 6, 1965)

Creedence Clearwater Revival’s first five albums

  • Creedence Clearwater Revival (May 28, 1968)
  • Bayou Country (Jan. 5, 1969)
  • Green River (Aug. 3, 1969)
  • Willy and the Poor Boys (Nov. 2, 1969)
  • Cosmo’s Factory (July 16, 1970)

For good measure, Creedence released their sixth album, Pendulum, in December 1970. Their first five albums all received RIAA platinum status; With The Beatles went gold while the other early records went platinum.

Like England’s most famous band, CCR hit the road to promote their albums; they weren’t just living in the studio recording music. The Beatles set Guinness records with their albums, but Creedence Clearwater Revival outperformed them with their torrid pace in the late 1960s and early 1970s.

The Fab Four’s singles and albums outdid CCR and every other band

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Creedence Clearwater Revival outperformed The Beatles with their early album release schedule. Like every other band of every other era, the Fab Four left their Bay Area brethren in the dust in every other way.

The Beatles had nearly two dozen No. 1 hits in the United States, including “All You Need Is Love,” “Help!,” “Yesterday,” and “Hey Jude.” Creedence, meanwhile, was one of the notable classic rock bands never to have a No. 1 hit (though they reached No. 2 several times).

CCR placed five albums in the Billboard top 10, and Cosmo’s Factory and Green River spent a combined 13 weeks at No. 1. Most bands would give anything for that success. The Beatles, who had 10 studio albums top the U.S. charts, weren’t one of them.

No classic rock bands did better than the Fab Four on the charts. Few were more prolific. Yet Creedence Clearwater Revival outperformed The Beatles with the furious pace with which they released their early albums.

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