The release in April 1972 of Mardi Gras marked CCR's recorded farewell as a musical entity after five enormously successful years. Yet this album, as its title suggests, is more a celebration than swan song. With the departure of guitarist Tom Fogerty a year previously, the group worked closely as a trio, sharing writing and singing as well as production. The results were gratifying, yielding two Fogerty-penned hit singles, "Sweet Hitch-Hiker" and "Someday Never Comes," and showcasing drummer Doug Clifford (notably in "Tearin' Up the Country") and bassist Stu Cook, who indeed cooks on "Door to Door." Fogerty's rendering of the Gene Pitney classic "Hello Mary Lou" is flawless while his "Looking for a Reason" presages his future interest in exploring c&w music.

John Fogerty, Stu Cook, Doug Clifford