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The record:
Fantasy Records 1972,
Cat: SYFL 934555 (9407).
All songs written and arranged by Tom Fogerty.
Produced by Tom Fogerty and Brian Gardiner.
Engineering: Brian Gardiner.
Recorded at Fantasy Studio 'A'.
The musicians:
Tom Fogerty: Guitars, Vocals & Harmonica.
Merl Saunders: Keyboards, b/vocals on "Train to Nowhere".
John Kahn: Fender Bass.
Bill Vitt: Drums and Congas.
Russ Gary: Acoustic Guitar.
Billy Mundi: Percussion.
Rodger Collins: b/vocals on "Train to Nowhere".
The above details as printed on the inner sleeve supplied with the Aussie pressing.
The first album release by the then ex-CCR rythm guitarist and the songs on it were probably the result of a backlog, as his brother, John, was responsible for all the original music of CCR whilst Tom was part of the band. Tom had released the double sided single "Goodbye Media Man" with some degree of success shortly before the recording of this album commenced. Two years previous, another guitarist whose songwriting skills had also been largely ignored by the other members of his band, released what was also obviously a backlog of songs to huge critical and commercial success (and was in fact the first ex-Beatle to have a number one album in the charts). Whilst Tom's first album release did not reach the same commercial heights of George Harrison's All Things Must Pass, there are some worthwhile musical moments that easily equal or better anything on George's "Magnum Opas" that just may have opened his brothers eyes to what could have been "if only...". Kicking off with "The Legend of Alcatraz", the songs just keep getting stronger with the virtuosity of the backing band shinning through up until the relative low- light of the fifth track, "My Pretty Baby", which sees Tom trying to emulate the vocal double-tracking and over-dubbing skills of his brother a'la "Workin' on a Buildin'" and not quite pulling it off. Straight after that however the gutsy rhythm and blues of "Train to Nowhere" kicks in, which sees the rest of the set back at a suitable level of performance. Whilst many of the songs appear introspective ("Wondering", "Here Stands the Clown") they are not morbidly so, and are balanced by such gems as "Beauty is Under the Skin" and "Lady of Fatima". All the songs are delivered in an upbeat fashion and were all obviously lovingly created, and unlike future albums, Tom doesn't appear to try to push his voice too hard, which had the unfortunate effect of (vocal) comparisons with his brother ( ie "Heartbeat" on Zephyr National).
The Tunes:
1. "The Legend of Alcatraz": A driving backbeat pushed along by thudding bass lines starts the album off in fine style, giving a hint of things to come. A great story well told.
2. "Lady of Fatima": A brilliant two-fingered Bass intro carries the start of this ditty to adolescent fantasy, with the sublime, laid-back rhythm guitar of Tom underlying things , acoustic and electric rhythm guitars mixed in opposite channels in true CCR style. The overdubbed fuzz-guitar gives a nice foil to the melody whilst the chord-based lead guitar bridge and fade-out ain't half bad either.
3. "Beauty is Under the Skin": A great country beat pushes this fairly straight country tune along nicely. The '70's style (phased) rhythm guitar bridge may sound a little dated, but we're talking '70s music here, right??
4. "Wondering": If it was at all possible, this song is even more laid back!! Again, a marvellous Bass intro by John Kahn on Fender Bass and again using acoustic and electric rhythm guitars in a similar style to "Lady of Fatima". The melodic, chord based guitar riff used here by Tom was something he used fairly consistently throughout the album, but always pulled off to great effect.
5. "My Pretty Bay" : I have already commented on my thoughts of this song. Nothing terrible about it, I just think we could have been better served by some more tracks in the same mould as the others on this album. Perhaps this song is in fact overshadowed by the other, stronger tracks. Also, my wife and kids won't stop singing it and it drives me nuts!!
6. "Train to Nowhere": This song kicks the rest of the album off where we left it prior to "Pretty Baby" - rocking well! This country rock song features sublime keyboard backing supplementing the sparse but effective rythme section. Also features a snappy refrain to the verses by rising from EMaj to Fsharp before climbing to AMaj - something different yet simplicity itself.
7. "Everyman": A great up tempo, country rock song, and well played to boot. Good lyrics, tight rhythm, a neat harmonica bridge. These people enjoyed making this album, and it shows.
8. "The Me Song": Probably the most introspective song on the album, Tom protests that he doesn't want to be everything that he is, to a solid, hard rock beat and arrangement, with a harmonica backing reminding us that he is still having fun. On one hand he doesn't want to be a rock star, on the other he wants to sing a rock and roll song - the grass is alway greener....
9. "Cast the First Stone": Yet another great Bass intro from John Kahn, fantastic drum and percussion work lending backing to a song sung by Tom to.....his brother???? "...you Mister Halo..." I guess we will never know. Oh, and Tom can whistle too.
10. "Here Stands the Clown": Another of the more introspective songs closes the album, maybe Tom is explaining how he really feels ....by turns a clown, a fool, and lastly, realising he is but a mortal man. He appears to push his voice fairly hard on this almost bluesy number, lending some authenticity to the lyrics which describe, to me anyway, how we are all but bit parts in the game of life. The melancholic piano work complements, indeed sets, the mood and feel of this song, which uses the trusty old fade-out to good effect.
Conclusion: If his brother ever sat down and listened to this album, as I feel sure that he did, it must have left him wondering how things may have been different. Who knows, slightly different, tougher arrangements including great Fogerty/Fogerty harmony vocals, with some classic CCR guitar licks thrown in - hey, another CCR album in the offing!!
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