[3]
By
Published: 2005
Category: Rock [4]
Thought I heard a rumblin'
Callin' to my name,
Two hundred million guns are loaded
Satan cries, "Take aim!"
I never heard that line --- it's from 'Run Through the Jungle' --- until last week, when I sat down and had a private party with John Fogerty. No. That's not quite right. I heard it. Once upon a time. But that time was 30 years ago, and then I heard it so often on the radio I became pretty much deaf to it.
Now 25 songs that Fogerty wrote for Creedence Clearwater Revival and, later, for his solo albums have been lovingly remastered for a collection that Amazon.com is selling for an absurd $13.49. And I heard this music as I never have before: seated bolt upright, jaw slack. Guns and Satan --- that's a great rock 'n roll line. And not bad social analysis, either.
It's easy to forget how great CCR was: more #1 songs than The Beatles. And there's a good reason why we aren't perpetually reminded of the greatness of Fogerty as a songwriter and visionary --- pop music has become so over-produced, so degraded by bubblegum acts for pre-teens, that we've lost all appreciation for masterpieces that skid in at three minutes or under.
There's another reason: At the height of its success, CCR imploded over the usual --- 'creative differences.' Here's Fogerty's version:
For me Creedence was like sitting on a time bomb. We'd had decent successes with our cover of 'Suzie Q' and with the first album, when we went into the studio to cut 'Proud Mary.' It was the first time we were in a real Hollywood studio, RCA's Los Angeles studio, and the problems started immediately. The other guys in the band insisted on writing songs for the new album, they had opinions on the arrangements, they wanted to sing. They went as far as adding background vocals to 'Proud Mary,' and it sounded awful. They used tambourines, and it sounded no better.
That's when I understood I had a choice to make. At that point in time we were just a one hit wonder, and 'Suzie Q' hadn't really been that big a hit. Either the new album would be a success, something really big, or we might as well start working at the car wash again. There was a big row. We went to an Italian restaurant and I remember that I very clearly told the others that I for one didn't want to go back to the car wash again. Now we had to make the best possible album and it wasn't important who did what, as long as the result was the very best we could achieve. And of course I was the one who should do it.
I don't think the others really understood what I meant, but at least I could manage the situation the way I wanted. The result was eight million-selling double-sided singles in a row and six albums that all went platinum. And Melody Maker had us as the best band in the world. That was after the Beatles split, but still... And I was the one who had created all this. Despite that, I don't think they understood what I was talking about. They were obsessed with the idea of more control and more influence. So finally the bomb exploded and we never worked together again.
Worse, Fogerty had a falling out with CCR's label, Fantasy Records, which owned the songs. From then on, in his solo concerts, he refused to sing CCR songs. The final ignominy: Fantasy sued him for plagiarizing one of his CCR songs. (Fantasy lost.)
Fogerty retired briefly. Then he stood by a tree where blues legend Robert Johnson is buried. He realized that some slickster in New York probably owned Johnson's publishing, but the music --- the music belonged to the world. And so he launched a comeback.
In a spectacular irony, Norman Lear and his partners bought Fantasy Records. They have welcomed Fogerty home. And so, for the first time, we can hear, on a single CD, the best of his CCR and solo work.
'Born on the Bayou.' 'Bad Moon Rising. 'Centerfield.' 'Who'll Stop the Rain?' Name another greatest hits CD that starts out that strong. Or delivers happy surprises like live versions of 'Almost Saturday Night' and 'Rockin' All Over the World' and 'Fortunate Son.'
You can sing along to most of these songs. My bet: the first few times through, you'll just listen. You'll work through the nostalgia. And then you'll get newly, freshly excited.
To buy ' The Long Road Home: The Ultimate John Fogerty Creedence Collection' from Amazon.com, click here [5].