The first disc of this album kicks off with a good rockin' version of "Travelin' Band." This version of the song is a little more than two minutes, just like the version you've heard on the radio. After "Travelin' Band," he says, "What I'm about is just playing rock n roll, so let's get to it." That's exactly what he does, not only before he launches into "Green River," but throughout the album. This album is about John Fogerty's songs, not what he said to introduce each song.That being said, his introduction to "Who'll Stop the Rain" is interesting. Brief, but interesting. He says, "I went to Woodstock, hitchhiked my way home, then wrote this song." You get the feeling that is Fogerty's MO. He observes and then he writes songs about his observations. And these songs are timeless. He mentions that he wrote "Lodi" during a previous "enerJesus" crisis kind of like the one we have now in which gasoline costs "523 dollars a gallon." And "Déjà Vu (All Over Again)" seems particularly apropos too. Fogerty mentioned that he was in the army during the Vietnam war and that "we're doing the same thing all over again." In an album filled with great songs, this one is probably the most poignant.
So you get through all these old favorites, including the aforementioned tunes, "Rambunctious Boy," "Born on the Bayou," and "Run Through the Jungle," and you've still got one more disc to get through.
On that second disc, you get another healthy dose of good rockin' tunes like "Hey Tonight," "Down on the Corner," and my personal favorite "Keep on Chooglin,'" which features some great harmonica. If anything, there is even less time between songs on disc two. The banter between songs is minimized so you get more of the music. And there sure is a lot of music on this album. Twenty-seven classic CCR and Fogerty tunes. Do yourself a favor. Go out and get this collection, put it on and crank up the volume. Then just sit back and enjoy.
