Creedence Clearwater Revival’s fifth studio album was their biggest commercial success and is generally seen as their best album. By the long haired hippies of San Fransisco it was seen as a betrayal: it was just too commercial. In 1969 singer John Fogerty was bold enough to create good pop songs out of their bluesy bayou sound. It was an enormous success, and after 1970 some claim it was the biggest band in the world (easier, after the slow demise of The Beatles). It really is amazing how much hit potential there is on this record. More than half of the songs were released as singles, with all of them reaching top 5 places.
On the cover the band members are shown in casual poses, wearing outdoor clothing that has nothing to do with their rock images. The name of the album refers to the location they were using for a while for practice. Because John Fogerty made them practice long hours, and they smoked indoors, the venue was always filled with smoke. Like factory chimneys. Cosmo is the nickname of the drummer, Doug ‘Cosmo’ Clifford.