Customer Reviews

Centerfield

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

It seems everybody else was cranking up the volume and going "hi-tech" in the mid-80's; NOT John Fogerty! 10 years after the JOHN FOGERTY album, he put out a collection even better (and certainly more refined). So many GREAT songs here: "The Old Man Down The Road" (spooky in the best CCR tradition), "Rock And Roll Girls" (catchy & upbeat), "Big Train (From Memphis)" (country!), "I Saw It On T.V." (a not-so-sentimental "look back" at how politics made the past less perfect than memories would like it to be). Then there's "Mr. Greed" (a rocking condemnation on the corporate mindset), "Searchlight" (a tune that would fit well in The Blues Brothers' repertoire), "Centerfield" (possibly one of the BEST baseball songs ever recorded!) and "I Can't Help Myself" (a rousing rocker that sounds most in style like the old CCR material). Of course, maybe we could have done without "Vanz Kant Danz" (and I'm sure Fogerty could have done without the TWO lawsuits leveled at him for this album) but how many "perfect" albums are there really? For something really tremendous, check out the CLASS OF '55: MEMPHIS ROCK & ROLL HOMECOMING, which features John doing "Big Train (From Memphis)" together with Roy Orbison, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis & Carl Perkins! (Now, how come none of this ever got on the radio in my area?)

John Fogerty was the driving force behind maybe the best American rock band of all time, Creedence Clearwater Revival. After the group disbanded in 1972, Fogerty released an album of country music covers under the moniker of the Blue Ridge Rangers in '73 and his self-titled "debut" album in '75. Then due to legal hassles with his record label, Fantasy Records, Fogerty went on a self-imposed exile until he resurfaced with Centerfield in '85. The years off didn't hurt Fogerty as Centerfield is an incredible album. The record kicks off with "The Old Man Down The Road" which easily could have been on album like Green River. It is classic CCR swamp rock and Fogerty's vocals are raspy and well seasoned and that adds to the song's spooky feel. "Rock & Roll Girls" is a good rocker while "Big Train" is an Elvis tribute. "I Saw It On TV" is the most underrated song on the album. It is a look back on the innocent time of the 50's & 60's, when we were naive enough to believe that everything we saw on TV was true. "Searchlight" has a r&b feel to it while the title track reminds us of our youth when baseball ruled the sporting world the Mantle, Mays, DiMaggio and others were the kings. The album isn't all about days of innocence and warm feelings, it contains two of Fogerty's angriest songs, "Mr. Greed" & "Zanz Can't Dance" (retitled due to a lawsuit from Saul Zanz). They take on his former boss and mentor and showed that he hadn't gotten over the bitter legal problems. They kind of bring down the overall feel of the record, but not enough to keep this album from being nothing short of a classic.

I love baseball so the title track is a must for any baseball lover!! The rest of the album is worth a listen as well. It is not the best that Fogerty has ever done, but worth the money for a few, but good singles!!!

I remember getting the tape of this album in the summer of 1985, when I was 12. I thought then, and I think now, that this is John Fogerty's best post-CCR recording. Maybe it's because the formula he used on Centerfield is similar to what he did with CCR. But, in 1985 it was very refreshing after not hearing that sound for many years. It still holds up 15 years later too. Great songs like "The Old Man Down the Road" which is directly related to CCR's "Run Through the Jungle" proved that John could do it again. Other gems like "Rock and Roll Girls" and "Centerfield" showed how much fun rock and roll could be again. The other non-hits like "Mr. Greed", "Big Train From Memphis", "I Saw It On T.V.", "Searchlight" and "Vanz Kant Danz" round out the cd. A nice snapshot of American life all in 9 tightly produced and played songs. Centerfield is a must have for any rock collector.

After rediscovering John by stumbling into an early release of Blue Moon Swamp (5 stars), I got hungry for more. This album does have more, but not at the same high standards as BMS. The most irritating aspect of the album is some seriously lame (aka "dated") electric drums, with -- if you can believe it -- electric hand claps. With some effort, however, you can tune out these anachronisms and find plenty of good Fogerty on the album. (In fairness, only one or two cuts have seriously bad drum tracks.)

If you're reading reviews of Fogerty's albums, then you're probably trying to find the ones that are closest to his timeless classics from CCR days. This album won't disappoint you -- but if your CD player has "skip track" settings, you'll probably find two or three to forget permanently. The rest range from "as good as" CCR to a couple that will surely find their way onto the NEXT volume of John's greatest hits.

Although overall this album gets a 3 (out of 5), it is really more due to production and arrangement than to the songs themselves. It would be great if they could just re-record this, with some of the personnel on Blue Moon Swamp...

After his departure from CCR in the late 70's John Fogerty became the most accomplished singer & songwriter solo artist in the world. 1985's Centerfield brings back Fogerty's own creedence transition faze rock'n'roll roots and his most successful masterpiece CD album like any other musician has ever done. Songs include from Fogerty are "The Old Man Down The Road", "Big Train From Memphis" and "Rock And Roll Girls"!

AAfter a nine year hiatus from the music scene, former Creedence Clearwater Revival frontman John Fogerty gave us this pot of gold named Centerfield .Age had not robbed Fogerty of his lyrical prowress,nor his ability to catch you with a memorable hook.The opening track,THE OLD MAN DOWN THE ROAD,transports you to swamp and gator country before you have time to blink.ROCK 'N'ROLL GIRLS was a well deserved hit.BIG TRAIN FROM MEMPHIS is a heartfelt tribute to Elvis.We are transported back to 50's/60's USA in I SAW IT ON TV.Coporate America gets a boot to the face with MR GREED. SEARCHLIGHT is swamp rock with electro-drums. CENTERFIELD is a song for every true baseball fanatic.I CAN"T HELP MYSELF is a slice of happiness.ZANZ CAN'T DANZ is a jibe at his former record label boss at Fantasy.The only thing I do not like on this record are those damn electro-drums!However,this album is a worthy addition to any Creedence collector.

The opening track is a classic "The Old Man Down the Road"! It sounds just like CCR! "Rock & Roll Girls" is another great song, with a nice sax riff! "Big Train" is also good with its classic rockabilly drone. "I Saw It On TV" has the best lyrics of any song here. "Centerfield" is a grand slam with the bat appropriately cracking at the end of the last verse! "Mr. Greed" is catchy musically, but the lyrics are pretty grating. Even worse is "Vanz Kant Danz" (originally entitled "Zanz..." after Saul Zaentz with whom Fogerty resents with a passion). Does Fogerty think the world needs to hear about his feud with Zanz, especially with that awful disco beat? I hope he doesn't do this again on future releases.

Don't get me wrong, this is a CD worth buying, but if you've got a choice between Fogerty tunes, go for Blue Moon first.

And the other reviews that mention the strangeness of the drum machines couldn't be more right. This sounds pretty bad, especially on tracks like "Centerfield", at least until the song gets into full swing.

when this album first came out i really enjoyed it..however looking now at the song list i realized it was 4 0r 5 songs that i liked. And great songs they are..centerfield,big train,saw it on t.v.,and rock and roll girls. Even a dozen years later i still remember them. this album is not as good as blue moon swamp but still worth a listen