1st / Excalibur [Import]

Tom Fogerty | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (May 9, 2000)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Import
• Label: Zyx Records
• ASIN: B00000JJYL
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #18,622 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. The Legend Of Alcatraz

2. Lady Of Fatima

3. Beauty Under The Skin

4. Wondering

5. My Pretty Baby

6. Train To Nowhere

7. Everyman

8. The Me Song

9. Cast The First Stone

10. Here Stands The Clown

11. Goodbye Media Man(Part 1&2)

12. Forty Years

13. Black Jack Jenny

14. Rocky Road Blues

15. Faces, Places, People

16. Get Funky

17. Sick And Tired

18. Sign For The Devil

19. Straight And Narrow

20. Next In Line

See all 21 tracks on this disc

Editorial Reviews

Two complete solo LPs for the Fantasy label by the late Creedence Clearwater Revival guitarist together on one CD, his 1972 self-titled debut & his 1973 sophomore outing, respectively. Contains all cuts from when the records were first released, for a combined total of 21 selections. Also features the original cover art of each. 1999 release.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Tom Fogerty leaves CCR and Declares Independence, December 24, 2005

By 

Audio Obscurica "Audio Obscurica" (Spectrum of Sound) - See all my reviews

This review is from: 1st / Excalibur (Audio CD)

This European release couples two LPs issued on the Fantasy label, Tom Fogerty's 1972 self-titled release, with the 1973 follow-up, entitled "Excalibur".
In 1971, Creedence Clearwater Revival was one of the hottest groups around. They'd charted many top 10's, moved thousands of units, and had toured the world over. Many hailed them as the American response to the Beatles. Then, early that year, rhythm guitarist Tom Fogerty left, frustrated by the lack of allowed involvement in the affairs of Creedence Clearwater Revival.
The fact that Tom was on his way out was saddeningly obvious on their "Pendulum" album. Keyboards and saxes (courtesy of younger brother John) dominated and rhythm guitar, when it did appear, was given a backseat.
In 1971, a single entitled "Goodbye Media Man" appeared. It was the first solo recording out of CCR's membership. It's date, "17th of June, 1971" proudly displayed on the label, perhaps signifying a "declaration of independence" of Tom Fogerty from his little brother's dominance. "Media Man" creeped up to a disappointing #103 on the Billboard charts, but, hey, doesn't everyone work their way up?
Later that year, free from CCR, Tom Fogerty began work on his first solo LP. Immediately after departing Creedence, Tom began gigging with Jerry Garcia and Merl Saunders, and not surprisingly, Saunders, and gig-mates Bill Vitt and John Kahn, made up the backing band on this album. Tom handled all guitars, and, as such, no strong leads are present. But, that's a good thing. The songs here are lilting and melodic.
Opening this first LP from Tom is "The Legend of Alcatraz", a nice and melodic tune that might not have been a single, but is definitly a proper opener for this record. "Lady of Fatima" is a nicely playing jam between the musicians, and I find it to be a high-water mark on the album if you don't think so much of its crud lyrics. "Beauty Is Under The Skin" screams R&B single while "Wandering" is perhaps a throwback to the psych lyrics of the 60's, and "My Pretty Baby" is an homage to 50's vocal groups with Tom singing all the vocals, ala multitrack (think "Workin' On a Buildin'" by brother John) sparsely accompanied by Russ Gary's acoustic guitar. "Train To Nowhere" is a pleasant, loping number that is the longest song on the album, with nicely metered playing by Saunders and a fine vocal by Tom. "Everyman" is a country-style ballad with rollicking piano playing from Saunders and Tom gives a harmonica solo. This track sounds like it was cut by a bunch of guys who were having fun, and its my favorite on the album. "The Me Song" finds Tom addressing, perhaps, the things forced upon him that he doesn't want from superstardom, and "Cast The First Stone" (the album's single, by the way) seems to be Tom taking a jibe at John, with some percussional work from Billy Mundi. Things come to a close (with a beautiful closer!) with "Here Stands The Clown". A brief track, to be sure, but the beauty of how Tom works it...
This would be Tom's best selling album. It peaked at a meager #180 and would mark the last album chart appearance. The album produced no charting singles.
"Excalibur", Tom's second album, was issued in 1973. It would be an understatement to say that Tom's style had changed by this point. Jerry Garcia augmented the group which played on the first album. This would be one of the last albums to feature Garcia's pedal steel work, for those collector's out there...
"Forty Years" opens the album. A long, lost and forgotten piece of country-rock, here's a gem waiting to be discovered again. Garcia supplements the tune with his pedal steel guitar playing. Merl Saunders provides fitting piano. This song is worth, on its own, tracking down the LP. "Black Jack Jenny" is a return to Creedence's up-tempo formula, but with some rather uninspired playing from Garcia and lyrics that just don't mesh. "Rocky Road Blues" is a cover of a Bill Monroe bluegrass number, but Tom turns it into a repetitive tune, much in the style of his own that you wouldn't know a legend wrote it or that a good musician was playing it. Fogerty does sing it very decently but once again Garcia just isn't using any imagination. "Faces, Places, People" is one of the high-points of "Excalibur" and a dark one at that. Garcia hits his psych stride as Tom vocalizes some pain-wrentched lyrics. What he's singing of, I don't know, but obviously, it means something to him. "Get Funky" seems a random throwaway and "Sick and Tired" is a cover that Garcia, Saunders and Fogerty had been doing live. "Sign of the Devil" (incorrectly listed as "Sign For The Devil") is snooze-ville and "Straight and Narrow" goes on for too long and goes absolutely nowhere. "Next In Line" is a loping, country song, and makes me wonder if Tom ever considered tackling that genre. "(Hold On) Annie Mae" is a generic, but energetic blues number with prominent keys from Saunders, but the musicianship can't hide the banal lyrics (at one point he sings 'she didn't leave nothin'/No traces behind/Didn't leave numbers/For me to be find' - no, no typo). This one wound up on the "best of" CD!
"Excalibur" went nowhere, and was the start of chart no-shows. It would also be the last to feature Garcia, Saunders, Vitt and Kahn. They never figured in Fogerty's career again.
This CD includes "Goodbye Media Man" in its unedited, unsplit form. If you only have "part 1" of the single, you're OK, unless you want to hear Tom scream 'stop flashin' pictures of the people/stop flashin' pictures of the power' ad nauseum for two extra minutes...
This CD is pricey, and quality doesn't compensate. Someone was careless with the cheapo, PC-based noise reduction functions. "Tom Fogerty" is fine, not really a problem, but "Excalibur" takes a beating bad. The NR totally kills the treble and makes it even muddier, and removes all traces of reverb. A couple of tracks show up in their pure, unscathed hissy quality, and I would have preferred all of the tracks to be that way instead of being too sterile.
Liner notes? A measly (and incorrect) discography and whoever pressed these felt the urge to credit Tom's late-70's band Ruby as the backing musicians... Some pressings do correct the error, to a degree...
Artwork? Front covers, only. What you see on here is all you get... All of the Tom Fogerty reissues from ZYX suffer the same fate. Repetitive packaging.
Buy it for the music, nothing else...

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars The first album is a toss away, but the second one is a find!, December 4, 2007

By 

steve'o "stevemacqueen" (New York) - See all my reviews

This review is from: 1st / Excalibur (Audio CD)

The first album on this CD simply titled, "Tom Fogerty" is a toss away. The songs are loose without a sense of direction and Tom sounded unsure of his voice. (Of course who wouldn't have been nervious after a successful run with Creedence Clearwater Revial, and living in little brother John's spotlight).

However on the second album he joins forces with Jerry Garica of the Greatful Dead and together they released a really fine overlooked and hard to locate recording. (I spent 30 years looking for this album on CD).

"Excalibur' opens with a great steel guitar song titled, "forty years" it plays well and the words are strong and to the heart.
(Forty years we labor with these chains, workin' forty years for anoher man, forty years, forty years, long long years, give the man your blood sweat and tears). That's a song with a real punch.

Then Fogerty picks up the pace with a string of funky blue/grass rockabilly songs starting with "Black Jack Jenny" "Rocky Road Blues" which features some outstanding guitar work by Garcia.

Good friend of both Garcia and Fogerty, (Merl Saunders) also ripped it up on the key boards through the whole set.
The final song, "Hold on Annie Mae" is one hell of a jam tune and it's the best that I have ever heard Garica on Any song on any record.

This one is worth the search and the only reason I didn't give it a perfect five star rating is because the first album is so weak.
But Excalibur is the jewel in this set so look at the first album as a buy one get one free on one CD.