Customer Reviews

Premonition

5 star:		(67)
4 star:		(17)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

John Fogerty's first live solo album was recorded during his late-90s tour supporting the wonderful "Blue Moon Swamp" album.

At 52, Fogerty sounds virtually as powerful as he did in the late 60s, and there is so much depth and confidence in these live performances. Opening with "Born On The Bayou" (just like in the late 60s), the track list includes classic Creedence material as well as songs from Fogerty's solo career. "Rockin' All Over The World" from his self-titled 1975 LP is here, and the underappreciated gem "Almost Saturday Night", and of course "Bad Moon Rising", "Proud Mary", "Travelin' Band" and "Who'll Stop The Rain". And yes, Fogerty did write "Rockin'" and "Almost Saturday Night".

The material from "Blue Moon Swamp" also works very well in this live setting, but it's a shame that there are only three of them...this really should have been a double disc.
Fans of John Fogerty will not be disappointed, if anything they may be pleasantly surprised, and casual listeners (and just rock fans in general) will get a fine slice of John Fogerty at his best if they pick up this delightful album. This music never grows old.

That So Called "Review" doesn't even deserve to be Called one. The only reason John Fogerty even Had a band behind him in the first place is because there is only One of him. He could have played all the instruments on the records Himself had he Chosen to. The facts are: in an interview from an old AUDIO magazine from the '80's Fogerty states that he wrote out Every Note of Every Part that was played on those records and showed them to the other members of the band. He did this because according to him, they didn't have the creativity and Restraint from Overplaying that he had. He gave in only Once to the pressure and allowed them to play what they wanted on ONE song; and afterwards he never did it again. He is the reason that those songs and those records are the timeless classics that they are, and no one can take that away from him. As with Any human being, his later works have been mixed; but overall, I would Still rather listen to ANY of It compared to the shallow, tuneless, thoughtless, emotionless, "assembly line" Obligatory PRODUCT being cranked out by the majority of people impersonating musical artists in This day and age. And having grown up in the late fifties through the '60's and being a lead guitarist myself for 35 out of my 51 years, I believe I've lived through the best musical eras that ever were. Only by living through it all can a person understand how Weak much of todays music is. You can't go wrong with classic music or artists; and Fogerty is one of the Best!

It took a long time. The album should have been called "Phoenix". It rose out of the dust and ashes of rock & roll and finally brought happiness and great joy to the enduring fans of this superstar.

At last the passionate listener can hear (and see on video) Fogerty perform 'blasts from the past'and the new material for which we have waited so long. It is not possible to include all his greatest renditions on one album, but luckily there are enough of the 'oldies' here to send the old fans into blissful nostalgia and then be brutally brought back into reality by the sheer brilliance of the new additions to this man's historical musical library.

I have commented before about the critics' preoccupation with comparisons of Fogerty in the past and whether his voice is as good today as it was thirty years before or is his new material 'up to scratch' etc. etc. Surely the ill-informed can finally be laid to rest and be asked to leave one ear and one eye open for what must be the most inspiring and adrenalin invigorating rock & roll performance captured on CD and film in a long, long time.

If anything, "Hot Rod Heart" and "Swamp River Days" dominate the listeners' attention on this album. The resurrection of his past material, especially the forgotten songs like "Almost Saturday Night" and "Rockin' All Over The World", and also "Old Man Down The Road" and "Centrefield" are superior technically and in the voice delivery than any previous versions released by Fogerty.

His versions of the hits from the days of 'CCR' are exceptionally good with "Born On The Bayou" and "Fortunate Son" worthy of special mention. I have not heard any love ballads from Fogerty before. It is therefore special for outsiders to listen to a romantic song so dedicated to his wife Julie. The video images on 'Premonition' of John and Julie Fogerty communicating during this song render any additonal comments superfluous - "it was said there for the world to see".

Personally, I have always considered that songs performed by Fogerty but not written by him to be inferior to those that he has created. There are exceptions to this, but not on this album (e.g. "Ninety Nine And A Half"). I don't think that the renditions of 'Suzie Q" and "I Put A Spell On You" enhance the album. Leaving "Walking In A Hurricane", "Blueboy" and "Bring It Down To Jelly Roll" off the CD leaves the listener 'short changed' because the there is no 'concert versions' of these songs on any other album.

Missing the backing group 'The Waters' is also a disappointment. They were very absolutely splendid on film.

The title song "Premonition" will not be one of Fogerty's classics. The classics are of such quality that only the very best can hope to be added.

The contribution to "A Hundred And Ten In The Shade" by the 'Fairfield Four' cannot be over emphasised (see review of "Blue Moon Swamp"). The combination of Fogerty's agressive falsettos with the resonant sounds of the group adds lustre and credibility to the place of pop music in the world of artistic endeavour.

Surely there has never been gathered before a more professional and talented group of musicians to back a rock & roll icon. From the bass of Bob Glaub - sensational, to who Fogerty calls the best rock & roll drummer in the world, Kenny Aranoff and let us not forget the backing vocals and lead guitar contributions of Johnny Lee Schell and also of Mike Canipe, culminating in probably an unparalled rock & roll concert of 'tight' sound.

There are not enough filmed concerts available of the very best artists this world can offer for the huge army of fans of rock & roll music to consume. Thankfully this is an exception. Let the new fan join the faithful and succumb to the vocal dominance of this artist's performance on CD and Video. His guitar virtuosos are his best, his songs have never been better, he looked happy, cool and confident and performed with the authority expected.

The world of rock & roll music has had many 'kings', many have abdicated but none have returned to be crowned again like this man has, albeit thirty years later.

To Julie Fogerty - The concert audience thanked you, now it's the world's turn.

Perhaps the best of John Fogerty's albums, Blue Moon Swamp pales in comparison, and Centerfield is close. This is a great album. Who couldn't enjoy Fogerty bringing the CCR album back to life with this album. Some of the CCR songs on this album are Susie Q., I put a Spell on You, Who'll Stop the Rain, Down on the Corner, and others. It also has track from Centerfield album, including Centerfield and Old Man Down the Road. In reality this CD is just a John Fogerty greatest hits album.

From a psychological standpoint, this CD "Premonition," is a joyful resurrection of the most important musical artist of our time. One can hear the joy in his vocals when Fogerty sings the great songs that came out of his mind in the 60's such as, "Born on the Bayou," "Proud Mary," and "Green River," to name a few. Many people refer to him as the modern-day Stephen Foster, and there are similarities to him because Fogerty consistently delivers his unique and truly all American songs to his loyal followers. He covers the big hits from the old CCR days to "Blue Moon Swamp" goodies. Fogerty continues to win new and younger fans daily, but it is the older fan that has stuck by his side for 30 years that experience the most joy in seeing and hearing him perform these days. As we await the next new batch of songs from da mastah, we continue to take this CD on our roadtrips and to the daily gym torture, knowing that Fogerty is just an average man capable of creating extraordinary songs that reach all people and become timeless masterpieces of contemporary American music. YES -- John Fogerty is underappreciated by all people except his loyal fans. This CD is a refreshing revival of Creedence Clearwater Revival and Fogerty's newer pieces. Listen to it and experience Nirvana.

It doesn't get any better than this folks. This is true rock and roll. John Fogerty has always been a fantastic guitar player, but never got enough credit. This album should change that. He is, by far, one of the greatest guitarists alive. This album is so perfect in every way. You get several CCR hits like "Down On The Corner", "Proud Mary", "Travelin' Band", "Green River", "Born On The Bayou", and many more. You also get a number of John Fogerty classics as well. "Almost Saturday Night" and "Rockin' All Over The World" are not very well known, but they should be. These two songs are as catchy, rocking, and memorable as any of his hits. "Almost Saturday Night" has a perfect guitar riff that won't get out of your head!. There are a few newer songs on here too. "Hot Rod Heart", which is an instant classic, "Swamp River Days", and the lovely song "Joy Of My Life". Rock fans, rock and roll isn't dead. John Fogerty and thhis album prove that it is still here. If you are depressed over the increasing stupidity of modern trash rock these days, then do yourself a favor and get this album!. You won't find a better rock and roll album than this. Perfect.

As Creedence was pretty much the John Fogerty Show, it is nice to see and hear him on a concert tour. It seems that he has retained the same upbeat spirit that has endeared Creedence fans everywhere. After all, there are many 60's retreads out there, like Eric Clapton amd Paul McCartney still going strong, so why not John Fogerty?

Fogerty expertly recreates and reprises many Creedence hits such as the hypnotic Born on the Bayou, the easy Proud Mary, his stirring covers of I Put a Spell On You, and Susie Q,, and simple but energetic rockers like Travelin' Band and Fortunate Son. Singing and guitar playing are in top form here, and the backup band is every bit as compliant as the old Creedence, albeit less thin-sounding. New songs like Centerfield and Swamp River Days get an extra shot of adrenalin. And then there is one hearfelt ballad, Joy of My Life, with a fine slide guitar accompaniment.

If there is anything for me to be less than ecstatic about, it's that Fogerty really hasn't shown much growth or progress in his musical career. Not to worry. The album is still worth getting if you really like him and crave Creedence.

I have always felt that the true measure of an artist lies in the quality of his live peformances where he cannot depend on the technical wizardry to be found in a recording studio. Mr. Fogerty delivers the goods in this excellent live CD. He sums up the American fascination with baseball in the song "Centrefield" and I was delighted to hear him perform his relatively unknown song "Almost Saturday Night" . His distinctive guitar work is a joy to listen to and he also entertains his fans with stories between songs aout the love of his life Julie and how he has been using the same amplificaion rig since Woodstock. Naturally 5 stars for this CD.

For a long time Fogerty seemed to hate his past accomplishments. The man who wrote Green River, Down on the Corner and Traveling Band refused to play them because he no longer owned them. His legal difficulities with Saul Zaentz and Fantasy records were comparable to the difficulty that The Beatles faced with the loss of control of Northern Songs and their backcatalog of hits.

Lennon and McCartney continued to work as that appeared to be their salvation. Fogerty fell into a decade long period of silence. When he reemerged, he was still reluctant to play his old material because of the old wounds and the fact that he had to pay somebody else to play them. The lawsuit that resulted from Centerfield only heighted this reluctance. The bitterness that infused Eye Of The Zombie was the result of the legal entanglements that continued to dog Fogerty (along with a number of bad business decisions).

Fogerty's new marriage and burst of activity that produced Blue Moon Swamp appeared to at last allow him some peace. The result was that Fogerty recognized that the people didn't care who owned his songs--because they knew they were his. The cumulation was this 4 1/2 star classic album. Fogerty went back to the well that had produced so many of his classics. He reembraced his past and seemed to appear whole for the first time in a decade.

What matters here is the performance and the selection of songs. Fogerty has an unerring sense of his best material and he selects from the cream of the crop. Yes, he does miss a few classics (It Came Out of The Sky, Molina)but the bulk of the choices are perfect. That includes his solo material as well. Fogerty rescues two classics from his second solo album Almost Saturday Night and Rockin' All Over The World. These overlooked gems were as good as anything Fogerty wrote for CCR. He manages to give these two classics the exposure they deserve. The performance of these songs are outstanding. The arrangements stay committed to the originals but sound fresh and revitalized because of the band's playing.

Every CCR track here is the equal of the live (and studio) versions previously released. Tom Fogerty's restrained, but driving rhythm guitar is missed on a number of tunes, but John manages to add subtle touches that don't detract from these delightful selections. The backing band is much more than a CCR tribute band. They manage to make this material their own. All of the performances are stellar and if they are a bit slick and missing some of the rough around the edge moments of CCR, they more than make up for this with how insynch they are with Fogerty.

Mellencamp's drummer Kenny Arnoff ably fills in for CCR drummer Doug Clifford. He manages to help drive many of these songs home with his powerful musicianship. The title track of the album (which is the only new song) manages to both look back and embrace Fogerty's newer material as well. It acts as a bridge between the past and present. Premonition is the perfect metaphor for Fogerty's career.

Fogerty helped reinvent the vocabulary of rock'n'roll by embracing the blues, Chuck Berry and the garage rock movement. Premonition seems to be about something other than nostalgia; it's about the reinvention of Fogerty as a major talent in the music world.

I think this is a must for all John Fogerty and Creedence fans. The music is classic and gets you up and moving. I love it