John Fogerty - The Blue Ridge Rangers Rides Again
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Free Music Notes for The Blue Ridge Rangers Rides Again
Free Music Review: Memories
Hit: 5 Stars
This is a great CD. Brought back alot of memories of times gone by. So easy to listen to.Free Music Review: Great CD
Hit: 5 Stars
This CD has GRAMMY written all over it!!!!! I like all of it very much :-)Free Music Review: Country Classics Get New Polish
Hit: 4 Stars
When I heard that John Fogerty was working on a sequel to 1973's Blue Ridge Rangers album, I was delighted - particularly when I saw the track listing. I couldn't help but play what I thought the album would sound like in my head, and I was both surprised and satisfied when I eventually heard the album and found it contradicted my imaginary playback. It just goes to show that John Fogerty is seldom predictable. The decision to thematically revisit his early '70s classic album (of already classic songs) is a strange one in itself, as he was artistically back on form with 2007's fantastic Revival, which not only hinted at his early days as a rock icon but simultaneously positioned him as a contemporary force to be reckoned with.
One of the most immediate differences between this and the original Blue Ridge album is that whereas all the instruments on the first one were played by Fogerty himself (like McCartney on his first solo outings), the sequel is most definitely a band album, as all honky tonk records should be (case in point: Mark Chesnutt's Savin' the Honky Tonk). Amazingly, as Fogerty wanted to distance himself from the CCR legacy at the time of the first record, this is the first of the two to be put out under his own name.
Slipping his latest disc into the player, many highlights jump out and assault the listener between the eyes (or as that between the ears?), the first of which would probably be "Never Ending Song of Love." The opener, "Paradise," didn't really cut it for me, but then again I didn't particularly enjoy the John Prine original either.
Fogerty's decision to cover Rick(y) Nelson's "Garden Party" is especially interesting. Nelson wrote the song in 1972 about a Madison Square Garden audience's apparent displeasure when he performed his newer, country-styled music instead of his '50s rock `n' roll hits. The theme likely resonates with Fogerty as he continually tries to strike the right balance between Creedence hits and solo numbers in his live shows.
It is my view that nobody, with the possible exception of Dwight Yoakam, should attempt to cover Buck Owens. Buck's songs are so identifiable right from the start that you expect to hear his voice, and anybody else's pales in comparison. I had this problem with Tanya Tucker and Jim Lauderdale's recent "Love's Gonna Live Here," and my apprehension resurfaced - and, unfortunately, didn't subside - when I heard Fogerty's take on Buck's 1964 hit "I Don't Care (Just As Long As You Love Me)." You can tackle No-Show, or even the Hag, but leave Buck to Dwight.
"I'll Be There (If You Ever Want Me)" has to be one of the greatest country songs of them all. Ray Price did a superb job of it back in 1957, but contrary to my opinion on Buck Owens covers, this song always seems to sound fantastic regardless of who's singing it. Heather Myles did it well a few years ago, and Fogerty does it justice here. The fiddle intro is as unbeatable as always, and just try not to sing along to that chorus!
Fogerty's sole writing credit on this disc is for "Change in the Weather," which sounds to my ears like a John Rich song (but don't tell him I said so!) Although the title line is repetitive to the extreme, it does pack a punch. Still, this song probably won't survive the repeat listens the rest of the album deserves.
As with "I'll Be There," "Heaven's Just a Sin Away" is the kind of jaunty, melodious tunes that anyone could make sound good - even plastered buskers - and this version is no exception. Kelly Willis did a fine rendition, but Fogerty gives her a run for her money. The next track is "Fallin' Fallin' Fallin'," and it too is given an incredible reading, confirming this album as a terrific showcase for traditional country music - a fact all the more amazing when one considers that John Fogerty isn't even known as a country singer. The album closes with The Boss joining Fogerty on The Everlys Brothers' 1960 classic "When Will I Be Loved." Both do a great job and sound like they're having a blast, bringing the album to a fine honky tonkin' finish.
It may sound cliché to say it, but I hope it's not another 30+ years until the next one.
Free Music Review: Where's the Guitar?
Hit: 4 Stars
I will try to give a track-by-track analysis later, but first I would like to tell you why I buy John Fogerty albums. There are really three reasons: 1) he is one of the best songwriters around 2) the voice and 3) he is one of my favorite guitar players.
I knew going in that this was a collection of covers and therefore accepted the fact that his songwriting was missing (and that was never really an issue anyway, because Fogerty has always been great at covering others, going back to the CCR days). His voice is great as usual, but what about the guitar? Unfortunately, John Fogerty, the man behind CCR and the writer of numerous songs that only the best guitar players can play decently, does not play lead guitar on a single track on this disc.
After I got over that initial disappointment, I realized that I still had a fine collection of covers here and, as a bonus, one original.
"Paradise" kicks things off here and it showcases Fogerty doing what he does best: commenting on a social issue (in this case, strip mining) in his scathing, straightforward manner. I can certainly see why he chose this song.
I have always found the song "Never Ending Song of Love" to be mildly annoying, so while Fogerty's version is the best I've heard, I would have been happier if he had found an alternative.
"Garden Party" is the masterpiece of Rick Nelson and Fogerty clearly could not equal the original. So he doesn't attempt to, instead giving a very heartfelt, tribute-like reading of the tune with the help of Don Henly and Timothy B. Schmidt of the Eagles.
"Back Home Again" is a John Denver song that Fogerty does a wonderful, heartfelt version of.
"I'll Be There (If You Ever Want Me)" is a Ray Price tune which Fogerty and the band give a rousing performance of. This is classic Fogerty and one of the best tracks on the album.
"Change in the Weather" is the only original here and is actually a re-recording of a song from Eye of the Zombie. This version is much better an is the closest to the classic Fogerty/CCR sound that we get on the album, although a fiddle is prominent on the track and try as he may, Buddy Miller is no Fogerty when it comes to guitar.
"Moody River" is a dark ballad about a woman who commits suicide. I could see this as a CCR album track in the spirit of "I Put a Spell on You" but much, much more subdued.
"Heaven's Just a Sin Away" is one of my favorites on the album, mostly because you can tell that Fogerty had a blast doing it.
I didn't particularly care for "Fallin' Fallin' Fallin'"
"Haunted House" is possibly the best track on the album, although it does not come near the original. It has a good, jam session vibe to it that I really like.
"When Will I Be Loved" is an Everly Brothers song sung as a duet with Bruce Springsteen. Obviously, Springsteen's voice doesn't quite fit with smooth, slow Everly Brothers harmony, so they smartly speed the song up and sing harmony only on the chorus.
In conclusion, fans will probably enjoy this, but it may be something of a turnoff for those who are not already fans and who may have heard about the Fogerty legend and his place in history as one of the great songwriters and guitarists in the history of rock. For them, I recommend Centerfield,Revival, or better yet anything by CCR.
Free Music Review: John Fogerty re-revisits his musical roots
Hit: 4 Stars
When John Fogerty cut the original Blue Ridge Rangers LP in 1973, it stood firmly as a work separated from his run with Creedence Clearwater Revival. A year from the band's breakup, Fogerty immersed himself in musical roots with an album of covers, mostly country and gospel, played and sung entirely on his own. Even the album's cover echoed the solo theme, with Fogerty silhouetted as each of the fictional group's five members. Try as he might to distance himself from Creedence, however, his unmistakable voice and a track list of country songs upon which many of his own songs were built, couldn't help but point to his previous work.
Thirty-six years later Fogerty has brought elements of the Blue Ridge Rangers' ethos back to the studio. Unlike the Rangers' first effort, this is more capstone and reminiscence than a place to gather oneself between career phases. More importantly, rather than layering his own instrumental and vocal performances in the studio, Fogerty's put together an actual Blue Ridge Rangers with the talents of guitarist Buddy Miller, steel/mandolin/dobro player Greg Leisz, drummer Kenny Aranoff and many others. He's also chosen to share the microphone with Eagles Don Henley and Timothy B. Schmit on Rick Nelson's "Garden Party," and Bruce Springsteen on the Everly Brothers' "When Will I Be Loved."
The song list remains an all-covers affair, including an earthy take of Fogerty's own "Change in the Weather" that drops the unfortunate mid-80s production of Eye of the Zombie's original. There are classic country tunes from Ray Price, Buck Owens and the Kendalls, but Fogerty also reaches to fellow singer-songwriters John Prine, Rick Nelson and John Denver, and favorites from Delaney & Bonnie, Pat Boone and the 1964 Jumpin' Gene Simmons R&B novelty, "Haunted House." Highlights include Prine's environmentalist lyric of a bucolic childhood literally trucked away by a coal company and a take of Denver's "Back Home Again" that's adds a bit of Neil Young-like reediness to the original.
Fogerty sounds relaxed and at home surrounded by fiddle and steel and riding a Ray Price shuffle beat, and the husk of his voice adds an element of solemn pain and earthen soul to Pat Boone's melodramatic death ballad, "Moody River." The album closes with an overcooked Cajun-rock arrangement of "When Will I Be Loved" that has Fogerty and Springsteen reprising Phil and Don Everly. Though it's more of a lark than an artistic summit, it's great to hear two modern icons wailing away at their shared roots. That really sums up Fogerty's decision to bring the Blue Ridge Rangers back to life, as it's an opportunity for a great artist to revel in his equally great influences. [©2009 hyperbolium dot com]