John Fogerty – Legacy: The Creedence Clearwater Revival Years Review

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Of all the people to bring Legacy: The Creedence Clearwater Revival Years to an audience’s attention, it was Roger Daltrey. The Who frontman performed a cover of Have You Ever Seen the Rain?, a classic Creedence Clearwater Revival track, during his show at The Piece Hall in Halifax. Now John Fogerty has the rights to these songs, he can receive residuals, Daltrey says. Such is the reason he re-releases these tracks now on Legacy: The Creedence Clearwater Revival Years. Fogerty does not receive the credit he deserves for his work as a songwriter, and this compilation effort is a chance to do just that, to give him credit. Reclaiming songs has become an unfortunate reality for the likes of Taylor Swift and Fogerty, whose artistic vision is under threat by contracts and legal loopholes. John’s Version is what appears here, over twenty songs revisited by the hitmaker, decades on from their first release. 

Newly recorded versions of some of the all-time greats from his solo career and Creedence Clearwater Revival are compiled well here. What a history Fogerty has showcased across Legacy. Crucial to the success of this compilation is that Fogerty accepts the limitations of his voice. He is not reaching for the roaring tempo on Proud Mary but keeps a recognisable tone. That reliance on bass is what keeps the song alive. It’s given more importance here, even during the memorable guitar solo cutting through halfway into the song. When a musician has a voice as strong as this after so many decades of use, there is no reason not to re-record the songs, to reclaim the rights. It is not an overhaul of the songs which still define Fogerty, but a refresher. A touch-up you would make on a patch of wall where cracks are starting to show. Very little changes, and the switch-ups which are made, be it the slightly different vocal work or the volume of an instrument turned up or down, are nicely carried out.  

Proud Mary certainly sounds a little cleaner here, sacrilege for the hardcore Creedence Clearwater Revival fan, but completely acceptable to those who have touched grass. Legacy is a great entry point for those unsure of where to start with Fogerty’s considerable discography. This is a compilation which gives him the creative license once more but also highlights just how many hits he and Creedence Clearwater Revival made. Proud Mary, Have You Ever Seen the Rain, and Born on the Bayou is a fantastic three-song run which highlights the subtle differences to the original recordings. Album closer Fortunate Son is an inevitability, a decade-defining song which still rings through with its Vietnam-war bashing brilliance. Run Through the Jungle, too, an underrated gem compared to Fogerty’s most popular works, is tightened up here.  

It never feels like Fogerty is recording these songs again as a way of bringing them into the current century. That is not the point. He is keen to preserve as much as he can, and it sounds like a success if half these versions sound as good as the original. These are minor tweaks made to repurpose the rights of the song, and that is fine enough when this intention was clear from the start. But it’s a great treat to return to these songs, or at the very least to have an excuse to hear them again. No new context is brought because many of the songs within are timeless, lasting far longer than the war they were protesting or the love they were kindling. Legacy is an excellent example of what is and is not appropriate for a legendary artist revisiting and reviving their greatest hits.