John Fogerty reclaims his rightful place among America’s most iconic and revered artists with the forthcoming ‘Revival’ - due October 2nd.
Fogerty’s contribution to popular culture cannot be overstated; his songs have become part of rock’s DNA, the very building blocks upon which much of American rock and roll has been built. As the album title tantalizingly suggests, ‘Revival’ represents a renewed musical spirit and heart from Fogerty that incorporates all the best elements of a career that has resonated deeply with generations of music fans and the thousands of artists that he has influenced.
“It just seemed like all the records I have made since Creedence Clearwater Revival have all been sort of pushed off center,” he says. “I felt like I was dancing around the outskirts of what is my true center. With this album, I really wanted to stay on the mark, right in the middle, right where rock ‘n’ roll is. I wanted this one to be easier, a lot more fun than some of the past records have been.”
That renewed sense of joy shines through on the self-produced ‘Revival.’ The wistful, infectious opening track “Don’t You Wish It Was True” instantly puts a smile on the listener’s face. “Gunslinger” cinematic western-theme evokes vintage-era Creedence, while on the deliciously swampy “Creedence Song,” Fogerty correctly and humorously assesses “You can’t go wrong/if you play a little bit of that Creedence song.”
His love of classic Sun Records-era rockabilly permeates “It Ain’t Right,” one of many tunes on the album that allows Fogerty, whom Rolling Stone named one of the greatest guitarists of all time, to show off his blistering guitar work. “The River is Waiting” is a gorgeous, hymn-like spiritual that features well-known vocal trio, The Waters on backup vocals. A trenchant observer of the world’s troubles, Fogerty weighs in on the current administration with the rollicking, biting “Long Dark Night” and the ‘mission critical’ statement of “I Can’t Take It No More” with its unmistakable admonition “…another fortunate son.”
This project came together faster then any in his post-CCR career. With his ace band, which includes Kenny Aronoff on drums, Hunter Perrin on guitar, David Santos on bass and guest Benmont Tench on keyboards, he laid down the basic tracks in just 12 days.
“A lot of times on prior albums, there are those moments where you’re in the studio or rehearsing and you’re going through this agony, you’re very unsettled or anxious because you’re not completely sure it’s going to work. Even in rehearsal this time, I knew it was all going to work.”
‘Revival’ is Fogerty’s first album of new material on Fantasy following a very public 30-year battle with the label over his catalog. The reconciliation led to the first complete retrospective of his career, ‘The Long Road Home,’ which came out in late 2005. Fogerty calls seeing the Fantasy logo on his new record is nothing short of “surreal.”
Fogerty, writer of such rock classics as “Proud Mary,” “Centerfield”, “Bad Moon Rising,” “Rockin’ All Over the World,” “Born on the Bayou” and “Fortunate Son,” was inducted into the prestigious Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2005. His 1997 album, ‘Blue Moon Swamp,’ won the Grammy for best rock album.
‘Revival’ is not just a great John Fogerty album - and a great rock album - it’s an essential musical work by an artist without peer, which will certainly stand as one of the most compelling albums of 2007.
Your Talkback on this Story