Chronicle: The 20 Greatest Hits
1976 greatest hits album by Creedence Clearwater Revival
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Chronicle, or fully Chronicle: The 20 Greatest Hits, is a greatest hits album by the American rock band Creedence Clearwater Revival. It was released in January 1976 by Fantasy Records.[1] The edited version of "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" featured on the album was simultaneously released as a single.[3]
| Chronicle: The 20 Greatest Hits | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Greatest hits album by | ||||
| Released | January 1976[1] | |||
| Recorded | 1968–1972 | |||
| Genres | ||||
| Length | 67:55 | |||
| Label | Fantasy | |||
| Producer | John Fogerty[3] | |||
| Creedence Clearwater Revival chronology | ||||
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Chronicle is a singles collection with 13 A-sides and seven B-sides. Unlike the two previously released Creedence Gold compilations, Chronicle includes all of the group's charted hits. Chronicle: Volume Two was released in 1986, and features non-charting "classics" collected from the same albums as the songs on Chronicle.
Certified 12× Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA),[4] it is the best-selling album in the band's catalog. The compilation was ranked number 59 on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time in 2012,[5] but disappeared from the list altogether when it was published again in 2020. The album has sold at least 6 million copies in the US since 1991 (data from 2013), when Nielsen SoundScan began tracking sales for Billboard.[6] It has remained on the Billboard 200 chart for 12 years, reaching the 600 week-mark (non-consecutive) in August 2022. In June 2025 it broke the 750-week mark. The album was re-released on vinyl in 2014 as a limited edition.
Critical reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |  [7] |
| Blender | [8] |
| Robert Christgau | A[9] |
| Rolling Stone | [10] |
For his review of Chronicle for AllMusic, Stephen Thomas Erlewine said that the album was suitably compiled, but he did not like how the Compact Disc reissue had the full-length version of "I Heard It Through the Grapevine," saying it does not fit with the other songs on the collection.[7] Blender magazine's review called Chronicle the group's best compilation.[8] Robert Christgau called the album a good starting-point for Creedence fans.[9][10]
Track listing
All tracks are written by J. C. Fogerty, except where noted.
| No. | Title | Album | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Suzie Q" (Dale Hawkins) | Creedence Clearwater Revival (1968) | 4:36 |
| 2. | "I Put a Spell on You" (Screamin' Jay Hawkins, Herb Slotkin) | Creedence Clearwater Revival | 4:32 |
| 3. | "Proud Mary" | Bayou Country (1969) | 3:08 |
| 4. | "Bad Moon Rising" | Green River (1969) | 2:19 |
| 5. | "Lodi" | Green River | 3:10 |
| 6. | "Green River" | Green River | 2:33 |
| 7. | "Commotion" | Green River | 2:42 |
| 8. | "Down on the Corner" | Willy and the Poor Boys (1969) | 2:45 |
| 9. | "Fortunate Son" | Willy and the Poor Boys | 2:20 |
| 10. | "Travelin' Band" | Cosmo's Factory (1970) | 2:08 |
| 11. | "Who'll Stop the Rain" | Cosmo's Factory | 2:28 |
| 12. | "Up Around the Bend" | Cosmo's Factory | 2:42 |
| 13. | "Run Through the Jungle" | Cosmo's Factory | 3:07 |
| 14. | "Lookin' out My Back Door" | Cosmo's Factory | 2:33 |
| 15. | "Long As I Can See the Light" | Cosmo's Factory | 3:31 |
| 16. | "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" (Norman Whitfield, Barrett Strong) | Cosmo's Factory | 11:04 |
| 17. | "Have You Ever Seen the Rain?" | Pendulum (1970) | 2:38 |
| 18. | "Hey Tonight" | Pendulum | 2:43 |
| 19. | "Sweet Hitch-Hiker" | Mardi Gras (1972) | 2:56 |
| 20. | "Someday Never Comes" | Mardi Gras | 4:00 |
| Total length: | 67:55 | ||
These times are for the CD version. The vinyl LP version has the single version of "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" instead of the longer album version.[11]
Personnel
Per liner notes.[3]
- John Fogerty – vocals, lead guitar, production, arrangements
- Stu Cook – bass
- Doug Clifford – drums
- Tom Fogerty – rhythm guitar (except “Sweet Hitch-Hiker” and “Someday Never Comes”)
Charts
Weekly charts
|
Year-end charts
|
Certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Argentina (CAPIF)[61] | Gold | 30,000^ |
| Australia (ARIA)[62] | 6× Platinum | 420,000‡ |
| Belgium (BRMA)[63] | Gold | 25,000* |
| Canada (Music Canada)[64] | Gold | 50,000^ |
| Germany (BVMI)[65] | Gold | 250,000^ |
| Italy (FIMI)[66] | Gold | 25,000* |
| New Zealand (RMNZ)[67] | Gold | 7,500^ |
| United Kingdom (BPI)[68] | Gold | 100,000^ |
| United States (RIAA)[4] | 12× Platinum | 12,000,000‡ |
|
* Sales figures based on certification alone. | ||