Southern Streamline

Background

“Southern Streamline” is the opening track on Blue Moon Swamp, the fifth solo album of John Fogerty. It came out in May 1997. The rockabilly was written, produced and arranged by John Fogerty, engineered by John Lowson and mixed by Bob Clearmountain. The album peaked at #37 in the USA, #1 in Sweden, #1 in Finland and #8 in Australia. It also won Best Rock Album at the 40th Grammy Awards in 1998.

Fogerty wrote "Southern Streamline" in Newhall, south of Santa Clarita, just approximately 30 miles out of Los Angeles. He’d take this beat-up route they called “the old road", which took you to the first commercially successful oil well in California. He’d sit out there all day (John Fogerty, Fortunate Son, 2015).

It's the steel guitar that gives "Southern Streamline" the western swing attitude. Reflected Fogerty: "All I did was hit a couple of those licks [rock-and-roll country guitar] and the whole tune just fell into place. Pedal steel gives you what sounds to me like a freight train going down the track, or what Hank Williams once called, "the silence of a falling star." (Official website of John Fogerty, 1997). 

Personnel

Dobro, guitar, lap steel guitar, vocals: John Fogerty

Bass: Michael Rhodes

Drums: Jeff Donovan

Tambourine: Luis Conté

Backing vocals: Lonesome River Band

Cuban percussionist Luis Conté has played in sessions and toured with Madonna, Phil Collins, Pat Metheny and James Taylor, just to list a few. 

Equipment

On "Southern Streamline", Fogerty played his custom Telecaster, which at one point belonged to the Eagles. He used an old Vox AC30 amplifier on top which you can fry eggs (John Fogerty, Fortunate Son, 2015). 

The lap steel guitar on the track was an old Oahu Tonemaster (Willie G. Moseley, Interview with John Fogerty, The Vintage Guitar, August 1997). 

Video

A Jim Hershleder directed music video of "Southern Streamline" was released in late summer 1997. Shot at a train depot in Mount Pleasant, Tennesssee, on July 16th, 1997, the video features Fogerty playing in a rolling train and visiting an old-time colonial store (Desert News, July 17th, 1997). Julie, Shane and Tyler also appear briefly. The mix of the soundtrack differs slightly from the album version. The video went on circulation on Country Music Television in the USA on August 3rd, 1997 (The Billboard, August 16th, 1997). 

Collector's notes

"Southern Streamline" was also launched as a promotional CD single in the USA (WB PRO CD 8908), Germany (WB PRCD 775) and Norway (WB/WEA FOGPROM 297). The US version had a cover sleeve featuring Fogerty leaning against a brick wall. The German print had a sleeve but not a real picture. The Norwegian CD featured Fogerty sitting and playing a guitar (Peter Koers, Green River, 1999).  

Live versions

John Fogerty played an acoustic version of "Southern Streamline" in an interview for Album Network in Burbank, California, on May 12th, 1997. As for the electric version, he added the song right away to his set list on the Blue Moon Swamp World Tour in 1997. The premiere took place at the Fillmore in San Francisco on May 18th, 1997. 

He also performed the song in a couple of TV shows in the USA in summer 1997: In Concert (ABC), June 13th, and Late Night with Conan O´Brien (NBC), July 18th. He also delivered the Blue Moon Swamp album opener live in Stockholm, Sweden, on July 25th, in a concert screened by the Swedish television.

Furthermore, Fogerty played "Southern Streamline" live at  Roskilde Festival in Denmark on June 26th, 1997. The show was recorded by Radio Denmark and broadcast partially in Nordic countries in the same summer. 

After a hiatus of several years, "Southern Streamline" made a return to Fogerty's regular concert programming on the Revival Tour in summer 2008. The long and fast remake featured two dueling solos by Fogerty (guitar) and Jason Mowery (fiddle). Mowery also ripped the song open with a mandolin intro. The version Fogerty and the band performed at the Royal Albert Hall in London, UK, on June 24th, 2008, also ended up to the Comin' Down the Road concert DVD.  

Fogerty also delivered the song in a couple of concerts in 2009 and 2010 and in several shows in summer 2014. He also played it once in Canada in fall 2016. The version Fogrty perormed in concerts in latter years 2009-2016 was more true to the original album take. 

Soundboard recordings of the John Fogerty concerts as per autumn 2013 were officially made available for the public as files.   

Critical reception

"Perhaps to play Blue Moon Swamp with the expectations brought on by 11 years of waiting and nearly 30 years of listening is to be set up for disappointment; when "Southern Streamline" kicks off with that insistent "Bad Moon Rising" riff, you're at once thrilled by the familiarity ... and saddened as well; you traveled down this road long ago, before they built shiny high-rises on top of the swampland." -Robert Wilonsky, The Dallas Observer, June 5th, 1997. 

"It’s hard to appeal more to a Southern audience than by writing a song about a train.  The lighthearted romance theme coupled with the “peppy” side of Fogerty’s signature CCR sensibilities makes the track one of the best upbeat songs Fogerty has penned this side of 'Bad Moon Rising.'"   -Cole Powell, Southern Senses, September 14th, 2015. 

Fans' views

"OK, so this might be "Bad Moon Rising" revisited, but it brightly kicks off a wonderful selection of songs on the "Blue Moon Swamp" album. It also features some fancy picking by JF, along with catchy lyrics and more great imagery."

"Just a happy, feel-good song. It makes you want to sing along. (Although, that can be said for a lot of John's songs.) The guitar work is absolutely wonderful. Lots of variety in sound and style. An extremely clean and well produced sound."

"Opener off of Blue Moon Swamp album that set the tone for some kick ass ass stomping rock and roll. John at his finest mixing refined sounds with dirty greasy grudgy swamp."

"Catchy tune. Wonderful guitar work and crisp, clean sound. Fun to sing to also.... when no one's around."

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