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JOHN FOGERTY CHRONICLE |
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JOHN CAMERON FOGERTY 1972 - 1997
CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL is gone! What are John, Tom, Stu and Doug up to?
First we’re interested in "Mr. CCR" - John Fogerty!
To pick up John’s trail we have to take a side trip to the world of country music:
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In August 1972, the single "Blue Ridge
Mountain Blues/Have Thine Own Way Lord"
was released by the "BLUE RIDGE RANGERS."
In October came the second single "Jambalaya/ Workin’ On A Building."
April 1973 "Heart’s Of Stone/ Somewhere Listening (For My Name)" was released.
And in the same month came the self-titled album "BLUE RIDGE RANGERS"! A new country-rock band is born!
Or is it? Why does this sound so CCR-like?
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The solution to the puzzle:
"BLUE RIDGE RANGERS" are, or better said, is JOHN FOGERTY!
John plays all the instruments himself.
A perfect studio mix gives the impression that a whole band is playing.
To make sure people buy the idea, John chooses the pseudonym "BLUE RIDGE RANGERS."
John is able to put the album on the market in cognito.
The one- man- band is well- received by the public.
With this encouragement, John releases a second album under his own name.
Maybe that’s exactly what he should not have done!
Perhaps we could have heard a lot more John Fogerty music over the next twenty years,
if it weren’t for the legal battles between John and Fantasy.
Fantasy even accused him of plagiarizing his own (CCR) songs!
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The last BRR single was in September, 1973: "You Don’t Owe Me/ Back In The Hills."
These two (possibly the best) are unfortunately not on the LP!
The next "non-album-single" follows in November, 1973:
John Fogerty - "Comin’ Down The Road/ Ricochet."
Even later, John recorded more singles that,
as a bother and a challenge for collectors, were nowhere to be found on any LP.
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In September 1975, John’s greatest hit since his CCR days was released:
"Rockin’ All Over The World" with "The Wall" on the B-side.
In October, the album "JOHN FOGERTY" was released accompanied by the January 1976-single
"Almost Saturday Night/ Sea Cruise."
After these successes, the CCR freaks are all thinking,
"Finally things are taking off again!"
The fan club would have to wait almost ten more years for the next album.
"CENTERFIELD" is released in January 1985 after John returned to the scene with the single
"Old Man Down The Road/ Big Train (From Memphis) in October of the previous year.
"CENTERFIELD" becomes another huge success -
the first Platinum LP since Creedence!
The comeback-hit was publicized and marketed by "Warner Brothers."
This is when the problems with Mr. Zaentz starts.
The Fantasy boss doesn’t like the last song on "CENTERFIELD."
At least the title, "Zanz Can’t Dance" bothers him so much that John was required,
after a court dispute, to change the name to "Vanz Can’t Dance"!
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Mr. Zaentz also had a bad feeling about the title "Mr. Greed."
Finally Zaentz/ Fantasy accused John of breaking copyright laws
regarding the song "Old Man Down The Road."
Not that John had STOLEN the song from somewhere,
but that he had copied it from himself!!
Interestingly enough, -Baby Take Your Ear-
is supposedly the original "Run Through The Jungle"?!
Despite these quarrels, a second single-release from "CENTERFIELD" came out in May 1985:
"Rock And Roll Girls/ Centerfield".
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In August 1986, things heat up again
when "Eye Of The Zombie/ I Confess" announces the arrival of the new album
"EYE OF THE ZOMBIE"!
The single "Change In The Weather/ My Toot Toot" follows in November of ‘86.
"My Toot Toot" can’t be found on any LP,
but somehow sounds familiar to the listeners from the shallow Pop-Rock corner.
Even more secretively, the single "Sail Away/ I Found A Love" is released in March.
"I Found A Love" is also not from any LP!
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The series of non-album singles gives grounds for speculation.
There is reason to believe that all these recordings are to found
on the mysterious album "HOODOO."
Is "EYE OF THE ZOMBIE" some sort of re-release of "HOODOO"???
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Years of personal research remain unsuccessful until,
in 1995, I find a clue in this network of nets.
"HOODOO" ist ein Album von John Fogerty,
daß es nie gab, und trotzdem neun Titel enthält,
von denen immerhin zwei bekannt sind:
"You Got The Magic" und "Evil Thing"! Und die anderen sieben?
In der John Fogerty-Discografie sind alle Titel aufgeführt. (Man munkelt, daß es "HOODOO" sogar als CD gibt.)
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"HOODOO" is an album from John Fogerty that never existed,
yet contains nine songs, two of which are even popular:
"You Got The Magic" and "Evil Thing."
And the other seven? In the John Fogerty Discographie, all the titles are listed.
It’s all yesterday’s news that is still making headlines!
Fans await the release of the 1997-planned CD from
JOHN CAMERON FOGERTY.
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