JOHN FOGERTY
The Long Road Home
Fantasy Records 2005
www.johnfogerty.com

Sample it here

What’s the 4-1-1?
After more than thirty years, John Fogerty returns to Fantasy Records. Fogerty’s infamous relationship with the label led him to suffer through years of bitter disputes and lawsuits, making this one of the most unlikely reunions in years.

Genre
Rock / roots rock / southern

The Good
This collection is pretty much a no-brainer for John Fogerty fans. After years and years of waiting, you finally get a collection of Fogerty’s biggest hits with Creedence Clearwater Revival and his solo hits. I know I don’t need to go into detail about CCR hits like “Born on a Bayou”, “Bad Moon Rising”, “Who’ll Stop the Rain”, “Fortunate Son”, “Proud Mary”, and the 9 others. You know them and you love them no doubt. The do sound crisp and clear, as they have been remastered. I’m also sure you don’t need to be reminded of Fogerty’s solo hits; the baseball anthem “Centerfield”, the guitar chunky “Old Man Down the Road, or the centerpiece of his 2004 album “Déjà vu (All Over Again).

What greatest hits album would be complete without a few new nuggets to entice the consumer? You’re not exactly getting any new songs, but you are getting six unreleased live tracks from last years tour. If you’ve heard Fogerty’s last live album, then you know you’re getting quality stuff. Great melodic vocals and a catchy guitar run make up “Almost Saturday Night”. Strong southern-tinged acoustic strumming set the pace on “Bootleg”. Fogerty is at his string-bending best on “Rockin’ All Over the World”, and shows his virtuoso side on the bluesy “Keep On Chooglin”. The live version of “Fortunate Son” is much faster than the original.

The Bad
Rather than separating the CCR songs from the solo songs, they mixed them up.

The Verdict
The Long Road Home is well worth the trip.

Did You Know?
Fantasy Records once sued John Fogerty for plagiarizing himself; citing that “The Old Man Down the Road” sounded too similar to “Run Through the Jungle”.

Rating: out of 5

--George Dionne