Music Review: John Fogerty – The Long Road Home – In Concert

An American icon and an American legend, John Fogerty is back home again on the Fantasy record label playing the songs from his Creedence Clearwater Revival days as well as his solo standards – This time in a live in concert compilation.

John Fogerty – The Long Road Home – In Concert is his first live album since 1998’s Premonition and his first ever live recording for Fantasy Records. The new double album bookends 2005’s career-spanning CD The Long Road Home which marked Fogerty’s return to Fantasy after a 32-year separation. This is the audio companion to the live DVD. Both of the previous packages were certified gold by the RIAA.

John Fogerty and Fantasy go back to the middle sixty’s when in 1965-'66 he work as a shipping clerk before forming Creedence and taking the then tiny East Bay label to the top of the charts. The historic reunion occurred in 2005 when Concord Records acquired the Fantasy Label. The new owners welcomed the long disenfranchised artist back into the fold, thus reuniting Fogerty with his treasured catalog of Creedence master recordings. “The fact that I’m treated with respect and the music is treated with respect is a great new feeling, it really is,” said Fogerty.

The problems with Fantasy records began in 1972 with the breakup of Creedence. It resulted from contractual obligations and disputes among his former band members and Fantasy. Eventually, it led to a law suit by Fantasy Records on Fogerty for plagiarizing his own Creedence hit “Run through the Jungle” in the writing of “The Old Man down the Road” a top ten single from his 1984 number one album Centerfield. Fantasy lost the suit and with the Concord acquisition, Fogerty has now won the war.

After four decades of music, John Fogerty can still play with the energy and enthusiasm of his early years. Sometimes fun, sometimes political, sometimes dark. and always memorable. According to John, “I had to go through so much to get to this stage. But I actually think I am better now. I sing better, I play better, I have more energy.”

There are 26 songs on The Long Road Home – In Concert interspersed with personalization and comment by Forgerty. There are 18 Creedence standards including all nine of the band’s Top 10 hits. There are also eight memorable solo songs including 1985’s “Centerfield” and 2004’s “Déjà vu.” What is remarkable about this collection is the power, force, freshness and energy of the 26 tunes. What’s more is that between the lyrics and the recognizable guitar riffs, these are instantly recognizable as John Fogerty songs.

The songs

Travelin' Band
Green River
Who’ll Stop the Rain
Blue Moon Nights
Lodi
Lookin Out My Backdoor
Hot Rod Heart
Rambunctious Boy
She’s Got Baggage
Born On The Bayou
Bootleg
Run Through the Jungle
Déjà vu (All Over Again)
Have You Ever Seen The Rain
Tombstone Shadow
Keep On Chooglin
Sweet Hitch Hiker
Hey Tonight
Down On The Corner
Centerfield
Up Around The Bend
The Old Man Lives Down The Road
Fortunate Son
Bad Moon Rising
Rockin’ All Over The World
Proud Mary

Because the songs are the ones you know by heart, I am going to forgo a grade for each song and grade the collection as a whole. For this I give this 2 CD set a grade of A. There is not a bad song on the CD and it is one you will play till you wear it out.