New Tunes: What a Revival

My formative years were spent listening to John Fogerty and Creedence Clearwater Revival. The first song I remember hearing was Susie Q, followed by Born on the Bayou. Soon after came Down on the Corner, Poor Boy Shuffle and then Fortunate Son, Run Through the Jungle, Who’ll Stop the Rain and more. I was in high school and the Viet Nam War was raging.

Some folks are born made to wave the flag,
Ooh, they’re red, white and blue.
And when the band plays hail to the chief,
Ooh, they point the cannon at you, Lord,

It ain’t me, it ain’t me, I ain’t no senator’s son, son.
It ain’t me, it ain’t me; I ain’t no fortunate one, no.

My daughter posted this week about how the milestones in our lives are marked by songs. Its a great read and oh so true. My son was standing in the middle of centerfield with his back to the ballgame, and his mitt in his hands, watching the trains go by while Fogerty sang Put Me in Coach on the radio. That was 1985.

Now, just shy of 40 years since I first heard John Fogerty, we are in the middle of another “dirty little war” as he so eloquently puts it. And he is marking another milestone with his newly released CD, Revival. The only bad thing about it is there are only twelve songs. I waited patiently after the last song, but alas there was no bonus track.

If you liked CCR and/or John Fogerty, you will love Revival. These tunes carry their own weight right along side any of the early releases. There’s not a loser on the disc. Both the voice and guitar are as strong as they ever were. Even better. If you are a liner notes person like me, you will recognize Kenny Aronoff on drums and Benmont Tench on keyboards. What a bonus.

All of the songs are penned by Fogerty and they run the gammut from Don’t You Wish it was True: “What if tomorrow, everybody had enough, the world wasn’t quite so rough, Lord don’t you wish it was true” to Long Dark Night: “Georgie’s in the jungle, knockin’ on the door. Come to get your children, wants to have a war.” Every song is rock solid.

This is one CD that won’t sit on the shelf. But don’t take my word for it. Give it a listen.

And here’s a little clip of his recent appearance on Letterman. It just doesn’t get any better than that.

Fogerty says he’s “delighted that so many people seem to sense the joy in the song.” That about sums it up for me.