JOHN FOGERTY
"Well, a-geedeeup, a-geedeeup, a-get away, we're goin' crazy, and we're goin' today, here we go-oh rockin' all over the world!"
General Rating: 1
ALBUM REVIEWS:
One might suppose that John Fogerty's solo career would prove to be
hugely successful, especially given that he was not just the main motivating
factor in Creedence Clearwater Revival - basically, he was CCR,
with his minimalistic, but tasteful and captivating guitar playing, trademark
high-pitched, intoxicating singing, and prolific songwriting that yielded
so many smash and unforgettable hits. The situation, however, turns out
to have been far, far more complicated than it seems.
This might seem a paradox to you, but truly and verily, JF's solo albums
mostly demonstrate the limitations of Creedence Clearwater Revival as a
band, and its entire style and all and everything that it and its music
represented, rather than the limitations of JF himself. As catchy and entertaining
as the band's material always seemed to be, it was almost painfully shallow
and non-diverse: John had always relied on basic, powerful, riff-driven
guitar rock, and having taken the genre to its peak on Cosmo's Factory,
there was suddenly nowhere else to go. The band's succeeding experiments
with psychedelia on Pendulum and particularly with country on Mardi
Gras turned out rotten, so the band's demise was a fully predictable
and, moreover, necessary one (God knows to what levels of despicable crap
they could have reduced their formula had they carried on after their last
studio album). Yes, I love the band dearly and I think I have given it
more than its actual due on its own page due to a certain personal bias
of mine... but... there's a certain point when everything you do, no matter
how well you do it, just gets stale and mostly acts as an incentive to
return you to your earlier successes. This breaking point happened in 1972,
with the breakup of the band and John's going out on his solo career.
Come to think of it, what was a solo John Fogerty to do? His first move
was an intelligent one - a full album of blues, country and gospel covers
couldn't hurt his reputation at all, particularly since he didn't invite
his former pals to sing along on it. It is a natural return to the source,
a skillful and tastefully executed tribute, as if to say 'it's not me who
started the entire deal'. But most of his succeeding albums add little
or nothing to the CCR legacy. At times, it almost seems that Fogerty was
unable to try and do something other than writing pale shadows of older
CCR standards or even more insipid nostalgic jazz-pop numbers: almost every
one of his solo hits has a prototype in the CCR catalog, whether it be
the melody or just the general mood and style. Then, after just one big
solo LP, he got lost in legal battles over the copyright to his material,
which he eventually lost to Saul Zaentz, his former manager (and a classic
example of Big Musical Business Bastard, along with Allen Klein and Shel
Talmy). And then there was his unexpected rebound in the mid-Eighties,
when he suddenly began a short-lived series of experiments with contemporary
sound; but it ended as suddenly as it started with a collapse into generic
Eighties' banality on Eye Of The Zombie. After this, John completely
disappeared into the shadows again, re-emerging only at the tail end of
the Nineties with another album over which I'm so stumped that I'm still
not sure whether I should call it 'the great lost CCR classic' or 'another
dull rehashing of past glories'. Basically, it's all a celebration of nostalgia,
of course, even if it's essentially a good one.
One could argue, of course, and try and dig deeper, pointing out the many
subtle ways in which the man was developing through the years, drawing
on country, jazz, synth-pop and even heavy metal influences. Sure, he did
all that, but then again, AC/DC did change their sound a little bit from
some albums to some others. It's all highly relative, and Fogerty's creative
development from 1972 to 1997, as compared to many, if not most, other
artists reviewed on this site, can only be called "near-complete creative
stagnation". Then again, I never did expect any major breakouts
for him - if he didn't make any during his best years in CCR, how could
he have progressed as a solo artist?
There is one ultimate truth about John Fogerty, though. No matter how derivative,
conservative, or unimaginative his work might look, it is nearly always
a lot of fun. It's always danceable, rarely offensive and certainly
boasts a lot of hooks - just like in the old days. Diehard fans of CCR
will certainly want to add John Fogerty and Blue Moon Swamp
to their collection, and country/gospel lovers would be proud of Blue
Ridge Rangers. Yes, the man is limited, and yes, most of the
songs that are gonna be reviewed below are pedestrian. But that
don't really mean I can't luv him, like the dirty old rock'n'roll bastard
he really is. Always was, actually.
That said, John's solo career doesn't equal more than an overall rating
of one in my book. It was too short - five albums, at least one
of which sucked mercilessly. It didn't make much of an impact on the neighbouring
musical world. And, of course, the rootsy genre to which John stuck all
the time, has its own understandable limitations. You can't live all life
long rewriting the same record - even if you're a prime melodist.
What do YOU think about John Fogerty? Mail your ideas
Your worthy comments:
Bryan B. <petroeh@hotmail.com> (09.07.99)
Well, you wrote up an interesting John Fogerty page, George. I was a
bit taken aback by the '1' rating when McCartney and Lennon got 4's...but
I forgot, it all goes back to revolutions and revolutionaries, doesn't
it? I would actually agree with most of your album ratings, though. I don't
agree that "The Old Man Down The Road" is a rip-off of "Run
Through The Jungle." I heard the similarities when I first listened
to it, but eventually I came to realize what a different song it was indeed.(Try
listening to the "Run Through The Jungle" and "The Old Man
Down The Road" back to back.)
Also sounds to me that John is playing excellent guitar throughout the
record, something you didn't mention at all aside from saying "there's
quite a lot of guitar on here."
As for Blue Ridge Rangers, it is John who is playing the banjo.
He did everything on the record but the background vocals. Violin, trumpet,
guitar, drums, production...he did it all!
All in all, I think you probably like these solo records more than your
reviews showed. The ratings certainly balance out this theory of mine.
If I had to make a single complaint about the page, I would say it comes
off sounding way too rushed. You sound as if you made your mind up about
these albums long before you heard them! I generally hate references in
reviews to "ripoffs" when a serious artist is being discussed.
I don't think John's career is really so much about "imitating himself
and generally failing"...I actually couldn't respect the man very
much if that is all he was about during must of his post-CCR period. This
is not to say that your reviews were BAD or anything; of course not! At
times you were more than fair to JF(I never could have anticipated you
would like "Vanz Kant Danz" so much!). This is all just my opinion.
I wouldn't have a reviews page if I found I didn't disagree with most people
quite a lot of the time...
J.van.Doorn <J.van.Doorn@cable.A2000.nl> (15.08.2000)
I like this page very good. I saw John Fogerty finaly in the Netherlands and it make me a happy guy. the last time he was here in the Netherlands was 29 years ago and my mother saw that show in the Concert gebouw with suport act Tony Joe White. It was the magic to hear his voice for the first time real live and the power was great and the second thing is the guitarsound who made the show. There were a few thing I don't like about the show that was a new version of Down on the Corner with the modern drum and the drum guy who is playing with John for the last couple of years that guy don't have that swampie sound he is more a drummer for a heavy metal band. I have all the records of John fogerty and CCR and even some Golliwogs songs. CCR is always in my live it started when I was a little kid my mother was young and she and my uncle were big fans of CCR and Jerry lee Lewis so that's what I hear a lot. I remeber she go to that show in 1971 and she said it was great and now I had the chance but he was suport act in the Tina tour that is a shame that guy have to do his own tour. I hope he come back.But after all what do I think about John Fogerty is nothing than he is a great songwriter and peformer and it's a shame those stupid money thing and bad people destroy a good band and John Fogerty for a long time. But the old man s on the road again and that make me feel good.
Lyolya Svidrigajlova <vsvitov@diamin.msk.ru> (04.11.2000)
What do I think about him? Well, I first learned and loved his songs from solo albums and then I suddenly discovered that he took part in Creedence (gee! they irritated me when I heard them for the very first time!) So... I find him one of the best live performers doing nice songs, as simple as truth is. This music is private to me. Well, I mean he's one of this kind of people who, when they sing, seem to sing just for you and nobody else. A profound musical dialog based on - well, maybe sometimes too simple and even silly - nice pop-country-rock or hard-rocking tunes. Not a good lyricist but sometimes he can write something which could be treated as a real rhyme (not a genius one, of course!). Very poor and weak voice but... he uses it in such way that you sometimes have a feeling that he has a good voice. Hey, this guy is just singing by his heart, not by his vocal chords... Not a very good guitar player but... mmhum, with his own guitarplaying style. Multi-instrumental musician... this is what I always respect because I had never had enough patience to learn to play any instrument... even my guitar... In fact, why do I say all this? this guy just did (and does) something I like and even love sometimes, I'm not a real fan but sometimes I return to him, to what I liked when I was just a little girl and then about 16 to 18 years old, and he never disappoints! Taking things too close - Lyolya Svidrigajlova. Not 1 point, but at least 5! Well, in fact, at least more than CCR!
Year Of Release: 1973
Record rating = 10
Overall rating = 11
Tasty country and gospel covers, all done with gusto in that famous
Fogerty style...
Best song: CALIFORNIA BLUES
As bad as CCR's Mardi Gras, driven by Stu Cook's and Doug Clifford's
tasteless country excourses, was, this cute little record fully redeems
it. Like I said in the introduction, this kind of album might have been
the most reasonable move by John at the most reasonable time - a return
to the basic roots of his music at a time when his own songwriting was
stagnated. It doesn't matter that the record was overlooked (and, come
to think of it, no way this kind of music could have been commercially
successful in 1973, the year when prog-rock, glam and heavy metal ruled
supreme even in the minds of conservative Americans); it still stands up
to time.
Why, would you ask? Why would a record with twelve covers of little-known
country and gospel songs get such a load of respect in my humble eyes so
as to deserve a claim for 'best JF solo album'? Well, if you'd like an
objective and well-assessed answer, I'd purely say that this is the only
full-fledged album on which JF is not trying to milk the old milkless line
of CCR. No, he is not trying to find a new creative style, he's
picking up an old one. But he demonstrates himself an absolute master of
the genre. His voice is still in top form (it would start deteriorating
in the Eighties); his playing is still precise, moving and memorable; and
the arrangements that he gives these songs are groovy. I mean, I certainly
am not a fan of country, not to mention gospel music that usually
gives me the shivers. In the hands (and throat) of John, however, these
songs cease to be pure country or gospel. But they're not CCR songs, either.
Let me just show you, okay? We start with 'Blue Ridge Mountain Blues',
a fast, jolly country tune that I really enjoy. Fact is, I said I'm not
a fan of country, but I do like some fast country when it's played with
gusto (not to mention some specific fast country chef-d'oeuvres like Dylan's
'Turkey Chase'), and this one certainly is. Away with all the crap like
Sweetheart Of The Rodeo, long live real country entertainment. Then
the mid-tempo gospel 'Somewhere Listening (For My Name)', the track that's
mostly notorious for outstanding vocal work. Yeah, you gotta learn to appreciate
that 'SOMEWHEEEEERE - SOMEWHEEEEERE!!' scream, brothers and sisters, this
is one of the last times that John lays his vocal cords bare before you.
'You're The Reason' is one of the more forgettable numbers, a slow, pedal-steel
driven love ditty, but 'Jambalaya' (perhaps the only well-known standard,
due to its early adoption by rock'n'rollers) is played perfectly - not
a guitar lick out of place, not a climactic point missed. And, after another
so-so tune ('She Thinks I Still Care'), the real and obvious highlight
- 'California Blues'. God only knows why this is the obvious highlight
for me, but I'm gonna guess it has something to do with the magic of John's
voice as he tells you that he's a-leavin' you Mamaaaaa... 'cause you know
you don't treat me right'. Yep. The brass solo on the song sounds so damn
corny, too, almost like a parody - hilarious as hell.
Then the second side starts out with another frenetic vocal workout on
the stupid 'Working On The Building'. I hate generic gospel music
(when it's not done by the Rolling Stones or T. Rex, of course). I regard
the whole of this genre as a banal popularization of Christian faith for
rednecks and brainless family men. But what kind of magic is this? Gospel
as interpreted by John Fogerty appears to acquire an almost ironic, not
to say 'comical' appeal. Come to think of it - could such a good lad as
John take such a dumb song as 'Working On The Building' seriously? Certainly
not. And it's all the more fun how he strains his voice on the choruses,
'working on the building' indeed. He even took the pain to overdub his
voice a couple dozen times, creating a funny 'crowd effect' in the intro.
There are a couple more weak selections on the second side, like the mellow
'Today I Started Loving You Again' and the deadly dull 'Have Thine Own
Way Lord' where John almost falls asleep at the end of each line. It's
the same country style that the Byrds were popularizing on their Sweetheart
Of The Rodeo album, which, quite coincidentally, I consider to be one
of the dullest pieces of plastic in my collection (okay, so it's tasteful
and well-played, but that doesn't mean all of these tunes don't have a
serious lethargic potential). But the fast 'Hearts Of Stone', and the steady,
beaty, catchy 'I Ain't Never' do redeem it, and the effect ain't spoiled
at all. After all, it's only my taste - maybe other respected gentlemen
would prefer just the opposite selections.
What is particularly noticeable is the 'guitar economy' policy that John
takes on the album (and he's stuck to it ever since, with not more than
a couple of exceptions, so this is important). While most of our CCR favourites
are usually guitar fiestas, and John's soloing is what often makes the
song, on Blue Ridge Rangers you won't notice the guitar very much.
Just like Clapton a year later, Fogerty decided to relinquish his image
as a guitar god - the few guitar solos on here are rather generic, and
the riffing is standard country/R'n'B riffing. (Can't complain about the
banjo, though - quite a lot of banjo on this album, although I'm not sure
as to who is playing it.) But don't let it bother you - somehow the album
is enjoyable still. Indeed, this is the only image, besides the standard
CCR one, that John was successful in establishing for himself, and in among
John's five solo studio albums, certainly a unique one. Nobody loves it,
of course, and nobody needs it, if you ask my motivated opinion, but if
you have a chance to take a listen, don't miss it... you might like it,
actually...
You're the reason I write these God damn reviews, so mail your ideas!
Your worthy comments:
Lyolya Svidrigajlova <vsvitov@diamin.msk.ru> (04.11.2000)
"Here comes Johnny singin' oldies goldies..." (copyright Mark Knopfler - all-time the best!) Hummm... country music... Well, I like some tunes out, like "Somewhere listening", "You're the reason", and, of course, "I ain't never", but there's a thing that was always surprising for me - how could he make these "oldies goldies" sound as if they were his own songs???? That's the point. Well, sometimes his voice sounds very much like Carl Perkins but I don't mind - I love Perkins! And sometimes you can even think that he (I mean, Fogerty) has a good voice. Well-done imitation. Actually, he has none. But he sings well. Why? Just because he puts all the emotion and force in his very poor and weak voice. That's what I like! And, don't forget that he did all the instrumental and vocal parts - alone! Guitars, of course, bass (well, he's a very poor bass player, to be honest), drums (not bad), harmonica, banjo, something like dobro (wuww! I can't tell you how much I hate this instrument!), horns, keyboards, and even fiddle! Don't blame on me if I forgot something. Well... I just can't show non-respect for a guy who can play even fiddle (or you call it "violin"?)! But oww... he SHOULD have used little psychedelic or harmonic fiddle solos more and more! that's a great kick, especially for hard-rocking songs (like "Walking in a hurricane", for example)! And... as for me, it all sounds like a real band, not a one-man-band. A sort of onanism, huh? But it's hard to find so much musicians... especially when you have just left your glorious "favourite American" band... and so many people consider you guilty for its disband... Terrified by the number of instruments this guy can play - Lyolya Svidrigajlova
Year Of Release: 1975
Record rating = 9
Overall rating = 10
A jazzy reincarnation of the CCR sound, a little too un-Fogerty like
for me.
Best song: ROCKING ALL OVER THE WORLD
Now you wouldn't think John would be so stupid as to root himself in
that Rangers sound forever, would you? Mind you, this guy had no
serious plans to establish himself as a serious country star. Best
or worst, Rangers is still a groove album, because John was always
a rocker at heart, and this self-titled album of his proves it - at least,
taken to some extent. Since the original release of Rangers did
not feature John's name on the cover, eventually being credited to 'Blue
Ridge Rangers', it seems that this is offered to us as the true debut album.
And what, prithee, is the album's quality, you might ask? Well...
...actually, it's as if Mardi Gras and Blue Ridge Rangers
never happened. Instead, the album's a logical successor to... Pendulum!
Remember that underrated, but still not great CCR album on which the band
started floating in the jazz-pop direction? Well it's here alright! This
is almost exactly a serious, intentional re-creation of the same sound
that caused certain CCR fans to alienate themselves while others just shrugged
their shoulders saying 'it's not exactly rock'n'roll but I still like it'.
Unfortunately, few songs are able to match that album's quality: the slow,
contemplative numbers are usually shallow, and the fast numbers are at
the worst senseless and at the best (and most often) so grossly derivative
that it almost makes me wonder - was John's wagon really at such a dead
end that he had to recycle old numbers?
I'm serious! Just listen to 'Almost Saturday Night' and tell me that it
isn't a blatant rip-off of 'Hey Tonight'! It even starts out with the same
riff, and the song virtually does nothing but evoke a nostalgia for that
classic. Not that it's bad - the melody is decent, but it's worse,
and John's vocals are marred by stupid back-ups. Who needs an inferior
re-write of 'Hey Tonight?' Moreover, who needs an inferior re-write of
'Run Through The Jungle' ('The Wall')? But the weirdest thing, of course,
is 'Sea Cruise' (one of the few old covers on the record) that sounds just
a little too Little Richard-ish for me. No, I have nothing against Little
Richard, and I don't even have anything against John Fogerty doing Little
Richard - the CCR cover of 'Good Golly Miss Molly' is amazing. But this
number lacks a lot in the guitar department - John almost goes for a note-for-note,
instrument-for-instrument emulation of that lounge Fifties' sound, and
why? is the obvious question.
Now don't be surprised that these same songs that I just mentioned are
actually among the best on the album. Rip-offs, for sure, and not clever
rip-offs (which means that they're not even masked as 'original' ones),
that goes without saying. But they're at least entertaining rip-offs, and,
indeed, the fact that they are derivative is the only serious argument
against 'em. People who've never heard a CCR original might even be enthralled
by any of them, but we who heard better, well, we might just skip 'em.
Or, well, maybe not.
A couple more relatively low points include the jazzy 'Lonely Teardrops'
and the minimalistic, almost ridiculously simple-structured 'Dream Song'
whose verses all end with the line 'well it's your song and it's your dream'
or vice versa. Still, don't get me wrong: I do enjoy all of these tunes.
God knows how they would have sounded had they been put to the disposition
of other performers (Traffic, for instance!!!); John manages to make even
the worst material inoffensive and actually attractive. I guess it all
has to do with the same minimalistic effort - the songs are so simple that
they're catchy, and it's the kind of beautiful simplicity that is not banal
but quite captivating. And the voice - well, never forget the voice, because
sometimes your vocals are all that matter. I guess that the vocal department
is, for instance, the very point that makes me suspicious in regard to
some of the Byrds' work (yeah, I know they're famous for their harmonies,
but they're all oh so painfully undistinctive and imageless), so this is
where Master John takes over completely. It was 1975, mind you, so he was
still in full force. As is demonstrated actually on the best tune - the
restrainless Rock And Roll anthem 'Rocking All Over The World' which is
unarguably the best start to a Fogerty solo record. Funny how all the rock'n'roll
anthems suit their masters, eh? 'It's Only Rock'n'Roll' was Mick Jagger's
explanation of his chosen image, like, you know, 'I'm actually a serious
guy but this stuff is just as okay', 'Long Live Rock' was Pete Townshend's
justification of the genre's universal potential ('be it dead or alive'),
and John Fogerty's anthem is just a crazy, mindless, beer-smellin', foot-stompin'
bash-a-thon that serves exactly the same purpose as did 'Rock Around The
Clock': c'mon baby, let's have a good time and forget everything else.
Only it rocks out with much more power, and, again, the voice, ooh, the
voice...
All in all, forget my complaints. If you're looking for bad songs,
this is not the right place - go check out Eye Of The Zombie instead.
I like this album as much as anybody, and it might be an excellent choice
for you if you're sick and tired of having to put on Green River
for the ten thousandth time. On an objective level, it's totally unessential
and will certainly go down with the course of history, but at least its
review will stay on this here site so you won't forget it.
You rascal you - where are your ideas??
Your worthy comments:
Glenn Wiener <Glenn.Wiener@Entex.com> (18.08.99)
A badly underrated release. Just about every song is a winner here with the possible exception of 'Lonely Teardrops'. It would have been nice if John performed the entire song instead of just the chorus. None the less its passable. Truthfully, I find 'Dream Song' very creative with the varying musically embellishments. One verse gives you a folk backing, another sweet Dixieland, and the final one a steady rock beat. Call me crazy but its my favorite on the record. My only other drawback is there is a lacking of soloing on the record. Overall I'd rate it a 12 or 13 on your scale.
Tony Souza <avsouza@webtv.net> (09.02.2000)
Despite it's flaws, this is actually my favorite album from Fogerty. This was a couple of years after CCR broke up and it was also the time the relationship between Zaentz and Fogerty started to get really bad. Zaentz wouldn't let him out of a contract CCR signed when they started, so David Geffen came in and contracted Fogerty out for this one album. Fogerty at the time was fairly stressed when he made this and it shows. That being said, I still like this album. It may be underproduced, but I like the organic quality of the music: The horns on "Travalin' Man" and "Lonely Teardrops", The guitar riff on "Almost Saturday Night", the beautiful "Song/Dream" etc. The sound is a little thin, but like I said, I'd rather have this than have it over-produced like Eye of the Zombie.
Lyolya Svidrigajlova <vsvitov@diamin.msk.ru> (04.11.2000)
Welllllll... I just like it, not "la-la-like it". Somehow it works. "The Wall" is my favourite here - just a simple, hard rock'n'roller with harmonica solo. And... on the whole, the lyrics are not bad, and that's why I like it much more than all CCR commercial efforts. Horns are also great kick, and there are some funny moments when he tries to hide his horn failures under screaming "Whoooa!" or something alike. Not a good horns player, for sure, trying not to show that... funny and touching... If you want to know about "Almost Saturday Night", don't listen to this track here, just take "Premonition" version! Or, you'll never guess that it can work! I like "Dream Song", especially the part where the horns turn on. Much like Tom Fogerty, but who can ever avoid influence of their older brother? The main and practically only drawback is the ending. Great title, but a terrible disco-sounding song. Brrr... Inspired - Lyolya Svidrigajlova.
Year Of Release: 1985
Record rating = 9
Overall rating = 10
John's most experimental and successful solo cut, but again, this
is more of a nostalgia for CCR.
Best song: VANZ KANT DANZ (no, this is not a joke)
Ten years gone, and John decided to get on the road once again. As far
as I know, he'd spent these ten years in battles over the legal rights
to his songs (which he ultimately lost), but finally decided to get on
with something better and more eternal, like penning some new material.
Now the quality of this material is quite weird: I'd even say the album
is 'polarized'. When you put it on and it starts with 'The Old Man Down
The Road', you get the feeling that John finally abandoned all the efforts
to go and find his own new image - the first half of the record sounds
like a one hundred percent CCR rip-off. However, the further you go, the
more you get dragged on to new territory, and the final songs sound nothing
like CCR at all. Seriously, 'Big Train (From Memphis)' and 'Vanz Kant Dance'
sound like they belong to two different artists: the album covers much
more ground than any CCR album did (which was not that much anyway).
Whether it covers this ground in a 'good' way is another matter, though.
Again, the usual protest against the album would be in that it rarely presents
us with any glimpse of new creative ideas, but that's understood. If you
set your expectations to that level, though, you will be pleasantly
surprised: there's quite a lot of guitar on here, and most of the tracks
are just basic rock, without any jazz or country/gospel excourses. Not
to mention that the album spawned the famous hit single (title track) that
serves as a beloved anthem for quite a few baseball lovers. Me, I never
played baseball (maybe that's because I'm not American), and I could never
even understand the rules, but what the hell? It's a good song. 'Look at
me, I can be centerfield'. Doesn't hold a candle to your standard average
CCR rocker, of course, but rather nice still. If only John would bother
to throw in one of his trademark guitar solos, but guess I'm asking for
too much...
I also guess the main problem with most of this album is that it's much
more CCR-like than John Fogerty. The record opens with 'The Old
Man Down The Road', a surprisingly eerie number that sounds like a fully
operational clone of 'Run Through The Jungle' (indeed, the funny thing
is that John was sued for plagiarizing himself but acquitted on the ground
that there could be no such thing as plagiarizing oneself). Apart from
that, it introduces that facet of John that was quite well-known in his
CCR period but lost in the Seventies: the 'angry' Fogerty. Whether he really
got angry over his copyright struggles or he just thought he'd like to
do something different (aka something long forgotten), I don't know, but
sounds interesting to me. Other 'angry' songs on here include 'Mr Greed',
a foam-at-the-mouth raving on exactly the same subject, and the 'Feelin'
Blue'-style 'Searchlight' (I call it 'Feelin' Blue'-style exactly because
the annoying refrain 'need a searchlight' pisses me off in the same way
as the refrain 'feelin' blue blue blue blue blue-oo').
There are also a couple lighter songs, like the dumbass anthem 'Rock And
Roll Girls' (forgettable, but cute) and the already mentioned 'Big Train
(From Memphis)' (a rip-off of 'Cross-Tie Walker', it even borrows the same
descending riff). Finally, 'I Saw It On T.V.' is a sad-complaint style
song that sounds like a clone of 'Lodi' until the final closing chords
which are taken from 'Who'll Stop The Rain', so that's where the truth
lies. Really, John!
It's not that the decade in which all of these songs were written is completely
unguessable: many of the drums' parts are electronically enhanced (no drum
machines, though), and some production techniques, including deep echoes
on John's voice and guitar playing, are also somewhat modernistic. But
on one hand, the echoes are probably supposed to carefully mask the beginning
changes in John's vocal chords - his voice had already started to deteriorate,
albeit very slowly. Notice that he very rarely screams his head off on
here, with 'Mr Greed' and 'Searchlight' as the only exceptions? Hardly
a coincidence. On the other hand, for 1985 the production gimmicks are
still pretty moderate; any other artist would dive straight into the world
of hi-tech synths, drum machines and crappy metallic solos. John was smarter,
though... and only followed suite a year later.
That said, I'd like to state that I was totally taken aback by the album
closer with the ridiculous title 'Vanz Kant Danz' (actually, 'Zaentz Can't
Dance But He'll Steal Your Money' - the song was eventually directed against
Fogerty's greedy old manager Saul Zaentz again). At first, I thought it
to be nothing more than a silly disco throwaway with stupid lyrics about
a dancing pig who's clearing your pockets in the process. However, as I
listened to the album more and more, I found the song, with its strange
repetitive choruses almost magically entrancing, up to the point of being
the best song on the whole album. Call me crazy, but that's my humble opinion.
At least the fact is that it's certainly John's most successful 'experiment'
ever: this is obviously not the proven CCR formula, but it works: apart
from the murky electronic drum 'solo', there ain't a dull moment in it.
In all, Centerfield is certainly John's finest moment bar Blue
Ridge Rangers, and since that first record was a specific one that
isn't due to satisfy everybody's tastes, feel free to stick here. The songs
are solid and memorable (what else could they be if you already know them
by heart from the 1969-70 albums?), and the experiments are groovy and
sure to raise an eyebrow or two. What a pity that John couldn't hold on
to it for too long.
Rock and roll girls and boys, have you heard this album?
Your worthy comments:
Glenn Wiener <Glenn.Wiener@Entex.com> (18.08.99)
Steady if not overly spectacular. Alot of it does sound similar to Creedence but 'Vantz Kant Danz' proves that John can vary his style somewhat successfully.
Lyolya Svidrigajlova <vsvitov@diamin.msk.ru> (04.11.2000)
Mmmmm... yes, I've heard it... that's nice to find out that somebody enjoys "Zaentz kant danz"... I found this one very funny, although not great. I don't like this album. Just because there are only two songs which are really good IMHO - the first two. So, I listen to these ones and then turn my player off. "The Old Man Down the Road" just rocks. It sounds, mmm, a bit terrifying, but... well, I like him doing things like this. And "Rock'n'roll Girls" is just my all-time favourite. I've heard it somewhere in middle or late 80's, when I was about nine or ten years old, and it was something like... and it still is something like... well, there are songs that just MUST exist, for sure, and this one is of that kind... I can hardly explain it.. "My fading memory tells me" (copyright Mr.Cook, brrr...) that it was a nice and funny video clip which I saw on TV at that time... I can even recall some moments out... but I'm not sure if it really exists, cause I've never seen it again... I like his saxophone playing although he doesn't play well... he plays just RIGHT. A very promising beginning... but the rest is... well, I just don't want to talk about the rest... Confused - Lyolya Svidrigajlova
Year Of Release: 1986
Record rating = 4
Overall rating = 5
Oo-wee, this is John Fogerty giving in to modern technology. Ugly
and brainless, that's what it is.
Best song: SAIL AWAY
Yuck! Yes, brothers and sisters, this record had the misfortune to be
my first John Fogerty album. I remember taping it for quite a lot of cash
in a half-illegal way back in 1987 or so when the Iron Curtain still existed
and you couldn't yet pick it up backed with Centerfield on a pirated
edition for approximately half a dollar both. Those were the days... anyway,
this is not a treatise on Soviet relations with the West, so I think I'll
just limit myself to saying this album turned me off John completely and
convinced me of his total inability as a solo performer. Time has proved
that I was wrong, but this album still gotta be his worst try ever, and
it's no wonder that it caused his departure from the musical scene for
another decade.
What's so wrong, anyway? Well, once again it's the same principle: John
was trying to push away his CCR legacy that suddenly served him such a
good (bad?) service on Centerfield. I fully understand the man -
one has to create and not to stagnate. Unfortunately, 1986 was not a good
period to create - actually, IMHO it was the worst year in rock music par
excellence. (If you doubt it, go take a look at all the 1986 records
reviewed on this site). So John followed the treacherous steps of Paul
McCartney, Eric Clapton and the Stones into the disgusting world of modern
technologies and mindless dance rhythms. The title track on the album,
for instance, takes the eerie mood of 'Old Man Down The Road' and combines
it with electronic drums, quasi-disco beats and lack of audible guitar
sound so that the final product is simply horrendous - I would not even
recommend it for a respectable horror movie. Aw what the hell, I wouldn't
even recommend it for a non-respectable one. Heck, where John was once
able to create some of the most genuinely scary songs for a rootsy rock'n'roll
band ('Run Through The Jungle' still gives me the creeps), he is now resorting
to primitive, pedestrian horror flick mysticism backed with drum machines?
By the way, take a look at the front cover and tell me it's not repugnant.
Goodness gracious, John, what the need for falling into banality when nobody
asked you for it? Did he really think the world fell so low as to buy this
product? What was the matter?
And the rest of the tracks are almost as rotten. Everywhere John Fogerty
takes a conscious step not to be John Fogerty - starting from the opening
instrumental 'Going Back Home' that consists mostly of shrill guitar lines
layed over a female chorus singing strange gospel lines (boring as hell,
too - John was never a successful master of 'atmospheric sound texture'),
and ending with the murky disco chant 'Soda Pop'. Fogerty singing disco?
Okay, so many old artists embraced disco, and some of them did have some
success with the genre (the Stones, for instance, heck, even the Bee Gees
were good at it); but this is poorly produced, sounds ruffed and... heck,
I always thought that disco is in its essence very slick music,
and if you're doing a disco number you are going to comb it to the extreme
- every instrument, every note must be solidly in place with nothing sticking
out. 'Soda Pop' is just chaotic.
John also makes the album sound as aggressive as possible - nearly all
of the lyrics deal with some kind of social perversion, bashing the press
on 'Headlines', the evil ways of the world on 'Violence Is Golden', and
he even goes macho on 'Wasn't That A Woman'. In all, he could have hardly
made a worse move than releasing this album at that time, just because
it's almost as impossible to associate John with such music as, say, Frank
Sinatra.
Verily, there's practically nothing to redeem this un-Fogerty record, except
for one good song that he did have taste enough to put as the album closer:
'Sail Away' (not to be confounded with the Stu Cook song on Mardi Gras)
is a gentle, sad and moving ballad with reggaeish influences; maybe the
latter is the reason it keeps reminding me of 'Knockin' On Heaven's Door'.
Actually, that's no surprise: both the melody and the lyrical matter of
the two are very similar. And even if the song could hardly be ranked among
John's best creations, for an album that starts with 'Eye Of The Zombie'
that's a darn good ending. I certainly could do with a less technophilian
arrangement (the stupid robotic synths opening the song are absolutely
unnecessary), but it still stands out several heads above all the other
material on here.
Okay, if we want to be completely sincere, 'Headlines' isn't that bad a
song, too, but still, I've heard better. 'Change In The Weather' is tolerable,
too, mainly because it's more guitar-based and with even a faint wiff of
the CCR sound - heck, the jam at the end is obviously structured so as
to remind one of 'I Heard It Through The Grapevine' (Fogerty even plays
some guitar lines that are very similar to the passages on that classic).
But the main melody is being based on a generic riff that doesn't hold
a candle to the moody tension of 'Grapevine', and I don't at all feel that
the song actually deserves its near seven-minute length. Although, to be
frank, I would rather have it last for fourty minutes than listening to
all the rest of the stuff on here.
Overall, there is a general consensus even among Fogerty fans that the
record is undeniably weak - weak, weak and weak again. 'Soda pop, soda
pop, everybody want to make it to the top'. That's just the problem: John
went out on a limb to make it to the top again, but instead hit a low bottom.
What a nasty confusion, gentlemen, let this be a lesson to you all.
Sail away only after mailing your ideas
Your worthy comments:
Glenn Wiener <Glenn.Wiener@Entex.com> (18.08.99)
Fortunately, I borrowed this album from my local library and not purchased it from my local record store. Its a nuclear disaster. Certain things in life just do not belong together. Cats and Dogs, NY Yankees and Brooklyn Dodgers, Jalepeno Peppers and Sugar. Add John Fogerty and Disco to that list. Keep synthesizers away from him as well for the most part. I have not heard this record in over eight years and the memory of one poorly arranged track after another still sticks with me. 'Changin' The Weather', an excellent song, is possibly the only track that saves this mess from a perfect 0!
Tony Souza <avsouza@webtv.net> (09.02.2000)
Can't really add much more than what you've already said about this. It's his worst, and anytime when an older artist wants to get "modern" by adding whatever is currently in vogue at the time (in this case, the synthesizer, drum machines) the music they put out is automatically dated. This album simply does not age well.
Lyolya Svidrigajlova <vsvitov@diamin.msk.ru> (04.11.2000)
You know what? Guess you don't... I'm a bit afraid to say it... well, somebody will surely call me dumb or "a-sexually-discontented-stupid-young-mother" (mmhumm... what am I saying?) but... THIS ONE IS MY FAVOURITE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And I can hardly explain why... well, it is just what I was waiting for from this guy... humm... maybe a little bit too electronic, but still... after listening to that, I feel... mmm... pregnant (I'm not exaggerating!) even with this voice which is terrible sometimes... Well, maybe because I'm not a CCR fan, nor a Fogerty fan, although I like what he does - but that one is REALLY sincere even if there's nothing new. And I like the stuff which plays with him (John Robinson is a GREAT drummer, you better believe it - I know something about this guy! and Neil Stubenhaus is of course not the worst world bass player). The only thing I don't really like here (I always skip it on my CD) - of course, "Soda Pop", a disgusting song on a disgusting subject... disco, mmm? not really... The other ones... "Headlines" is a terribly great classic hard rock'n'roller, wow, it makes me crazy! "Knocking on your door"... mmm... a lovesong? still much better than annoying "Joy of my life" because there IS craze which I like the most about this guy... "Change in the weather" - more like Creedence (brrr!) but not bad... ah, I forgot the title track... a bit scary but very funny. "Violence is golden" - wah! you better listen to this "slow rap"... "Wasn't that a woman" - a bit repetitive, but still, it works... And "Sail away" - oops, that's one of the best concept album endings through... well, through the bands I listen to - Quazimodos, of course (even if Fogerty is NOT Andy Lloyd especially when he tries to sing), Blacksuns, and, of course, Creedence. And another problem - this is NOT the female chorus in "Going back home"! These are keyboards! Great effort. That reminds me of crazy Quazimodos sound (minus the electronics, of course!) What a pity that we had that "Blue moon swamp" step down and giving-up-to-standarts after this one... Not crying for the past, Lyolya Svidrigajlova.
Year Of Release: 1997
Record rating = 8
Overall rating = 9
An album that screams 'retro!!' on every track, but it's probably
the best choice that John could ever come up with.
Best song: A HUNDRED AND TEN IN THE SHADE
Well, after having taken some time off John suddenly decided that the
world needed another Fogerty record, and how could he refuse the world?
However, after bombing with Eye he apparently took a lot of care
not to sound 'modern' anymore. In order to prevent all possibilities of
failure, he shut off all experimentation tendencies and released an album
that was as nostalgic as it could be. Just examining the album title (and
cover) with care shows us the essence: 'blue' reminds one of Blue Ridge
Rangers (so the album is going to be rooted in the deep past), 'moon'
immediately evokes 'Bad Moon Rising' (so it's going to be fast, groovy
and unpretentious), while 'swamp' is a clear symbol of 'Born On The Bayou'
(so it's gonna stick to the CCR legacy). And so it is.
The album is truly and verily likeable, but it shares the same problems
as John Fogerty and Centerfield - that is, likeability sacrifices
originality. But what the hell? Who cares in 1997? We live in a dirty,
corrupted, commercialized world, and every record such as this must be
treated as a drop of fresh water from your native spring that you know
all about but which you never actually use until somebody or something
reminds you of it - like John with Blue Moon Swamp. I even wanted
to give it a lower rating, but I changed my mind - anyway, why is it that
a John Fogerty record should be original? Maybe, on the other hand, that's
what we need a John Fogerty for - to remind us of our past and inject these
sprays of fresh swamp water? Maybe that's why he is still making records?
The songs themselves, taken individually, aren't really that fascinating.
Essentially, it's just a collection of carefully played and produced R'n'B/country
numbers, all of them self-penned but that's not saying much (we all know
what a 'self-penned' Fogerty song really represents). However, they always
make for good background music, and after a while, when you get used to
them, you might even want to put this record on more often than you do
at the present. There are even a few highlights, like the tasty, pretty
ballad 'Joy Of My Life', dedicated to John's wife, and a slow, lazy, but
curiously menacing number called 'A Hundred And Ten In The Shade', and
it sounds like it. No, I don't mean John is smoking: it's just that the
song is so lazy and moody that.. well, you just gotta hear it, whatever.
Paired with chug-a-lug boogie-woogie like 'Bring It Down To Jellie Roll'
and 'Swamp River Days', the songs offer a good enough nostalgic panorama,
so one might say John really hit the mark here. The funny thing is that
once he finally abandoned all of his attempts to not sound like
CCR, he suddenly ceased sounding like CCR. Sure, the lyrical matters are
the same, and the melodies are essentially CCR-ish, but the effect is not.
Neither is it the generic roots-rock effect of Blue Ridge Rangers
- the songs are self-penned, after all. Maybe it has something to do with
the degeneration of his voice: the record is much less vocally attractive
than any previous record with Fogerty on it, so the effort is mostly placed
on playing. On the other hand, there's very little guitar heroics as well.
It's just a plain, quiet little record of a plain, quiet little man that
sits there in the corner making up his simple unpretentious songs and not
really paying attention to whether anybody likes 'em or not. But he's careful
and intelligent enough to spice these little boogie-woogie retreads with
a sufficient number of hooks and attention-drawing moments, such as the
weird distorted guitar tone on 'Rattlesnake Highway' or the hilarious low
voices growling backup vocals on 'Hundred And Ten In The Shade'. And he
even tops the record off with an almost funky, strangely sung tune ('Bad
Bad Boy') that sounds un-Fogerty but ain't offensive in the least.
On the whole, the record, together with the ensuing live album, could prove
to be a decent testament to John's career - after all, wouldn't it be uncomfy
if Eye Of The Zombie had turned out to be his last creation? Nobody
will ever recognize it as a classic and, frankly speaking, the songs just
ain't that spectacular so as to lay claim to that, but nobody really needs
to. I'm gonna keep it anyway, so don't bug me!
Bad bad boy, still haven't mailed your comments?
Your worthy comments:
Glenn Wiener <Glenn.Wiener@Entex.com> (18.08.99)
An excellent return to form. Heavy on the country influence but loaded with excellent songs. Personally I find 'One Hundred And Ten In The Shade' to be one of the records highlights. Without a doubt it was the best record of the year 1997.
Tony Souza <avsouza@webtv.net> (09.02.2000)
Excellent return to form. His guitar playing has improved greatly, and
the sound is clear and crisp. He abandoned his one-man-band approach and
the songs have a nice rich texture that wasn't there on his previous efforts.
My only complaint is that the songwriting isn't up to par and in a lot
of cases it's rather cliche.
His songwriting used to have more bite to it. Still, though, a very good
album.
Lyolya Svidrigajlova <vsvitov@diamin.msk.ru> (04.11.2000)
Well, at first, it was like a... relief for me just because I've heard somewhere that John is... dead since 1986 - either a heart attack, or just committed suicide, after Zombie... mmmhum... that wouldn't be much wonderful, there's so much pain in there! But, fortunately, it was just another silly rumour around our little town in Moscow origin. Hurray! And... he's back. Oops. What can I say about this one? On one hand, it is too much similar to Tom Fogerty's albums (the vocals especially, although not as strong). Well, you know, I like Tom Fogerty but not as much as to wish everybody sound like him. Well, if I touched this point... (is that right English? sorry) Well, if it will be the last John's album (and it looks much like this - formerly, he did the second album for a decade in one or two years, and now... three years passed... and, still, he had three albums in 70's (including Hoodoo!), two albums in 80's, it would be very logical if he will have only one in 90's... and no breakthroughs, like Hoodoo or Zombie were... no wordy or new-sounding album... hummm...) - well, it wouldn't be a good "swan song", as Tom's Sidekicks was... On the other hand, it could have been much worse... it's still better than Centerfield, I can't say there are bad songs... well, except for this annoying dobro serenade which my father likes I don't know why. And there are certainly great kicks such as "Rattlesnake highway" and "Walking in a hurricane" - here, even the voice sounds as strong as before and as... mmhum... sexy... Well, I enjoy "110 in the shade" because I imagine very clearly a guy with a showel which is digging... a grave for himself... very funny, isn't it? And when somebody said that "Bad Bad Boy" could have been dedicated to... a cat (I've always thought it was self-ironic), I listened to this tape once again and I laughed a lot... "Southern streamline"... a good country song which I like to play with my acoustic guitar... and here, drums are just great! Ah... well, I adore this first verse line in "Rambunctious boy" - "I ain't good-looking and I ain't so smart..." honestly, at least..... :-))))) To sum up... very self-ironic, more than ever. A kind of music which is "out of styles" - not rock, not pop or anything else, just good music. But I miss his former sexy craze... Not disappointed, anyway. Lyolya Svidrigajlova
Year Of Release: 1998
Record rating = 7
Overall rating = 8
A good, but certainly not spectacular live album. Again, there's
nothing but nostalgia to support you, but nostalgia ain't a bad thing after
all...
Best song: ???
The reason for this album's existence manages to escape me somehow,
so I'm just gonna keep my mouth shut over that one (who wants to be a penthouse
pauper, after all? Let John get his due) and let's move on to the basics.
A live album taken from John's 1997/8 tour promoting Blue Moon Swamp,
it is split into two more or less equal parts - the CCR classics you all
know by heart and the obscure rarities nobody knows because John didn't
have Stu or Doug behind his shoulders to support him on these ones. Most
of them are wisely sandwiched in the middle, between the opening and the
closing CCR mini-sets, which, of course, shows what part of his
back catalogue John really cares for most of all. We're with you, John!
The CCR tunes are OK, I guess: some of them even sound better than on the
Tom Fogerty-less Live In Europe because John has a separate rhythm
guitarist to support him ('Green River', for instance, kicks all sorts
of, er, buns). The album opener is 'Born On The Bayou'; this probably means
that John still regards himself as the legal inheritor for CCR (it was
the band's standard set opener); notice, by the way, the funny introduction
with swamp sounds and frog croakings. I wonder if they did that before
or it was just a funny modernistic gag? Whatever the answer, John's remarks
on the stage really pass me by: he isn't a very good showman, and apart
from a romantic excourse over the creation of 'Joy Of My Life', most of
his comments sound annoyingly dumb ('if some of you are called Suzie, you'll
know this song'). Luckily he isn't very talkative, instead putting back
his soul into his guitar.
In fact, this is the only Fogerty solo album where he sounds like a guitar
god again - due to his investment in the old classics. CCR theorists would
be particularly interested in hearing the 'new way' John plays some of
the classic solos on 'Suzie Q' and 'I Put A Spell On You': personally,
I think that he plays them in a different way because he's forgotten
how to play them in the old one rather than because he just wants to 'renew'
them, but that's my own hostile opinion and you may think different. And
anyway, that's not a complaint: I'm really glad that I don't have to sit
through dull note-for-note copies of CCR classics, at least not in some
cases. While 'Who'll Stop The Rain', 'Down On The Corner', and the closing
'Proud Mary' and 'Travelin' Band' don't really sound much different from
the originals, 'Suzie-Q' is vastly 'improved' upon, with the length shortened
and the solos re-arranged and re-ordered, and 'I Put A Spell On You' proves
undeniably that John is still the great master of souls that he used to
be.
Duh. No, really, I mean it. I was kinda afraid about his voice - after
all, it has deteriorated over the years, and there's no use trying
to deny the fact. But only very, very slightly - he can't reach all those
gut-spinning high notes he used to reach in the past. He tries, though,
and must be given credit for that; nothing in the old man's articulation
seems too strained or hoarse. Brian Johnson he's not.
The solo stuff includes selections from all of JF's albums bar Eye Of
The Zombie (good lad) and Blue Ridge Rangers; the latter is
understandable since that one was really a 'side project', and none of
the songs were written by John himself. The other selections are fine enough,
but add absolutely nothing to the originals: just for you to be notified,
there's 'Rocking All Over The World' and 'Almost Saturday Night' from JF
and the title track and 'Old Man Down The Road' from Centerfield.
No surprises. Now if he only played 'Vanz Kant Danz' instead!!!... Imagine
all the confusion!
Still, whatever - 'Rocking All Over The World' is a great number, and it
really shines even in the context of all those royal CCR numbers.
'Centerfield', unfortunately, does not (the lyrical matter is way,
way, way, way too dumb - come on, the swampy alligatorish dude singing
praise to baseball? How defyingly unromantic!), but I guess those VH-1
people watching the show just couldn't get away without getting a tip like
that. Aw, whatever. Put me in the coach, I'm ready to play. Today. Look
at me. Can I be centerfield? Without a doubt.
There are also three songs from the last album, although, IMHO, not the
optimum choices ('Hot Rod Heart'??!!! Man! Whatever for? Why not 'Rattlesnake
Highway' instead?), but they're also played according to record. And finally,
just for completists who wouldn't want to shed tears over the fact that
the album adds nothing essential to their collection, there's a new song
- the title track, an unmemorable rocker with a melody that resembles the
most forgettable melodies off Centerfield and a lyrical matter that's
suspiciciously close to the main themes of Eye Of The Zombie. Get
it if you're not afraid. Although there's really nothing to be afraid of
- there's just nothing that you haven't heard previously.
I put a spell on you so that you'd be bound to mail your ideas
Your worthy comments:
Tony Souza <avsouza@webtv.net> (11.02.2000)
Good live album. Fairly good song selection from CCR and his solo records. I like the re-arraignment of "Suzi-Q" and "Born on the Bayou" is one of the all-time great opening songs. I feel the songs from Blue Moon Swamp hold up real well with the classics, although I agree that "Rattlesnake Highway" should have been on here. The problem I have with this is that it was recorded in front of a hand-picked audience and recorded for a VH1 special. This makes the audience atmosphere here seem kind of superficial for me. My wife and I saw him on this tour and the show we saw had a lot more energy and drive than the one that they recorded for this CD. I also wish this one had "Working on a Building" included on it. That song just comes alive in concert. "Who'll Stop the Rain" also came across to me as very bland. Overall, this is a good live overview of his career, but I think it could have been better.
Lyolya Svidrigajlova <vsvitov@diamin.msk.ru> (04.11.2000)
Well, to begin with, I was afraid of listening to that... it took me a couple of years to buy it and to listen to it... The reason is... "Well, please, God help him not to sound bad!" Thrilling... but... after some "turnin' (toinin':-) on" of "Born on the Bayou", his voice begins... to sound! Just as great as ever! (and as... sexy...) I like new rendition of "SuzieQ" where he tries to imitate Tom's calm voice (or it sounds like that) - he seems to be flirting with the crowd, as he does in some of his comments between songs. What is so special about that? I don't know. The only thing I know is that even the dumbest songs from CCR catalogue (like "Down on the corner"... brrr) sound not as silly and very rocking on this record. How can he do that? Wish I could do it, too! And this deafening chorus on "Almost Saturday Night"? Actually, it's not "deafening" in the proper meaning of this word, but it drives me crazy! (and not only me!) This new song... well, it reminds me somehow Mark Knopfler, although there is no such great guitar, for sure. Just the vocal style and the whole feeling. There is some embarassement here - like backing vocals added at the studio, uninspired drumming by Kenny Aronoff, the song "Proud Mary" which I hate, lack of saxophome in "Traveling band", vocals on "Centerfield" and "The old man down the road", and so on... I'm not intended to pick up all the drawbacks, because... well, if something is done "perfectly", without any drawbacks, it usually doesn't sound alive... and this one DOES sound alive, for sure, despite old-and-thought-to-be-dead CCR songs which, too, somehow sound alive! Well, to be sincerely... why do I like it so much... it's because my father and my husband enjoy it and our three-years-old girl just adores it! For me, it's the best kick of music - when it is loved by elderly people, younger people and small kids as well! Especially if it's my kid... Excited - Lyolya Svidrigajlova