Great Rock Albums of 1985: John Fogerty- Centerfield

 

In March of 1985, I almost won a free copy of "Centerfield," from former CCR lead singer and guitarist John Fogerty. The local radio station was giving away a free copy of the album to the second caller. I immediately rang the station and got through, unfortunately I was the first caller, damn! As a result, I had to cough up the money and buy the album but after hearing it, the expense was well worth it.

One big question on many people's minds was how much would the album sound like Credence Clearwater Revival? The answer is rather complex. There is definitely the CCR influence on several of the songs, "Big Train (From Memphis) is a prime example. It reminds me of many of the songs on CCR's album "Willy and the Poor Boys." "I Saw it On TV" is another good example of the CCR influence. But and this is a big but, the lyrics of the song are about modern times and how we are supposed to take everything we see on television as the blind truth. I like to think it's a dig at 80s Regan America, which is something I tried to do when writing "Rock and Roll Children."

On the flip side, there are songs which I believe John put his own stamp on free from the influence of his former band, for the most part anyway. Two of those were released as singles, "Rock and Roll Girl" and my favourite track on the album which is also the title track. I'm not the biggest baseball fan in the world, though I do play softball, the lyrics still move me and make me want to put take the bat and ball out and hit a few. Another I guess you could call a Fogerty Special, is "Mr Greed," where he shows he can play lead guitar a little.

Of all the songs which are or not CCR influences, the one that incorporates both very well is the album opener and first single, "The Old Man Down the Road." This is probably why it did so well in the charts. It reminds us old CCR fans that he hasn't gone too far away from his roots but offers something new to the then younger crowd who might have branded John as some sort of ageing hippy. After all, Ronald Regan's greatest success as president in the 1980s was to demonize the 1960s. Sorry, I digress but what John did was take what he had done before and mix it with something new and make a good soft rock album.

Track Listing:

1. The Old Man Down the Road
2. Rock And Roll Girl
3. Big Train (From Memphis)
4. I Saw It On TV
5. Mr Greed
6. Searchlight
7. Centerfield
8. I Can't Help Myself
9. Zanz Kant Danz

[caption id="attachment_4667" align="aligncenter" width="263"] John Fogerty[/caption]

John Fogerty- lead vocals, lead guitar

Rockin' Sydney Simien- accordion

Willy T- saxophone

Kip Basque- rhythm guitar

Mark Miller- bass

Warren Storm- drums

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=04KQydlJ-qc

John Fogerty established himself as a true solo artist in 1985 with his album "Centerfield." What he did was take the country rock sound of his former band and threw in some tricks of his own. The combination made a great album.

Next post: Giuffria

To buy Rock and Roll Children, email me at: tobychainsaw@hotmail.com 

Great Rock Albums of 1985: John Cafferty and the Beaver Brown Band- Tough All Over

 

Jon Cafferty and the Beaver Brown Band was probably the biggest flash in the pan in 1985 but that didn't stop their album, "Tough All Over," from being good. Their first act of notoriety was to have a couple of songs, which they're more known for on the soundtrack of the film "Eddie and the Cruisers." Most of you who were living in the USA around this time might remember their two hits from that soundtrack, "On the Dark Side" and "The Warm Tender Years." In fact, the band has been so identified with that film that many people thought that the title of the film was the actual name of the band. No, Eddie and the Cruisers has always been a fictitious band from the film. I've never seen the film but I have heard that there is a scene filmed along a road called Bay Avenue in Somers Point, NJ, where I lived for a year and was the next town over after I moved. Maybe I should watch it.

[caption id="attachment_4659" align="aligncenter" width="359"] A shot of Bay Avenue in Somers Point[/caption]

"Tough All Over" was the John Cafferty and the Beaver Brown's attempt to break away from their association with the film and prove they could make good music on their own. In my most humble opinion, the album does prove that they are capable of making good music without the aid of a movie soundtrack. This is a good progressive, melodic rock album and I can definitely hear the comparisons made to Bruce Springsteen at the time. The best example of this is "Dixieland," which starts with a cool sax solo but the entire song, the tempo, the vocals all permeate Bruce Springsteen. Many of the other tracks follow this vein but not quite as pronounced as "Dixieland."

While Bruce might be an influence here, there is enough to say that the band aren't just clones of the Boss. The title track and "Where the Action is" are catchy melodic rock vibes that can go on inside your head after the song finishes. "More Than Just One of the Boys" has a good opening riff and speaking of openers, "Voice of America's Sons" does the job very well. The final two tracks are more bluesy mellower tunes but they do end the album okay. So, what you get here is a good melodic feel good rock album which doesn't have me pining for any past soundtracks.

Track Listing:

1. Voice of America's Sons
2. Tough All Over
3. C-I-T-Y
4. Where the Action Is
5. Dixieland
6. Strangers in Paradise
7. Small Town Girl
8. More Than Just One of the Boys
9. Tex-Mex(Crystal Blue)

[caption id="attachment_4660" align="aligncenter" width="334"] John Cafferty and The Beaver Brown Band[/caption]

John Cafferty- lead vocals, guitar

Gary Gramolini- lead guitar

Patrick Lupo- bass

Kenny Jo Silva- drums

Bobby Catoia- piano, keyboards, synthesizers

Michael 'Tunes' Antunes- saxophone

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BTH95pc12Bs

And I thought I'd throw in a classic from Eddie and the Cruisers

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GgIsyoxZ7Uw

Was it the association with the film? Was it because some thought they sounded too much like Bruce Springsteen? Or was it because that in 1985, the music world was divulging too much into synth pop and metal and there was no room for a straightforward melodic rock band? Whatever the reason, although I now know they had an album in 1988, I never heard from John Cafferty and the Beaver Brown Band again. However, this album "Tough All Over" was good enough for me to remember it after so many years.

Next post: John Fogerty- Centerfield

To buy Rock and Roll Children, email me at:tobychainsaw@hotmail.com