29-05-2025
John Fogerty to Release New Recordings of Creedence Clearwater Revival Songs — Basically ‘John's Versions'
Rock & Roll Hall of Famer and former Creedence Clearwater Revival frontman John Fogerty has announced the release of a collection of re-recordings of his classic songs from the Creedence era, titled 'Legacy: the Creedence Clearwater Revival Years,' and arriving August 22, 2025 via Concord.
The 20-track collection features newly recorded versions of Fogerty compositions from the late 1960s and early 1970s, including 'Proud Mary,' 'Bad Moon Rising,' 'Fortunate Son' and 'Have You Ever Seen the Rain.' The new versions are described in the announcement as 'both a celebration of an iconic catalog and a personal reclamation of artistic ownership,' and 'fresh takes on the music that continues to define American rock, recorded with renewed energy and a deep sense of purpose as he celebrates his 80th birthday.'
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Fogerty announced the album from the stage during his sold-out 80th birthday concert Wednesday night at New York's Beacon.
'For most of my life I did not own the songs I had written,' says Fogerty. 'Getting them back changes everything. Legacy is my way of celebrating that — of playing these songs on my terms, with the people I love.' The album was produced by Fogerty and his son Shane Fogerty, with executive production by his wife and manager Julie Fogerty.
While Fogerty did not mention it, the move is similar to Taylor Swift's re-recordings of her first six albums on Big Machine Records, the rights to which were sold without her consent; she has painstakingly re-recorded four of the albums as 'Taylor's Version's in a move to gain control of the material.
Many artists have re-recorded songs from their catalog in an effort to sidestep record deals they felt were unfair, but the move is doubly significant for Fogerty, as he bitterly battled with former Fantasy Records owner Saul Zaentz for decades over control of his catalog. Zaentz signed Fogerty and Creedence in the mid-1960s to an onerous contract that he defended aggressively and litigiously for decades. Fogerty's deep frustration over the situation led him to essentially retire from releasing and performing music for many years, re-emerging in 1985 with his 'Centerfield' album, which included the thinly veiled song and music video, 'Vanz Kant Danz' (which unsurprisingly led to a $144 million, ultimately unsuccessful lawsuit from Zaentz, who claimed the song copied Fogerty's own hit 'Run Through the Jungle').
The battle consumed Fogerty for decades of his life and the artist's life and sidelined his music career for many years, although Concord quickly improved the terms of the deal when it acquired the Fantasy catalog in 2004.
Finally, in 2023, nearly 10 years after Zaentz's death and more than a half-century after the songs were released, Concord sold Fogerty a majority interest in the global publishing rights to his song catalog with the group for an undisclosed sum. Although ownership of the original recordings remains with Concord, apparently no bad feelings, as the company will also release the new Fogerty-owned versions.
Julie Fogerty said, 'I knew first hand how much it meant for John to get his publishing back. It has been so joyful and beautiful since this happened for him. This is a celebration of his life's work. It is the biggest party for the good guy/artist winning.'
Both Shane and his brother Tyler Fogerty perform throughout the album, accompanied by musicians Matt Chamberlain, Bob Malone, Bob Glaub and Rob Stone.
Today, new recordings of 'Up Around The Bend' 'Have You Ever Seen the Rain,' and 'Porterville' are available on streaming services now.
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