John Fogerty - Revival (Dig)
|
List Price: Our Price: $2.30 You Save: $9.68 (81%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $0.78 (click here) Category: Music CD See more new music releases 
|
|---|
Buy this Music CD at online store in your country
Canadian Music Store
Canadian Music Store
Free Music Notes for Revival (Dig)
Free Music Review: Back on the Bayou
Hit: 5 Stars
John Fogerty's Revival is the best Classic Rock album since Paul McCartney's Band on the Run--hey, it only took 30 years, coming at a period where I've all but given up on music and most of my favorite acts. Fortunately, I've got over 3,000 CDs from the 1950s to 1990s to comfort myself with, but I've always loved getting a NEW disc with great music. And, Revival is one of the few discs (like Sticky Fingers, Green River, The Doors, Sgt. Pepper's) where I can listen to every song!
I've been a fan of the Fogerty sound since I picked up Creedence Clearwater Revival in 1968, where I fell in love with Susie Q and I Put A Spell On You -- John's first swamp rockers. John's always had one of the top five voices in Rock music right up there with John Lennon, Mick Jagger, Roger Daltry, Paul Rodgers and Paul McCartney. But it never hit me just how good it was until the wife and I heard him on one of the R&R Hall of Fame specials singing Be-Bop A Lula where he just blew Springsteen and others right out of their shoes! (John, manybe on your next release you can do a new version of it?) I loved the Premonition DVD, and it proved conclusively that John's voice is and was the Voice of Rock & Roll.
Yes, I loved the Centerfield and Blue Moon Swamp albums, but this new release is head-and-shoulders above those two wonderful albums. Revival ranks right up there with his best Credeence material, "Green River," Bayou Country" and "Cosmo's Factory." Frankly, I'm amazed at how rejuvenated Fogerty sounds; his voice still sounds like a man 30 years younger, and he plays guitar both tastefully and with restraint -- Rock music just doesn't get much better than this! And John can shred too, just listen to Summer of Love!
I've had Revival in the car CD player now for almost a week. I had to buy another copy for my office Bose deck; fortunately, I'd heard about the Wal-Mart CD with bonus DVD and picked up their last copy. The interview showcases a relaxed and confident John Fogerty; he's finally been able to bury the hatchet with Fantasy, get his song royalties back and he's clearly on top of the world -- and at the peak of his creativity and happiness! Good for you John, it's totally deserved. I only wish America, like Japan, had the designation of "Living Treasure," because John Fogerty richly deserves it.
By the way, the DVD includes two live tracks from John's June 23, 2007 Glastonbury Festival concert; they're dynamite and worth the price of the entire package. He's reinvented two of my favorite songs, Ramble Tamble and Keep On Chooglin', and they're never sounded better -- nor have I ever heard Fogerty play this well! Damn life can be good.
Revival opens with Don't You Wish It Was True a hopeful song about what might be; it's a ballad with a light sprinkling of the Fogerty magic. It could have appeared on any Creedence album as a stand-out track. Next is Gunslinger, my wife's favorite cut; another ballad but with a growly undercurrent. The Creedence Song is tribute to his former band and to the wonderful songbook John created. After 35 years, John was finally able to bury the hatchet with Fantasy (who had screwed him royally, like some old Blues' label) and reconcile himself with his past glories! The song itself has that vintage Creedence sound that no one else in the world has ever been able to duplicate; it doesn't get much better than this. My favorite of the ballads is Broken Down Cowboy, a personal song that reflects John's own hard past and how he views his older self; he's too happy these days to wear that moniker -- thankfully! But the man can breathe life into a song to life with a turn of a phrase and the bend of a guitar string. The Rivers is Waiting is a wonderful ballad in the gospel tradition; I felt shivers running up and down my spine the first time I heard this song. Heartfelt, may be cliched, but it surely describes this song. Next we get to my favorite cut, Long Dark Night, which is as swampy and strong as anything John Fogerty has ever written; its universal theme, despite darkly topical political references, it's timeless. Summer of Love, with its references to Jimi and Cream, is the kind of song I expected to hear back in 1969 from Creedence; instead, Fogerty invented a whole new niche in Rock music. Still, it's great to hear John tear it up and prove that he's not only one of the most original guitarists of the 20th/21st Century, but one of the best, too!
Natural Thing is a mid-tempo song in the Creedence vein; something that only John could make work these days. It Ain't Right is a wonderful tribute to Sun Studios and validates Carl Perkin's observation that if John had suddenly appeared at 706 Union Avenue, he would have rocked the house, as a triple-threat songwriter, singer and guitarist! John's licks are straight out of the Scotty Moore playbook and amazing; it's lucky for those Hillybilly Cats that Fogerty didn't come along until some 10 years later! I Can't Take It No More is a pure Fogerty kick-out-the-jams, the likes of wich we haven't heard since Travelin' Band. It reminded me of The Last Man Standing DVD with Jerry Lee Lewis; John was the ONLY guest, out of a group which included Tom Jones, Chris Isaak, Ron Wood, and Willie Nelson, who sang a complete song by himself, a dynamite version of Good Golly Miss Molly! Highly recommended! Surely, a signal honor from one of Rock & Roll's founding giants.
The CD finishes with the swampy Somebody Help Me -- a cry John certainly no longer needs to make. It's a strong Fogery track with a snakey guitar line. I love the guitar tones he's pulling off on Revival; this cat just keeps getting better, like a fine wine. The official album ends with the up-tempo rocker, Longshot; classic John Fogerty. The Best Buy release contains the live Ride-It-Like-Hell version of Sweet Hitch-Hiker from the Glastonbury Festival -- buy it, if you can find it! It opens appropriately, with a Bo Diddley slide and from then is purely heavenly mayhem! I really hope that John releases a DVD/CD from Glastonbury; he's playing at the top of his game, which in today's sorry music scene is the fracking Penthouse!
Free Music Review: This isn't music. It's arson.
Hit: 5 Stars
They were handing out earplugs at the studio door.
"No thanks," I said. "I like it loud."
I got a look. And a pair of plugs. Two more steps, and I was in a 40' by 40' recording studio. There were only two rows of seats. The band would be in our faces.
And still I had the plugs in my pocket --- I didn't get it.
What I got: 50 people had been invited to hear John Fogerty give a mini-concert to promote the launch of "Revival". And I was one of them. In the front row, no less.
Lucky, lucky me --- that's what I got.
The band came out. Fogerty. Three guitars. A drummer.
The drummer should have the tipoff. Shaved head. Sleeveless t-shirt. Black leather vest. Such a man does not wish you well.
As for John Fogerty, he's not exactly anyone's idea of a 62-year-old grandfather. He has a bantam's trimness, and the way he carries himself says he has a pretty good idea of his contribution to rock and roll. And there are still remnants of a chip on his shoulder. In short, my kind of guy.
From the first chord, the band sounded like Creedence Clearwater Revival. Slow thinker that I am, it took me a while that this band is Creedence --- as if the band had gone to sleep 35 years ago and only recently woke up to find itself blessed with a bunch of new Fogerty tunes and a heightened sense of musicianship.
As for the songs, Fogerty is a one-trick pony. But what a trick! So what if every new song reminds you of another Fogerty song --- in his Creedence incarnation, Fogerty only wrote classics! The ingredients: a few basic chords, bandsaw guitar, super-starched drums, a wall of guitars, the most easily identifiable voice in popular music, and those unforgettable hooks. Mostly, those hooks. "If the lick is cool, the song will follow," Fogerty says. And, really, isn't that all you need to know?
Fogerty built this concert as he constructed the CD; he started with slow songs. There were some political lyrics --- "Rummy's in the kitchen/Messin' with the pans/Dickie's in the back/Stealing' everything he can" --- but the music is so strong and upbeat even Rumsfeld and Cheney might not notice.
And then the onslaught began.
Close your eyes, and you can picture Fogerty's guitar literally screaming. And his voice --- that's not singing. Howling, maybe. Shouting, for sure. They may file this music under swamp rock, but in the history books, they'll connect the dots and link John Fogerty to great soul masters like Otis Redding and the king of rhythm and blues, Little Richard.
Louder. Faster. It was like some maniac was pressing a heavy foot on the accelerator, just to see how fast this baby could go. Violent, angry lyrics appeared --- "I bet you never saw the ol' school yard/I bet you never saw the National Guard/Your daddy wrote a check and there you are/Another fortunate son" --- and disappeared in a trim 110 seconds. To one side, a sadistic bass player, screwing with your heartbeat. On the other, soaring guitars. And, in back, that killer drummer, forcing you to tap your foot, or else.
This wasn't music. This was arson.
How could it end? Two ways. With Little Richard's "Good Golly, Miss Molly," delivered so crisply a punk band would marvel. And the national anthem --- I mean: "Proud Mary."
I left in a blissed-out state of temporary deafness. And, in that silence, I realized why I hadn't quite appreciated "Revival" when I listened to it the week before the concert --- I hadn't cranked it loud enough.
Consider yourself warned: If you get "Revival," invite your friends. Haul in a keg. Roll up the rug. Push the volume. And hope you get through all of this CD before the cops show up.
[cross-posted from [....]]
Free Music Review: Back In The Saddle
Hit: 5 Stars
I think we have finally found the lost ingredient missing from today's pop music. For a while, John Fogerty provided the greatest pop songs in the United States of America. His recordings with Creedence Clearwater Revival represent some of the most universally beloved songs that ever hit the airwaves. They were simple, but they were damn good, and will probably still sound great in 3007. It is easy, though, to underestimate the talent that it takes to create something so pure and simple, and yet so fresh and unique. Eventually that is just what happened. Even his own band underestimated Fogerty's talents, and insisted on turning CCR into a democracy. Once everybody started submitting material, the band floundered and lost its true strength; what good is a Creedence song unless it features John Fogerty's magnificent voice and his addictive brand of swamp pop? Fogerty's band imploded, and then his record label turned against him, denying him royalties to the songs that made so many people happy.
"Revival" not only signals a return to form, it also represents a call to arms. Once again, it is time for the master to take control of the pop charts. John Fogerty has not played with this much conviction and focus since 1972. Even over his sporadic series of solo albums, Fogerty never played with such gusto. "Revival" represents a fresh start, and it does so by embracing the past that he kept so long in denial. "Don't You Wish It Was True" is simple as dirt, and yet it immediately evokes days when the radio was overflowing with soon-to-be classic melodies. It is so instantly appealing that it could have been the leadoff track for "Willy and the Poor Boys." "Creedence Song" takes that point head on, with Fogerty giving himself a well-deserved pat on the back for stocking jukeboxes all over America with songs that are worth your pocket change. "Summer of Love" is a timely throwback to an era when music truly mattered, and Fogerty sings the track like it still does. As for "It Ain't Right," I only hope that the latest generation of talentless hacks is paying attention, because he's having a ball at their expense.
"Gunslinger" had me thinking Fogerty was shying away from political confrontation, because it only implies discontent; "Fortunate Son" it ain't. A few tracks later, though, he starts naming names. In "Long Dark Night," he sings, "Georgie's' in the jungle...wants to have a war", and "Brownie's in the outhouse, Katrina on the line." "I Can't Stand It No More" is even more blunt, as Fogerty vents his rage directly at Bush, singing "You know you lied about the WMD's, you know you lied about the detainees", and rocks out all over the place for 1 minute, 50 seconds. Oh, and as for "Fortunate Son," he goes on to sing, "I bet you never saw the National Guard. Your daddy wrote a check and there you are, another `Fortunate Son'." From a musical perspective, it must suck to be a conservative, since all the really good protest music leans left. Can a red-blooded American claim to dislike Fogerty and CCR on idealistic grounds? Who would you prefer to hear, Ted Nugent or John Fogerty?
I've been waiting 35 years for John Fogerty to make an album like this. Better late than never, John. Now if only Sly Stone could get his act together... A Tom Ryan
Free Music Review: Back in the Saddle
Hit: 5 Stars
I think we have finally found the lost ingredient missing from today's pop music. For a while, John Fogerty provided the greatest pop songs in the United States of America. His recordings with Creedence Clearwater Revival represent some of the most universally beloved songs that ever hit the airwaves. They were simple, but they were damn good, and will probably still sound great in 3007. It is easy, though, to underestimate the talent that it takes to create something so pure and simple, and yet so fresh and unique. Eventually that is just what happened. Even his own band underestimated Fogerty's talents, and insisted on turning CCR into a democracy. Once everybody started submitting material, the band floundered and lost its true strength; what good is a Creedence song unless it features John Fogerty's magnificent voice and his addictive brand of swamp pop? Fogerty's band imploded, and then his record label turned against him, denying him royalties to the songs that made so many people happy.
"Revival" not only signals a return to form, it also represents a call to arms. Once again, it is time for the master to take control of the pop charts. John Fogerty has not played with this much conviction and focus since 1972. Even over his sporadic series of solo albums, Fogerty never played with such gusto. "Revival" represents a fresh start, and it does so by embracing the past that he kept so long in denial. "Don't You Wish It Was True" is simple as dirt, and yet it immediately evokes days when the radio was overflowing with soon-to-be classic melodies. It is so instantly appealing that it could have been the leadoff track for "Willy and the Poor Boys." "Creedence Song" takes that point head on, with Fogerty giving himself a well-deserved pat on the back for stocking jukeboxes all over America with songs that are worth your pocket change. "Summer of Love" is a timely throwback to an era when music truly mattered, and Fogerty sings the track like it still does. As for "It Ain't Right," I only hope that the latest generation of talentless hacks is paying attention, because he's having a ball at their expense.
"Gunslinger" had me thinking Fogerty was shying away from political confrontation, because it only implies discontent; "Fortunate Son" it ain't. A few tracks later, though, he starts naming names. In "Long Dark Night," he sings, "Georgie's' in the jungle...wants to have a war", and "Brownie's in the outhouse, Katrina on the line." "I Can't Stand It No More" is even more blunt, as Fogerty vents his rage directly at Bush, singing "You know you lied about the WMD's, you know you lied about the detainees", and rocks out all over the place for 1 minute, 50 seconds. Oh, and as for "Fortunate Son," he goes on to sing, "I bet you never saw the National Guard. Your daddy wrote a check and there you are, another `Fortunate Son'." From a musical perspective, it must suck to be a conservative, since all the really good protest music leans left. Can a red-blooded American claim to dislike Fogerty and CCR on idealistic grounds? Who would you prefer to hear, Ted Nugent or John Fogerty?
I've been waiting 35 years for John Fogerty to make an album like this. Better late than never, John. Now if only Sly Stone could get his act together... A Tom Ryan
Free Music Review: Revived And Rockin'
Hit: 5 Stars
After 2004's somewhat disappointing "Deja Vu", John Fogerty has returned with what has to be one of the best works he has done and released in a long time. 1997's "Blue Moon Swamp" was a Fogerty masterpiece, and so is this one. There is a reason the new CD is called "Revival". All throughout we are given traces of Fogerty's CCR hey day. This CD has to be one of the best of the year. The kind they don't make too much of anymore. Thankk god Fogerty is still here. Lyrically, the songs are up to snuff with some of his classics, and are an improvement over "Deja Vu". Content wise, the new disc finds Fogerty steaming mad about the President and the war, as is painfully obvious on the track "Long Dark Night", calling Bush, Cheney, and Rumsfeld by name, and the less than 2 minute track, "I Can't Take It Anymore", a blistering rock and roll track in the classic Fogerty sense that takes aim at Bush and calls him "another fortunate son". Elsewhere, Fogerty seems to take aim, and issue, at all the young celebrities nowadays on the also less than 2 minute song, "It Ain't Right". It's another short but sweet tune that echoes short and sweet rockers of days gone by. Great, fun song. The CD starts off on a pleasant and wonderful note with "Don't You Wish It Was True". It has a "Proud Mary" vibe to the opening musically, and the rest sort of recalls "Who'll Stop The Rain" and "Have You Ever Seen The Rain" in a way. It's a wonderful song, and the catchy chorus could of come from any Creedence song from the 60's or early 70's. This is definitley a man who has found his voice and writing again from that era. Elsewhere, "Creedence Song" is the one song here that if any captures the old sound of his band, this is it. Swampy in it's rock, and classic in it's playing and singing, this is another gem on a CD loaded with them. "River Is Waiting" is a soulful, gospel-ish track that is hauntingly pretty and memorable. "Summer Of Love" is John paying homage to Hendrix, Cream, and the like. He had a similar song on his last album called "In The Garden", but this one is a hundred times better. Capturing the right feel, tone, and rock, this is another keeper. It rocked my socks off. "Natural Thing" has John getting rocky and funky in a tune that vocally reminds me of Elvis in a way. I may also be in the minority here, but I didn't have much interest in "Broken Down Cowboy", even tho it's a nice tune. Same goes for "Somebody Help Me". "Longshot" closes the album in an upbeat, rockin' way. It's a classic sounding rock song. Folks, what we have here is a rock and roll legend and master getting back to doing what he does best. The CD showcases a man staying true to himself, his roots, and what he does. Musically and lyrically, it has Fogerty better than ever. Then there is the voice. Nobody sounds like John. Plain and simple. Here, he sounds refrshed, rejuvenated, and half his age. His voice continues to amaze. Bottom line is that 'Revival' is a great Fogerty record in a career filled with them. One of the best of 2007. I smell a Grammy.