On This Day in 1970, Creedence Clearwater Revival Scored Their First UK No. 1 With an Album Named for Their Early Rehearsal Space

September 12, 2025 4:34 pm

On this day in 1970, Creedence Clearwater Revival topped the UK Albums Chart for the first time with Cosmo’s Factory. While they had found chart and commercial success in the United States, they hadn’t quite broken into the international market. At the time, their 1969 album Willy and the Poor Boys had been their most successful international release, reaching the top 10 in several countries. Cosmo’s Factory represented the peak of their fame.

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Cosmo’s Factory spent nine weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. It also topped the charts in the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, Finland, and Norway. It was a top 10 hit in Italy, Japan, Germany, and the Netherlands. In short, it was the most successful of Creedence Clearwater Revival’s short but productive career.

If the reward of hard work is success, this album is aptly named. They named the LP after a warehouse in Berkley, California, where they practiced. Drummer Doug “Cosmo” Clifford called it The Factory because John Fogerty had the band there practicing for hours nearly every day.

In a 2013 interview with Goldmine, Clifford revealed that it was his favorite album from CCR’s discography. “It was fun because John was more of an introvert, and I was an extrovert. I was the guy in school that could make the teachers laugh. When the others tried, they got sent to the dean,” he recalled. “John knew the press would be all over us for the album, so he said that he would name the album after me, and that I would have to deal with it,” he added.

Creedence Clearwater Revival Scores Six Hits with Cosmo’s Factory

Creedence Clearwater Revival released six singles from the 11-track album. They did so in three double A-side releases. All of them were top-five hits.

“Travelin’ Band” paired with “Who’ll Stop the Rain” went to No. 2. “Up Around the Bend” and “Run Through the Jungle” peaked at No. 4. “Lookin’ Out My Back Door” with “Long As I Can See the Light” took the band back to No. 2.

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