First Trimester 1998 Creedence Healines!

THE RIVER RISING WEB HEADLINES!

THE NEWS
First Trimester 1998

MARCH

MORE ON JOHN FOGERTY VIDEO
The CD NOW Website lists John Fogerty video at $71.99. Full information says "John Fogerty Live - Laserdisc. Japanese import. Recorded at WB Studios. Material from 'Live' album. VHS List Price $ 79.95; CDnow Price $71.99; Expected Release Date: April 21, 1998. Laser Disc future release: May 12, 1998." For more info check the River Rising virtual store at CD NOW. Or click the banner on the right hand column.

PRESIDENTIAL GALA ON TV
John Fogerty's special appearance at the Presidential Gala will be broadcast on ABC Network TV, April 9th, 10:00 PM Eastern and Pacific time. Double check your local listings (by Dana Doak and our sources.)

PREMONITION UPDATE
PREMONITION, John Fogerty's live album, will feature two much-missed tunes in his 1997 Blue Moon Swamp Tour: "Almost Saturday Night" and "Rockin' All Over The World". The live CD will feature 15 songs and an accompanying live video will bring 22 songs. Both are said to be out in June. The single"Premonition" will be released the second week of May. A WB source, though, said privately that the live album was due for release on May 12. [From our sources.]

RECOLLECTION SOUND SAMPLES ON-LINE
The River Rising Web is Proud to Present... Creedence Clearwater Revisited in Concert! We have sound samples from five tunes in RECOLLECTION - CCRv's incoming double live CD. Audio files are MP3 (MPEG) format, stereo, FM quality. Also, a link to a Mpeg player. Plus full song list. Only at the River Rising Web! [Files are posted by permission.]

STU COOK INTERVIEW IN BASS PLAYER MAGAZINE
April's issue of Bass Player magazine features an interview Bass Player Interview and article on Stu Cook. Exerts: "The first real bass I played was a Precision, but I believe we rented it. The first bass I remember owning was a Rickenbacker 4001, which I still have. Then I went to a Jazz Bass, a Gibson EB-3, and then back to a P-Bass -I took the neck pickup off the Rick and put it on the P-Bass at the neck. I like that deep tone you can really feel. The overall sound is more important than being able to hear each note precisely. Bass should fill a space as well as play a particular note.""As Creedence Clearwater Revisited puts the finishing touches on a live double CD, Stu ponders the magic that made the original band's music so enduring. "It wasn't technical greatness; there was just something about the chemistry when we all sat down and played." That kind of chemistry, Stu notes, starts with a simple bass formula. "I'm a pick- and- shovel bassist - down in the trenches. If you come up with the right stuff, less is more. That's the first thing -what will make it work with the most economy?"

CONFIRMED. REVISITED CD TO BE RELEASED IN MAY
Creedence Clearwater Revisited's Live CD will be released in May Aptly named "RECOLLECTION", it's a double live CD containing 22 songs, including a 10 minute plus version of "Suzie Q", and a 15 minute plus version of "Grapevine." It was recorded in November, 1997 over the final three nights of Creedence Clearwater Revisited's Western Canada tour.

PREMONITION OUT ON JUNE 6, ON REPRISE. A LASER DISC IS RUMORED
According to Variety, "PREMONITION" - John Fogerty double CD Live album - will be released on June 6. Alex1rs heard the 2 days performance in December, the same that should make the CD, is said to be ready for release in Laser Disc format around march 15... in Japan. Premonition will be out on Reprise Records, not on Warner Bros. Both labels belong to the same company.

FEBRUARY 1998

JOHN FOGERTY WINS GRAMMY AWARD!
John Fogerty has won his first Grammy! His 1997 album "Blue Moon Swamp" Grammy Night for JF was voted Rock Album of the Year at the 40th Annual Grammy Awards on Feb. 25, 1998. Other categories where he also was nominated ("Best Rock Male Vocal" and "Best Engineered Recording, Non-Classical") went to Bob Dylan's "Cold Irons Bound" and James Taylor's "Hourglass". The Fairfield Four, who appear in the Blue Moon Swamp album and who toured with John Fogerty in early 1997, won the Grammy for "Best Traditional Soul Gospel Album". Information by Dana Doak.

grammy2.jpg (14740 bytes) The River Rising Web and all the people at the River Rising Mail List join in this celebration and extend to John Fogerty our deepest, warmest and truly heart-felt congratulations on this long-delayed recognition to one of the greatest talents of Rock of all times! [Ceremony screen capture by Bruno Berthold, Qu�bec, Canada. Full listing of winners at the Grammy/Yahoo Website.]

PROUD MARY TO THE GRAMMY HALL OF FAME
Proud Mary is among the 140 recordings selected by the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences for inclusion in the Grammy Hall of Fame. The new selections--honored as "early recordings of lasting qualitative and historical significance"--join 123 previous inductees; although only five or six recordings were added annually in previous years, the academy selected a larger batch of recordings this year to "make the hall more complete." Additional inductees include Bob Dylan's "Like a Rolling Stone," Elvis Presley's "That's All Right," Aretha Franklin's "Respect," the Who's "Tommy," Henry Mancini's "Music From Peter Gunn" and the Beach Boys' "Pet Sounds." Full info at the L.A. Times Website.

ADVANCE ORDERS FOR CCR BOOK
Amazon Books is already taking orders for Hank Bordowitz's definitive Creedence Clearwater Revival History, to be published as Paperback by Simon & Schuster in September 1998 (ISBN: 0028648706).

JOHN FOGERTY PERFORMS FOR THE PRESIDENT
John Fogerty performed for President Bill Clinton at Sunday 8th Ford's Theatre gala. Fogerty gave a blistering rendition of his classic "Fortunate Son," a particular favorite of Sen. Trent Lott (R-Miss.). "My son Chet sang it at his talent show when he was in high school," said Lott, noting that the song includes the lyric, "I ain't no senator's son." Reported by Hank Bordowitz and Mavman97@aol.com

PREMONITION RELEASE DATE - Feb. 5
Premonition, John Fogerty's Live Album with performances from Blue Moon Swamp Tour and including CCR classics and the new song which gives the title to the album, is being released tentatively on May 12th in both Canada and the U.S. Reported by Jack Bradley, Canada, who got this info from a very reliable source.

JANUARY 1998

JOHN FOGERTY LIVE ALBUM HAS A TITLE
"PREMONITION", John Fogerty�s Blue Moon Swamp Tour Live album, is set for release in April 1998. The album was recorded in L.A. in December 97 [reported by Pertti Hanninen, Finland, to the River Rising Mail List].

All things point at the two-day gigs at the Warner Bros. studios in December 97 (see the 1997 Headlines!) were, - presumably - a video was shot intended for an HBO Special in mid 1998. John Fogerty unveiled there his new song "Premonition" which will serve as the title for the live album. Since the song was played - and recorded - live, it remains to be seen if the album hopefully will carry a studio version as a bonus track.

CREEDENCE(S) TO TOUR AUSSIE?
The Courier-Mail in Brisbane, Australia reported recently that "Both CCRv and (John) Fogerty are expected to tour Australia in 1998." Stu Cook has a brother living there. By Ian Gray.

PUT THE (SWAMP) THING IN THE BLUE ROOM...
A close relation to John Fogerty told the River Rising Mail List that there's a distinct possibility that he will play at the White House in the near future. No more details at this time.

BOOK ON CCR UNDER FINAL RUN
Music critic Hank Bordowitz's book on the history of Creedence Clearwater Revival is due for publication in or around Fall 1998. Publisher Schirmers Books has the manuscript for final revision. People who have read an early draft say it's an "outstanding work of investigation which unfolds a story that's bound to surprise and astonish all the Creedence fans in a way no one can guess yet!"

FOGERTY ON TV
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction 1998:
Monday, January 19th 9pm EST, 8pm - CST USA VH-1

Thursday, January 15th 24 PM - Storytellers UK VH-1
Friday, January 16th 10 PM - Storytellers German VH-1
Saturday, January 17th 7 PM - Storytellers German VH-1
Sunday, January 18th 4 PM - Storytellers German VH-1
Reported by Robert Aerts, Belgium, who hopes the timings are right.

FOGERTY AT THE '98 HALL OF FAME - Jan 13
John Fogerty began the induction of Gene Vincent at the Hall of Fame 1998 by singing his biggest hit, ``Be-Bop-a-Lula,'' calling it ``one of the greatest records ever made.''``Gene Vincent gave me an image perfect for rock 'n' roll - loud, self-assured and greasy,'' Fogerty said. Other inductees on Jan 12 were the Eagles, the Mamas and the Papas, Fleetwood Mac and Santana on Monday night in a ceremony that had a definite California flavor and the
usual blend of irreverent humor, respectful praise and hot music.

JOHN FOGERTY TO RECEIVE THE 1998 ORVILLE H. GIBSON LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD - Jan 12
Entertainment Wire announced that John Fogerty will be honored at a ceremony in New York City on Tuesday, Feb. 24, the day prior to the Grammy Awards. Previous recipients of the prestigious award that honors the world's top guitarists include B.B. King, Emmylou Harris and Vince Gill.

The award is determined each year by a process that includes nominations by the editors of the leading guitar magazines with the final honoree in each category chosen by music critics from around the country. Proceeds from the award ceremony benefit the Nordoll-Robbins Music Therapy Foundation, which helps severely handicapped children through the use of improvisational music. Last year's Gibson Guitar Awards raised more than $10,000 for the charity and was attended by Bonnie Raitt, Tracy Chapman, Vince Gill, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Kevin Bacon, John Hiatt and Me'Shell Ndge Ocello.

Henry Juszkiewicz, chairman and chief executive officer of Gibson Musical Instruments, said: "John Fogerty is one of America's true guitar heroes. From his days with Creedence Clearwater Revival to his fantastic new `Blue Moon Swamp' album, John has influenced generations of guitarists along the way -- me included. We at Gibson thought it was only fitting to honor him with the 1998 Lifetime Achievement Award."

Fogerty commented: "This is a tremendous honor for me. In recent years I've spent a lot of time honing my skills as a guitarist, which shows that the learning process is an ongoing one. It's great that the kids at Nordoll- Robbins are going to benefit from it, as well."

A CCR BASH IN HOLLAND IN MARCH 98!
On Saturday, March 14th at 8.30 PM there will be a John Fogerty and Creedence Clearwater Revival party in the "Bonbonniere" in Maastricht, Holland (supported by the Worldwide fanclub). The party is organized by a Dutch country music club. Robert Aerts sent this open invitation to the River Rising Mail List
If you are interested, contact Robert Aerts at creedence@tornabo.be or Will Dumont at W.J.J.DUMONT@FI.DSM.NL (also a fan) who lives in the neighborhood of Maastricht and who helped organizing this event.

CREEDENCE EN ESPA�OL!
It has been a long time, but finally the bilingual book Spanish-English containing lyrics for six CCR albums has just been published .The job was done by Amparo Arrospide, who translated the lyrics into Spanish, and Tessa Duncan who wrote a dense prologue. Price is around 1,000 PTAs; for the rest of the countries, if you get to group around 20-30 readers, the publishing house will send it by mail at normal price. The publishing house is Fundamentos, address: c/Caracas, 15. Madrid, Spain. Contact: Paula Serraller. Their e-mail is fundamentos@infornet.es

A CALL TO VOTE FOR JOHN FOGERTY AT THE RIVER RISING LIST - Jan 8
A call to vote for John Fogerty at the Grammies's USA TODAY Poll was made today at the River Rising Mail List. USA Today is conducting a poll for the grammies at http://survey.usatoday.com/survey/grammy.html Creedence and John Fogerty fans are hereby encouraged to point their browsers at the poll's URL and cast their vote for our most beloved Swampy artist.

REVISITED LIVE ALBUM ANNOUNCED
A Creedence Clearwater Revisited double CD album is in its final stages of production. The album features live presentations of Stu Cook and Doug Clifford’s band in the November 97 gigs in Canada. The package will be CCRv’s normal set of Creedence’s greatest hits over some 100 minutes, including amazing versions of Suzie Q and I Heard it Through The Grapevine. Distribution deals are being made for Europe and the United States (River Rising News Service).

HTTP://WWW.RIVER-RISING.CL (Jan 7)
The River Web, homepage for the CCR Mail List, has moved to http://www.river-rising.cl
The old URL at update.cl/creedence.cl will be phased out in the next weeks

JOHN FOGERTY GETS THREE GRAMMY 1997 NOMINATIONS - Jan 6.
Blue Moon Swamp has been nominated in the GRAMMY's Category 20 for Best Rock Album, which is intended for "solo artists, duos or groups, vocal or instrumental. Includes Hard Rock and Metal. Compilation albums by various artists are not eligible. Award to Artist and to the Producer(s) of 51% or more playing time of album. " Other nominees are Nine Lives (Aerosmith), The Colour And The Shape (Foo Fighters), Bridges To Babylon (The Rolling Stones), Pop (U2 )

BLUEBOY, included in the Blue Moon Swamp album, has been nominated under Category 14 "Best Male Rock Vocal Performance For a solo vocal performance. Singles or Tracks only. " Other nominees are David Bowie, Bob Dylan, John Mellencamp, Bruce Springsteen.

Blue Moon Swamp is a nominee in Category 76 Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical (Blue Moon Swamp - Bob Clearmountain & John Lowson, engineers.)

This is the third time John Fogerty has been a GRAMMY nominee. At the 1985 Grammy, for the Male Rock category for the album Centerfield. In 1986 he was nominated as best male rock singer for "Eye of the Zombie".

JOHN FOGERTY INTERVIEW IN "AUDIO" MAGAZINE
Audio Magazine (January issue) headlines at the top of the cover:"TALKING TO JOHN FOGERTY- THE ARTIST AS PRODUCER"

Inside, a nine pages interview by Daniel Levitin. Lots of discussions on instruments "A Rickenbaker guitar sounds best through two 15-inch speakers if you're using it for rhythm. The 10- or 12 - inch speaker is much more focused: that's why all the lead players like them so much, for playing single note stuff."

About Tom's involvement in the band: "".. that's me playing pretty much all the acoustic guitars on Creedence. I think the only time Tom ever played acoustic was on 'Bootleg', because we did that live, and then I just overdubbed the same part on acoustic, with me doubling Tom." "It was a go around I had with Tom for the whole three years we were Creedence. He kept saying, 'My part's not loud enough'."

On recording an producing Suzie Q: "So while I was doing 'Suzie Q', the one and only time they were there during a Creedence mix, I kept hearing, 'That's not going to work!' and 'Oh, that's too loud!' and 'Aw, that'll never...' You know, that sort of thing for the whole two hours. "I let it happen only one time, even though I was only 22 years old. When it was all mixed and mastered and they heard it, they said, "John, how did you know all that background vocal stuff was going to work?" And I said, "Because I mapped it out. I knew what I was going to do before I got in there." And they said, "Well we didn't think..." And I said, "Yeah, I KNOW you didn't think it was going to work. And that's the last time you're ever going to be around when I'm doing it." And that was it. I never let them be in there again. Every song after that, I just refused to let them there because it was so disruptive."

On the rhythm section: "I'm playing with guys now who I always thought Creedence could be like. Kenny Aronoff is a GREAT rock'n'roll drummer. I think there really is a greatness in the performance of the music on Blue Moon Swamp that was never achieved at any time in my career before. That's why I'm so happy. But that's what I was always complaining about with Creedence. We were very young, and the rhythm section didn't have anywhere near the tightness I thought it should have. But there's another angle you could look at it from: Our average audience was 14 years old, and they couldn't tell the difference. They really do not hear the difference at that age. That's why when you an I listen twosome of the stuff now that is very popular - let's pick on Hole with Courtney Love - I mean, that's the most godawful stuff I've heard in my life -it's really bad. But a 14-year-old kid doesn't know that."

On "Who'll Stop the Rain": AUDIO- What's the story on 'Who'll Stop the Rain" with all those drum fills? JF- "Umm, I would prefer it not to be that way." AUDIO- I wouldn't have
thought so. JF- "There are times now when we're playing that song live and Kenny Aronoff will go 'ba-do-do-do-do-bump-bump-bom-bom-bom,' and I'll hear it and I'll look back and grin at him because I know what he's doing there. It's like he just slid in the other drum part from the record. It cracks both of us up. AUDIO- So was that one of those cases where in order to keep peace in the Creedence family you let Doug do that? JF - Yep, you've got it."

On the relationship with the other band members: ""I've had people tell me 'Gee, you've always had this great groove going on in the background.' Well, that's not an accident, that's what I wanted. You have to figure out what is that grooves. Only a few things are going to work. Let's say you've figured out the guitar; then you've got to figure out the bass part, and the rhythm guitar part, and the drums that complement that because you still have a myriad of choices that could screw up your initial choice on the lead guitar. So it was very much chosen and arranged before they even heard the song. I would show the guys in the band what to play. And in some cases, it got really touchy, especially as we made our way along the successful path we were taking. Their egos got more and more sensitive, to where I actually had to spoon-feed them the parts. I remember when I was showing Stu [bassist] 'Down on the Corner,' he was having a hell of a time with it. I was showing him one or two notes at the time, so that it evolved to where he thought he invented the part. I'd say, 'well, try going...[sings first two notes of bass line],' and he'd play those, and then I'd say 'Well what if you did this next...' So by the time he got done, he actually thought he invented it, but I had worked it out a couple of weeks before."

On "Long Cool Woman": "That was Creedence's greatest record! It's the way I feel about [Gene Vincent's recording of] 'Be-Bop-A-Lula - that was Elvis's greatest record!" "Yeah, and kind of just the vibe coming from "Green River" and a little bit of "Bad Moon Rising", and just kind of going off into the Creedence repertoire. And that's okay; unless you're actually stealing the song itself, the sound and the arrangement are just there for the asking, really."

On rock music : "Have you ever noticed that you'll be listening to something by a good band, let's say Van Halen or Quiet Riot, and it starts out good enough -maybe there's a lead guitar you like- and then the guy comes in singing, and somewhere in the middle it just kind of goes sphrrrlt and turns into a mess. That's because they didn't resolve it right, either in the songwriting or the arrangement."

On rock music and lyrics: "I always thought that people who love rock ' n' roll aren't necessarily stupid. If you can write a really good song and add good lyrics as icing, then it's even better, as long as you don't sacrifice the ethic of rock 'n' roll in the first place. I like lots of stuff and I think I have a brain, and I consider my audience to be the same way. Instead of playing down to them, you're playing up to them."

THE NEWS First Trimester 1998

MARCH

FEBRUARY 1998

JANUARY 1998

THE NEWS
First Trimester 1998