3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
One of life's little mysteries, 6 Feb 2001
By A Customer - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: John Fogerty (Audio CD)
In 1975 I was 14 years old and an avid reader of the British weekly rock newspaper,"Sounds". I will never forget the edition that first announced the release of "John Fogerty". The reviewer gave it five stars and talked about how we should never judge a book by its cover. On the cover of this album, JCF is sitting on a tree stump holding a stick in his hand and with his dog at his feet. It all looks very serene. It could be an easy listening piece of nothing very much. The reviewer went on to describe the album as an absolute gem which rocks from start to finish. As a CCR fan I was enthused by the review and rushed down to Virgin Record store in Sheffield England to buy the LP. I love this record today as much as I did when it first blasted out of my stereo in 1975. "Sounds" went on to rate it as one of top 5 albums of 1975. It was never much of a hit in England. After CCR split not too many people knew who JCF was. But I did. I moved to the US in 1989. To my amazement it was never much of a hit here either. It appears this sad fact has more to do with legal disputes over Fantasy records than the quality of the music. So if you want to buy it, you'll have to buy the UK import. My advise is go ahead. To avoid ever finding this album deleted and unavailable I own 3 Cds and 3 vinyl versions, including my original 1975 copy. Why is this album so important to me? It has literally been one of my all time favorite records since I first heard it. Moreover, it is without doubt my favorite record made by a US artist. You know that old question about living on desert island and only taking two albums, what would they be..... Well I would take the Beatles White Album and John Fogerty by John Fogerty. The album is quite simply a wonderful rock and roll experience. JCF plays most of the instruments and avoids the over produced studio sound to make the music feel alive. The vocals are the best he ever recorded. His voice is the stongest it ever was. As good as his recent recordings are, they lack the raw power of this album. And if you match the unique vocal sound of JCF with great songs a wonderful thing happens. And make no mistake. The songs on this album are by far and away the best collection of any put out by CCR or JCF on his own. "Rockin' all over World" is a brilliant rock song. Back in 1977 the British rock/boogie group Status Quo did a cover that reached the top 10 in the singles charts. The rythm guitarist of Quo, Rick Parfitt, was a big fan of this album and wanted to pay his truibute. Problem was nobody knew the album so it was, in the mind of the masses, a Quo song. This really hit me at a Bruce Springsteen concert in Birmingham England in about 1979. Bruce closed the set with Rockin All over the World. Leaving the show most of the fans that night were expressing surprise at the Boss doing a Status Quo song. How I would have loved them all to know the truth.
7 of the 10 tracks are JCF originals. The other 3 are rock classics that suit the mood of the album and his vocal style.
You Rascal You, Lonley Tear Drops and Sea Cruise are all good songs and JCF puts a great spin on them. But the albums real treasures are his own compositions.
You won't get over "The Wall". Travellin' High is a rocker with great sax intro and a great way to go...oh my my, Travellin High.
"Almost Saturday Night" is, along with Rockin All Over the World the Most immediate song on the record. This was also recognized as a terrific song by another British rocker of the seventies when Dave Edmunds did a decent cover version. The song reappeared on the live tours of 1997/8 and you can hear it on the live Premonition album. But the version on Premonition is at best average. This is the only true version. It's John at his most melodic. The voice is incredible. This recoding is one of the all time classic moments in rock music. Just listen to this with the volume up and your eyes closed and tell me it ain't great.
"Where the River Flows" - What's not to like about this song. Melodious and interesting.
"Dream Song". A great guitar intro and then that voice again. The album ends with "Flying away". Another great song. It's one mans opinion but I don't believe the best song on Centerfield stands close to the worst song on this album. And I love Centerfield!!!
I've spent 26 years telling people how great this record is. It's been a very imporatnat part of my life. I've covered several of the songs in my own band and I hope the great man reads this one day to know that at leat one person recognizes this outstanding work as his masterpiece. Life is full of mysteries. Why this album is not recognized up there as one of rocks classics is certainly a mystery to me.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Can Fogerty Ever be Truly Weak?, 13 Aug 2000
By A Customer - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: John Fogerty (Audio CD)
Although this disc has some tracks which aren't quite up to the standard of his best material, it is still better than what most recording musicians of today could do at their peak. John Fogerty is one of those songwriters/musicians who can make even "weak" material breathe. Even though "Rockin' All Over the World" and "Almost Saturday Night" are indeed two of the best songs Fogerty has ever recorded, the one-chord wonder rocker "The Wall" and his relentless version of "Sea Cruise" are not to be dismissed either. Anything Fogerty releases, in my opinion, is worth the money to purchase it. Even if what he releases turns out not to be great, it would still turn out to be damn good.
4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Fine debut album from Fogerty-has the CCR sound, 7 Dec 1998
By WTDK "If at first the idea is not absurd, the... - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: John Fogerty (Audio CD)
Although not as consistent as his later albums(with the exception of the weak EYE OF THE ZOMBIE), John Fogety still boasts a handful of songs that are among his best. The best songs including "The Wall", "Rocking all over the world", "Almost Saturday night" and a couple of others are easily more original than the best songs on CENTERFIELD, but the album as a whole has an uneven stiched together quality as if John was writing a number of singles and not crafting an album. Not as consistent as CENTERFIELD, or as outstanding as BLUE MOON SWAMP this is, nevertheless better than most of John's contemporaries and the last CCR studio album. The strength and conviction of Fogerty's voice, like Lennon, can pull through even marginal material and there are a handful of marginal tracks sprinkled through out the album. Fogerty plays most of the instruments himself(hiring session musicians for a few key instruments) and does a capable job. It's sad that Asylum has chosen not to issue this in the U.S.(along with the single from the never released follow up album as bonus tracks), but it may have to do with legal issues in the U.S. Fantasy records, run by John's enemy Saul Zaentz, holds the licensing rights to this album overseas(which may explain why it is available there. Zaentz still held the publishing rights to John's songs at the time). A terrific addition tof any Fogerty/CCR collection despite its flaws.