Bad Moon Rising: The Unauthorized History of Creedence Clearwater Revival

This is a great book and it is part of American history and culture of the 60's. The voice of John Fogerty i have seen his performances with his new band and he basically was CREEDANCE CLEERWATER. That band had a long string of Hit songs i believe written by John Fogerty. His new music is very good too especially the Song (DeJeVu) detailing the story of the unwinable war that was VIETNAM and the present parallels of the conflict in AFGANISTAN which yes to me is also unwinable as the Taliband will just wait until all Western Countries make a exit. I understand the Taliband has been pushed into the mountains and into Pakistan, we all pull out what then!!!!. The Taliban will return and take over again. I associate Creedance Clearwater with the Vienam conflict in the sixies also Jimmy Hendricks too but especially John Fogerty and that true song "FORTUNATE SON" and other songs., Yes if the GOVT's of the day.had to send their children to the war they may reassess their decision but their children go to University and are indeed a( fortunate son). The real sadness is that Creedance Clearwater who were and are a brilliant band were robbed by their record companies as so many others had in those early days of rock and roll. The new band are brilliant and the songs sung sound exactly like the originals Good reading, real sad, happy, tears and then hope that John Fogery who as he continues to tour the world people will re buy his albums , that is his new ones as i have. He is an incredible musician changing his guitar mostly for every song. Each guitar does something different. Like there was one Elvis, one Beatles etc atc there is only one Creedance Cleerwater and that is John Fogerty who has such a amazing and incredible booming voice that even with so many guitars playing together booms over the sound. This is a 6 star book and to own a couple of his live concerts is an amazing experience. I had no idea John Fogerty served and survived Vietnam with the Army. We and and he are blesssed that he appears to stilll be in good health and has not lost his touch. He and his band are nothing short of BRILLIANT, so to also read the book was wonderful reading as i said there will be a lot of emotions you will feel some happy some sad, some funny but at least John survived and has blessed the world with his great and superlative voice and musical ability.For all of the new younger generation experience the brilliance of John Fogerty and read his and his band's story, it good reading. I am indeed very fortunate as i have a 3 zone Bose music system so the music sound so great and you have the best seat in the house but i missed his last concert in Australia and would definitely make the effort to see him live it would be so exciting. I just live in hope he and his new band return to Australia hopefully if no this year the sometime soon. Watching his live concerts i noticed a good mix of all ages so that is wonderful. Buy the book, get his dvds and cds as i have and just sit back AND ENJOY.you will not be dissapointed it is very exciting to watch. .BUT buy his new albums and DVDS there is only happiness listening to he and the band. Just an unbelievable experience and i intend to buy more of his live concerts, i have 2.

Some have called it one of the rock 'n' roll's saddest tales, how a genuinely great band was torn apart by greed and betrayal. But it's also a story full of brilliant music and success - something which a lot of bands never achieve. Hank Bordowitz does a solid job of the CCR roller coaster ride, without taking sides too much. It's hard not to be sympathetic with CCR leader John Fogerty, the band's outstanding talent, lead singer/guitarist and songwriter, but it's also evident that he was a bit of a dictator at times and incredibly stubborn. He could have allowed some extra creative input from other band members (especially brother Tom), but refused for quite a while. After Tom departed in frustration, he pretty much forced Stu Cook and Doug Clifford to write songs for CCR's final (and worst) album, Mardi Gras. It seemed to be a petulant display to say: "See, I told you so," But he also suffered for it, particularly in his acrimonious split with the Fantasy label and its chief, Saul Zaentz, another stubborn man who made an awful lot of money off J. Fogerty. It led to years of in-fighting and litigation, and impacted on John's own writing and career. For many years he suffered from writer's block, and refused to play his great CCR songs on stage. CCR is a case of a quick rush of brilliance and success (seven albums in four years), and a lot of suffering afterwards. John Fogerty has survived and thrived (as has the music), which is a good thing, but the story of CCR really shouldn't have been this painful. An eye-opening account that will interest any fan.

Great for the CCR Fan

I've just finished this book and I have to say, if you can read it with the understanding that the writer is ABSOLUTELY biased against John Fogerty, you can gain some insight into the band and their ups and downs. I was already disappointed with Fogerty's behavior at the infamous Hall of Fame ceremony (barring the other members from playing with him on stage) before even purchasing this book. But between this book, and reading "Up Around the Bend: The Oral History of Creedence Clearwater Revival", a new perspective began to emerge. In 1983, after winning a major court battle (one of many they would face), Fogerty was in a good enough frame of mind to invite his former CCR band mates Stu Cook and Doug Clifford to play with him on stage at their high school reunion. Lines of communication were open and who knows what could have happened in the years to come. About a year later, Fogerty releases his solo album CENTERFIELD, which features the song "Old Man Down the Road" and these are Cook's comments about the album according to this book: "Don't get me wrong. I wish him well. But if he was going to copy an old Creedence tune, he should have picked 'Proud Mary' instead of 'Run Through the Jungle.'" Fantasy music executive Saul Zaentz (Fogerty's old nemesis) decided to sue Fogerty for basically plagiarizing himself, claiming "Old Man Down the Road" is a direct copy of "Run Through the Jungle". This is no coincidence. Zaentz had claimed the lawsuit was Doug Clifford's idea. Clifford denied this in a court of law. Yet according to the "Oral History" book, Clifford admits to telling Zaentz that he thought the new Fogerty song was "Run Through the Jungle" with different lyrics. What I think happened is Cook and Clifford heard the record, were disappointed that they weren't invited by Fogerty to contribute and they reacted with claims of plagiarism. My theory of their disappointment is supported by further comments by Cook in that same interview regarding CENTERFIELD: "If we weren't good enough to play in his band, and this is what he's come up with by playing all the instruments himself, I am glad I didn't play on this album." Sour grapes indeed. At worst, Cook and Clifford went to Zaentz and played the song, giving him the idea to sue. At best, they supported the notion that Fogerty was plagiarizing the original song. Fogerty was found not guilty after a long-running trial (anyone with a good ear can hear the difference between both songs), but the damage was done. The point is, with their involvement in the plagiarism claims fresh in his mind (as well as other conflicts), it's now a little easier to understand why Fogerty was not happy about playing with those guys at the Hall of Fame. I still believe he should have been the bigger person and let them play. But at least I understand his point of view. The problem with this particular book is the writer Hank Bordowitz takes a few unfair shots at Fogerty, while praising Cook and Clifford. He suggests that Cook and Clifford have enjoyed more success as Creedence Clearwater Revisited than Fogerty has as a solo artist. Because their concerts sell more tickets than Fogerty's (in Latin America, where Fogerty hardly ever plays). Because, as the book puts it, at Fogerty's concerts audiences sway but don't really dance, yet at Revisited's concert they dance on the seats (nevermind that you can easily find footage online of people dancing at Fogerty concerts). Oh, and none of Fogerty's last few solo albums have sold as well as Revisited's album (nevermind that Fogerty's albums featured ALL NEW songs compared to Revisited's album of, well, Fogerty's old Creedence classics). Bordowitz also implies a carelessness from Fogerty toward his own brother's death (Tom Fogerty, the other member of CCR). Fogerty could have handled that situation better, but the writer goes too far here. We all handle tragedy our own way and I'm sure Tom's passing tore John up inside. If the swipes at Fogerty weren't enough, the writer downplays the guilt of the other members. The plagiarism issue is a perfect example. Bordowitz KNOWS Cook and Clifford were involved. Yet, he only hints at the suggestion. Contrast that with how many times he reminds us of Fogerty's guilt in the Hall of Fame debacle. There's really no need for the writer to take cheap shots at Fogerty. He tells a good enough story that we can judge on our own. Fogerty has made some jerky moves over the years. But he also got a VERY raw deal! Despite Bordowitz best efforts, I have become more sympathetic to Fogerty and less so to Stu Cook. I did not expect to feel that way. There are some interesting aspects to the book. The reason I give it 3 stars is because the actual facts included are intriguing, and this book will have to do until a better one comes along. A book that does the research, tells the story straight, and let's us judge for ourselves. The greatest rock band in American history deserves no less.

This is a terrific book. Rather than take one person's side, from various interviews the author tells everyone's side of the story and lets the reader draw their own conclusions. This book is full of great information and tells what John, Tom, Doug, and Stu were up to after CCR broke up. I knew John wanted nothing to do with his brother and two former friends, but I didn't realize just how much he despised them. He despised them because Tom, Stu, and Doug chose to remain under contract with Fantasy Records and they chose to continue to be paid for the music that all four played together as Creedence Clearwater Revival. John chose to sign away his own songs to get out of his contract (the other three didn't force him to do this!). John also refused to play CCR songs for years because Fantasy was getting a lot of money from it. I found out some really cool information about CCR from this book that I never knew about. I found out that CCR's performance at Woodstock was actually filmed. When they asked Fogerty's permission to include them in the re-release of the Woodstock movie, he refused. I found a video clip and was just floored at how great their Woodstock performance was. It really showed what a great band they were. While John was an excellent songwriter and musician, it goes to show that without a great backup band, it's just not the same. I really don't think the CCR songs would have become the classics they were without the band. Another tidbit I learned from this book is that all four CCR members played together on a recording for the last time on Tom Fogerty's "Joyful Resurrection." Both Fogerty brothers shared lead vocals on this tune and it's a great CCR-sounding song. It was interesting to read about their induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and how heated it got backstage. It's sad to see one person's anger from his own poor decisions destroying his relationship with his own brother and two high school friends that he made great music with for over 10 years. This book pretty much tells you everything you want to know about Creedence Clearwater Revival.

I really liked this book. I've heard so many stories over the years about the CCR drama and the tragedy of signing with Fantasy Records. It's nice to have the facts. The book tells all sides of the story. It's not high entertainment but if you're a fan you'll probably like it.

Well written and interesting. John Foggerty seems like he wants to be nice but very controlling and doesn't want the other three members of CCR to have anything to do with decisions. The group should have started off with a manager but did not and John took charge. After a while the other 3 members wanted to put in their parts with the songs and were told by John ok but when the time came he changed and didn't like their participation. This guy seems to be all over the place afraid that someone else is taking credit. I got the impression he has serious issues and is just what I said he's a big time control freak. After being inducted into the Rock and Roll HOF he plays on stage with other musicians and had it planned that way weeks before. If you want to know what CCR was like internally just read this, it should give you a good idea of what went on.

The story the book tells is Tom Fogerty allowed his jealousy of his brother plant the seed that destroyed one of the great bands in rock n roll history. The major issues that tore the band apart was the Fantasy contract, the decision to involve band money in the tax shelter, and the arguments in the studio over song arrangements could have been overcome if Tom had not lit the fuse in his attempt to inject himself into a larger role in the band. It is impossible to read another person's mind but it appears John Fogerty decided the entire band was against him and was unable to separate the issues with his brother to the somewhat minor issues with Stu and Doug. For some reason, John turned the battle into a blood war that nobody can win. By the 1980s and the lawsuits, any type of reunion of the band was off the table. It is difficult to excuse John's move to steal a lifetime moment from Stu and Doug at the Hall Of Fame induction because there was no reason for it. He had played with both of them at Tom's wedding several years earlier and he chose that moment to publicly humiliate them. Springsteen, Robbie Robertson, and the Rock Hall Of Fame management really come off in a bad light for going along with John Fogerty revenge tactic. The book points out how spineless the Hall Of Fame is that the problem has not been corrected and other bands have taken Fogerty's lead to punish past members out of favor with current and/or powerful members of the bands. How simple is it to simply state all major members of a band will play or nobody plays.

Great book written about a great band but also a sad story. Well worth reading highly recommend.

It was alot of random stories and I coupdnt get through the first chapter. Just a bad writing style, was likely an interesting story.

Ótimo livro, embora o conteúdo esteja somente em 60 % do livro. O resto trata do conjunto da obra.

This is not the book for those who are looking for a close and intimate view of the band. Although there are quotes from the members it is mostly third and 4th. hand knowledge. Am sure the writer did his best but this is written more like an unwelcome journalistic assignment. Mostly a sketchy overview of events and history.

Being a guitarist, I have found most of CCR's major hits pleasantly easy to play. So it was very interesting to read of the band's pre-fame history, their relatively short 'success' period and their subsequent demise. Having been a great fan of John Fogerty over the years, I was quite disappointed to read of his 'behind-the-scenes' attitude towards the other band members, including his late brother Tom. True, they would not have had the great success if it was not for John. But even so, if the book is accurate, JF was one awkward so-and-so. As the book only goes up to c.2009, I presume his stubborness still exists today. You come away from the pages thinking that this extremely talented guy is his own worst enemy. What a shame. I couldn't quite bring myself to give the full five star rating. Reason being that I read it on my Kindle and when it got to 63% through the book I found myself with the 37% remainder taken up by Discography, Contents, Index etc. !! Nevertheless, still a very good and intriguing read.