Those fans who appreciate John Fogerty's commercially successful releases, Centerfield and Blue Moon Swamp, should check out this self titled solo effort. Its an overlooked gem which is brewing with many styles.

The most familiar song on here is Rockin' All Over The World. It features an upbeat tempo and a stunning piano solo in the middle. Almost Saturday Night is another song others may be familiar with. Like the arrangment between the guitars and the drums.

The real hidden gems on this record are Dream/Sonmg, Travelling High, and When The River Flows. I love the way the stylings so casually change on Dream/Song from acoustic to mellow jazz to rock n roll oer the coruse of the songs verses. The horn arrangement on Travelling High is oh so captivating and soothing on When The River Flows.

Even though I singled out my favorites, this entire record(yes I have the vinyl again) is a winner through and through. You'll like it and like it as you're rocking all over the world.

This is John Fogerty's second solo album since the collapse of his alter ego Creedence Clearwater Revival(the first being his Blue Ridge Rangers album of country and gospel standards). Three self penned songs on here rank with his best Creedence material,"Almost saturday Night", "Rockin' all over the world" and "The Wall'.Dream/Song comes close as well. The problem with the album as a whole is it's too heavey on the cover tunes(3) which seem uninspiring for this soulful rocker. When your' as good a songwriter as this guy is the cover tunes almost seem like filler.Another problem is in the mix. The drums seem to be buried too deep.Any Creedence fan can tell you that John's best songs with CCR and his 2 wonderful solo albums "Centerfield" and "Blue Moon Swamp" seem to have the drums almost right there in your face.These are still minor complaints and the album is a must have for any Creedence/Fogerty fan.

This is really an underappreciated record. It rocks harder than most Creedence material, and three or four of these songs rate among Fogerty's best output, most notably the classic "Rockin' All Over The World" (here in its tough original rendition).
The melodic "Almost Saturday Night" and "Where The River Flows" should have been hits as well, and John Fogerty's renditions of "Lonely Teardrops" and "You Rascal You" are very good.

If you are a Creedence fan, this set won't disappoint you, and casual listeners should find a lot to like as well. The sound is a litle less "swampy", perhaps, but the qualities than made Creedence Clearwater Revival the #1 American band of the late 60s are certainly here. John Fogerty plays every instrument himself, and his guitar playing is particularly raw and gritty.
4 1/2 stars. Highly recommended.

This is really, really good. Never got the kind of recognition it should have gotten.

Fresh from his cult-classic bluegrass album "The Blue Ridge Rangers," John Fogerty took a notion to cut an album of the type that built his name as leader of Creedence Clearwater Revival. His eponymous solo rock debut shows a good-faith attempt to connect with the fans of his heyday, but he really hadn't yet found his feet apart from his former bandmates yet.

The album attempts to recreate the successful formula that propelled CCR to the top of the heap so quickly. There is a strong nostalgia feel, recalling the early days of the Sun and Chess labels when rock-and-roll was itself fledgling. Most of the songs are composed by Fogerty himself, but a couple of covers from days gone by bolster the new pieces. Fogerty's voice still has the raw, tobacco-toasted growl of "Proud Mary" and "Fortunate Son."

However, the instruments don't blend well. Some of the guitars jangle loudly, and the bass seems to be lost in a jungle of high-end chords and harmonized lead. The drumming seems plodding at times, and Fogerty's voice seems lost in the instrumentals, making him seem almost like a side man on his own album.

Some of the songs are quite good. His cover of "Lonely Teardrops" captures the Motor City feel of the bevy of versions Tamla/Motown put out back in the day. Two songs, "Almost Saturday Night" and "Rockin' All Over the World," have enjoyed underground celebrity, and were masterfully recaptured in 1998 on the "Premonition" album. Indeed, the album is worth spending a little money on for those three tracks alone.

Many of the other tracks, however, such as "Dream/Song," "The Wall" (not the Pink Floyd tune, which wouldn't come along for half a decade) and "Sea Cruise" seem rather lost in the crush, as though they were written in a hurry to be ready for the scheduled studio time. Perhaps Fantasy Records was pressuring Fogerty to round out his contract, while Fogerty himself was trying to get out (the contract he signed was notoriously bad).

This album is not on a par with his star-making albums with CCR, and it doesn't yet demonstrate the maturity of later solo platters like "Centerfield" and "Blue Moon Swamp." Casual fans may find this disk less than engaging. For long-term fans of CCR and John Fogerty, however, it's a sturdy disk with a good spine, and the reward may well outweigh the cost.