John Fogerty - Long Road Home: Ult Fogerty Creedence Collection
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Free Music Notes for Long Road Home: Ult Fogerty Creedence Collection
Free Music Review: "The Long Road Home" exceeds both CCR "Chronicles."
Hit: 5 Stars
Yes, indeed.....after listening carefully to the "Long Road Home" I have reached the conclusion that it exceeds the content of both Chronicle versions.
I wish I could give it a 100 *** Star Review! Excellent CD!
Not to say that the CCR Chronicles were wanting for anything...They are awesome collections of all things CCR, but with the complete "Long Road Home" collection ---- it is inclusive of all things John Fogerty, including 4 bonus tracks of newly unreleased material (concert versions) well...it exceeds all.
Interesting that Fogerty has to light the tall candle of Creedence/Fogerty lore with "Born on the Bayou."
ya got to love it - if you are a true blue fan, you will understand his logic.
Following the Bayou song are the top ten CCR/Fogerty hits....all sounding so refreshing in their NEW song ORDER...
GOTTA LOVE THAT NEW SONG SELECTION!!!!
I love the "Almost Saturday Night" live version on this new CD. It has more spank and polish than the original, and I like it like it's a completely new song!
Same goes for the incomparable "Keep on Chooglin"
LOVE the intro speed guitar work - really good, very fast, but also having a melody to it, not just being fast for fast's sake.
'Rockin all over the World" live is actually much better than the original recorded version done so many moons ago, when Fogerty was toiling away with his solo efforts. His new band has enlivened the music as well as the master in ways difficult to explain, but fun to listen to and explore!
Way to go, JF BAND!!!!!
"Fortunate Son" is one song that I love wrapped in it's original
skins; the live version is also a goodie, but the original one has so much angst in it ---- it's hard to duplicate that type of energized anger....Fogerty is sometimes able to top himself...but it's not the rule, if you catch my drifting.
It's interesting that Fogerty included "Fortunate Son" both versions on this important CD...it works like a magic charm.
What's the artist trying to say anyhow?
HA HA
Bet cha don't know...."Deja Vu" is placed at slot # 20...right in between "Green River" which sounds so awesome still and "Run Through the Jungle."
"Hot Rod Heart" comes in at numero 22 ---
a nice spot for it's warm message and then comes along the "Travelin Band" and all that powerful screaming that I love.
"Proud Mary" is not the final song of the CD, and I wonder, still I wonder, how come I LOVE and ADORE and listen so attentively to this little gem even after all these years?
Because it still ranks NUMBER ONE in my mind!!!!
Impossible to top that song, except for "Centerfield" comes pretty dang close....("Centerfield" is number 3 in order.)
What a beautiful song "Proud Mary" is ---and it does sound FRESH and CLEAR.....
LAST song,
but not the least of all,
is "Fortunate Son" the live version.
It's got a magazine stock full of anti-war sentiment, but remember...... John Fogerty loves our Soldiers in the war in Iraq.......He cares about them.
He was once one of them - after all.
And he cares so deeply that they all come home alive and well......I hope all US Vets get the treat and the God's loving blessings to come home and take a listen to this great American songwriter and singer and guitarist, John Fogerty.
YES - indeed the journey for our hero has been a long and difficult one, but feeling the joy of being HOME....
HOME once again...has got to be the sweetest.
Get this CD if you don't already have it...it's a great collector's copy and makes a great Christmas stocking stuffer to boot!!!
Free Music Review: A Very Long and Fun Road
Hit: 5 Stars
John Fogerty's "The Long Road Home" is a mash up of Fogerty solo songs and Creedence Clearwater Revival classics. It's out of chronological order, which usually is a bad thing for CD's like this, but on here it works perfectly. CCR started in the 70's and Fogerty had a deep raspy voice. Nowadays, Fogerty's voice is smooth and high. These 25 songs are all great and I think this package is better than "Chronicle". Basically, what I'm trying to say is...Buy it. Here are the tracks:
1. Born on the Bayou-5/5-I love the opening musical notes you hear in this song, which you hear in everything from movie previews to commercials. This song was early CCR, so it's cool to hear how raspy John Fogerty's voice was.
2. Bad Moon Rising-5/5-This has never been my favorite CCR song, but it's pretty good.
3. Centerfield-5/5-This is off John Fogerty's solo album of the same title. On that particular album, he played all the instruments. This song is good, but you can hear his voice getting smoother.
4. Who'll Stop the Rain-5/5-Everyone's heard this song of course. Really good, one of CCR's best.
5. Rambunctious Boy-5/5-This is another solo song, it's good but all the raspiness of Fogerty's voice is gone by this point. My only really complaint about this song is it sounds to country.
6. Fortunate Son-5/5-Everyone's heard this song so I don't need to say anything about it.
7. Lookin' Out My Back Door-5/5-A CCR classic.
8. Up Around the Bend-5/5-Probably, my 2nd favorite CCR song.
9. Almost Saturday Night (Live)-5/5-I've never heard the original version, but this is a really great song.
10. Down on the Corner-5/5-Probably my 3rd favorite CCR song, I love the way Fogerty sings this song.
11. Bootleg (Live)-4/5-Never heard the original version, not one of my favorite songs.
12. Have You Ever Seen the Rain-5/5-I love the way he sings this song, it's so great.
13. Sweet Hitch Hiker-5/5-My favorite CCR song, although this is the 1st time I've ever heard it.
14. Hey Tonight (Live)-5/5-Again, I've never heard the studio version...But this version is good.
15. The Old Man Down the Road-5/5-Another Fogerty song off "Centerfield". He got sued for plagarism because of this song for ripping off "Born on the Bayou". I don't hear the slightest similarity.
16. Rockin' All Over the World (Live)-5/5-Again, never heard studio version. A lot of energy in this song.
17. Lodi-5/5-I can't understand a word John Fogerty says during the chorus, but it's a good song.
18. Keep on Chooglin' (Live)-5/5-Never heard studio version. The guitar playing on this track is some of the best he's ever done.
19. Green River-5/5-One of my favorite CCR songs.
20. Deja Vu (All Over Again)-5/5-This is a newer Fogerty song. While I can appreciate the lyrics, the raspiness is now completely gone and we're left with a smooth high voiced Fogerty.
21. Run Through the Jungle-5/5-Yes, the raspiness is back. Well, sorta. Great song.
22. Hot Rod Heart-5/5-This is one of the best Fogerty solo songs.
23. Travelin' Band-5/5-The scream he does in this song is really great.
24. Proud Mary-5/5-This is such a simple and fantastic song.
25. Fortunate Son (Live)-4/5-This is a good live version, but I hear it on the radio so damn much and I hate that "I ain't no fortunate son" thing Fogerty does at the end.
GRADE: A
Free Music Review: Great Stuff, But Far From "Ultimate"...
Hit: 5 Stars
It seems that over the years, John Fogerty's band Creedence Clearwater Revival, has gotten the royal treatment in terms of hits packages, collections, and box sets, and yet the solo career of the genius behind it all never gets that fancy appreciation. This latest disc is a step in that general direction, but it is far from being what it needs to be. Instead of releasing a CD that is heavy on Creedence and short on solo Fogerty material, why doesn't John have an anthology collection of his solo work?. There is more than enough for one of those. Why does it not exist, and why is this collection not it?. That being said, any collection of Fogerty music, with or without Creedence, is a great CD for sure. This is no exception. The two "Chronicle" CD's from years ago are still much, much better and have a second CD worth of great tunes that are not here. Still, if you would like one CD release with the most famous of the Creedence hits, and some choice solo Fogerty material, then this will probably suit you. And it is great listening. There are 17 Creedence songs here(counting "Fortunate Son" twice as it is also included here in a live version), and there are only 7 solo Fogerty tunes. If one thing, the collection is up to the times, as Fogerty's recent solo single, "Deja Vu(All Over Again)", from the CD of the same name released a year ago, is here. Pity "Wicked Old Witch" or "In The Garden" from the same release isn't. Curiously, "Rambunctious Boy", from the brilliant "Blue Moon Swamp" CD is here, although it was not a single or a hit. The great "Hot Rod Heart" is, but there are some glaring omissions. "Walking In A Hurricane" was a top 15 hit single on the rock singles chart, but it's not here. Where is "Joy Of My Life"?. John's first ever long song about his wife that he performs a lot and says is his favorite song in the whole wide world?. How about "Southern Streamline"?. It was released as a video to CMT. "Centerfield", John's first comeback in 1985, is here with the title tune and "The Old Man Down The Road", but where is the great "Rock And Roll Girls"?. Also a hit single. Nothing from "Eye Of The Zombie" is here, and the two most notable tunes from his self titled album, "Almost Saturday Night" and "Rockin' All Over The World", are here, but as live versions. I prefer that anyways because the live versions of those songs are so much better, at least to me, than the studio recordings. And there is nothing from John's wonderful "Blue Ridge Rangers" CD. "Jambalaya" was a top 15 hit, but it's not here. As for Creedence, most of the well known hits are here. There are some live versions of some not so well known, but loved among die hards, songs like "Bootleg" and "Keep On Chooglin'". And like I already said, you get "Fortunate Son" twice here. For what it is, the CD is great. But anybody taking the word "ultimate" in it's title to heart, will not be getting that. If this truly was ultimate, this would be a two CD set with a whole lot of worthy other tunes that should, and many would of expected, to be here. It's getting the full five stars because it is great stuff, but the title is misleading. I think Fogerty should be broken from his Creedence days and given the solo collection CD that his worthy and just as brilliant solo career warrants. Now that would be ultimate.Free Music Review: Hi-Fidelity Audio! CCR And Fogerty Like You've Never Heard Them Before!
Hit: 5 Stars
Okay, so the tracklisting may not be perfect. Some singles are missing. Some other tracks could have been included. Did we really need live tracks? What about more John Fogerty solo stuff? All complaints aside, here's what matters...
As a number of reviewers have already pointed out the music included on this disc sounds absolutely stunning!!!!! The audio has been digitally remastered beautifully by Bob Ludwig at Gateway Mastering, Portland, Maine. This guy knows what he is doing! I am impressed by his audio restoration techniques time after time. If I see his name listing in the mastering credits I know that I'm in for a real treat. Oh, and what a treat this is!
Considering the age of most of these recordings I'm still amazed at how much depth, clarity, and crispness has been brought to these recordings. It is simply one of the best-sounding discs I own in my collection for songs of this age. The clarity is unbelievable! You have to hear it to believe it!
Tracks like "Bad Moon Rising", "Down On The Corner", and "Born On The Bayou" have an underlying bass that hasn't been heard in previous releases. These are only a few examples. In every recording the drums are as crisp and as loud as possible for their age. The guitars have never sounded brighter! Fogerty's vocals have never sounded so clean! Everything sounds perfect!
It's amazing to think that songs like "Have You Ever Seen The Rain?" and "Lodi" can stand next to more modern recordings with their audio quality. Don't be surprised if the audio brings tears to your eyes, not only for the brilliance of the recordings but also for the fidelity as well. Nearly all these songs just about did that to me -- even those that are not my favorites. I've gained a new appreciation for many of these recordings for simply being able to listen to them in a whole new dimension.
One can still hear that underlying minor tape hiss in the earlier recordings, which is simply to be expected for tracks 35-40 years old, since it exists on the original masters. Yet, what's most amazing is that, while this tape hiss is not a distraction, what would the music be without it? It needs to be here, and I'm glad that Mr. Ludwig didn't try removing it. It is part of the original music and captures the essence of the music of that time.
I could really ramble on and on about how amazing these recordings sound for their age. Instead, let me give another big thumbs up to Mr. Ludwig for a job well done! If you care about sound quality at all, I highly recommend this release even if you don't agree with the tracklisting! You will not be disappointed! Five stars for the audio alone!
Free Music Review: John The Conquerer
Hit: 5 Stars
Firstly, I must mention that I don't own this album. I have all the tracks except the "live" ones and then I do have versions of them but I don't know whether they are the same ones as presented here. Secondly, I am at a loss as to how an "Ultimate" collection of Fogerty/Creedence can be shoe-horned into a single 70-odd minute CD. JF/CCR have together released at least 10 outstanding albums, as good a body of work as The Stones and/or The Beatles. Arguements can be put forward to debate this but Creedence put together a series of albums as good as or better than the Stones best "Beggars Banquet" to "Sticky Fingers" period and the Beatles "Rubber Soul" to "White album" period. And Creedence did it without all the dross that these more celebrated bands released; especially the Stones. That said, I am at a loss to understand how this JF/CCR album can be passed off as "Ultimate" when so very much has been left off. This single disc CD was put together by JF and as such it reeks of JF's opinion of what was the "Best". Note that the cover does not include any picture of the other members of CCR, even when John's brother Tom was the force behind the creation of the band. Unfortunately there is not a definitive "Best Of" album of JF as a solo artist so we have to look at this CD as a means of getting some of his better material and then some of his albums are not represented by even one track. All that said, this is a very good album which gives the casual listener a reasonable overview of one of the best "Americana" singer/songwriters/guitarists of the last 40 years. JF/CCR really do need a comprehensive box-set of remastered material covering those 40 years. There is so much great material in the catalogue that there is scope for a 3-disc set covering both CCR and JF material: a double CCR and a single JF plus a comprehensive booklet including essays. In the meantime, one cannot go wrong with the purchase of the 2 Chronicle CCR albums (remastered) and a selection of JF's solo material (for cost's sake start with Blue Ridge Rangers, then Centerfield, then Blue Moon Swamp and finally the self-titled album). I notice that there is a Hip-O Millenium Collection album by JF but I don't know the track listing so I cannot comment on the collectability of this CD. If all this is way too much CCR/JF then by all means get this "Ultimate" collection; it may not have anywhere near everything that's good but it is still a great album as it stands.