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As John Fogerty discusses his latest album, a playful grin lights up his face. “I considered naming it Taylor’s Version,” he quips during a recent New York visit. “I really pushed the record company on that one.”
Whether he’s joking or serious, Fogerty reveals that his label nixed the idea. However, he had a point. Onstage at New York’s Beacon Theatre Wednesday night, during the first of two shows celebrating his 80th birthday, Fogerty unveiled his forthcoming LP, Legacy: The Creedence Clearwater Revival Years. Set for release on Aug. 22, the album features 20 tracks that don’t just cover his most cherished Creedence hits. Instead, they are meticulous recreations of the originals, including Fogerty’s vocals, guitar, and the original rhythm section, starting with “Up Around the Bend” and covering popular tracks like “Proud Mary,” “Who’ll Stop the Rain,” “Bad Moon Rising,” and “Down on the Corner,” along with deeper cuts like “Porterville” and “Bootleg.”
“I’m still somewhat anxious to hear feedback,” Fogerty admits. “But the first five or six people I’ve discussed it with have all remarked that it sounds ‘fresher.’ Maybe they mean it’s clearer, or that the fidelity is improved? That’s something I hadn’t expected, but it does have more dimension and depth.”
Musicians have been executing note-for-note covers of their past work for years, yet for Fogerty, the idea emerged two years ago. With encouragement from his wife and manager, Julie, he secured a majority interest in his Creedence song catalog in 2023. It was Julie who proposed an album of remakes, although Fogerty confesses he was doubtful. “I initially wanted nothing to do with it,” he says. “But as time passed, I thought, ‘Okay, I’ll stick my toe in and see what it’s like.’”
This journey began with Fogerty and his son Shane (who also plays guitar) diving deep into the Creedence recordings. Utilizing isolated audio tracks—called “stems”—they could separately analyze each vocal and instrumental part, allowing for an exact replication. In this respect, Fogerty asserts this project differs from his prior remakes albums: the collaborative duets on Wrote a Song for Everyone and 2020’s Fogerty’s Factory, where he re-recorded Creedence songs with family members. “In those instances, I was just singing the songs, but this time, I aimed to ‘re-record’,” he explains. “Rather than veering off into a ‘folk version’ or something, the goal was to closely replicate the original.”
After recording a few initial backing tracks with a band—Shane on guitar alongside session greats Bob Glaub on bass and Matt Chamberlain on drums—Fogerty started by laying down a new vocal for the recreated “Proud Mary.” This moment was crucial for the project. “I’ve been performing ‘Proud Mary’ for over 50 years, and I developed several bad habits without reflecting on the original,” he explains. “But then I realized, ‘John, you’re not capturing the essence; you’re delivering a ‘drive-by’ version.’ I had to relearn the song, replicating all the inflections as before. It’s like how people in New York overlook the Statue of Liberty because it’s right there. Shane often pointed out, ‘Dad, that part is a bit more intricate than your usual approach.’”
The process continued with more songs being recreated over a two-year span. Fogerty discovered he was singing “Lookin’ Out My Back Door” with what he calls “more syncopation” in live performances. “The way I recorded it was right after I wrote it, and it ended up being rather straightforward,” he remarks. “Kind of cheesy, you know? Then as we listened to ‘Born on the Bayou,’ it evolved into something brand new. I thought, ‘Wow, I prefer this to the old version,’ as it felt very much like a jam band—albeit a really good jam band—truly engaging rather than just waiting for something to happen.”
Fogerty even utilized the same Rickenbacker guitar (with “Acme” hand-painted on its body) he played during his Creedence era. He had given it away in the Seventies and had a chance to repurchase it in the Nineties for $40,000 but declined, partly for financial reasons and partly due to emotional attachments. It’s well-known that his relationship with former bandmates and the late Fantasy Records head Saul Zaentz has been tumultuous, marred by lawsuits and unresolved feelings. Thus, the memories tied to the guitar were too painful to confront. “I was hurt. I was scarred,” Fogerty reflects.
However, around a decade ago, Julie Fogerty secretly bought the guitar back (for an undisclosed sum) as a Christmas present for her husband, marking the beginning of his healing process. “I started as a passionate young musician full of joy, but during the Creedence era and shortly thereafter, it became decidedly not joyful,” he shares. “The intent behind Legacy was to reconnect with that initial joy. The man who couldn’t bear to look at his own guitar in the Nineties could never have done this.”
Even though he didn’t use a Swiftian title for the album, Fogerty believes Legacy aligns with Taylor Swift’s decision to remake her albums after her back catalog was sold to Scooter Braun. (Similarly, Fogerty and his former Creedence bandmates lack ownership of their album masters.) “I empathized with her situation,” he remarks. “She’s had a remarkable career and certainly earned a lot of money as a top touring artist, making her capable of purchasing the rights. I felt for her back then, especially since the guy was selling it to someone else. I’ve been through similar experiences, just like what Saul Zaentz might do.”
Like Swift, Fogerty does own the masters of his remakes, which could lead to a financial boon if Legacy performs well in sales or streaming. (Notably, Legacy does not include the band’s famous covers of “Susie Q” or “I Heard It Through the Grapevine,” neither of which were written by Fogerty.)
Still, a significant question lingers over Legacy: since these versions closely mirror the recordings longtime fans know, what necessity is there for them? “That’s an excellent question, one I’ve pondered myself,” he admits. “But there are a couple of factors. First, there’s virtually no chance I’ll ever own the old masters. That taps into the Taylor Swift aspect. Additionally, I think there’s a joy apparent in the music that may not be present in the originals.”
Fogerty believes that certain songs, especially lyrically, have gained depth over time. “When I listen to the finished vocal on ‘Lodi,’ it feels like the guy singing it truly experienced that narrative, unlike the guy who originally sang it,” he states.
In 2021, Fogerty made a return with the gospel-tinged “Weeping in the Promised Land,” his first new composition in eight years. He mentioned to Rolling Stone that an album would probably follow, but that never came to fruition, and he now suggests fans hoping for such a release might be let down.
“Do I have a stash of songs written and recorded?” he asks. “No, I don’t.” However, he mentions that his participation in last month’s American Music Honors, where Bruce Springsteen inducted him, was uplifting—particularly when Jackson Browne led some musicians through a rendition of “Take It Easy”: “On our drive back to the hotel with my wife, I exclaimed, ‘I’m on cloud nine! I want to write songs and record them!’”
For now, though, Fogerty prefers to bask in the glory of Legacy and its surprise announcement during his birthday concert. “At 80 years old, you finally earn the special key to the kingdom,” he laughs. “I guess you can do whatever you like. And I decided this is what I wanted to do for myself, a present I gave myself.”
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