John Fogerty. Legacy: The Creedence Clearwater Revival Years
Just hearing his raspy vocals, undimmed by age, triggers a rush of nostalgia. John Cameron Fogerty, now 80, was a songwriting genius. Between 1969’s Proud Mary and 1971’s Have You Ever Seen The Rain, Creedence Clearwater Revival enjoyed an incredible run of joyous hook-ridden hits: Bad Moon Rising, Up Around The Bend, Travelin’ Band, Looking Out My Back Door… The California quartet also released six studio albums in those two years. Their distinctive rootsy sound, channelling rock, soul, blues and country, was entirely down to printworker’s son John who wrote, produced, and sang every number, and played lead guitar alongside his late brother Tom (rhythm guitar), Stu Cook (bass), and Doug “Cosmo” Clifford (drums).
Fogerty’s songs were catchy, literate, and often laced with satire. Fortune Son was a dig at those born into privilege, rich kids who swerved the Vietnam draft. Who’ll Stop The Rain? was as much about Nixon as it was the band’s impending breakup. Creedence had signed a crippling record deal with small jazz label, Fantasy. When the band split, the label refused to let John go. Worse his jealous brother Tom took their side against him. Fogerty’s talent made label boss Saul Zaentz rich enough to move into Hollywood film production. It took him 50 years to win back ownership of his songs. Here he re-records 20 of them, Taylor Swift style, kicking off with an even sprightlier take on Bad Moon Rising; playing the same Rickenbacker Fireglo 325 he used on the original recordings. The band, including two of his sons, sound robust throughout. This is more than a greatest hits reboot – it’s a glorious vindication of Fogerty’s talent and his legacy.
All together: “Down on the corner, out in the street, Willy and the Poor Boys are playin’, bring a nickel, tap your feet.”
UMI. People Stories. Seattle-born Tierra Umi Wilson mixes lo-fi neo-soul with R&B to creative languid and bewitching tracks. Songs like Somewhere News are emotive, introspective, and as seductive as her voice. The low-key, laidback Hard Truths, featuring platinum-selling singer-rapper 6LACK, confronts the emptiness of fame: ‘You could have a nice house, but going home lonely/Closet full of nice clothes, who’s holding you closely?/You could cash out, that’s nice, partyin’ all night/But you’re empty inside, are you alive?’ Umi’s voice is soft and soothing, with a hint of vulnerability as she sings over music that is minimalist and meditative. Some lyrics are spoken, the universe is thanked, and we hear a therapis at the end of tracks. It’s mindfulness served with a side-order of therapy.
Bioscope. Gentō. Steve Rothery, famed for his emotive lead guitar play with Marillion, collaborates with electro composer Thorsten Quaeschning (Tangerine Dream) on 5 immersive and expansive numbers. Anchored by Elbow drummer, Alex Reeves, tracks like Kinetoscope are trippy, atmospheric prog with spell-binding guitarwork that aspires to kiss the heavens.
Woody Guthrie. Woody At Home: Volumes 1 & 2. Radical folk-singer Woody influenced Dylan, Springsteen, Joe Strummer and Billy Bragg. His vocals on these raw home-taped songs are gruff, but the lyrics spit fire. The collection includes his classic This Land Is My Land, with unheard verses, and his only known recording of Deportee. Woody’s wealthy land-speculator father joined the Ku Klux Klan but Guthrie sided with the poor and dispossessed.
