Can't say I agree with you regarding his "phoning it in." First off, John is 67 years old; he's got a wife and three young kids, all of whom are still in school. Yet despite all the family matters, he still manages to hit the road for 50+ tour dates every year. Considering John really doesn't need to tour to support his family or prove himself to the world, I'd say that dedication to his fans is impressive, if not admirable.

You mention you'd rather have "terrible new music" instead of "retreads." While I'm sure many die-hards like yourself agree (heck, I wouldn't object to new stuff), the general public doesn't want terrible music. John is a music legend, yet millions only know him when they hear the name "Creedence Clearwater Revival." This duets album is a way to remind/inform fans that these are his songs, while introducing a new audience (country, indie, and hard rock fans) to his music. I always fear that a legend like John will slip out of the limelight and lose followers unless he makes a huge commercial push - which describes this duets album. And remember, John had two 10-year periods and one 7-year period without a releasing a new, original album, so I guess we ought to be thankful we're still getting some new stuff.

Though, I will agree with you regarding some recent cover art. I really liked the Royal Albert Hall and Revival art, but that cheesy BBR Rides Again cover was pretty bad. This new one is so-so.... I think the original version of the cover (with the 60s black-and-white Bob Fogerty photo) was tons better, but hopefully he's saving that for a future solo album. One think I'd like to add... the Creedence album artwork truly captured the music in picture form, but John's recent solo albums haven't really done that. Not sure why.

Well, we've got 4 albums, 2 dvd's and literally hundreds of concerts in the past 9 years, I say it's pretty good... I would also prefer to have an album of originals, but I guess that will still come some day. My main concern with the new album is that, from what I hear on BOTB, John seems to sing very little... on BOTB 75% of the lyrics are sung by Kid Rock, and his voice is nowhere as good as John's... I would have preferred something like When Will I be Loved, with John singing most of the lyrics. But what the heck, I'm going to buy this anyway, and I'm probably gonna like it, too!
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"Ladies and gentlemen, Angus Young!"

Hello everyone, I've been reading this site for the past couple weeks but didn't feel the need to contribute until now. I've long considered the music of CCR to be among the best I had ever heard. But a few weeks ago I spontaneously caught the last half of Born on the Bayou on a local rock station, and it triggered something inside of me. I can't explain it, but let's just say I've spent the past few weeks listening to as much CCR music as I can find time for. And thank God for YouTube, I had no idea there was so much old concert footage and interviews floating around.

I'm glad this site includes comments that are generally critical. Obviously everyone here is a huge fan of John Fogerty and his music, but there's a world of difference between fandom and hero worship. I don't think hero worship is a good deal for anyone involved.

As a newcomer, here's my 2 cents: I'm just thankful to see that John Fogerty is still with us. When I got started on this recent kick for CCR music, I began to wonder about his life path. It didn't take long to find this website, and I must say I was happy to see that not only the man is still here, but he still puts on the musician's hat on a fairly regular basis. That doesn't come easily for a family man.

I realize there hasn't been a lot of new material in recent years, and I suspect that probably is frustrating for some who've been supporting Mr. Fogerty for the long haul. But keep in mind, this is a man who somehow put together three pretty kick-a$$ albums in one year, 1969. I explained that one to our kids recently and they thought I was making it up. (Our daughter, a huge fan of One Direction, can now sing Proud Mary off the top of her head. So there is hope! )

This is a long way of saying, be thankful for the great music John Fogerty has made and still makes on occasion. Thank you.

Great post Jeff, and welcome to the forum. One thing I really like about this community is the tolerance of criticism, and how Fogerty fans are allowed to have civil conversations beyond statements like "John is incredible" or "CCR is the best!" On previous forums, us fans were often restricted to these overly-positive discussions, so it's nice to finally speak honestly about the man who we truly do consider to be our hero. Heck - where would John be today if he wasn't allowed to write classics like "Fortunate Son" or "Run Through the Jungle" that expressed criticism of the government?

I could never imagine John Fogerty "phoning it in". If anything, he has a reputation as being a perfectionist in the studio and it has been said that his level of perfectionism has prevented him from releasing new material as quickly as his fans would like. I am not a musician, and I've always wondered as a songwriter gets older does it become more difficult to come up with new songs? With all the time John Fogerty has spent with his guitar, does there come a point in time where it becomes a challenge to find that guitar riff or melody that he can sink his teeth into and decide to record? I think that as we get older our priorities in life change, and with John's love and dedication to his family life, it looks like he has found a great balance between 'work' and 'play' . We all got very spoiled in the CCR days when the band was cranking out a couple of albums every year and it seemed like there was a new single popping out of the speakers on a weekly basis.
"If it's too loud, you're too old."

I, too, agree.

I will undoubtedly buy "Wrote a Song for Everyone" because I buy everything the man puts out because I love him so.

However, I sick to death of owning 117,000 versions of "Who'll Stop the Rain," and 52,000 versions of "Born on the Bayou."

Now I get to own even more versions of the same old songs. Talk about joy in my life!

Give us new songs...stop with the re-treads.

I know this is a fad in the music industry. Tony Bennett's done it, Rod Stewart, Van the Man....now Fogerty is giving it a try.

Bad idea.

Just give us new music.
Johnniebgoode

Just join this Forum, as I had to reply. I am only a few years younger than John. However, I know we both have one thing in common. We have lived our lives, we have seen our successes, and we know the future only has a few more successes left, so we decide to hold on to these limited successes for the near future.

I love CCR and John Fogerty as a solo artist. I only had the opportunity to see him live once, at Wolftrap in Vienna, Virginia, several years ago. To this day, his concern ranks as one of the best I ever went too. I would love to see him once more if possible.

I could care less about album cover art, I am more interested in the songs that are inside.

So with that said, I wish the John would write more original songs. Personally, I don't care for Kid Rock, or most of the other artists on the new record. When I spend my hard earned money on a new album, I want to hear John Fogerty, period. So I am going to state the obvious, John is one of the best guitarist I have ever heard. I like many of his solo songs, "Hot Rod Heart", "CenterField", "Honey-Do" and so much more.

There is not doubt John can write, and play guitar, but I am sure finding the TIME to do an original album is the problem. As you grow older, you gain more and more responsibilties. To keep your life together, you need to prioritize, and I would say that is what John is doing. Touring takes a lot out of an artist, as you are away from your home, and your family. I think John has a few more big hit albums left, but like I said, its all in using the few you have left, and choosing the right time to produce it.

Just my humble two cents, I am sure John Fogerty knows and understands this, and when the time is right, you will not be frustrated with John anymore.
Poorboy WIlley
"Just down on the corner"