John Fogerty is no stranger to the rock and roll scene. As front man for Creedence Clearwater Revival (CCR),he saw major success from 1968 to 1972, and then once again as a solo act from 1973 through his 2013, and latest album, Wrote A Song For Everyone - Which peaked at number three in the USA.
Unfortunately, John Fogerty is also very familiar with lawsuits. Having signed the rights of all CCR's music to his record label, Fantasy, the multi instrumental and singer / songwriter found himself being sued for his 1985 track, The Old Man Down The Road. Fantasy alleged self plagiarism, stating that the song was identical to the 1970 CCR song, Run Through The Jungle. While the two songs certainly have their similarities, Fogerty was able to win the lawsuit by playing both tracks live in front of a judge. However, it would take escalating the case to the supreme court before Fogerty would be awarded all compensation for his legal fees in 1994.
I wanted to hear this album which caused so much controversy for the man behind it, so today I'm listening to Centerfield by John Fogerty.The record certainly has a bluegrass / country roots style sound to it. Something definitely reminiscent of his 60's and 70's work with Creedence Clearwater Revival. It's an okay sound, but one you definitely have to be ready to listen to when comparing it to other albums of the 80's.
There were only three standout tracks from it, and coincidentally they're also the only songs which charted - The Old Man Down The Road (peaked at number 10), Centerfield (peaked at number 44) and Rock And Roll Girls (peaked at number 20). As for the remaining six songs on the album, they just don't do it for me. They're quickly and easily forgettable. I suppose since I was never really a big CCR fan either, this is no surprise that I would take this stance.
Am I a fan of John Fogerty? No, not at all. Does he have some good music which I can listen to? Absolutely. Will I seek out more music from him? Probably not any solo work, but there are still some CCR albums on my list to get around to at some point.
Click "HERE" to go back to the home page. For more posts related to this one, please click the labels below.
Disclaimer: They Toy Box does not endorse or contribute to piracy. Retro Spins posts are intended for educational and entertainment purposes only. None of the music discussed here is available for sale, downloading or distribution.
John Fogerty and CCR is one of my favorites. One of the first big concerts I went to was in 1998 for the Premonition tour. My dad managed a Circuit City south of Nashville for a bit in the late 1990s and Fogerty was a regular. I have this album (on disc) signed and personalized. The best Fogerty album of them all? Blue Moon Swamp. Easily one of my top 25 album.
ReplyDelete